List of Baptists
Appearance
The following list of Baptists is a catalogue of those who were members of Baptist churches or who were raised in Baptist churches. It is not intended to imply that all those who appear on the list were practicing Baptists or that they remained Baptists their entire lives. As an article of faith, Baptists do not baptize infants, so one with a Baptist background would not automatically have ever been technically a Baptist.
Preachers, Theologians, & Missionaries
- Armstrong, Annie, missionary
- Carey, William
- Carroll, B. H.
- Carroll, J. M.
- Chambers, Oswald [1]
- Cheney, Oren B.
- Christian, John T.
- Clarke, Dr. John
- Connor, Brian
- Cox, Harvey
- Dayton, Amos Cooper
- Entzminger, Louis
- Estep, William R.
- Falwell, Jerry
- Fuller, Andrew
- Graham, Billy [2]
- Graves, James Robinson
- Grenz, Stanley
- Helwys, Thomas
- Hyles, Jack
- Jordan, Clarence, author of the Cotton Patch versions of the Gospels and Epistles.
- Judson, Adoniram
- Eric Liddell, missionary to China, former Olympian featured in the movie Chariots of Fire
- King Jr, Martin Luther
- Latourette, Kenneth Scott
- Leland, John
- Meyer, F. B.
- Mohler, Albert
- Moon, Charlotte ("Lottie") Diggers Moon, missionary to China. the SBC's Christmas missionary offering is named in her honor. [3]
- Norris, J. Frank
- Oncken, Johann Gerhard
- Parker, Daniel
- Pawson, David
- Pendleton, J. M.
- Phelps, Fred [4]
- Piper, John
- Pollard, Vic
- Rauschenbusch, Walter
- Rice, John R.
- Roberson, Lee
- Rogers, Adrian
- Rosen, Moishe, founder of Jews for Jesus
- Smith, Bailey E., Evangelist
- Smyth, John
- Spilsbury, John
- Spurgeon, Charles H.
- Stanley, Charles (In Touch Ministries)
- Warren, Rick
- Williams, Roger
Politicians
- Byrd, Robert, Senator (D) West Virginia
- Carter, Jimmy [5]
- Clinton, Bill [6]
- Coe, William Kelcey [7]
- Coburn, Tom, Senator, (R) Oklahoma
- Cochran, Thad, Senator (R) Mississippi
- Colson, Chuck [8]
- Douglas, Tommy
- Edwards, John, raised baptist, coverted to methodist
- Fletcher, Ernie, Governor R Kentucky
- Gore, Al [9]
- Graham, Lindsey, Senator (R) South Carolina
- Grassley, Churck, Senator (R) Iowa
- Gingrich, Newt
- Harding, Warren G. [10]
- Helms, Jesse
- Henry, Brad, Governor (D) Oklahoma
- Huckabee, Mike, Governor (R) Arkansas
- Jackson, Jesse
- Johnson, Andrew [11]
- Lincoln, Abraham raised in the Regular Baptist church, but did not practice any organized religion as an adult [12]
- Lott, Trent, Senator (R) Mississippi
- Mackenzie, Alexander
- McConnell, Mitch, Senator (R) Kentucky
- Stassen, Harold
- Thomas Clarence, born Baptist, raised Catholic, attends Episcopal church [13]
- Thurmond, Strom
- Truman, Harry [14]
Industrialists & Leaders of Business
- Cathy, S. Truett, founder of Chick-fil-A restaurant chain and a devout Southern Baptist
- Lindner, Carl, former owner of the Cincinnati Reds [15]
- Penney, James Cash, chain store magnet
- Rockefeller, John D.
Entertainers, Movie & Television Personalities
- Aiken, Clay
- Cline, Patsy
- Bass,Lance
- Ball, David
- Ball, Lucille
- Beatty, Warren [16]
- Berry, Chuck
- Bryant, Anita
- Campbell, Glen, [17]
- Cash, Johnny [18]
- Clower, Jerry
- Costner, Kevin [19]
- Chapman, Steven Curtis
- Davis, Bette, former baptist [20]
- Franklin, Aretha
- Holly, Buddy [21]
- Kelley, DeForest
- Knight, Gladys, coverted to Mormonism [22]
- Lowry, Mark, Christian comedian and author of Mary, Did You Know?
