F leroy forlines biography of martin tn
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HE WAS WAITING WITH 22 PAGES of typed and hand-written material when I walked into the conference room 20 minutes early for our interview. His driver’s license says he turned 80 last month, but his hungry eyes tell another story. Bushy silver hair, a razor-edged voice, the disciplined mind of a man who has read much and thought more—F.Leroy Forlines is in a hurry and on a mission. Never mind that he retired in as theology professor at Free Will Baptist Bible College. He forgot to turn in his office key, and still teaches on a part-time basis. He is now Professor Emeritus at FWBBC with a worldwide classroom. When the Soviet Union disintegrated toward the end of the 20th century, Forlines began lecturing in the Ukraine and Russia. Since , he has made seven trips behind what was the Iron Curtain teaching an emerging generation of Russian Baptist pastors.His hard-earned academic credentials (three graduate degrees in theology), coupled with sterling character and a year ministry, mark Leroy Forlines as a complex statesman-theologian, oft-published author, entertaining party guest, personal counselor, and international lecturer.
Winterville Grease MonkeyBut if you listen closely, an eastern North Carolina accent slips through as he explains the effects of postmodernism and barbarism on American culture. He is still John and Leta Forlines’ oldest son, one of five children raised to work long, hot hours on a tobacco farm outside Winterville during the Great Depression.“I also worked as a grease monkey at Elbert Smith’s Esso Station,” says the elder statesman of Free Will Baptist theologians. Those early years sweating in tobacco barns and that greasy business at the Esso Station launched Leroy’s six-decade ministry as a preacher, professor, and author.
Now or NeverFranklin Leroy Forlines was converted in October , six weeks before his 18th birthday, as Revivalist R.N.Hinnant preached at Winterville FWB Church. “I got % saved,” he says, “because I did not want to spend eternity in Hell. I sat on the end of the pew that night, so I would not have to crawl over people when the invitation was given.”Some months later, the Lord began dealing with Leroy about the call to preach.“I was as sure that the Holy Spirit was calling me (to preach) as a person would be that the wind is blowing when he is marching against a strong wind,” he declares. “The only problem was that I resisted strongly at first.F leroy forlines biography of martin By now many Free Will Baptists have been saddened by the news of the passing of F. Leroy Forlines, long-time theology professor, author, Commission chairman, and denominational leader. Of course, we think especially of his precious wife, sons, and grandchildren.On the last night of a revival in the fall of , the Holy Spirit spoke to me as never before. He said this would be the last call for me. It was now or never. I said Yes to God’s call.”
Bus Ride to TennesseeTwo years later () when he was almost 22, Leroy rode a Trailways bus 24 hours from Greenville (NC) to Nashville (TN) to attend Free Will Baptist Bible College—the place where he would serve 50 years. Earlier that summer, he had an attack of appendicitis, went to the hospital, and was ready for surgery when a doctor came in and talked with him. The penicillin he had been given had done its work, and he was given the option to proceed with surgery or wait.“I knew that if I had surgery it would wipe out the small amount of money I had been saving to go to college,” he says. “I decided not to have surgery. It has been 58 years, and I have not had another attack of appendicitis.”Leroy arrived in Music City with “$, a body that was able to work, and a mind and heart that wanted to be trained for God’s service, and if necessary a willingness to suffer in order to make it through.”He was president of his graduating class, the second class to receive bachelor’s degrees. While at FWBBC, he preached his first sermon—it was on a downtown Nashville street corner at Capitol Boulevard and Church Street.
Decisions That MatterForlines says, “The experience at Free Will Baptist Bible College changed my life forever. The most important thing that happened to me during those years was my decision that I would believe what the Bible says, regardless of what I thought before or what others might say.”His favorite course in college, Arminian Theology, was taught by President L.C.Johnson. It was a discussion type class, and Leroy did more than his share of discussing. That class fueled his already strong interest in theology. After graduating, he pastored First FWB Church in Newport News, Virginia (June August ). It would be the only church he pastored. He returned to teach at FWBBC in , and (except for two years away at graduate school) has served continuously at the college.He met a pretty Alabama girl named Carolyn Le Fay Gilbert, who was a faculty member at FWBBC. They were introduced by President L.C.Johnson, and married on August 4, Fifty years later, their two sons are casting long shadows across the denominational landscape. Older son, Dr. Jon Forlines, serves as vice president for student services and dean of students at FWBBC. Younger son, Rev. James Forlines, is general director of the International Missions Department with the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Both sons graduated from FWBBC in
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