Dr. Louie Devotie Newton, longtime pastor of the Druid Hills Baptist Church, in Atlanta, Georgia, was a leader in Southern Baptist denominational life from the 1910s until the 1980s. His career, of over 70 years, included service as a professor of history at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, 1913-1917; director of education and recreation at Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia, during World War I; director of publicity for Georgia Baptists for the Seventy-Five Million Campaign, 1919; editor of the Christian Index (Georgia), 1920-1929; and pastor of the Druid Hills Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, 1929-1968. Although Dr. Newton retired officially in 1968, he remained active in Southern Baptist life throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
This oral history interview was conducted by A. Ronald Tonks August, 1973 to February, 1981 at Louie Newton’s home and at the Baptist Hospital, both in Atlanta, Georgia. Newton is remembered for numerous achievements. He was a firsthand observer and participant in the Seventy-Five Million Campaign of Southern Baptists in the early 1920s and in the establishment of the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program, also in the 1920s. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Baptist World Alliance for over 25 years; a member of the Executive Committee, SBC, for over 30 years; and a member of the Georgia Baptist Hospital Commission for nearly 50 years. He also served on numerous committees throughout his career such as the Radio Commission, SBC; Executive Committee, Georgia Baptist Convention; Board of Trustees, Mercer University; and as president of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (then called Protestants and Other Americans United). He was the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention elected after the Second World War and served from 1946-1948. He was president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, 1950-1951, and vice-president of the Baptist World Alliance, 1950-1955.
In the interviews, Newton talks about his early family life, education, courtship and marriage, early jobs, his Christian conversion, and his call to the ministry. He also discusses the 75 Million Campaign, the impact of the Depression on denominational programs, the efforts to pay the debts of the Convention, his service on the Executive Committee of the SBC, and the President’s Committee on Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Newton also provides sketches of various leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance.