- Michaels, Shawn
- Moyers, Bill
- Murphy, Eddie [23]
- Norris, Chuck, former baptist
- Peterson, Ray
- Pitt, Brad
- Redding, Otis
- Ritchie, Jean
- Shelton, Ron [24]
- Summer, Donna
- Scott, Willard [25]
- Simpson, Jessica
- Spears, Britney [26]
- Underwood, Carrie (member of Free Will Baptist Church)
- Wakeman, Rick
- Whitney, Daniel Lawrence ("Larry the Cable Guy"), attended Baptist University of America, and claimed Baptist identity on the Right To Bear Arms album, by saying as part of a routine he "broke up with a girl not long ago over religious reasons; I'm Baptist and she's a bitch."
Athletes
- Brown, Jim [27]
- Edwards, Jonathan
- Foreman, George
- Roberts, Jake "The Snake"
- Stewart, Payne
- White, Reggie [28]
Authors & Writers
- Assilmi, Aminah, converted to Islam
- Bunyan, John
- Butler, Octavia, former baptist [29]
- Bradbury, Ray, former baptist [30]
- Grisham, John
- Herron, Carolivia, coverted to Judaism
- Heinlein, Robert, converted to atheism [31]
- LaHaye, Tim
- Smith, Liz, converted to Christian humanism [32]
- Zarlengo, Michael
Martyrs
- Askew, Anne, early Baptist martyr
- Birch, John, missionary killed by the Communist Chinese on August 25, 1945
- Elliott, Jean, missionary to Iraq on March 15, 2005
- Elliott, Larry, missionary killed with Jean Elliot
- McDonnall, Davod, missionary killed with Jean Elliot
- Gariety, Kathy, missionary killed in Yemen killed on December 30, 2003
- Meyers, Martha, missionary killed with Kathy Gariety.
- Koehn, Bill, medical missionary, killed with Kathy Gariety
- Tovar, Antolìn, Venezuelan
- Watson, Karen, missionary killed with Jean Elliott
Criminals
- Davis, Larry, Baptist minister who plead guilty to embezzeling over $700,000 of church funds.
- James, Frank and Jesse, sons of a Baptist minister.
- McDougal, Susan, jailed for refusal to cooperate with Ken Star's investigation into the Whitewater controversy.
- Piper, Thomas, a nineteenth century Baptist sexton and serial killer.
Fictional Baptists
Baptists in Literature
- Fried Green Tomatoes, by Fannie Flagg
- Idie Threadgood
- Rev. Scroggins
- The Mitford series by Jan Karon
- Sophia Burton, a single mother raising two daughters
- Absalom Greer, elderly minister and close friend of the series'protagonist, Father Tim Kavanagh (an Episcopalian rector).
- Madelaine Kavanagh, Father Tim's mother
- Emma Newland, Father Tim's secretary who was raised Baptist, converted to the Episcopal church, then returned to the Baptist church when she married.
- Harold Newland, Emma's wife
- Rodney Underwood, the town's chief of police
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Miss Maudie Atkins, Neighbor of Scout Finch, the protagonist More moderate than the "Footwashing Baptists" who make a brief appearance
- Mr. Radley's father. Another of Scout's neighbors.
Baptists on Television
- Designing Women, Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter), presumably Suzanne Sugarbaker (Delta Burke) and Charlene Frazier (Jean Smart). Specifically Charlene reveals that she is a Missionary Baptist. In the episode "How Great Thou Art" Charlene quits her church when she discovers her pastor is opposed to the ordination of women, which was her dream at one time. Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts) briefly dates Julia's minister.
- Gimme a Break!, Nell Harper (Nell Carter) is the daughter of a Baptist minister.
- Golden Girls, Blanche Deveraux, according to a fan site, is a Southern Baptist.
- The Waltons, Almost all the principal characters were Baptists or attended the Baptist church. In the fourth season episode "The Sermon", Rev. Matthew Fordwick (John Ritter) asks John Boy (Richard Thomas) to deliver a sermon while he goes on his honeymoon. In the fifth season episode "The Baptism" John Walton, Sr. (Ralph Waite) refuses to attend a tent revival or be baptized.
Baptists in Song
- "Guilty" (The Statler Brothers) contains the lines "If she seems bitter of other ways, / Seems to have lost her Baptist ways, / If the truth comes harder than a lie, / If she's guilty, so am I"
- "Southern Baptist Heartbreak"(The Warren Brothers) contains the lines "Somewhere in the middle of 'Have Thy Own Way,' / She left an empty pew; she said 'I think that's what I'll do.'"