Jerry Vines
Encyclopedia
Charles Jerry Vines is an American
preacher
and former pastor of the then nation's third largest Southern Baptist
church, the First Baptist Church
of Jacksonville
, Florida
. Like his former co-pastor Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
, Vines is well known for his conservative
and sometimes controversial public stances, as well as his wide-reaching influence in the Southern Baptist Convention
and the local political arena. He retired from the First Baptist pulpit on February 7, 2006, and was succeeded by Mac Brunson. On February 4, 2007, Brunson named Vines Pastor Emeritus of the church.
near Atlanta
in 1937. Before attending seminary, he pastored his first church, Centralhatchee
Baptist Church, at the age of 16. He was educated at Mercer University
, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
, and Luther Rice University
before pastoring in churches in Alabama
and Georgia. While pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile
, Alabama
he was elected President of the Alabama Pastors' Conference. He relocated to Jacksonville in 1982 to co-pastor the First Baptist Church with Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
In June 1988, he was elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention
, served two terms, and was supportive of the Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence. During his first 20 years at First Baptist Jacksonville, he baptized 18,177 people and oversaw the building of an $8 million preschool building, a $16 million auditorium and four parking garages, totaling almost $14 million. Vines also was influential in starting the First Baptist Church Pastors' Conference which drew thousands of ministers and church works from across the world. Vines announced his retirement from First Baptist in May 2005 and preached his last sermon as pastor of the church in 2006 at the close of the 20th annual Pastors' conference.
He has since started his own ministry, Jerry Vines Ministries. This ministry is an outreach to further educate pastors in different areas of the ministry. Vines is married to the former Janet Denney and they have five children and seven grand children.
. Referencing Ergun and Emir Caner's book Unveiling Islam, Vines said that "Allah
is not Jehovah
… Jehovah's not going to turn you into a terrorist
that'll try to bomb people and take the lives of thousands and thousands of people," and that "Christianity
was founded by the virgin-born Jesus Christ" while "Islam was founded by Muhammad
, a demon-possessed
pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a 9-year-old girl." This reference was to Aisha
, who is said to have been about nine when her marriage to Muhammad was consummated, according to several hadith
, or stories of Muhammad. The comments stirred a brief national debate on "Islamophobia
" and the demonization of Islam in relation to the War on Terrorism
. Vines initially defended his comments and invited "Muslim scholars to explain their own documents to us all." He also refused to apologize for the statements or to meet with local Muslim leaders. He was heavily criticized, but was defended by fellow Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell
, who wrote a letter supporting him. Falwell was asked about the letter during a 60 Minutes
interview in October, and sparked an even greater outrage by declaring that he considered Muhammad a terrorist. He later apologized for his comments. When the story was covered by NBC Nightly News
with Tom Brokaw
on February 25, 2003, Vines finally broke his silence on the issue, claiming that his statements had been overemphasized in media reports, and that he had not intended to evoke hate.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and former pastor of the then nation's third largest Southern Baptist
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
church, the First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church of Jacksonville
The First Baptist Church of Jacksonville is a large Southern Baptist church located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. With its current membership at 28,000 and with an average attendance of around 7,500 for Sunday services, it is the third largest in the Southern Baptist Convention...
of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Like his former co-pastor Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
Homer G. Lindsay, Jr. was an American Southern Baptist preacher. He co-pastored the nation's third-largest Southern Baptist church, the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, with Jerry Vines...
, Vines is well known for his conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and sometimes controversial public stances, as well as his wide-reaching influence in the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
and the local political arena. He retired from the First Baptist pulpit on February 7, 2006, and was succeeded by Mac Brunson. On February 4, 2007, Brunson named Vines Pastor Emeritus of the church.
Biography
Jerry Vines was born in Carrollton, GeorgiaCarrollton, Georgia
Carrollton is a city in West Georgia, United States, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,388...
near Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1937. Before attending seminary, he pastored his first church, Centralhatchee
Centralhatchee, Georgia
Centralhatchee is a town in Heard County, Georgia, United States. The population was 383 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Centralhatchee is located at ....
Baptist Church, at the age of 16. He was educated at Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions...
, and Luther Rice University
Luther Rice University
Luther Rice Seminary & University is a private Christian college and seminary in Lithonia, Georgia, part of Metro Atlanta. The school was founded in 1962 by Robert Gee Witty in Jacksonville, Florida. It has an enrollment of about 1,600 students...
before pastoring in churches in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Georgia. While pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
he was elected President of the Alabama Pastors' Conference. He relocated to Jacksonville in 1982 to co-pastor the First Baptist Church with Homer G. Lindsay, Jr.
In June 1988, he was elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
, served two terms, and was supportive of the Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence. During his first 20 years at First Baptist Jacksonville, he baptized 18,177 people and oversaw the building of an $8 million preschool building, a $16 million auditorium and four parking garages, totaling almost $14 million. Vines also was influential in starting the First Baptist Church Pastors' Conference which drew thousands of ministers and church works from across the world. Vines announced his retirement from First Baptist in May 2005 and preached his last sermon as pastor of the church in 2006 at the close of the 20th annual Pastors' conference.
He has since started his own ministry, Jerry Vines Ministries. This ministry is an outreach to further educate pastors in different areas of the ministry. Vines is married to the former Janet Denney and they have five children and seven grand children.
Controversy
Vines sparked controversy in June 2002 for remarks he made at a Southern Baptist Convention conference that were critical of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Referencing Ergun and Emir Caner's book Unveiling Islam, Vines said that "Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
is not Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....
… Jehovah's not going to turn you into a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
that'll try to bomb people and take the lives of thousands and thousands of people," and that "Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
was founded by the virgin-born Jesus Christ" while "Islam was founded by Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, a demon-possessed
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a 9-year-old girl." This reference was to Aisha
Aisha
Aisha bint Abu Bakr also transcribed as was Muhammad's favorite wife...
, who is said to have been about nine when her marriage to Muhammad was consummated, according to several hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, or stories of Muhammad. The comments stirred a brief national debate on "Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
" and the demonization of Islam in relation to the War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. Vines initially defended his comments and invited "Muslim scholars to explain their own documents to us all." He also refused to apologize for the statements or to meet with local Muslim leaders. He was heavily criticized, but was defended by fellow Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
, who wrote a letter supporting him. Falwell was asked about the letter during a 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
interview in October, and sparked an even greater outrage by declaring that he considered Muhammad a terrorist. He later apologized for his comments. When the story was covered by NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
with Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
on February 25, 2003, Vines finally broke his silence on the issue, claiming that his statements had been overemphasized in media reports, and that he had not intended to evoke hate.
Selected works
- "I Shall Return"... Jesus: A Biblical Perspective Of End Times (Victor Books, 1977)
- Interviews With Jesus (Broadman Press, 1981)
- A Practical Guide To Sermon Preparation (Moody Publishers, 1985)
- Spirit Life: Experience The Power, Excitement, and Intimacy of God's Shaping Hand (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998)
- Power In The Pulpit: How To Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons (Moody Publishers, 1999)
- Pursuing God's Own Heart: Lessons From The Life Of David (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003)