Finis Alonzo Crutchfield Jr.
Finis Alonzo Crutchfield | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 22, 1916 Henrietta, Texas |
| Died | May 21, 1987 (aged 70) Houston, Texas |
| Occupation(s) | Methodist minister and bishop |
| Years active | 1940–1984 |
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| Christianity • Protestantism |
Finis Alonzo Crutchfield Jr. (August 22, 1916[1] – May 21, 1987[2]) was a noted American clergyman and a bishop in the United Methodist Church. He began his pastoral career after graduating from Duke University Divinity School in 1940. His first assignment was First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He remained there until he was sent to Norman, Oklahoma, in 1950. Ten years later he became senior pastor at Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa. He was credited with bringing Oral Roberts into the Methodist Church[3][4] (although Roberts later left) and served as a negotiator in the 1968 merger of the Methodist Church with the Evangelical United Brethren Church.[3] In 1972, he was elected as a bishop and sent to New Orleans. In 1976, he was sent to Texas as bishop of the Texas Conference, headquartered in Houston. He retired in 1984, and died of AIDS in 1987.[1][5]
Early life
Crutchfield was born in Henrietta, Texas, on August 22, 1916. His father, Finis Crutchfield Sr., was a Methodist minister, as was his paternal grandfather. The father was sent by the church to many different towns while his son was growing up. These included Denton, Wichita Falls, Denison and Dallas.[lower-alpha 1] His older sister, Artha, was the wife of Alsie Carlson, who was also a Methodist minister and later a bishop.[1]
Career as pastor
Crutchfield attended Southern Methodist University, where he was elected president of the student council in 1934. It was there where he demonstrated a gifted speaking ability. He then enrolled in Duke University where he earned a degree from the Duke Divinity School in 1940; his thesis was entitled "Christian principles in the teachings of Epictetus". Shortly after graduation, he married Benja Lee Bell. The Methodist Church then assigned him to First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During that assignment, Benja Lee bore their only child, a son named Charles. Finis stayed in that position until he was assigned to the McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1950. He was only 34 years old, relatively young for such a high position in such an important church. He proved that he could fill the sanctuary with his exceptional oratory ability, persuade people to make monetary gifts to the church and inspire many younger people to join the ministry. He was elected to the General Conference in 1956. He was the delegation's leader for the next four conferences because he was the top vote-getter. In 1960, he was sent to the Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa. The Boston Avenue church was often regarded as a stepping stone on the path to becoming a bishop in the Methodist Church. The church is one of (if not the) largest and wealthiest of its denomination in Oklahoma. Five of its senior pastors have been elevated to that high position. Crutchfield was focused on growing the church's membership, so he started televising his Sunday services. He even dared controversy by inviting the well-known televangelist, Oral Roberts to become a member of the Methodist church.[1] Crutchfield was noted for his zeal in revitalizing and expanding the membership of the Methodist Church. He would even generate controversy by his ways of doing so. One of his most controversial (and successful) efforts might be called the Oral Roberts Affair.[citation needed] Oral Roberts, best known as a Pentecostal evangelist, shocked many when he formally joined Boston Avenue Methodist Church on March 17, 1968.[6] Initially, the act appeared to be a hasty occurrence, but it was later revealed to have resulted from discussions over a period of time between Roberts and Crutchfield.[6] Crutchfield then arranged a meeting between Roberts and Angie W. Smith, then the Methodist bishop over the Oklahoma Conference and who was Crutchfield's superior. Crutchfield reassured Roberts by saying, "I have fine men in my church who are from your university.[lower-alpha 2] ... They are the most effective Christians in my church." Roberts said, "do you know they all speak in tongues ... (and) in healing?" Crutchfield replied that he was very aware of that, adding, "They're not carrying this around as a badge of superiority. They're interested in helping people and building the kingdom."[6] Both Smith and Roberts saw advantages from such a move. For Roberts, it represented moving into the mainstream of American Protestantism. For Smith, Roberts' dynamism and creativity was like a magnet for attracting new members. Although there were theological differences between Methodist and Pentecostal doctrines and practices, those could be overlooked by compromise.