Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 26:1 (Spring 2022)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

SBJT 26:1 (Spring 2022) p. 202

Book Reviews

In the Name of God: The Colliding Lives, Legends, and Legacies of J. Frank Norris and George W. Truett. By O. S. Hawkins. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2021, 224 pp., $20.99 hardcover.

O. S. Hawkins has faithfully and significantly served Southern Baptists in several meaningful roles during his lifetime of ministry as a pastor, author, and recently retired president of Guidestone Financial Resources. His newest book is a retelling of a fascinating portion of Southern Baptist history in a rousing form. Southern Baptists have not been good at telling our history, and as a result many of our people have little sense of rootedness, leading some to look elsewhere to find roots. So, we are indebted to him for an engagingly written account of the basic ministries of two towering figures in SBC life in the early twentieth century. I hope coming generations who barely know Criswell and Rogers will, as a result of this book, gather awareness of and appreciation for George Truett and J. Frank Norris.

Hawkins tells the story of each man, dubbing Norris “the Texas Tornado” and Truett “The Eternal Optimist.” He devotes a chapter to the overall story of each, and then a chapter specifically on the conflict between them. The sad reality is that far too often Bible-believing leaders end up in bitter conflict with one another. Hawkins does not shy away from this sad reality and discusses strengths and weaknesses of both men.

Hawkins is absolutely right that this story is rich with connections to and lessons for today. However, my break with the book is in the lessons it draws. These deductions are the focus of chapter 5, but can be found sprinkled throughout earlier parts of the book. It becomes clear that one aim of the book is a rehabilitation of J. Frank Norris. This is understandable since Hawkins notes in the Introduction that his family’s “spiritual roots” are in the ministry of Norris, including the fact that his father was converted under Norris. We should always be alert to evidences of grace among fellow believers, even those with whom we disagree or who ultimately made a mess of things. So, since Norris has typically been demonized, it is appropriate that we be reminded of positive contributions he made. However, I think Hawkins

SBJT 26:1 (Spring 2022) p. 203

goes too far in his rehabilitation. He is correct that Norris shaped quite a bit within our denomination, but perhaps not as helpfully as Hawkins suggested.

The book takes particular aim at the claim of historian Leon McBeth that Norris made “no contribution to Southern Baptist ministries in this [twentieth] century.” Despite McBeth, Hawkins suggests seven specific ways Norris shaped Southern Baptist lif...