Wade Morris, a popular Southern Baptist youth speaker who was hospitalized with COVID-19, has died.
He was 51.
“We are heartbroken to learn of Wade Morris’ passing,” the Oklahoma Baptist Convention posted on Twitter. “His speaking ministry in Oklahoma and across the country has forever impacted countless young people. Wade’s a faithful minister of the Gospel and a great friend to Oklahoma Baptists. We are praying for his family.”
Friends and colleagues of Morris had been sharing prayer requests for Morris, who had been hospitalized with COVID-19, according to social media posts.
Wade Morris preached a student life camp one summer that definitively changed my life. I’m sure I’m not the only one who was influenced by his ministry.
Would you pray for him? https://t.co/YmD5nyh66r
— Drew Byers (@DrewByers) August 3, 2021
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Morris was a graduate of Samford University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. After serving at several churches, he became a full-time itinerant speaker, spending about 200 days a year on the road, according to his ministry’s website. He was known for the Journey Bible Study Series and for speaking at youth camps and conferences.
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As a speaker, Morris tried to “engage sound Biblical teaching and insight” to make the Christian message relevant to “people in all walks of life,” his website stated. “This combination allows Wade to share truth with those outside the church as well as deepen the faith of the believer. His ministry has allowed him to speak to hundreds of thousands of adults and students all over the world.”
Morris’ social media feed was filled with advice about life and faith and with photos from events where he had been speaking.
https://twitter.com/WadeSpeaks/status/1413887111107862534
https://twitter.com/WadeSpeaks/status/1372182143477108746
“457 professions of faith this week in Oklahoma,” he posted on July 10.
“It’s hard to understand the will of God in your life without the Word of God in your life,” he posted a few days earlier.
His death was mourned on social media by Baptist pastors and others who had been affected by his ministry. Dean Inserra, the pastor of City Church in Tallahassee, Florida, called Morris ” a bold preacher of the gospel who loved students and was a staple of summer camp life for years.”
Georgia pastor Griffin Gulledge tweeted that Morris made “an eternal impact on countless students, and leaves behind a family that loved him.”
Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton asked his social media followers to pray for friends and family of Morris.
Mourning the loss of my friend Wade Morris today. And while I’m INCREDIBLY sad…
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13— Brent Crowe (@BrentACrowe) August 3, 2021
John Roland, director of development at Samford University, a Baptist school in Alabama, said Morris was well respected by those who had heard him speak. Roland said he attended a Bible study Morris taught when the two were students and had followed his ministry since.
“He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and had immense respect for,” he said.
Morris and his wife, Deborah, have both been marathon runners, according to a biography at Premiere Speakers, and had a daughter, Eden, and a bulldog named Crimson. Morris lived in Birmingham, where his ministry was based.
Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service.
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64 Responses
Sad to hear. Yet I still have to ask….Was he vaccinated? If not was he going to get around to it or did he oppose it?
What’s missing here is a plea to others to get vaccinated!
We can wish for it, but sadly I’m not sure it would matter. In talking to those who refuse vaccination I’m continually reminded of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”
There is a level of commitment to deception that simply will not be convinced, even if one were to rise from the dead to testify of truth.
I am deeply sorry for the Wayne Morris family, who now join the family members of the over 4.24 MILLION killed worldwide by COVID-19. It is the VIRUS that is our enemy. Refuse to host it.
4,259,667 deaths / 200,304,185 infections equals 99.98% survival rate.
The enemy is fear. What does Jesus say about fear?
Christians no longer quote Jesus, why is that?
I quoted Jesus extensively in the comment to which you are replying Andrew.
Hi Lea J,
I was not referencing your post or calling you out, I was referring to Rhonda H. and the pleas to get vaccinated.
I apologize for the confusion since I did not use a header.
