List of Baptists

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The following list of Baptists is a catalogue of those who were members of Baptist churches or who were raised in Baptist churches. It is not intended to imply that all those who appear on the list were practicing Baptists or that they remained Baptists their entire lives. As an article of faith, Baptists do not baptize infants, believing instead in believer's baptism after conversion.

Preachers, theologians, and missionaries

Billy Graham

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

C. H. Spurgeon, "The Prince of Preachers"

• Abernathy, Ralph, pastor and civil rights activist
• Armstrong, Annie, missionary organizer, the SBC's Easter mission offering is collected in her honor.
• Birch, John, Missionary to China and ardent anti-communist
• Brown, Hugh Stowell, 19th century preacher and activist.
• Burchell, Thomas, missionary to Jamaica
• Campolo, Tony, pastor and professor of sociology
• Carey, William, missionary to India
• Carroll, B(enajah) H(arvey), pastor, theologian, founding president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Carroll, JM, pastor author of The Trail of Blood
• Charles Henry Carter, English missionary to Ceylon and translator of the Old Testament, Book of Psalms,and New Testament into Sinhalese from Hebrew and Greek. Considered to be the foremost sinhalese scholar of his time, his A Sinhalese-English Dictionary (Reprint, New Delhi 1996. ISBN 81-206-1174-8) is still considered an authority on the language today.
• Chambers, Oswald, British pastor author of My Utmost for His Highest, born the son of a Baptist pastor, converted to Christianity under C. H. Spurgeon (below)
• Cheney, Oren, American abolitionist and founder of Bates College
• Christian, John T., church historian
• Clarke, Dr. John, medical doctor, early proponent of separation of church and state
• Craig, Elijah, preacher, educator and entrepreneur, purported inventor of bourbon whiskey
• Criswell, W.A., pastor, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, founder of Criswell College
• De La Torre, Miguel A., prolific author on Hispanic religiosity.
• Falwell, Jerry, televangelist, founder of the Moral Majority
• John Gano, founding pastor of the First Baptist Church in the City of New York, chaplain in the Continental Army, and alleged baptiser of General George Washington.
• Gill, John, pastor and theologian
• Godwin, Benjamin - Abolitionist leader in Bradford
• Graham, Billy
• Ham, Mordecai, tent revivalist who preached the sermon where Billy Graham was converted to Christianity
• Holmes, Obadiah, early New England Baptist minister who was cruelly whipped in Boston for his Baptist beliefs and activism; pastor of the Baptist Church at Newport, Rhode Island for 30 years.
• Johnny Hunt, author and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
• Hyles, Jack, controversial pastor and prominent identity in the Independent Baptist movement
• Jordan, Clarence, pastor and author of the The Cotton Patch Gospel
• King, Dr. Martin Luther (Jr.), Civil rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize recipient
• Latourette, Kenneth Scott, pastor; missionary and church historian
• MacArthur, John (Jr.), pastor and theologian

• Moon, Charlotte ("Lottie") Diggers, missionary to China. the SBC's Christmas missionary offering is named in her honor.
• J. Frank Norris, flamboyant Baptist preacher, one of the most controversial figures in the history of American fundamentalism.
• Phelps, Fred, controversial minister most noted for protesting the funerals of homosexuals, and servicemen
• John Piper (theologian), pastor and preacher at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, also head of Desiring God.
• Harold Philmon Reeves (1923–2009), a Shreveport, Louisiana native, and his wife, the former Rose Lengefeld, were the first Southern Baptist missionaries to Thailand, where in the 1950s they established two churches and an English ministry in Bangkok. Reeves served as the Asian representative for the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission.
• Rogers, Adrian, televangelist
• Spurgeon, C. H., British pastor, known as "The Prince of Preachers"
• Smyth, John, pastor who founded the first English-speaking Baptist church
• Stanley, Charles, televangelist founder of In Touch Ministries
• Williams, Roger, founded the First Baptist Church in America
• Neiliezhü Üsou (1941–2009), an influential Baptist preacher, theologian, Church musician, Music teacher and composer from the North-Eastern state of India, Nagaland.
• Sidney Abram Weltmer (1858-1930), an influential Baptist preacher, Professor, Magnetic Healer, Mental Scientist. From Nevada, Missouri. Founder of the Weltmer Institute for Suggestive Therapeutics and the American School of Magnetic Healing. Author of harmonized healing books and editor of Weltmer's magazine.
• Andrew Justin Rodgers (1990–present),Independent Baptist. Attended Jacksonville Christian Academy. Missionary to Vanuatu.
• Paul Washer, founder of HeartCry Missionary Society

