Biography
Curtis Hutson was an American Baptist preacher of the twentieth century who became known as a pastor, evangelist and editor. He was born in the 1930s in the American South and grew up in a time when the churches of the region held to a plain and fervent faith. He came to Christ as a young man and felt a call to preach. He trained for the ministry and served as the pastor of Baptist churches in Georgia, where he built up congregations through steady preaching and visitation.
He is best remembered for his role in the independent Baptist movement and for his leadership of the weekly paper called the Sword of the Lord. The paper had been founded in 1934 by John R. Rice, the great fundamentalist evangelist, and it had a large circulation among conservative Christians across the nation. When Rice grew old, he handed on the editorship. In 1980 Hutson became editor and carried on the work. Under his guidance, the paper kept its focus on evangelism, on the authority of the Bible and on the defense of the faith as it was understood in his circle.
He also served as the leader of the Sword of the Lord Publishers and as a preacher at conferences and revival meetings. He wrote many books and sermons, including works on salvation and the assurance of faith. His preaching was marked by a plain and humorous style and a strong desire to see people saved. He spoke widely across the country and was a familiar figure at conferences of independent Baptists.
The record of his life that I hold is thin, and the details here, including his birth and death dates and the places where he served, should be checked against fuller sources before this entry is used. What can be said with confidence is that he was a pastor and editor in the line of John R. Rice and that he gave the last part of his life to the work of the Sword of the Lord. He died in the 1990s.
He belonged to a tradition that made a firm stand on separation from the broader church, and this stance brought both strengths and costs. It kept a clear witness to the gospel, but it also led to quarrels with others who held the same faith. A good account of his life should hold both. His example shows the value of a faithful pastor who is willing to carry on a work begun by another and to hand it on intact.