D. N. Jackson

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He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jacksonville College in 1917. He later studied at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago in 1920–21 and did graduate work at Princeton University in 1925–26. Jackson later had a LLD degree conferred by the Missionary Baptist College in [3] Sheridan, Arkansas after which he was known as Dr. Jackson.

Dr. Jackson was ordained on September 2, 1913.

• First Baptist Church, Jefferson, Texas, 1917–18
• County Avenue Baptist Church, Texarkana, 1918-34 (four years on leave of absence for school studies at Princeton and Chicago)*Organized and pastored Central Baptist Church, Texarkana, 1934–40
• Parkview Baptist Church, Laurel, Mississippi in 1940
• Malta, Texas
• Fulton, Arkansas
• Emmanuel Baptist Church, Nashville, Arkansas
• Calvary Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
• Park Place Baptist Church, Little Rock, Arkansas, in the fall of 1949
• Berean Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee
• Creston Hills Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi
• Walston Springs Baptist Church, Palestine, Texas
• Pine Grove Baptist Church, Diboll, Texas
• His last pastorate was First Baptist Church, Mixon, Texas (now called "First Missionary Baptist Church" after a different Baptist group used the name "First Baptist in the town".)

In 1952 Southeastern Baptist College was organized with Dr. Jackson as its first President. In Arkansas he provided the leadership for purchasing the property for Conway Baptist College, now known as the Central Baptist College, Conway. He served the school's first President also. He played a significant role in the organization and development of the North American Theological Seminary (now Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary.) Dr. Jackson was offered a life-time professorship at North American (BMA) Theological Seminary. He became Professor of Theology and Church History and remained with the seminary from 1955 to 1967. He also served as President of Midwestern Baptist College, Oklahoma City from 1967 until his death a year later.

He was editor and publisher of the American Baptist, the oldest Baptist paper west of the Mississippi, from 1934 until his death. The paper was founded in St. Louis in 1875 by D. B. Ray, Sr. Jackson later sold the American Baptist to a group of BMAA pastors.

Debates between denominational representatives were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jackson was widely used as a debater in earlier years, defending the Baptist faith. He is credited with engaging in at least 162 formal debates, mostly with "Christians" (i.e., "Church of Christ"), from 1916 to 1957. Many of them were in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, but he also debated in Mississippi, Missouri, California and Michigan. A partial list includes[4]

• Jesse T. Lashlee (Church of Christ); 1916
• W. Curtis Porter (Church of Christ); Monette, Arkansas; 1916; baptism; Porter's 1st debate
• J. T. Riley (Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints); Tapp school house (near Fisher), Arkansas; January 8-?, 1918; general church; 12 sessions
• Thomas Wiley Croom (Church of Christ); County Line, Arkansas; January 1922; apostasy, Holy Spirit, baptism; Croom's first debate
• John W. Hedge (Church of Christ); Bearden, Arkansas; 1926 and 127 on the topic of salvation
• G. C. Brewer (Church of Christ); Texarkana, _; c 1931
• Glen Earl Green (Church of Christ)
• W. L. Oliphant (Church of Christ); Hollis, Oklahoma; 1933
• J. D. Tant (Church of Christ); 5 times including in Texarkana, Texas; fall 1933
• Charles B. Middleton (Church of Christ); 1938
• Jesse Powell (Church of Christ); Jacksonville, Texas; 1938
• Clyde L. Embrey (Church of Christ); Texarkana, Arkansas; c 1938
• George B. Curtis (Church of Christ); Fayetteville, Arkansas; 1938
• Guy N. Woods (Church of Christ); Wellington, Texas; c 1938[5]
• Thomas L. Conner (Church of Christ); Bald Knob, Arkansas, 1939
• Guy N. Woods (Church of Christ); Independence, Texas; c 1939 [5]
• W. Curtis Porter (Church of Christ); Rush Springs, Oklahoma; September 1939; their 2nd debate
• J. Porter Wilhite (Church of Christ); Burnsville, MS
• Leroy Garrett (Church of Christ); 1940 and again in Taylor, Arkansas; 1941
• John O'Dowd (Church of Christ); Sand Flat, Texas; February 11–14, 1941; establishment of Baptist Church
• Coleman Overby (Church of Christ); Bearden, Arkansas; 1941
• Clyde L. Embrey (Church of Christ); 1941
• Eugene S. Smith (Church of Christ); written; 1944; depravity & operation of the Spirit.[6]
• Thomas L. Conner (Church of Christ); Deering, Missouri; 1944
• Eugene S. Smith (Church of Christ); written; 1945; baptism.[7]
• W. Curtis Porter (Church of Christ); Flint, Michigan; September 18–21, 1945; baptism, apostasy; their 3rd debate, and the again in Poplar Bluff, Missouri; May 7-?, 1946 [8] and at St. Louis, Missouri; November 18–21, 1946; baptism, apostasy
• Roy E. Cogdill (Church of Christ) twice including in Lufkin, Texas; December 10–13, 1946.[9]
• J. Porter Wilhite (Church of Christ); 1947 and again in Laurel, MS; March 1949; establishment of church, baptism
• G. C. Brewer (Church of Christ); Fulton, MS; May 9–12, 1950; baptism, apostasy[10]
• J. Porter Wilhite (Church of Christ); Burnsville, MS; 1950; establishment of church, baptism
• Roy E. Cogdill (Church of Christ); Houston, Texas; March 26–29, 1951
• W. Curtis Porter (Church of Christ); Fulton, MS; June 18–20, 1952; establishment of church, apostasy, faith only
• W. Curtis Porter (Church of Christ); Fillmore, Oklahoma; November 4-?, 1952 and in Jonesboro, Arkansas; December 9-?, 1952
• Clyde L. Embrey (Church of Christ); Lucedale, MS; December 6–9, 1955
• John W. Wilson (Church of Christ); Bellflower, California; September 17–20, 1956; baptism, apostasy; Jackson's 161st debate
• Guy N. Woods (Church of Christ); Sikeston, Missouri; late August 1957[5]

Jackson also served as moderater for many debates. Two notable ones include:

• Harold F. Sharp, Sr vs. Dr. J.E. Cobb at Conway, Arkansas (1954).[11]
• Aimee Semple McPherson vs. Dr. Ben M. Bogard at the McPherson Tabernacle in the city of North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, on the 22nd day of May, 1934.[12][13]

through his preaching ministry Dr. Jackson was able to see many lives changed and many professions of faith, but on one Easter morning his ministry produced a new response. The words that flowed from that pulpit on that Resurrection Sunday caused Luther G. Presley to pick up a pen and compose, "I'll Have A New Life" after he heard a sermon by Dr. D.N. Jackson.[14]

Perpetuity of the church is a doctrine which is cherished by Missionary Baptists. By perpetuity is meant that there has never been a day since Christ founded His church when there was no scriptural church upon earth. The church shall continue in existence until He shall come again. Church "succession" is another term which denotes perpetuity, implying that churches have succeeded in all ages the one founded by Christ. Baptists believe in a succession of churches---not of the apostles, as taught by the Roman doctrine of ‘apostolic succession.[15]

Baptism is one way of making a confession of faith in Christ. Scriptural baptism is performed by the authority of the triune God (Matthew 28:19-20). No one without baptism is qualified for membership in a church, but baptism does not wholly qualify him. It is the ceremonial qualification he is required to meet. It is the first act of Christian obedience after one's profession, although one may have the opportunity to witness for Christ as Saviour before he is baptized.[16]