Politicians

President Warren G. Harding

President Andrew Johnson

President Harry S. Truman

• Colson, Chuck, former top aide to President Richard Nixon
• Harding, Warren G., 29th President of the United States
• Yukio Hatoyama, 60th Prime Minister of Japan.
• Huckabee, Mike, (R) former governor of Arkansas and 2008 Presidential candidate
• Jackson, Jesse Louis,American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997.
• Johnson, Andrew, 17th President of the United States
• Johnson, Richard M., United States Vice President under Martin Van Buren (1837–41)
• Claude Kirkpatrick, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and director of his state's department of public works; involved in various Baptist activities within Louisiana and through the Southern Baptist Convention
• Lincoln, Abraham, 16th President of the United States. Lincoln was a Baptist but he kept this to himself as an adult
• McCain, John, United States Senator (R) Arizona, Presidential candidate
• Paul, Ron, United States Congressman (R) and former Libertarian Party Presidential candidate, who is known for his libertarian leanings.
• Rockefeller, Nelson, U.S. Vice-President under Gerald Ford (1974–77)
• Truman, Harry, 33rd President of the United States
• Oleksandr Turchynov, interim President of Ukraine since 23 February 2014.

Jurists

• Black, Hugo, Supreme Court associate justice
• Hughes, Charles Supreme Court, chief justice
• Jackson, Howel Supreme Court, associate justice
• Moore, Roy Alabama state Supreme Court chief justice, removed from office
• Thomas, Clarence Supreme Court, associate justice (raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism)

Industrialists and leaders of business

• Cathy, S. Truett, billionaire founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants
• Lindner, Carl, former owner of the Cincinnati Reds
• Penney, J(ames) C(ash), department store magnate, son of a Primitive Baptist lay minister
• Rockefeller, John D, 20th-century oil tycoon

Military personnel

• Charles C. Baldwin, Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force 2004–2008
• John G. Burkhalter - Highly decorated U.S. Army Chaplain who served in World War II and the Korean War.
• Douglas Carver - Major General who previously served as the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army.
• Coey, John Alan, American foreign volunteer in the Rhodesian Security Forces
• Jeff Struecker — Pastor, author and former U.S. Army Ranger Chaplain.

Entertainers, movie and television personalities

David "Sinbad" Adkins

Johnny Cash

Kevin Costner

• Aiken, Clay, pop music singer
• Adkins, David ("Sinbad"), actor, comedian
• Acuff, Roy, country musician
• Beatty, Warren, actor
• Bohren, Spencer, American roots musician, raised Baptist
• Broadus, Calvin ("Snoop Dogg), rapper, raised Baptist
• Campbell, Glen, country music singer
• Carter, Aaron, singer
• Carter, Nick, lead vocalists of the pop group Backstreet Boys
• Cash, Johnny, country music singer
• Costner, Kevin, actor
• Clower, Jerry rural humorist, member of the Grand Ole Opry, lay minister
• Davis, Bette, actress and former Baptist
• Foxx, Jamie, actor, singer and stand-up comedian
• Franklin, Aretha, Singer and daughter of Baptist minister Rev. C.L. Franklin
• Gardner, Ava, actress
• Holly, Buddy, rock 'n' roll singer
• Houston, Whitney, R&B/pop singer and actress
• Jackson, Mahalia, gospel singer
• Knight, Gladys, singer, converted to Mormonism
• Littrell, Brian, pop singer, member of the Backstreet Boys
• Loretta Lynn, female Country Music artist.
• Reba McEntire, female Country Music artist and actress.
• Murphy, Brittany, female actress,singer,voice artist. Raised Baptist and later became a non-denominational Christian.
• Murphy, Eddie, actor
• Norris,Chuck, actor
• Nutt, Grady, Hee Haw regular (1979–82), Baptist Minister
• Pitt, Brad, Actor, raised baptist
• Quaid, Dennis, Actor
• Scott, Willard, television weatherman
• Shelton, Ron, director
• Simpson, Ashlee Pop Singer
• Simpson, Jessica Pop singer and actress
• Spears, Britney, pop singer
• Timberlake, Justin, pop singer
• Turner, Tina, singer, converted to Buddhism
• Underwood, Carrie, country music singer
• Vaughn, Billy, American Big Band Orchestra Leader, Songwriter, and Saxophonist
• Winfrey, Oprah, raised Baptist, now a spiritualist.
• Whitney, Dan ("Larry the Cable Guy"), son of a Baptist preacher, attended Baptist University of America.

