The Sword of the Lord is a Christian fundamentalist, Independent Baptist biweekly newspaper.
 | |
| Type | Biweekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Sword of the Lord Ministries |
| Founder(s) | John R. Rice |
| Editor | Shelton Smith |
| Founded | September 28, 1934 |
| Headquarters | Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| ISSN | 0039-7547 |
| Website | www |
The Sword of the Lord is published by Sword of the Lord Ministries, a non-profit organization[1] based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which also publishes religious books, pamphlets, and tracts from a fundamentalist Christian perspective, as Sword of the Lord Publications.
In 2012 the newspaper was a 24-page, biweekly tabloid with a circulation of "just over 100,000."[2]
History edit
The Sword of the Lord was first published on September 28, 1934, in Dallas, Texas by John R. Rice, who edited the publication until his death on December 29, 1980. At first it was simply the four-page paper of Fundamentalist (later, Galilean) Baptist Church of Dallas, where Rice was the pastor. The paper was handed out on the street, and Rice's daughters and other Sunday school children delivered it door-to-door.[3]
The Sword of the Lord moved with the Rice family to Wheaton, Illinois in 1940, and then to its present location in 1963. Upon the Sword's move to Tennessee, Rice co-edited the paper with his brother Bill (1912-1978) until Bill's death. Curtis Hutson replaced Bill Rice as co-editor, and he became the sole editor two years later when John Rice died. 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:[4]
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 (Liberalism), Worldliness and Formalism.
Family members of the editors often assumed integral roles at 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.[5]
Emphases edit
Soul-winning edit
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 Commission by publishing books and materials on the topic as well as sponsoring annual "School of the Prophets" seminars.
King James Bible edit
Consistent with the King James Only movement, 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), Textus Receptus (New Testament), and in 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)."[6]
Contents edit
For many years The Sword of the Lord has published sermons of contemporary Independent Baptist preachers who are part of its circle. It also publishes sermons from a wider spectrum of evangelicals of past generations (not all of whom were Independent Baptist), including Hyman Appelman, Harry A. Ironside, Bob Jones, Sr., R. A. Torrey, Robert G. Lee, Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, T. De Witt Talmage, and George Truett.[7]
The Sword of the Lord is strongly anti-Calvinist and as such does not publish sermons by Calvinist preachers, although an exception has been made for the noted nineteenth-century Calvinist Charles Spurgeon. Nevertheless, Spurgeon's sermons have been edited to remove Calvinist-leaning passages.[8]
The paper usually includes "Editor's Notes," a column by Smith commenting on his recent travels and upcoming events; "Noteworthy News," brief descriptions of events involving Christians or matters related to Christianity, with occasional editorial commentary;[9] columns on church planting and bus ministries; and advertisements for independent fundamentalist Baptist churches and Bible colleges.[10]
References edit
- ^ "Make a Donation". The Sword of the Lord. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
The Sword is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
- ^ "Editor's Notes," Sword of the Lord (September 14, 2012), 2.
- ^ Fred Barlow, "A Brief Biography of Dr. John R. Rice: Giant of Evangelism," Sword of the Lord (September 22, 2006), 14.
- ^ "The Sword of the Lord" (PDF). The Sword of the Lord (sample). 2015-02-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
- ^ "Meet the Staff". The Sword of the Lord. 2009-09-18. Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2015-12-19. Other members of the leadership team included Larry Norman, director of marketing; Jimmy Barrett, customer service manager; and Bart Walker, director of accounting and advertising.
- ^ Sword of the Lord website.
- ^ In his biography of his grandfather, John Himes notes that under Rice, the Sword printed "three sermons from revivalist preachers," the "folksy 'Editor's Notes' in which Rice shared his activities," as well as a "Kid's Korner," a column for women, another for teens, and a summary of the activity of various evangelists. John Rice Himes, John R. Rice: The Last Revivalist of the 20th Century (Menomonee, WI: Christ Walk Publications, 2021), 162.
- ^ In 1950, John R. Rice wrote of his editing practices, "If there are paragraphs which are not acceptable doctrinally, I indicate that they are to be left out." The Sword of the Lord, (September 22, 1950), 1. A scholarly study by Howard Moore discovered that Rice had deleted passages in many sermons, including those of Charles Finney, Talmage, and even Jonathan Edwards', "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But, said Moore, "No other ancient worthy seems to have suffered as much from Rice's editorial license...as Charles H. Spurgeon." Howard Edgar Moore, "The Emergence of Moderate Fundamentalism: John R. Rice and 'The Sword of the Lord,'" Ph.D. dissertation, George Washington University, 1990, 502-10.
- ^ For examples of the "Editor's Notes" and "Noteworthy News", see this online sample edition of the newspaper: "The Sword of the Lord" (PDF). The Sword of the Lord (sample). 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
- ^ Before her death, the paper usually included a column by Viola Walden (1915-2007), who was first employed by the paper in 1934 and served for over 72 years until her death. See Lauren Hamblen, "Lady of the Sword: The Ministry of Viola Mae Walden at The Sword of the Lord," MA Thesis, Bob Jones University, 2009.