Michael E. Schepis - J. Frank Norris: The Fascinating, Controversial Life of a Forgotten Figure of the Twentieth Century

J. Frank Norris

The Fascinating, Controversial Life of a Forgotten Figure of the Twentieth Century

Michael E. Schepis

Copyright 2012 JFrankNorristhebook.com, LLC

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Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-3271-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3272-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3296-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011961358

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/09/2012

Contents

To the memory of my father,

Michael S. Schepis

THE NORRIS FACTOR

Many things can be said about J. Frank Norris. He was the greatest preacher of the first half of the twentieth century. He was also one of the most controversial, even cantankerous public figures of that same era. But, who was he? How did he build the first mega church in America? What legacy did he leave? How and why he did what he did will unfold in this outstanding book by Mike Schepis. As you read this valuable, carefully referenced volume, J. Frank Norris , you will find an in-depth picture of the preacher sometimes referred to as the Texas Tornado.

At the age of sixteen I first heard Dr. Norris preach in a packed church in San Antonio in 1944. He did not use the usual pulpit, but stood tall and with poise, his hands in his side coat pockets as he began to speak. His voice volume could be a short commanding sound or a soft whisper. Quick hand gestures punctuated his sentences. He was dramatic and forceful as he proclaimed the gospel, an orator who understood how to use a peroration to stimulate the minds of his hearers. He held us spell bound for well over an hour.

Several years later I enrolled in the Bible Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. During my year and a half as a resident student Dr. Norris usually spoke at a morning assembly when he would teach the Word of God, verse by verse and chapter by chapter, frequently quoting without notes. The hundreds of students there were always fascinated by his presentations.

J. Frank Norris was talented, fearless, dynamic, controversial, enthusiastic, jealous, clever, and arrogant. He was a tireless preacher, evangelist, author, editor, broadcaster, visionary, world traveler, diplomat, and politician. He made many friends and many enemies. His friends while recognizing his eccentricities, viewed him as a courageous man of God with obvious strengths. Norris preached wherever people would gathertheaters, taverns, nightclubs, businesses, schools, street corners, and baseball parks. He pastored the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth and the Detroit Baptist Temple at the same time twelve hundred miles apart. These two congregations had over twenty-five thousand members which made it the largest ministry in the country. During his career he edited his own tabloid newspaper which developed into the most widely circulated religious journal in the south with approximately eighty thousand subscribers. As a pioneer radio preacher he had broadcasts over twenty-seven stations reaching most of the nation with his rhetoric.

As a preaching politician, Norris appeared to relish his contact with the worlds great leaders. He carried on correspondence with numerous individuals with influence in Washington, D. C., although one gets the impression that it was largely at his own initiative. He did have personal contact with Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. While overseas he had meetings with such foreign dignitaries as David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the Lord Mayor of London, Benito Mussolini, and Pope Pius XII.

He left a great legacy! Read on!

Encouragement and assistance in the completion of this book came from many friends and acquaintances who knew Dr. J. Frank Norris personally. My appreciation and thanks go to all of them.

The most encouragement for this project came from the love of my life and dear wife, Kathleen, who encouraged me throughout the project. Her positive outlook on life never ceases to amaze and inspire me.

Special thanks also go to:

My parents Michael S.(1925-2008) and Marcella Schepis for sharing their valuable memories.

Vickie Bryant, executive director of the Heritage Collection at Arlington Baptist College, Arlington, Texas, who spent so much time helping with the research sources.

Dr. Homer G. Ritchie, pastor of First Baptist Church from 1952 to 1981, Fort Worth, Texas, for personal encouragement and phonograph records made available at Arlington Baptist College.

All the employees who helped me with research at the University of Texas-Arlington Library and Special Collections Department.

J. Frank Norris was one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in the first half of the twentieth century. All who knew him would agree that he was one of the most charismatic, gifted speakers in America in his time. Reverend Dr. Norris, as a fundamentalist preacher, was also known to be a great man admired by his loyal supporters, who had friendships with leaders of governments and businessor a despicable character who was persecuted and hated by his enemies. This book is meant to introduce this famous character to the vast number of people living today who have not heard of him. Those who knew him personally or were familiar with his life will be reminded of the legacy of his influence on todays fundamentalism.

This is about the man who was J. Frank Norriswhat he said and what he did. Most of what is written here comes from the men who were the closest to him, because they knew him best. Every attempt is made to not give place to personal conclusions, judgments, or criticisms of the motives, methods, or personality of Norris by the author, who will leave that to others. It would, of course, be impossible to include every incident or every view of him in a single volume. But here are a few of the highlights in the life of the man who pastored the two largest churches in America, twelve hundred miles apart, at the same time for many years when travel was not as convenient as it is today.

From Alabama To Texas
(18771898)

J ohn Franklin Norris was born September 18, 1877, near Dadeville, Alabama, to James Warner and Mary Davis Norris. Dadeville was a small town about eighty miles southeast of Birmingham in Tallapoosa County. Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek Indians in a battle there in 1814. More than eight hundred Upper Creek warriors died defending their homeland against the troops of General Jackson.

The young Norris couple and their infant son lived in a modest country home. When Frank was only three months old, he was stricken with diphtheria. The neighbors came together to comfort and help, as was customary out in the country. They said, Mary, prepare for the worst; the doctor said theres no chance that your baby will survive. They laid him out, and they saw that he was black. They thought he was gone. She went into an adjoining room, and there alone prayed, God, no, no, nohes not gone. She went back in the other room and saw life in him. Frank had survived the first serious crisis in his life.(1)