Jon Gary Williams
Articles / Resources
0864
Foy E. Wallace Jr. vs J. Frank Norris (Baptist)
November 15, 1934
Forth Worth, Texas
(By W. E. Brightwell)
It as a "battle of giants" at the First Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Tex. Wallace slew the Goliath who has terrorized the Baptists of Texas for years with his thunderings from pulpit, press, and radio. That Wallace bested his opponent in every stake of the fight is fairly evident to all impartial observers. The mild refusal to debate Wallace again was founded on the flimsiest and most inconsistent sort of an excuse, lends some color to the theory that the giant is slain. R. L. Whiteside acted as official counselor to bro. Wallace. In reserve were veterans as Early Arceneaux, Joe Warlick, and J.D. Tant. Doubtless, 800 gospel preachers were in attendance. Thousands came from great distances from other states. Arriving even 60 minutes early some had sat in the basement's Sunday-school rooms where they could hear, but not see the speakers. Some stood outside or in the aisles for 3 hours.
Norris said Alexander Campbell never said baptism was essential to salvation. Norris quoted from the Campbell - Rice Debate to proved his point. Bro. Wallace suddenly interrupted and said Norris quoted from a quotation by Martin Luther. Norris never explained, dropped the matter, and continued his speech. This was one of the weakest arguments mad and was one of the most telling blows Wallace delivered in its effect upon the audience.
Norris, the gracious host, lost his temper the last session. Once he yelled out, "Shut Up! If you say another word, I will make you stand up, and there are a hundred men here who will carry you out!" C.M. Stubblefield arose and reminded Norris that he was going too far, and he was not manifesting a Christian spirit. Norris tried to turn it off as a pleasantry, but insisted the was not going to be interrupted.
He introduced 17 new arguments in his final negative of an hour, but Wallace had successfully anticipated and answered them. Neal tried to stir up emotional fervor among his people.
On Wednesday in his first speech Norris turned his back to the audience and shook his finger in Wallace's face. Bro. Wallace in a joking mood noticed this in his speech. Norris promised not to look at Wallace, but said, "I wish I could see how he looks now." He said this several times. Bro. Wallace then picked up his chair and moved it in from of Norris. This brought one of the biggest laughs of the debate.
Indicative of the force of Norris as a speaker, and the extreme loyalty of his followers, his speech as one time was being punctuated by "Amens." He suddenly said, "If there are two sinners on earth who need the comfort of the doctrine of the final preservation of the saints, it is Joe Warlick and myself." A Baptist in the audience failed to shift fault gears with him and responded with a lusty "Amen," to the delight of the audience.
Wallace made his affirmative on baptism impregnable, but his defensive tactics were even more interesting and had weight with the 7,000 people. Every objection to baptism was turned right back with equal force. God required three things: faith, repentance and baptism. While they may not be equal in intrinsic value, or from the divine point of view, they are equally essential to the salvation of the sinner; for God is behind all three conditions, and evidently meant for us to obey him in each of the particulars. These conditions are yoked together in scriptures like box cars in a train. Derail one, and the whole train is wrecked. They stand or fall together.
Norris pulled the old bromide about a man who died before he was baptized. Wallace said he had rather risk the chances of a man who had confessed Christ, and dies before he can be baptized, than those of the teacher who refuses to accept and preach baptism as a part of the gospel.
In countering the ancient prejudice about reading one's parents out of heaven, Wallace pointed out that a Chinaman might come to this country and hear the doctrine of justification by faith only. He might say, "If what you preach is true, then my parents ans ancestors who died in China without this faith have gone to hell. For me to accept that faith would be equivalent to saying that my parents are lost. I will not accept it."
Any objection that can be afforded to one thing which God has commanded, can with equal force be made against any other divine requirement.
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