Andrew, Christians no longer quote Jesus because unlike many of our modern saviors he doesn’t have a PHD in some kind of religious studies. He may have been called a healer but nobody called him Dr Jesus or ended his letters with PHD. From what I’ve read in the Bible his parents never even got him into a local government mandated preschool.
That math is horribly false! The mortality rate is just over two percent. Yes two out of a hundred people who are infected will die worldwide. Check the Johns Hopkins figures as it varies per country, but your 99.98 statement is ridiculous Andrew.
If I recall correctly, John MacArthur made a similar math error in converting decimals to percentages. For illustrative purposes, 2% is roughly the odds of rolling snake eyes in craps Not really worth betting your life on.
I apologize for the mistake, thank you for pointing it out. Is there a way to edit posts to correct it?
Andrew, appreciate your owning that. Small acts like your response in apology here are what we will all need to do more of to heal and move forward.
I messed up the decimal and source, thank you for holding me accountable.
I had referenced the US data (631338 deaths / 36185447 cases equals 0.017×100= 0.17 – 100 = 98.3 survival rate) and I got it mixed up with the world data (4,259,667 deaths / 200,304,185 cases = 0.021 x 100 = 2.12 – 100 = 97.87 survival) and did not catch my mistake.
At the risk of sounding tone deaf, you need to re-check your math.
I lost my own father when I was around Wade’s daughter’s age. While I expect that Wade is in a good place, his wife and daughter have a rough road ahead of them.
Sadly, statistically speaking attending a large concert event like Lollapalooza in Chicago (reported +90% vaccination rate) is safer than many Evangelical churches. Hoping more pastors would recommend the vaccine so we could all be safe!
What is missing is critical thinking skills in the Christian community.
Instead of concentrating on the death numbers (which I am allowed to post here), what are the survival numbers and percentages (which I am not allowed to post here)?
Why is that? It is as if we are supposed to only look at the negative and not see the positive, which leads to a society drenched in fear that looks to man for answers.
Andrew:
I assure you my thinking is critical of so many christians actions these days about vaccines. Just take the vaccine and I will even say-please.
Andrew, I don’t think what is missing is critical thinking skills. What I see missing is people dialoging without any intent of arriving at truth. The whole purpose of talking today is to show I am right and you are wrong even if that means someone hijacks the conversation with minuta that has nothing to do with arriving at truth.
The problem I see with Americans is that they never read anything or listen to anything that they disagree with so they are never learning anything that might prove them wrong. We all tend to stick with our narrow group that just confirms what we already think, The majority of reporters don’t dare go against the grain and dig for truth anymore. It is just opinions and then we think we are educated. It is just an narrow discussion that barely scratches the surface before it erupts into the next meltdown,threats or name calling. I call my experts and you call yours so nothing really gets solved. It is old now.
A very wise response.
Such sage advice I can barely contain my enthusiasm.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/30/1030390/vaccinated-getting-covid-delta-mask-mandate-superspreaders/
Lea, I am SURE the rich man and Lazarus story had nothing to do with vaccines. Trust me.
Using Bible verses for or against a vaccine is manipulative at best. State your case with facts and leave it up to us to decide what is best for our health.
This vaxxed versus unvaxxed is getting ridiculous. It is just getting too highly emotional and not enough real dialog to get to the truth. No one should entertain discussions like these.
Why should I “trust you” Frances? Because you’re SURE? What a strange comment.
So my friend dies of Covid and the first three people to comment make it into a public service announcement for getting vaccinated. Nice work! Not!
I guess the highest compliment that I could give Wade is that he was consistently faithful in the place the Lord had him. Year after year. He was one of the good guys.
Hopefully God will let him into heaven even if he didn’t get the vaccine.
Yes billy it does become a public service announcement against mostly evangelicals who fear the shot and then go die and spread the illness to others. In the sixtys polio shots were given and most if not all people answered the call. If there wasn’t social media and and nut job evangelicals telling people they got a word from god about covid and the shot, maybe all would be vaccinated. And maybe I would not have been recently informed a friend got Covid and now his whole family is sick. Yeah evangelicals your the gift that keeps on giving.
