Adrian P. Rogers, 74, Leader of Conservative Baptist Group, Dies
NY Times
The Rev. Adrian P. Rogers, the three-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention who led a conservative takeover of the powerful denomination that helped usher in a resurgence of conservative Christians on pulpits and in politics, died on Tuesday in Memphis. He was 74.
His death was announced on the Web site of a ministry he founded, Love Worth Finding, www.lwf.org. He had cancer and pneumonia, according to The Baptist Press News.
Mr. Rogers, who used the honorific Dr. because of his many honorary degrees, was a riveting preacher who helped revive the fundamentalist Christian message that the Bible is to be regarded as literally true.
He took over leadership of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis in 1972 and built it into one of the nation’s earliest megachurches, with a new suburban campus in Cordova, Tenn., and a congregation of 29,000. He retired as pastor in March.
His first election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, in 1979, was the turning point in the conservatives’ battle for dominance over theological liberals and moderates - a battle that had been simmering for more than 15 years.