Authors, Writers, and Journalists

• Gilberto Freyre, Brazilian sociologist and anthropologist.Was a baptist missionary in Brazil and the USA.Raised Baptist.
• Bradbury, Ray, bestselling author
• Bunyan, John, author of Pilgrim's Progress
• W.E. Cule, children's author and editor of Baptist Missionary Society publications
• Dando, Jill, British reporter and telejournalist
• Hughes, Robert Don, Baptist minister, educator and science fiction author
• Grisham, John, bestselling author of The Firm, A Painted House and Skipping Christmas.
• LaHaye, Tim, co-author of the bestselling Left Behind series
• Moyers, Bill, television journalist and former White House Press Secretary
• Smith, Hazel Brannon, journalist and editor; first female recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.

Athletes

• Brown, Jim, former fullback for the Cleveland Browns
• Mutombo, Dikembe, center for the Houston Rockets
• Johnson, Zach, professional golfer, winner of the 2007 Masters Tournament
• Kyle, Iris, 10-time overall Ms. Olympia professional bodybuilder
• Langerhans, Ryan, outfielder for the Seattle Mariners
• White, Reggie, professional football defensive end; member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Conley, Mike, guard for the Memphis Grizzlies

Miscellaneous Baptists

• Birkhead, Larry, father of Anna Nicole Smith's, daughter Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead
• Bluhm, Brian, one of the students killed in the Virginia Tech massacre and a member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry
• Duggar, Jim Bob & Michelle parents of seventeen children
• Edith Killgore Kirkpatrick (born 1918), former member of the executive board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention
• Frances Shimer (1826–1901), founder of Shimer College

Criminals

• Longabaugh, Harry ("The Sundance Kid"), train robber and outlaw
• Jesse James, an American outlaw, son of a Baptist minister, a Confederate soldier

Fictional Baptists

Baptists in literature

• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
  • Idgie Threadgood
  • Rev. Scroggins

• The Mitford series by Jan Karon
  • Sophia Burton, a single mother raising two daughters
  • Absalom Greer, elderly minister and close friend of the series'protagonist, Father Tim Kavanagh (an Episcopalian rector).
  • Madelaine Kavanagh, Father Tim's mother
  • Emma Newland, Father Tim's secretary who was raised Baptist, converted to the Episcopal church, then returned to the Baptist church when she married.
  • Harold Newland, Emma's husband and local postal worker
  • Rodney Underwood, the town's chief of police
  • Lew Boyd, owner-operator of local Exxon gas station
  • Mule Skinner, semi-retired Realtor
  • Fancy Skinner, Mule's wife and unisex hairdresser
  • Bill Sprouse, the jovial minister of Mitford's First Baptist Church

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Miss Maudie Atkins, Neighbor of Scout Finch, the protagonist. More moderate than the "Footwashing Baptists" who make a brief appearance
  • Mr. Radley's father. Another of Scout's neighbors.
• Superman comic book series
  • Perry White, editor of the Daily Planet

