Curtis Hutson
| Curtis Wylie Hutson
(Christian evangelist and editor of The Sword of the Lord) | |||
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| Born | July 10, 1934 Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia | ||
| Died | March 5, 1995 (aged 60) Murfreesboro, Tennessee Resting place: | ||
| Spouse | Barbara Geraldine "Gerri" Crawford Hutson (married 1952-1995, his death)
Children: | ||
Curtis Wylie Hutson (July 10, 1934 – March 5, 1995) was an Independent Baptist pastor, dynamic evangelist, editor of The Sword of the Lord (1980-1995) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In 1980, he succeeded the founder of the publication, John R. Rice, as editor and remained in that position until his death.
Background
Hutson was born in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, the son of Archie Milton Hutson (1911-1992, a barber, and the former Marie Bishop (1911-1966). The parents divorced in 1950, and Marie wed Thomas Portwood in 1952. Hutson attended Avondale High School in DeKalb County, Georgia, at which he met his future wife, the former Barbara Geraldine "Gerri" Crawford (1934-2022).[1]
Career
While working as a mail carrier, Hutson preached at church services and revivals in the Atlanta area. In 1956, he conducted a revival at the tiny Forrest Hills Baptist Church of Scottdale in DeKalb County. By the end of the week, Hutson had filled the fifty seats in the church, and the pastor resigned, and Hutson was called to replace him. Without formal training, he served as the Forrest Hills pastor while continuing employment at the post office.[1]
In 1961, Hutson heard fundamentalist evangelist Jack Hyles of Hammond, Indiana, preach at nearby Antioch Baptist Church in in Fulton County, Georgia. Hyles gave a two-hour sermon accenting on soul winning, and Hutson was convicted that he too should aggressively win the lost to Jesus Christ. Every week thereafter for a number of years he led someone to Christ." He began to preach about soul winning, and his congregation followed his example. In 1967, Hutson quit the post office to become a full-time pastor--at first for a salary of only $75 a month. Between 1969 and 1972, the Antioch church grew from 350 to 2,300 members. In 1976, when Hutson resigned after twenty years of pastoring, church membership was 7,900.[1]
Entering full-time evangelism, Hutson held evangelistic meetings from 1977 to 1980. From 1974 to 1980, he was the president of the now defunct Baptist University of America near Atlanta. In 1978, John Richard Rice invited Hutson to become the associate editor of the fundamentalist newspaper The Sword of the Lord based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Two years later, Rice died, and Hutson became editor of the publication and served in that capacity for the rest of his life while also continuing to preach across the nation.[1]
In 1992, Hutson was diagnosed with prostate cancer and died in Murfreesboro three years later. Dr. Shelton Smith (born 1942) succeeded Hutson as editor of The Sword of the Lord and remains in the position. In April 1999, the Curtis Hutson Center for Church Ministries was dedicated at Crown College, in Powell in Knox County, Tennessee.[1]
Curtis and Gerri Hutson are interred at Eternal Hills Cemetery in Snellville, Georgia.[1]
Quotes
"God give us in government some born-again, blood-washed believers who have a backbone made of iron and a will of steel, who will govern by Bible principles and who will stand up for the right things in this country."
"A lot of people teach that Jesus' death on the cross was necessary but that it was not enough. But Jesus didn't come to help you save yourself; He came to save sinners. He didn't make the down payment and say, 'All right, here is the installment book. Make sure you keep up the payments.' No, He paid it. In spinning a robe of your own righteousness, before the sun goes down you will find it all unraveled. He didn't come to show me how to save myself; He came to save me. He didn't come to help me save myself; He came to save me. Take your hands off it. Don't touch it. Accept it like it is. Receive it as a free gift from God Almighty and be saved!"
Works
- Bread for Believers (ISBN 0-87398-082-4)
- Building and Battling (ISBN 0-87398-068-9)
- Death So Soon, Heaven So Real
- Ingredients of a Great Church (ISBN 0-87398-404-8)
- Punch Lines (ISBN 0-87398-665-2)
- Salvation Crystal Clear (ISBN 0-87398-795-0)
- Some Things I've Learned (ISBN 0-87398-765-9)
- Twelve Chosen Men Who Changed the World (ISBN 0-87398-027-1)
- Winning Souls and Getting Them Down the Aisle (ISBN 0-87398-928-7)
External links
- The Sword of the Lord
- Official Short Biography of Curtis Hutson
- Earnestly Contending's Bio of Curtis Hutson
- Some works by Curtis Hutson