The Sword of the Lord
Encyclopedia
The Sword of the Lord is a Christian fundamentalist publisher, based in Murfreesboro
, Tennessee
, that publishes a newspaper of the same name as well as religious books, pamphlets, and tracts.
, who edited the publication until his death on December 29, 1980. At first it was simply the paper of Fundamentalist (later, Galilean) Baptist Church of Dallas. The paper was handed out on the street where the church was located, and the Rice daughters and other Sunday school children delivered it door-to-door.
The Sword of the Lord moved with the Rice family to Wheaton
, Illinois
in 1940, and then to its present location in Murfreesboro
, Tennessee
in 1963. For 15 years, John R. Rice co-edited the paper with his brother Bill Rice (1912-1978). When Bill Rice died, Curtis Hutson
replaced him as co-editor. Two years later John R. Rice died, and Hutson became the sole editor. Hutson died in 1995, and editorship passed to Shelton Smith
, former pastor of the Church of the Open Door/Carroll Christian Schools
, Westminster, Maryland
.
The name of the ministry and publication is taken from a phrase in Judges
7:20: "And they cried, The Sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." The verse is featured in the banner, as is the newspaper's stated purpose, to be "An Independent Christian Publication, Standing for the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible, the Deity of Christ, His Blood Atonement, Salvation by Faith, New Testament Soul Winning and the Premillennial Return of Christ; Opposing Modernism, Worldliness and Formalism."
As is true in many small businesses, family members of the editors often assumed integral roles in the ministry of The Sword of the Lord. In 2009, the approximately fifty employees of the Sword of the Lord Foundation included editor Shelton Smith; his son, Marlon, executive vice president; and Shelton Smith's son-in-law, Guy King, vice president of publishing.
by publishing books and materials on the topic as well as sponsoring annual "School of the Prophets" seminars.
(New Testament) and the King James Bible, is verbally and plenarily inspired of God. It is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and altogether authentic, accurate and authoritative Word of God, therefore the supreme and final authority in all things (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; Rev. 22:18-19)." However, the organization actively opposes more radical King-James-Only views, such as those of Peter Ruckman
.
, Bob Jones, Sr.
, R. A. Torrey, Robert G. Lee, Dwight L. Moody
, Billy Sunday
, T. De Witt Talmage
, and George Truett
. Although the paper is militantly anti-Calvinist, an exception is made for edited sermons of C. H. Spurgeon. The paper also usually includes a column by the editor, a section of "Noteworthy News Notes" with editorial commentary, columns on church planting and bus ministries, and numerous advertisements for Bible colleges and fundamentalist Baptist churches.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, that publishes a newspaper of the same name as well as religious books, pamphlets, and tracts.
History
The Sword of the Lord was first published on September 28, 1934, in Dallas, Texas by John R. RiceJohn R. Rice
John Richard Rice was a Baptist evangelist and pastor and the founding editor of The Sword of the Lord, an influential fundamentalist newspaper.-Childhood and Education:...
, who edited the publication until his death on December 29, 1980. At first it was simply the paper of Fundamentalist (later, Galilean) Baptist Church of Dallas. The paper was handed out on the street where the church was located, and the Rice daughters and other Sunday school children delivered it door-to-door.
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1940, and then to its present location in Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 1963. For 15 years, John R. Rice co-edited the paper with his brother Bill Rice (1912-1978). When Bill Rice died, Curtis Hutson
Curtis Hutson
Curtis Hutson was an Independent Baptist pastor and editor of The Sword of the Lord .Curtis Hutson was born in Decatur, Georgia, of a barber and hair dresser, the second of five children. He attended Avondale High School where he met his future wife, Barbara Crawford...
replaced him as co-editor. Two years later John R. Rice died, and Hutson became the sole editor. Hutson died in 1995, and editorship passed to Shelton Smith
Shelton Smith
Dr. Shelton Smith is the current editor of The Sword of the Lord, a Christian fundamentalist publisher, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is involved with the Independent Baptist movement.-History:...
