How A Riot Was Turned Into A Revival

It was in the exciting days of the "sit-down" strikes.

At Flint, Michigan, Dr. Norris was scheduled to speak in the huge municipal auditorium and the 10,000-capacity auditorium was packed to standing room and people standing on the outside.

The Chief of Police called him up at Detroit fifty miles away and said: "I cannot guarantee protection.  I hope you will call off the meeting.  It will produce a riot."  Governor Frank Murphy, then governor of Michigan, also pled with Dr. Norris not to go to Flint.

Dr. Norris told the Chief of Police and the governor:

 "It is your business to keep order, and I am going."

No sooner than he started to speak, there were two groups of hecklers (who) tried to break up the meeting.  Dr. Norris stopped and said:

"I want every red-blooded American over twenty-one and under fifty who believes in God, home and native land and free speech, to stand to your feet."

They stood, and then he said:

"Remain standing."

Then he turned and said:

"You low down, white livered, cowardly communists, now try to break up this meeting."   

There was profound silence.  There was a "half hour of silence in heaven," no more disturbance.

At the close of the meeting the ring leader of the hecklers came rushing up to the platform.  A group of Dr. Norris' ushers tried to stop him, but Dr. Norris said:

"Let him come on up here." 

And he took him to one side behind the curtain and this man said: "I want to apologize for leading this disturbance and I want you to pray for me.  I am a wrecked man.  Liquor has got the best of me.  I had a happy home, a wife and children and they are gone." 

Dr. Norris knelt with him and he was gloriously saved.  They drove fifty miles to Detroit and he baptisted him into the church.  This man's family came back and Dr. Norris got him a good job at Ford Motor Company and he is one of the best members of Temple Baptist Church.  

That is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

(This story taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons)