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The Christian Home - Part 5 of 5
John R. Rice

John R. Rice (1895–1980). Born on December 11, 1895, in Cooke County, Texas, John R. Rice was an American fundamentalist Baptist evangelist, pastor, and publisher. Raised in a devout family, he earned degrees from Decatur Baptist College and Baylor University, later studying at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago. Converted at 12, he began preaching in 1920, pastoring churches in Dallas and Fort Worth, including First Baptist Church of Dallas as interim pastor. In 1934, he founded The Sword of the Lord, a biweekly periodical promoting revival and soul-winning, which grew into a publishing house with his books like Prayer: Asking and Receiving and The Home: Courtship, Marriage and Children. Known for his fiery evangelistic campaigns, he preached to thousands across the U.S., emphasizing personal salvation and biblical inerrancy. Rice mentored figures like Jack Hyles and Curtis Hutson but faced criticism for his strict fundamentalism. Married to Lloys Cooke in 1921, he had six daughters and died on December 29, 1980, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He said, “The only way to have a revival is to get back to the Book—the Bible.”
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of having Bible reading and prayer in schools and homes, highlighting the impact of neglecting these practices on individuals and society. It calls for a return to family worship, daily Bible reading, and prayer to cultivate Christian homes and raise children who live for God. The speaker challenges the audience to make a commitment to prioritize spiritual practices in their families and seek God's help in leading their homes for His glory.
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ought to have bible reading in the schools and prayer that's right you see i hope they'll have a amendment to the constitution so who can have volunteer bible reading and prayer that's fine i hope they do well they probably won't you know why of course you're kind of trash in the back of it don't want it that's right that's right um madeline o'hair a dirty she-devil the infidel got one of the other her boy's embarrassed when somebody read the bible at school and he didn't want to read it so she got together and got to get went all the way to supreme court and supreme court says you can't have this volunteer bible reading prayer in schools left-wing supreme court oh my that poor left that man poor man was head of the supreme court so long i knew his sister her husband was a pastor a preacher she begged me to pray for her lost brother who was the long head of that left-winger head of the supreme court so long that he couldn't they didn't have it communists don't have it if you lived in communist russia you put you wouldn't even have a son of school yet there's not a son of school in soviet russia unless it's hidden the cave nobody tells about it they're not allowed the official religion is infidelity atheism in russia or you couldn't teach each other if you taught your children the bible and what i'm reported here you might go to siberia okay good russia well maybe i'm kind of maybe i'm mistreating you people maybe up here in ohio you got a lawyer can't read the bible at home but children can't pray with children have you is that it that's why you don't do it isn't because you got a law here it won't allow you to read the bible and pray with children is that it huh is there a law like that in ohio then why don't you do it because you don't want to just like other infidels you're not interested you see you and the communists and the mad little hair and left-wingers about to take hell aren't you yeah why don't you just make up your mind i'll quit claiming to be a christian unless i set out to act like one at home and have family worship time bob read in prayer don't you know god will help you about your children and dance your prayers and put food on the table and put clothes on the children's back and help you about the schooling the rest if you took time every day of time to worship bible reading prayer and you ought to do it oughtn't you don't you think so oh that's awful old-fashioned isn't it yeah but bless god they have good children turn out to live for god's old-fashioned you ought to do it i'm gonna talk to men wonder how many men here ought to say first i'm gonna ask you two questions don't lie about please how many have read the bible for at least once just one time even read it all for every line you mean all of it all of it revelation chronicles so and so begat so and so and he begat so and so how many i've read the bible through at least one time every line of it let's see your hand hold your hand up high yes oh somebody had about one out of six or eight the rest of you haven't even read through you're sure a fine bunch of christians aren't you now you bet your children look around very good how many here have time every day to read the bible with your family uh bible reading prayer with your family at home as a regular customer let's see your hand please hold your hand up you thank god for these thank god for these i wonder how many men said brother rice i'd like to take a vow like sorcery sorcerer says for me in my house will serve the lord and i'm going to take it too you'll have to have god someone said brother i might fail yeah that's right but there's no feeling in the world as bad as not trying to do right is it and if you say by god's grace i'm gonna try and if we get behind all right i'll catch up take time do it i wonder how many men said brother rice at this conference i'd like to get my home fixed up i'd like to set my home so my children can't go wrong so god answer the i wonder how many men said god help me and my wife will stand by me i'm gonna set up to have daily family bible reading and prayer and i'm gonna set up to have discipline and christian spirit and love and prayer my home oh we're