Adrian Rogers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adrian Rogers
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Adrian Rogers
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Adrian Pierce Rogers
September 12, 1931 West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
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| Died | November 15, 2005 (aged 74) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Education | Stetson University (BA) New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.) |
| Occupation | Pastor, Author, President of the Southern Baptist Convention |
| Spouse(s) | Joyce Rogers |
Adrian Pierce Rogers (born September 12, 1931 – died November 15, 2005) was an American pastor and author. He was a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, which is a large group of Christian churches. He was chosen to be the president of this group three times (1979–1980 and 1986–1988).
Adrian Rogers was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He started working in Christian ministry when he was nineteen years old. He went to Stetson University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for his education. He became a pastor at Fellsmere Baptist Church, which was a small church in Fellsmere, Florida. Later, he led the First Baptist Church in Merritt Island, Florida, from 1964 to 1972.
In 1972, he became the senior pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He stayed there until March 2005. While he was there, the church grew a lot, from 9,000 members to 29,000. The church even moved into a new, very large building, sometimes called a megachurch. After he retired in March 2005, he was named "pastor emeritus," which means he was still honored by the church.
Rogers played a big part in a movement within the Southern Baptist group. This movement, called the "conservative resurgence," aimed to bring the churches back to more traditional beliefs. He was chosen as president during a time when there were different ideas about what the group should believe. He also helped create the updated 2000 edition of the Baptist Faith and Message, which is a statement of beliefs for Baptists.
He wrote eighteen books, and his teachings are shared on a radio and TV show called Love Worth Finding. This show is broadcast around the world in both English and Spanish. Adrian Rogers also started the Adrian Rogers Pastor Training Institute. This institute helps train other ministers, and his family continues to run it today.
In November 2005, Adrian Rogers became very sick with pneumonia because of treatments he was getting for colon cancer. He passed away at the age of seventy-four.
Contents
Leading the Southern Baptist Convention
Adrian Rogers was the president of the Southern Baptist Convention three times. This is the biggest group of Evangelical churches in America, with about 16 million members. In 1979, he was the first leader chosen who strongly believed that the Bible is completely true and without any mistakes. This belief is called biblical inerrancy.
Under his leadership, the Southern Baptist Convention spent about ten years shifting its beliefs to be more traditional. This movement is known as the Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence. When this shift was complete, professors and staff at the group's schools and agencies were asked to agree with the Baptist Faith and Message. The group has stayed traditional in its beliefs since Rogers was president.
Rogers's election as president in 1979 started this "conservative resurgence" movement. Two people, Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler, helped push for this change. However, Pressler later said that the real people who made the change happen were the many regular church members who came to the yearly meetings to share their voices.
Views on Society and Politics
Like many important pastors, Adrian Rogers believed that Christians should be involved in politics in the United States. He felt it was a duty for Christians to take part in government.
Rogers often talked about families, especially about fathers. He was concerned about fathers who he called "drop-out dads." He believed that the Bible teaches fathers should be the main teachers in the home. He thought that many problems in society happen when fathers do not take on this role.
He also wrote that pastors should help their church members make good political choices. He said that a pastor does not need to tell people who to vote for. Instead, if a pastor does a good job, church members will use God's Word to choose the right candidate.
In May 2003, Rogers and other religious leaders signed a letter to President George W. Bush. The letter criticized a peace plan for the Middle East. They felt the plan was too easy on the Palestinians. The letter said it would be wrong for the U.S. to treat Israel and the Palestinian leaders equally.
A pastor named Cecil Sherman once asked Rogers about biblical inerrancy and parts of the Bible that seem to support slavery. Sherman said that Rogers replied that slavery was misunderstood. However, Rogers later signed a new Baptist Faith and Message statement. This statement clearly said that all races are equal before God.
Rogers and other Southern Baptists also supported a boycott of Disney. This was because they disagreed with the company's promotion of homosexuality.
"You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
This famous quote is often said to be from Adrian Rogers, but he did not create it. He used it in a sermon in 1984 as part of a series called God’s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom. It also appeared in his 1996 book Ten Secrets for a Successful Family. In his book, he used the quote to talk about how young people might not understand the value of hard work.
Rogers was actually quoting something that had been said by others before him. The quote appeared in magazines in the 1960s as anti-Soviet propaganda. It was also in the Congressional Record in 1958, shared by Senator George Aiken. Aiken had heard it from Senator James Eastland in 1957. It has also been linked to Gerald L. K. Smith. Even though Rogers was quoting others, since 2009, this quote has often been incorrectly credited to him.
Selected Works
- Believe in Miracles but Trust in Jesus
- Mastering Your Emotions
- God's Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom
- The Power of His Presence
- Ten Secrets for a Successful Family
- Unveiling the End Times in Our Time
- The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority
- What Every Christian Ought to Know
- Standing for Light and Truth
- Adrianisms (a collection of quotes published after his death)
- Grace for the Widow (a book written by his wife, Joyce, with some of his unpublished writings)
See also
In Spanish: Adrian Rogers para niños
- Southern Baptist Convention
- List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people
- Southern Baptist Convention Presidents
- Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence
