Louis De Votie Newton (27 April 1892 – 3 June 1986) was President of the
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
(1947–1948) in the United States,
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
preacher, and author, as well as vice president of the
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...
.
Biography
Newton was born in
Screven County, Georgia
Screven County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,067. The county seat is Sylvania.
History
The county was created on December 14, 1793, and was named for G ...
on April 27, 1892. He was raised on his parents' farm, and in July 1902 was baptized in a stream near Union Baptist Church.
He graduated from
Mercer University
Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...
in 1913 and then taught history at the university before earning a master's degree in journalism from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
He joined the U.S. Army in 1917, and taught soldiers at camps near
Macon during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
[
From 1920 to 1929 Newton edited the ]Georgia Baptist Convention
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board is an association of Baptist churches in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the state conventions associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Formed in 1822, it was one of the original nine state conve ...
’s Christian Index newspaper. In 1936 Newton started writing a daily column titled "Good Morning" for the ''Atlanta Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...
'' and ''Savannah Morning News
The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...
'', while writing weekly columns for the ''Christian Index''. He also published several books. Newton broadcast a radio show on WGST-Atlanta from 1929 until his death.[
]
Religious life
Newton became pastor of Druid Hills Baptist Church
The Church at Ponce & Highland is a Baptist church, founded in July 1914 and located at 1085 Ponce de Leon Ave NE at the corner of Highland Avenue in the Poncey–Highland neighborhood in the city of Atlanta. Designed by architect Edward Emmet ...
in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
in 1929.
He initially resisted the offer of this position since he was only a layman, but was persuaded to accept and was ordained on April 20, 1929, just before his thirty-seventh birthday.
In 1943 he was a co-founder of the Georgia Temperance League.
In 1946, soon after the end of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention
The president of the Southern Baptist Convention heads the convention and is elected at the Annual Meeting. The president's duties include presiding over the annual meeting; appointing members to SBC committees; serving as an ex officio member of ...
, serving from 1947 to 1948.[
In the summer of 1946 ]Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
invited Newton to visit Russia on a five-week tour, to meet with leaders of the and investigate the status of its two million Baptists. Newton reported that the churches were open seven days a week, carrying on highly active programs of religious instruction, culture and recreation.
He received a certain amount of criticism for the positive statements about Russia he made on his return, with some accusing him of communist sympathies, others of naivety and still another of "intellectual inadequacy."
Newton was president of the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1950 and 1951.
Later he was vice president of the Baptist World Alliance.[
He retired as pastor of the Druid Hills Baptist Church in October 1968.
]
Death and legacy
Newton died of pneumonia in 1986 at the age of 94.[
He is the namesake of Newton Hall, a large chapel on the ]Mercer University
Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...
campus in Macon.
See also
*List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people
This list List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people includes notable individuals who are or were members of a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) or who are otherwise affiliated with the SBC.
Presidents, pre ...
*Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
*Southern Baptist Convention Presidents
The president of the Southern Baptist Convention heads the convention and is elected at the Annual Meeting. The president's duties include presiding over the annual meeting; appointing members to SBC committees; serving as an ex officio member of ...
Bibliography
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References
1892 births
1986 deaths
Southern Baptist ministers
People from Screven County, Georgia
Deaths from pneumonia in Georgia (U.S. state)
Druid Hills, Georgia
Southern Baptist Convention presidents
20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States
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