Gary, here are a few things I wish we ALL
could admit.
1. Yes covid is real. Hopefully all agree.
2. The vaccine will save many lives.
3. The vaccine has had negative affects on a certain number of people. (I personally know a young man who has suffered greatly because of it.)
4. There have been some who have died after taking the vaccine.
So here is my question. Are we all good with some folk suffering and possibly even dying because they took the shot, knowing that means many more lives will be saved because of the vaccine?
Basically lose a few to save alot.
Is that where we are?
If you’re ok with that, I absolutely have no judgement in my heart toward you but at least just admit it instead of pretending there are no negative outcomes from getting poked.
Billy, I wish a million Christians would show up here and encourage people to get vaccinated and use the preventable death of this man to save other unvaccinated people’s lives.
Tom, I wish we could admit that the vaccine will save alot of lives and at the same time the vaccine has and will continue to harm lives too.
It is indeed unfortunate that the early death of a faithful Christian gets turned into a vaccination discussion, obscuring the good work God presumably did through him.
But that turn in the conversation is also quite understandable, given the tragically large number of Evangelical Christians who have been deceived by the politicized misinformation of the anti-vax crowd. Since the number of fully vaccinated people who die of Covid is close to zero, it is quite likely that Mr. Morris also fell for the falsehoods of these people who are causing much unnecessary death and suffering.
Based on another comment here, it sounds like the Oklahoma Baptist Convention contributed to the problem (perhaps including the death of Mr. Morris) with their camp.
It would be a way to bring some good out of tragedy if his widow, and/or Baptist bodies related to his ministry, urged people to get vaccinated to keep themselves and their neighbors from the same fate.
Excellent comment, Billy!
I have the same question as the other posters. Was he vaccinated? Also, if not, why not? Unless he had a valid medical reason not to be, he should have gotten the vaccine. They are highly effective and reduce both your chance fo getting the virus and your chances of serious illness if you do by well over 90%,
I’m very sorry that he’s gone. Life is sacred. I will certainly pray for his family and friends.
Also, because life is sacred, I believe any story on this should try to include information on whether he was vaccinated and certainly should include an exhortation for everyone who is able to do so to get vaccinated.
You’re speaking truth.
I’d rather trust Jesus and get Covid than take the vaccine (kill shot). Vaccines are worshipped the way the golden calf was. Thankfully, there are treatments that don’t cause you to kick the bucket or cost an arm and a leg (see Oxygen Products below).
The Delta Variant Lie: https://americasfrontlinedoctors.org/?s=delta+lie
Washington Post: Massachusetts Covid Outbreak (75% were vaccinated): https://archive.is/RPn61#selection-957.78-957.146
Tumors, Viruses and bacteria cannot live in oxygen rich environments. The following products successfully treat respiratory illnesses: https://oxygenproducts.org/product-category/mega-oxygen/
“Vaccines are worshipped the way the golden calf was.”
This is an illogical and silly statement.
Is the rest of what he posted including links to articles reporting on Covid silly and illogical?
Yes. Particularly his product placements for “oxygen cures”. Carnival barker level stuff.
Do you really need an answer?
It’s “Yes”, by the way. All pf it out of the Covid-denier, anti-vaxxer playbook.
Hint: if you’re listening to someone who calls a vaccine a kill shot, you’re doing it wrong, and hopelessly so.
Whether I needed an answer or not, you gave one to me anyway. Well, you at least responded, and you did it in a way that identified a particular remark (kill shot) by the original poster as something someone leaning pretty far outside the door of reality would say.
My original response to Mr. Hackman was to see whether he would respond in a similar fashion as you did. Would he isolate the statement about vaccines being worshipped like a golden calf, hold it up to ridicule and subsequently dismiss all that followed. He hasn’t responded, but you did.