[lower-alpha 3] Bishop Smith agreed that Roberts could continue his evangelistic mission unfettered by rules of the Methodist Church. After several discussions, Smith reportedly told Roberts, "We need you, but we need the Holy Spirit more than we need you, and we've got to have the Holy Spirit in the Methodist Church."[6] After joining the Boston Avenue church, Roberts completed a course about Methodist doctrine that would qualify him as a minister. Church officials agreed to accept his Pentecostal ordination, allowing him to become a Methodist minister. Roberts explained afterward that there would be "no change in my standard of the Full Gospel message or of my life, my ministry, or of ORU." Crutchfield followed up by saying to Roberts' followers, "The Methodist Church ... does not seek to impose conformity on its members and it encourages every sincere approach to God."[6]
Service as bishop
Finis Crutchfield was elected a bishop of the Methodist Church by the annual conference in 1972. After serving the church in Oklahoma for 32 years, he was posted to lead the Louisiana Conference, headquartered in New Orleans. In 1976, he was made bishop of the Texas Conference, headquartered in Houston. He was then elected to a one-year term as president of the Council of Bishops in 1982.[1] As bishop, Crutchfield had a strong desire to revitalize the churches in his diocese. Their congregations had been declining in size and influence for several years, like many other mainstream churches. He began requiring the ministers in his diocese to report monthly how many members they had gained or lost, how many people came to Sunday school and how many came to the regular Sunday services. He rewarded ministers who made passing grades with congratulatory letters or phone calls. He rewarded those with appointments to more prestigious churches, when the time came.[1]
Death
The bishop had always enjoyed robust health until 1986. While preaching at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston, he became so hoarse from coughing that he could not continue speaking. He saw a specialist, but the doctor could not diagnose the real cause. Then he began to have digestive problems and difficulty sleeping. A case of influenza developed into pneumonia around Thanksgiving, and he was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital for treatment. Early in January 1987, the doctors informed his family that he had acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).[1] His death became an object of controversy due to speculation over the manner in which he contracted AIDS. He insisted to the end of his life that he was heterosexual and he did not admit to any high-risk activities.[7] This resulted in some measure of popular panic that AIDS was communicable through casual contact, later disproven.[1]
Secret life
The Texas Monthly expose said that rumors were heard by some people in the Methodist ministry, who usually chose to ignore them because of lack of proof. However, a group of members at Boston Avenue church were sufficiently alarmed about the rumors that they hired a private investigator to check them out. When Crutchfield learned of this action, he responded through his own sources that he would sue the individuals involved for harassment, unless the surveillance ceased. His strategy was successful, and church authorities took no action.[1]
See also
Notes
- ↑ Finis Jr. was five years old when his father was posted to the Tyler Street Methodist Church. There, he first met Benja Lee Bell, who would marry him twenty years later.[1]
- ↑ The statement refers to Oral Roberts University (ORU), which the evangelist founded and which continues to have ties to the Pentecostal Church.[6]
- ↑ Examples of such differences include faith healing and speaking in tongues, both practiced by Pentecostals, but not by Methodists.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Coffee, Emily (October 1987). "The Double Life of Finis Crutchfield". Texas Monthly. 15 (10): 190. ISSN 0148-7736.
- ↑ "In Memoriam". Daily Christian Advocate. VII (2): 78. April 27, 1988. ISSN 0418-2685.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Finis Alonzo Crutchfield, Jr". Orlando Sentinel. May 24, 1987. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010.
- ↑ Harrell, David Edwin (1985), Oral Roberts: An American Life, Indiana University Press, p. 294, ISBN 978-0-253-15844-4
- ↑ "Bishop Finis Crutchfield, 70; A Methodist, Victim of AIDS". The New York Times. May 25, 1987.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Harrell, David Edwin (September 22, 1985). Oral Roberts: An American Life. Indiana University Press. pp. 293–4. ISBN 0253114411. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Hanky Panky tainted religious circles in 1987". The Tuscaloosa News. January 2, 1988.
External links
- "Christian principles in the teachings of Epictetus", Crutchfield's thesis at Duke