1) J. Frank Norris is, I believe the champion of all Baptist demonizers. History is replete with examples of his masterful work. He demonized all Southern Baptists, specifically L.R. Scarborough & George W. Truett. He spent many years demonizing any and all Baptists whom he believed to be “liberal” or “evolutionists."

2) John R. Rice, originally a Southern Baptist, demonized Southern Baptists with exceeding great vigor. His publication, The Sword of the Lord, was used to demonize Southern Baptists. He died with bitterness in his heart toward, what he perceived to be, “liberal” Southern Baptists.

3) Jerry Falwell, a John R. Rice protégé, is a champion demonizer. Falwell built his massive kingdom on demonizing those who did not agree with his views on the Bible and secular politics.

4) W. A. Criswell is perhaps the champion demonizer of Southern Baptist Seminaries and Seminary professors. His claim to championship fame is that he said that the seminary professors were “infidels” and “skunks.”

5) Paul Pressler ranks high in the pantheon of champion demonizers. Pressler’s claim to fame is that he coined the “going for the jugular” quote. He also wrote a book, A Hill on Which to Die, in which he demonized everyone from Ralph Elliott, Temp Sparkman, Ken Chafin, Russell Dilday, Randall Lolley, Lloyd Elder, to the Broadman Commentary, Roy Honeycutt, Southern Seminary and Southeastern Seminary.

6) Paige Patterson joins Pressler and Criswell on a high level, having been one of the architects of the takeover in demonizing the Southern Baptist Seminaries. He demonized all of the seminaries, seminary presidents and professors who were perceived to be “liberal.” Even now, Patterson demonizes women in ministry among Baptists.

7) Jerry Sutton wrote an entire book (The Baptist Reformation: The conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention) which contains demonization of scores of people, including Ralph Elliott, Morris Ashcraft, Glenn Hinson, Fisher Humphreys, Temp Sparkman, Clayton Sullivan, Kirby Godsey, Walter Shurden, Russell Dilday, Roy Honeycutt, Randall Lolley, Southern Seminary, Southeastern Seminary, and scores of others.

8) Al Mohler demonized E.Y. Mullins for not being a Calvinist, and Herschel Hobbs for being “duped” by neo-orthodoxy.

9) Anthony Jordan is the all-time champion demonizer of Oklahoma, having demonized Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma and the Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists with pen and sermon. He accuses the CBFO as being soft on homosexuality and compares the Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists with lesbians and Mormons.

10) Roger Moran is the all-time champion demonizer in Missouri, having successfully split the Missouri Baptist Convention asunder with demonizing “guilt by association” rhetoric.

11) T. C. Pinckney is the all-time champion demonizer in Virginia, having created a “hit list” for the purpose of picking them off one by one.

12) Jerry Johnson is the all-time boy-wonder champion demonizer of Colorado, saying that one would have to be “blind as a mole” to not see that Roy Honeycutt is a “liberal.”

13) Bill Powell is one of two champion demonizers of the printed page. He edited the Southern Baptist Journal, a publication that demonized any and everything that was considered to be liberal in the Southern Baptist convention.

14) Demonizing champion, Russell Kaemmerling, and his brother-in-law Paige Patterson, edited the Southern Baptist Advocate, which was funded primarily by the Criswell Center for Biblical Studies. This publication was supposedly the alternative for the “bureaucratically controlled Baptist Press.”

15) The BAPTIST PRESS is the reigning champion demonizer of Baptist news services, if one can honestly call the BP a news service. One of the most famous demonizing “news stories” was Todd Stearns’ out of context quote by Anthony Sizemore, who in a debate at the said, “the Bible is just a book “

16) Tom Elliff is a champion demonizer, having graciously thanked God for getting rid of the “barnacles” in Southern Baptist life. The barnacles of whom he spoke was the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

17) Jerry Rankin is one of two IMB champion demonizers, who fired Southern Baptists missionaries for refusing to sign the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. He demonized Rick and Nancy Dill, accusing them of “misconduct and false teaching" while on the mission field.

18) Avery Willis is the other IMB champion demonizer for suggesting that foreign missionaries were under suspicion of not being doctrinally sound if they refuse to sign the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message.

19) Morris Chapman is a champion demonizer of Texas Baptists for their refusal to support the Southern Baptist agenda.

20) Although a very small potato in Southern Baptist life, Jon Estes is a champion demonizer of Southern Baptist professors, having told the most “bad professor” stories on the old SBCNet and BaptistLife.Com.

While there are sure to be demonizers on the moderate side of the aisle, and I could include myself in that number, I wonder if there is anyone who can give the names of twenty moderate Baptist demonizers. If you include me, can anyone come up with as many as nineteen others?

- October 15, 2003

 (This article was written for  BaptistLife.Com Discussion Forums )