So, what of his statement is illogical? He made a statement that in most circles would be greeted with, “Well, that’s your opinion….” The rhetorical crime of failing to prove his case really isn’t a crime here since we aren’t in a court of law. And speaking of the law, there’s a particular legal profession where such statements have become an art form. As to whether the statement was silly, well, that’s purely Mr. Hackman’s opinion.
Let me make an illogical and silly statement. Here it is: Abortion rights are worshipped like a golden calf. Here’s another one:
Republicans worship Donald Trump like a golden calf.
And another: Anti-vaxxers have a play book and worship it like a golden calf. And another: People who refuse to get vaccinated are killing people who have been vaccinated and worship their choice like a golden calf.
I myself am curious why we put so much “faith” in certain companies. It’s a matter of public record that one of them faced 19400 lawsuits over asbestos in baby powder and paid out billions. How quickly we forget.
So let’s look at the two words you focused on: “kill shot”. Well, what to say other than deaths have been reported among other complications, or do you deny that? I’ve no idea how many, and I don’t need to know. Suffice to say that his statement, while overly broad, is not entirely incorrect. Do I view it as hyperbole that could have used some boundaries?
Yes.
Well, on to the Covid deniers and anti-vaxxers and the play book. So where in his statement did he engage in Covid denier syndrome? While I would agree that his statement about vaccines means he’s probably not lining up for a jab, he does appear to be seeking alternative treatments. They do exist or is that the stuff of tin foil hats?
You see, I’m not a Covid denier or anti-vaxxer. But I do try to legitimately engage with what people are saying without subjecting them to obloquy. As for dismissing everything the poster said based on two words, does that include dismissing The Washington Post? And lastly, is the play book available on Amazon?
The first article is written by a Chiropractor (note the D.C. behind the authors title).
And I didn’t point out that article. I did specifically point out The Washington Post assuming they would be considered credible.
I don’t particularly care about the rest of what he posted, although I assume it to be typical anti-vaxxer craziness. In any case, I reserve the right to comment on whatever portion of what he said that I please and I don’t care much whether you’re ok with that or not.
By the way, I don’t think that what I said is “purely my opinion.” I’d say it’s demonstrable that the vast majority of people getting the vaccine don’t worship it like a golden calf. It’s just a ridiculous thing to say. At best, it’s out of touch with reality, at worst it’s a bad faith thing to say.
You said,
“In any case, I reserve the right to comment on whatever portion of what he said that I please and I don’t care much whether you’re ok with that or not.”
I merely asked a question. I really don’t know how my question was construed as somehow denying your ability to reserve the right to post anything. Whether I’m ok with anything anyone posts is immaterial. I’m not the comment moderator. But, like you, I also reserve the right to comment as I please.
You also said,
“I don’t think that what I said is “purely my opinion.” I’d say it’s demonstrable that the vast majority of people getting the vaccine don’t worship it like a golden calf. It’s just a ridiculous thing to say. At best, it’s out of touch with reality, at worst it’s a bad faith thing to say.”
It’s my opinion everything you wrote is your opinion. Whether a mass of people believed the vaccine was the promised answer to assuage their fears is something neither of us can know with certainty. Whether a mass of people believed it to be another wondrous miracle of science is also something neither of us can know. Likely? Maybe Mr. Gallup can help us out.
On the other hand, are there masses of people who just might have done their own due diligence and have made their own free choice to wait. Or are all such people indulging in what you so easily dismiss as “anti-vaxxer craziness”. That statement is no different than the “golden calf” statement. In fact, I believe it’s nothing more than a dog whistle for pro-vaxxer craziness. There now. I just labeled a set of views and assumptions as crazy. Now I can dismiss them out of hand as the ravings of mad scientists who are out of touch with reality and acting in bad faith.
Well, I’m glad that’s settled.
https://www.salon.com/2008/07/31/religion_science/
“I merely asked a question.”