Baptists on television

• Designing Women, Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter), presumably Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) and Charlene Frazier (Jean Smart). Specifically Charlene reveals that she is a "First Baptist" in the episode "Oh Suzanna". In the episode "How Great Thou Art" Charlene quits her church when she discovers her pastor is opposed to the ordination of women, which was her dream at one time. Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts) briefly dates Julia's minister.
• Sanford And Son, Fred Sanford's (Redd Foxx) former sister-in-law, Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) is a devout baptist who often annoys Fred with her constant bible-thumping.
• The Jeffersons, George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) is revealed to be a Baptist during the third season in "The Christmas Wedding" episode where his son Lionel (Damon Evans) weds Jenny Willis (Berlinda Thomas). The wedding is held up because George wants a Baptist minister to conduct the service while the Willis' want a minister of their denomination. Jenny and Lionel quickly marry when a minister (Robert Sampson) (who happens to be Baptist, though white to George's chagrin), is going door-to-door with a group of carolers.
• Gimme a Break!, Nell Harper (Nell Carter) is the daughter of a Baptist minister.
• Golden Girls, Blanche Deveraux (Rue McClanahan) is a Southern Baptist
• The Grady Nutt Show, Rev. Grady Williams (Grady Nutt) is a minister in a short-lived sitcom on NBC who balances family and ministry as he does in the pilot episode where he must preach the funeral of a universally disliked man while coming to terms with his teenage daughter's foray into dating.
• LA Law, Jane Halliday (Alexandra Powers), fundamentalist Baptist and an attorney, as well as an alumna of Bob Jones University. She was introduced to the series in the eighth season premiere of the show when she revealed she was a virgin and intended to remain one until her wedding night
• The Waltons, Almost all the principal characters were Baptists or attended the Baptist church. In the fourth season episode "The Sermon", Rev. Matthew Fordwick (John Ritter) asks John Boy (Richard Thomas) to deliver a sermon while he goes on his honeymoon. In the fifth season episode "The Baptism" John Walton, Sr. (Ralph Waite) refuses to attend a tent revival or be baptized.

Baptists in film

• Arachnophobia Coach Beachwood, his wife, daughter (Becky) and son (Bobby). After boasting he taught his son to throw a football before he could walk, Molly Jennings jokingly asks, "Nepotism?". Mrs. Beachwood replies, "Actually, we're Baptist."
• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd says that he was raised a Baptist, to which Miss Mona says she never stayed in the same place long enough to become anything.
• O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O'Donnell are baptized by a Baptist minister
• The Preacher's Wife, The pastor Rev. Henry Biggs (Courtney Vance), his wife Julia (Whitney Houston), his mother-in-law Margueritte Coleman (Jenifer Lewis), his son Jeremiah (Justin Pierre Edmund) and many other supporting characters who were members of Saint Matthews Baptist Church.

Baptists in Song

• "Preachin Blues" (Son House) Contains the lines

Yes, I'm gonna get me religion, I'm gonna join the Baptist Church.

You know I wanna be a Baptist preacher, just so I won't have to work.

• "Cowboys Days" (Terri Clark) Contains the lines

I was third alto on the second row of the First Baptist church choir

I was keeper of the minutes for the Tri Delts, in charge of the homecoming bonfire

I was a straight 'A', straight laced, level-headed as they come

And parked at the Sonic, isn't that ironic, when my whole world came undone

One slot over was a calf roper giving me his George Strait smile

And before I knew Miss Good-Two-Shoes was two-steppin', runnin' wild.

• "Guilty" (The Statler Brothers) contains the lines

If she seems bitter of other ways,

Seems to have lost her Baptist ways,

If the truth comes harder than a lie,

If she's guilty, so am I

• "Lonely Lubbock Lights"(Aaron Watson), A singer in a Broken Spoke (a honkeytonk) reveals that a love interest is the daughter of a Baptist minister who is keeping them apart (because he sings in bars.)

• "Southern Baptist Heartbreak"(The Warren Brothers) contains the lines

Somewhere in the middle of "Have Thy Own Way,"

She left an empty pew;

She said 'I think that's what I'll do.'"

• "Uneasy Rider" (Charlie Daniels), a hippie is stranded in a bar in the deep South and the locals start making trouble when the fast-thinking hippie accuses one of the locals of being a spy sent to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. The local replies that He's a "faithful follower of Brother John Birch and a member of Antioch Baptist Church."

See also

• List of Christian theologians
• List of preachers
• List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people

External links

• Christian Hall of Fame
• Famous Baptists