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The Reverend Dr. Lonnie Latham (born January 7, 1946) served as the senior pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a post he held from 2002 to January 6, 2006, when he resigned from that position as well as from the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (where he served as one of four such members from Oklahoma), and as the recording secretary of the Southern Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. His resignation came after his arrest for lewdness. He was later acquitted of the lewdness charge on March 7, 2007.

Lonnie Latham was elected director of missions for the Tulsa Metro Baptist Association during their November 13–14, 2000 meeting. The meeting also saw the controversial adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message, a pivotal document in the Southern Baptist Convention's "Conservative Resurgence." According to one report, Latham has spoken out against expansion of tribal gaming in Oklahoma, as well as against homosexuality. In the latter vein, he supported the SBC's adoption of a policy encouraging Baptists to befriend gays and lesbians and to help them "reject their sinful, destructive lifestyle." The September 16, 2001 edition of Tulsa World describes Latham as executive director of the Tulsa Metro Baptist Association.

On Tuesday, October 26, 2004, one week before the 2004 General Election, Latham addressed the subject of State Question 712, a referendum on the expansion of tribal gaming and installation of gambling machines at three local racetracks. Speaking to attendees of the Tulsa Press Club’s “Two Views” luncheon, Latham said:
"It grieves my heart to think we would do anything to undermine the effectiveness of the average home or the average person in our state We don’t need gambling to help Oklahoma. What we do need is an empathetic heart toward small business. Through them, we’ll gain a true economic base for our state." “The petition would be to allow the state’s people to vote on whether or not they want this kind of casino gambling in the state,” he said. “ We’re hoping that we can gather not only 51,000 names but also many more who will see this as the moral issue that it is.”

Latham also said the social costs of gaming outweigh its benefits, and he opposed efforts to establish a state lottery. State voters eventually approved both expanded Indian gaming and a lottery.

On Tuesday, January 3, 2006, Latham was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail by members of the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. The misdemeanor charge was that of "Offering to Engage In An Act of Lewdness," a charge carrying penalties of up to a year in jail and a US$2,500 fine. Reports sourced to a police department spokesman said that he had propositioned a plainclothes police officer for oral sex in an area of the community which had been the subject of public complaints of cruising related to male prostitution. Latham was arrested around 9:45 p. m. and his automobile was impounded. The arrest took place in the parking lot of The Habana Inn. Reportedly, Latham followed a plainclothes police officer's car for several blocks, ultimately pulling up beside it. Latham told the officer that he enjoyed "a particular lewd act" and then solicited the police officer to perform the act at a room Latham said he had booked at the nearby Holiday Inn Express. Latham did not offer money in exchange, so he was not charged with soliciting prostitution. Upon posting bail, Latham contested the charge to local television reporters, saying "I was set up. I was in the area pastoring to police." "I was involved in a prayer ministry in that area, and I had a dialogue with police," he said, according to the website of the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. "The officer made many suggestions." According to police officials, Latham made no mention of prayer, told the officer his name was "Luke," and said he was from Dallas and worked frequently in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. This was not Latham's first visit to the area. Public records show that on December 2, 1998, at about 11:30 p. m., Latham was issued a traffic ticket for "failure to stop for a stop sign" at NW 39th and Frankford. This intersection is only blocks from where Latham was arrested and serves as rear access to the Habanna Inn."

On February 2, 2006, Latham pleaded not guilty to the lewdness charge. The case was then heard in a non jury trial. On March 7, 2007, Latham was found to be not guilty by Special Judge Roma McElwee, who said her ruling was based on the evidence and not on the issue of the constitutionality of the law in question. Latham's attorney, Mack Martin, has told reporters that what his client did was Constitutionally protected and shouldn't be a crime. “It’s like saying you’re arrested for crossing the street — so what?” Martin said. “This is a major First Amendment issue.”

Mack says he feels the only reason that the court is pursuing charges is because of pressure from the media attention. But Oklahoma City District Attorney Wes Lane says, “The law in Oklahoma prohibits an individual from soliciting another to engage in what is considered a lewd act regardless of whether money is sought for or exchanged.” The American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief for Latham, stating that the law is unconstitutional because it makes it a crime for an adult to ask another adult to engage in legal conduct.