David R. Stokes (born July 30, 1956) is an American writer, commentator, broadcaster, and ordained minister.[1][2] His articles appear regularly in The Daily Caller, Townhall.com, and American Thinker. His writings have also appeared in The Intelligencer: Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies, The Jewish Press, The Cold War Times, The Richard Nixon Foundation blog, History News Network, as well as various publications and periodicals related to Christian ministry.
His book "The Shooting Salvationist: J. Frank Norris and the Murder Trial that Captivated America," a narrative non-fiction, true crime thriller set in the 1920s, was published in 2011 by Steerforth Press/Random House.[3]
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Stokes has been an ordained minister for more than 34 years, leading churches in New York, Illinois, and Texas. In 1998, he was appointed Senior Pastor of Fair Oaks Church in Fairfax, VA, a non-denominational congregation of 2,200 - with more than 30 nations represented in its membership.[4][5][2]
Stokes broadcasts a weekly radio commentary segment called "Beltway Blog," heard each Friday at 8:25 AM and 5:25 PM on WWRC (1260 AM in Washington, DC), and nationwide on Sirius/XM's Family Talk.[6][7]
He hosted "David Stokes Live" on XM Family Talk Sunday nights from 9 to 11 PM (eastern) from October 2007 to July 2008.[8] He hosted a 30-minute program, "Loud On Purpose," on WAVA (105.1 FM in Washington, DC) from July 2009 to July 2010.[9]
Stokes is a regular guest-host for talk shows across the nation, including The Don Kroah Show on WAVA (Washington, DC),[10] Bob Burney Live on WRFD (Columbus, OH),[11] The Paul Edwards Program on WLQV (Detroit, MI),[12] and Live from Seattle on KGNW (Seattle, WA).[13]
Stokes’s 2011 book "The Shooting Salvationist: J. Frank Norris and the Murder Trial that Captivated America" recounts the murder trial of Rev. J. Frank Norris in 1927.[14] The book has been featured on C-Span2 Book-TV,[15] and, on September 18, 2011, The Shooting Salvationist was listed at #6 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list for Hardcover True Crime.[16] Considered one of the leading fundamentalist voices of his time, J. Frank Norris preached at the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, TX, whose congregation numbered over 10,000 and was considered America's first "mega church." On July 17, 1926, Norris shot and killed an unarmed man in his church office. The Shooting Salvationist chronicles the ensuing trail that engaged the nation.[17]
In his foreword to The Shooting Salvationist, Bob Schieffer (CBS News) writes,
For all the colorful characters who became part of Fort Worth’s history, surely none surpassed J. Frank Norris, the fiery fundamentalist preacher at Fort Worth’s First Baptist Church in pure outlandishness. His oratory and penchant for publicity brought thousands into his congregation and at one point, First Baptist was among the largest churches in the world, a mega church before the phrase was coined. Unfortunately, for all his oratorical skills, Norris’ horizons were limited by several criminal indictments brought on by his tendency for violence. In this book David Stokes tells the J. Frank Norris story. If I hadn’t grown up in Fort Worth, I would have thought someone made all this up but no one did. It really happened.[18]
Born in Dearborn, MI, Stokes attended Harry S. Truman High School in Taylor, MI. He graduated from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO, in 1977. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Excelsior College of the University of the State of New York in 1991, and a master’s degree in political science and public policy from Long Island University C.W. Post College in 1993.
Stokes married the former Karen Holland on May 28, 1976. They have three daughters and seven grandchildren. David and Karen Stokes live in Northern Virginia and Florida’s Treasure Coast.[5]