Overview

Stokes skillfully explores the events leading up to one of the most intriguing, yet largely forgotten, crime stories in America's history. Set during the post-World-War-I oil boom, it culminates in a courtroom drama pitting powerful lawyers against each other with the life of a wildly popular--and equally loathed--religious leader hanging in the balance.

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9781586421861

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<p>J. Frank Norris was the pastor of a mega-church before the name itself existed. He was famous, and to many he was a righteous and inspiring hero. By others, however, he was thoroughly hated. His endless crusades frustrated both businessman and politicians in Fort Worth, TX. Norris was also a publicity hound who was brash and abrasive. His enemies knew that he was a formidable foe. On July 17, 1926, Norris shot and killed an unarmed man in the church office. David Stokes's The Shooting Salvationist offers the complete story of the shooting, the criminal trial, and their aftermath Eighty-five years ago, this event captured the attention of the entire nation. Modern readers will likewise be enthralled by David Stokes's skillful presentation of this shocking crime. The story is simply incredible, yet every word is true. And you won't put this book down until reach the end! -- Chris Rose, Andover Bookstore <p> For all the colorful characters who became part of Fort Worth's hi

For all the colorful characters who became part of Fort Worth's history, surely none surpassed J. Frank Norris, the fiery fundamentalist preacher at Fort Worth's First Baptist Church in pure outlandishness. His oratory and penchant for publicity brought thousands into his congregation and at one point, First Baptist was among the largest churches in the world, a mega church before the phrase was coined. Unfortunately, for all his oratorical skills, Norris' horizons were limited by several criminal indictments brought on by his tendency for violence.<br><br>In this book David Stokes tells the J. Frank Norris story.<br><br>If I hadn't grown up in Fort Worth, I would have thought someone made all this up but no one did.<br><br>It really happened.<br><br>--Bob Schieffer, from the Foreword

<p> At a moment ripe for a new kind of media-savvy preacher, in a place where parsons wielded guns as confidently as they toted their Bibles, radio minister and mega-church pastor J. Frank Norris emerged as the archetype of his day. In his riveting tale of Norris's 1927 trial for murder, David Stokes explains just how it is that this Texas Tornado became such a star...and lightening rod for controversy. Through rich and compelling narrative, a sharp eye for the quirky as well as the profound, rigorous research, and a commanding sense of the big picture, Stokes offers his reader a rare, exhilarating look at this notorious individual. In the process, he opens up fresh ways of understanding the local culture that vaulted Norris and his Texas-style fundamentalism onto a national stage. - Darren Dochuk, author of From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism <br> This excellent book chronicles [a] court case that capti

Author Information

David R. Stokes is a minister, author, broadcaster, and columnist. He and his wife Karen have three married daughters and seven grandchildren. They divide their time between homes in Northern Virginia and Florida's Treasure Coast. Bob Schieffer grew up in Fort Worth and is the chief Washington Correspondent for CBS News. He believes Fort Worth is the best place in the whole world.

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