Frank Norris, the “Violent Fundamentalist”
Dr. Watt, my adviser at Temple, had me start with C. Allyn Russell’s Voices of American Fundamentalism, which gives seven biographies of first generation fundamentalist leaders. Russell starts the series with a look at the life and ministry of J Frank Norris, the Texas Southern Baptist minister best known for shooting an unarmed man in his study while preparing a sermon one Saturday afternoon.
My favorite Norris story describes how he drove off the president of Baylor University. During chapel time on the third floor of the administration building, President Cooper became irate when several students brought a barking dog into the service, so irate in fact that he threw the unfortunate pup out the window to its death. Cooper apologized, but Norris would have none of it. By siccing the S.P.C.A. on Cooper, Norris forced the president to resign.
Russell shows little sympathy for fundamentalism in general and Norris in particular, but Norris really did deserve censure. He went out of his way to pick fights, seemingly whenever possible. Not being satisfied with fighting modernism, he fought his erstwhile allies who defected from the Northern Baptists. His legacy continues with the World Baptist Fellowship, which contains around a 1,000 churches and Arlington Baptist College. I wonder what they do for their “Founder’s Day”? I mean, how many years in a row can you re-enact a shooting without it getting old? 
Interestingly, it appears that the WBF and their school have strong ties to Pensacola Christian College and the KJV circles; like father, like son…
From Cornbread and Caviar by Bob Jones, Jr.: “I remember once when I was a boy about fifteen, I said to my dad, ‘I have been listening to man on the radio named Frank Norris. He sounds like a good preacher. Did you ever work with him?’
He said, ‘No.’
‘Why not?’
He answered, ‘Because I did not want him for an enemy.’” (122)
The irony would be delicious were it not so sad.