gonna obtain the tongues of christian people and bring love back to be refined and sweet in the home wonder how many men would you like to take a vow and say i'm gonna ask god to help me and if he'll stand by me and my wife will help me we'll have family and worship in our home every day and have an outline christian home men would you like to stand and make that vow of god i'm starting out to leave my home for god is that too much to ask isn't that what people ought to do isn't it all right i won't ever i won't ever husband and father who said trust in god to help me i'm going to take that my wife will have to stand by me and help me and i believe she will i want to take god help me to leave my family for god and bible reading and prayer will you stand up with me for a moment sanity god bless you man come on man stand up with you god bless you you know that's right don't you that's right god bless you other men or two other men will you all right i wait a minute i wonder how many women said i want that kind of a home i'm gonna back up my husband i'll encourage him we'll make time for it we'll make room for it i'll back him back him up in that all the christian women said i want that kind of a home and i'll back up my husband and stand with us ready come on good women are you standing for this all night isn't that right that's right i've never heard about unless you love women i know that i wonder how many young people here say my home i want it humble i want my dad to be like that my mother i want to have a christian home and if you live in that home where you say i'll cooperate and i'll go along with it and pray with it and try to make it a success you boys and girls and young people when you say where i live i'll help to have a real christian home stand up for those young sisters we do that god bless you we do that god bless you that's right thank you thank you just a minute just a moment thank you be seated now listen i was at walter so i gave an invitation to start a new home to start over home to live for god out and out and a man moment came down here and melt together and the pastor said to me that woman was unsaved i was going to see her tomorrow and she came she got saved right there they were dedicating themselves to their home love and kindness and prayer and bible reading together and she that meant salvation for her i wonder if the men and women ought to come here hand in hand down this aisle and stand here for a prayer of dedication to your home you want to do that would you like to make your home right would you like men and women to come hand in hand and stand here for prayer of dedication going to do this all right come on if you will will you do it come on will you that's right come on husband and wife come on stand hand in hand here together for prayer of dedication god give us grace amen god do it for us that's right don't walk out make room for others a husband and wife come for dedication and crowd in make room don't talk the aisle brothers time of holy dedication that's all right husband and wives wouldn't you like to pray for these homes come on make room for them husband and wife stand together hand in hand arm in arm and we'll pray oh god bless these homes and bless the children and give wisdom and this station and oh protect them from the satan's snares all about these homes and the young people anybody else come on make room crowd down make room for the will you they're coming husband and wife hold hand together and come for dedication will you do that all right amen now just a minute before the hudson leads us in prayer how much that i want to confess to god i think i haven't been very successful as a father or mother or husband or wife i'm confessing and i say god help me do better lift your hand god help you do better amen amen thank you and brother Hudson leads in prayer for these our heavenly father we thank thee for this message i pray for these fathers and mothers who are standing here if we could go home and put into practice what we've been taught tonight to revolutionize not our homes but our communities please help these dads be ever mindful of the vows they're making tonight and the dedication and may they be consciously aware every day of what they're promised here tonight it's so easy to forget when i leave the conference and help them to fulfill every vow made to thee bless these dear mothers who are standing here god bless them may they be consciously aware of the vows they're making and in the years to come every day under jesus comes may they live them for thee and may they be wonderful and happy christian homes and may they be good children who come out of these homes and be great preachers of the gospel in jesus name amen
The Christian Home - Part 5 of 5
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John R. Rice (1895–1980). Born on December 11, 1895, in Cooke County, Texas, John R. Rice was an American fundamentalist Baptist evangelist, pastor, and publisher. Raised in a devout family, he earned degrees from Decatur Baptist College and Baylor University, later studying at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago. Converted at 12, he began preaching in 1920, pastoring churches in Dallas and Fort Worth, including First Baptist Church of Dallas as interim pastor. In 1934, he founded The Sword of the Lord, a biweekly periodical promoting revival and soul-winning, which grew into a publishing house with his books like Prayer: Asking and Receiving and The Home: Courtship, Marriage and Children. Known for his fiery evangelistic campaigns, he preached to thousands across the U.S., emphasizing personal salvation and biblical inerrancy. Rice mentored figures like Jack Hyles and Curtis Hutson but faced criticism for his strict fundamentalism. Married to Lloys Cooke in 1921, he had six daughters and died on December 29, 1980, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He said, “The only way to have a revival is to get back to the Book—the Bible.”