December 1, 1999
E.S. James
___By Presnall Wood
___"Next to the Holy Bible itself, nothing speaks to Southern Baptists quite like the fiercely independent Texas weekly religious magazine, the Baptist Standard. And no one--including the president of the Southern Baptist Convention--wields as much influence with the ... SBC as the Standard's balding, bespectacled editor, Ewing S. James."
___Newsweek magazine's candid assessment of James in the Oct. 25, 1965, issue expresses in a few carefully selected and incisive phrases the profile of the man.
E. S. JAMES
___Ewing Stanford James was born in Butler, Okla., March 1, 1900, and died in Dallas April 26, 1976. While pastor in Leedey, Okla., he met and married Opal Clark and to this union were born four children--Ramona Daniel, Shirley Young, Billy and Jo Ann.
___In his early years, James mixed teaching in public schools and preaching while attending Southwestern Technological College in Oklahoma. Before coming to Texas, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Liberal, Kan. Hoping to attend seminary, which he never did, in 1930 James came to Texas, where he became pastor of First Baptist Church in Cisco. In 1937, he became pastor of First Baptist Church in Vernon, where he served 17 years.
___James preached the annual sermon of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1941, and the 1952 Texas Baptist Annual was dedicated to him as a preacher pastor and denominational leader. James Landes, in writing the tribute, said, "If 'success' is a word which can be applied to Christian ministry, he has known nothing but success."
___But James' greatest success was as editor of the Baptist Standard from 1954 to 1966. He combined editorial independence with eloquent expression and vigorous loyalty to Baptist convictions. His writing covered the issues of the day with such courage, creativity and conviction that he earned the reputation as a prophet with pen.
___He was known for his orthodox theology, his commitment to religious liberty and separation of church and state, and his criticism of Baptist agencies when he believed they were wrong. He strongly opposed the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960 because Kennedy was Roman Catholic, fearing compromise of separation of church and state. When Kennedy was elected and proved to be a friend to separation of church and state, James commended the president, and Kennedy invited James to the White House.
___Most Southern Baptists agreed with President Lyndon Johnson when he wrote James following the assassination of President Kennedy: "Among Southern Baptists, your leadership is uncontested." Under James' leadership, the Standard had unparalleled influence. He was elected second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1962.
___James' successor, John Hurt, paid honor to his predecessor: "No editor developed so big a leadership in the comparatively brief span of a dozen years. Texas Baptists honor him as one of the grand men in all their history. So do Southern Baptists."
___The measure of his ministry isn't found in statements or statistics, but in the kind of life he lived. He was a Christian gentleman who lived a life of sincerity, honesty, fairness, integrity and faith. E.S. James invested his life in the calling from God, and Texas Baptists are better because of his ministry.
___Presnall Wood is an editor emeritus of the Baptist Standard
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