Please. Your entire long winded rant about how I was only quoting one part of his comment as a means of unfairly dismissing it all, etc. Don’t pretend now that you were “merely asking a question.”
I don’t buy your ostensible even handedness either.
The images in the article show Wade Morris preaching at Falls Creek, the youth camp of the Oklahoma Baptist Convention, July 5-9.
On June 26, local news organizations in Oklahoma had reported “News 9 has received many emails and social media messages in recent days from people reporting their child or someone they knew got COVID at Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center.” Some churches even canceled services as their campers returned home with COVID infections.
https://www.newson6.com/story/60ff33ba77a4170d34dc3980/youth-church-camp-covid-outbreak-causes-concern
“Oklahoma Baptists…said they implemented strict protocols to protect people at the camp, but would not answer specific questions about vaccine requirements, masking, or testing.”
“Leaders..did not offer any details about an outbreak when asked by The Oklahoman about COVID challenges during camp sessions.”
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/religion/2021/07/27/covid-19-outbreaks-affected-some-church-camps-summer/8061222002/
Photos posted on social media show clearly that no mask or social distancing requirements were in place at the camp.
Lea, they put people’s lives at risk and at the least Wade died. Why does wearing masks or taking the vaccine have to be political?
It certainly looks like the Oklahoma Baptist General Convention’s desire to remain loyal to a Republican talking point was greater than their sense of Christian duty to keep the campers and staff in their charge safe from harm.
They have chosen their tribe, and it is a political party rather than the church of Jesus Christ. Ichabod.
Sanctimony when boiled down into its constituent parts looks a lot like a five year old who yells the loudest. Not a great look but telling.
https://okcfox.com/news/nation-world/7-fully-vaccinated-people-have-died-from-covid-19-in-texas-city-says
Oh, and Michael Rappaport wants the world to know he’s not happy either. First, he’s angry at anti-vaxxers. Second, he’s angry at the C-19 authorities because he’s now a super spreader. What to make of it all.
Did he die “from covid” or “with covid”? Big difference! The article says “with covid” and their source is a social media post? Stop people! Just stop! No one knows the truth based on this article. People need to stop responding to headlines and start searching for the truth. This is just lazy journalism!
Tyler: I do not see the difference. The big question is was he vaccinated?
Mr. Parker
If he was vaccinated, would there be a difference between dying with the vaccine and dying of the vaccine?
In medicine there is a big difference between dying with something and dying of something. If this wasn’t the case all death certificates would list the cause of death as cardiac arrest.
As for not seeing the difference please read 2 Thessalonians 2
My oncologist told me, just chatting, that more men die with prostate cancer than from it…I guess with a SARS infection its similar. The SARS might or might not be a factor, but death might be the direct result of some other morbidity. When you get old and frail, or young and diseased, the picture complicates.
I think we expect too much of medicine. It is far from perfect. Very effective in most cases, of course, but it is a numbers game in every case.
This illness has been overly politicised, starting with the insane suspicion of Trump, mainly manufactured by the left, it seems, with lack of transparency all round, over reaction in some cases, too slow in others, but with politicians digging in their heels, not entertaining a diversity of scientific views, not adjusting their policies quickly enough, playing to the media, and not apologising when they got it wrong.
What if he was vaccinated? Does that change the narrative? Does culpability shift to the unvaccinated? Is the science behind all of this so bulletproof that there’s no room for debate?
“battling Covid Pneumonia”. It’s right there, if you’re willing to see it.
I want to apologize to Bob for calling this lazy journalism. That was not a kind thing for me to say. I think this Covid conversation has everyone riled up on both sides of the argument and we can’t lose our humanity regardless of ones position. My apologies!
Hi, I am a nurse dealing at times with Covid patients and my wife is on a Covid task force getting all the stats etc.