, former pastor of the Church of the Open Door/Carroll Christian Schools
Carroll Christian Schools
Carroll Christian Schools began as Carroll Christian Academy in 1973 in conjunction with the in Westminster, Maryland. The school slowly grew and added grades throughout the 1970s until its first high school graduation in 1982. Dr...
, Westminster, Maryland
Westminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
.
The name of the ministry and publication is taken from a phrase in Judges
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
7:20: "And they cried, The Sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." The verse is featured in the banner, as is the newspaper's stated purpose, to be "An Independent Christian Publication, Standing for the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible, the Deity of Christ, His Blood Atonement, Salvation by Faith, New Testament Soul Winning and the Premillennial Return of Christ; Opposing Modernism, Worldliness and Formalism."
As is true in many small businesses, family members of the editors often assumed integral roles in the ministry of The Sword of the Lord. In 2009, the approximately fifty employees of the Sword of the Lord Foundation included editor Shelton Smith; his son, Marlon, executive vice president; and Shelton Smith's son-in-law, Guy King, vice president of publishing.
Soul-winning
The Sword of the Lord emphasizes soul winning, the belief that Christians should actively seek to convert others to faith in Jesus Christ. It promotes fulfilling the Great CommissionGreat Commission
The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing missionary work, evangelism, and baptism...
by publishing books and materials on the topic as well as sponsoring annual "School of the Prophets" seminars.
King James Bible
"The Sword of the Lord believes the Bible, the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament, preserved for us in the Masoretic text (Old Testament), the Textus ReceptusTextus Receptus
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
(New Testament) and the King James Bible, is verbally and plenarily inspired of God. It is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and altogether authentic, accurate and authoritative Word of God, therefore the supreme and final authority in all things (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21; Rev. 22:18-19)." However, the organization actively opposes more radical King-James-Only views, such as those of Peter Ruckman
Peter Ruckman
Peter Sturges Ruckman is an Independent Baptist pastor, teacher, writer, and founder of Pensacola Bible Institute, an unaccredited school in Pensacola, Florida...
.
Contents
For many years the Sword of the Lord has published sermons of contemporary Baptist preachers who are part of its circle. It also publishes sermons from a wider spectrum of evangelicals of past generations, including Hyman Appelman, Harry A. IronsideHarry A. Ironside
Henry Allen "Harry" Ironside was a Canadian-American Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, pastor, and author.-Biography:...
, Bob Jones, Sr.
Bob Jones, Sr.
Robert Reynolds Jones, Sr. was an American evangelist, pioneer religious broadcaster and the founder and first president of Bob Jones University.-Early years:...
, R. A. Torrey, Robert G. Lee, Dwight L. Moody
Dwight L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody , also known as D.L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts , the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers.-Early life:Dwight Moody was born in Northfield, Massachusetts to a large...
, Billy Sunday
Billy Sunday
William Ashley "Billy" Sunday was an American athlete who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball's National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.Born into poverty in Iowa, Sunday spent some...
, T. De Witt Talmage
Thomas De Witt Talmage
Reverend Dr. Thomas De Witt Talmage was a preacher, clergyman and divine in the United States who held pastorates in the Reformed Church in America and Presbyterian Church. He was one of the most prominent religious leaders in the United States during the mid- to late-19th century, equaled as a...
, and George Truett
George Washington Truett
George Washington Truett also George W. Truett served as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1927-1929, minister and writer. He was one of the most significant Southern Baptist preachers of his era...
. Although the paper is militantly anti-Calvinist, an exception is made for edited sermons of C. H. Spurgeon. The paper also usually includes a column by the editor, a section of "Noteworthy News Notes" with editorial commentary, columns on church planting and bus ministries, and numerous advertisements for Bible colleges and fundamentalist Baptist churches.