1, The delta variant seems to be infecting younger people and making them very sick, our hospital is getting full of young unvaccinated patients, many who are deathly ill and some may die
2. What is not being reported are the side effects, some which are long lasting such as Covid fog , strokes , headaches and a host of other issues. Do you really want to risk that?
3. Yes, many people who have been vaccinated are getting sick with Covid but few are being hospitalized or dying.
4. I believe God created science to serve Him and us and he also promised to give us wisdom if he asks. My advice for what it’s worth is stay away from Tucker Carlson and the likes and take the vaccine. I also believe, at least as a nurse, that I have a responsibility to protect my patients and neighbors from being exposed to the virus from me though you can still be a carrier even vaccinated. As a write said above, use your Christian critical thinking skills.
Hope the above helps, ever nurse I m ow has had patients saying “I wish I had gotten the vaccine.” I know a nurse who quit the Covid floor because the patients would beg and plead not to go to the ICU because they knew the chances of coming out a live were small. She said she couldn’t take grown men and women weeping day after day. Think about it.
I know what you wrote was from your heart. That’s always something I can appreciate. I also have family in the health-care field who work with Covid patients.
Thank you for your post and Godspeed.
More reason, common sense, and objectivity found here than most Christians are displaying.
https://ocla.ca/a-letter-to-the-unvaccinated/
Thanks for posting this. Here’s another article from some of the same people.
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-its-time-to-follow-the-scientific-method-and-re-evaluate-canadas-covid-approach
Those of you who are so supportive of the OCLA in this thread should really check out their “founding principals” before promoting their cause. Do you agree with them? Or did you just not do your “research”?
Are you referring to the absolute right to freedom of expression to include the ability to criticize just about anything? To me it sounds like a Canadian version of freedom of speech. Am I missing something? To me it sounds like the 1st Amendment.
If that’s what you’re referring to, are you asking me whether I support freedom of speech? Or do you believe they go too far?
Stop spinning, Peter. It’s not about “ability to criticize”. The founding principals of the OCLA justify “individual expression about” not the criticism of, child sexual abuse.
Your credibility in this discussion is now zero.
That’s total spin, Peter. OCLA doesn’t just protect the “ability to criticize” it seeks to protect the right to “all individual expression” including regarding things that Christians consider to be deeply immoral, and that are NOT protected by the 1st Amendment.
Your discernment in promoting such a group is severely lacking.
That you would actually look to them for medical advice is just…bizarre.
I don’t think you’re missing the point, Peter.
Besides, who says we have to agree with everything a person or organization is about before we are able to use them as a positive point of reference?
Even the AMA has a lot of questionable points of views. Here’s one about taking the delineation of sex off the birth certificate:
“Now, likewise, the information on sex assigned at birth is being used to undermine the rights of our transgender, intersex, and nonbinary patients.”
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20210616/remove-sex-from-public-birth-certificates-ama-says
No doubt much of their $cience for more than the past century has been funded by unrighteous entities. Easily seen if only one is willing to do their homework.
@ Lea James
So their the ACLU of Ontario, Canada. As evil as they must be, for some reason they also supported the rights of pro-life groups to be active on a college campus. Go figure. Small potatoes compared to things they must support like war and genocide because these things are mentioned as part of their founding principles. I guess you could look at war and genocide as acts of public expression, although I’m fairly certain they’re not defending individual acts of war or genocide.
As to whether I agree with all of their founding principles, I’m sure there are many I don’t. Just like I don’t agree with abortion for any reason being a core tenet of a political party, and yet it is. So, as horrendous as child sexual abuse is, I’m curious where child murder fits in the hierarchy of abuse.
Also, since I wasn’t aware you were the keeper of the credibility meter, I’ll know for next time.
I’m sure you also know about the Tuskegee Study. It’s interesting who was involved in that incredibly immoral, unethical, and un-Christian study. The word “study” just provided cover for something that was criminal.
@ Kenly Wayne
True enough.
Thanks