Nooses Around The Neck

There are several major problems that "Primitive" (aka "Hardshell") Baptists have in dealing apologetically with their history. These problems concern 1) the beliefs of their founding fathers and 2) their confessions and periodicals. The religious views of these men are like nooses around their denominational neck.

"Founding Fathers" of PB Church
(1st generation)

1. Elder Daniel Parker
2. Elder Gilbert Beebe
3. Elder Samuel Trott
4. Elder John Watson
5. Elder James Osbourn
6. Elder John Clark
7. Elder Joshua Lawrence
8. Elder Mark Bennett
9. Elder C. B. Hassell
10. Elder Wilson Thompson
11. Elder Grigg Thompson
12. Elder Stephen Gard
13. Elder William Conrad
14. Elder John Leland
15. Elder John Taylor
16. Elder Lawrence Greatrake
17. Elder Joel Hume
18. Elder Hosea Preslar
19. Elder Richard M. Newport

Observations 

1. These are the "founding fathers" or first generation leaders of the newly formed "Old School" or "Primitive Baptist" denomination.

2. Not one of these men would be fellowshipped by today's "Primitive" Baptists!

3. Most of these men held to serious errors, and to many "Two Seed" heresies, as confessed by later PB histories.

4. Biographical histories are often best when tracing the history of a movement or formation of a separate religious group. What does an examination of the first leaders of the PB denomination reveal about the denomination?

Revelatory Historical Events

1. The Kehukee Declaration (1827)
2. The Black Rock Address (1832)
3. The Fulton Convention and Confession (1900)

Observations

1. Neither the Kehukee Declaration or the Black Rock Address spoke against the belief that the gospel was a means in the new birth.

2. The Fulton Convention endorsed the 1689 London confession and acknowledged that it was the confession of their oldest churches, the historically accepted confession of all Predestinarian Baptists.

3. The Fulton Convention, via its attached "notes" of "explanation," corrupted the confession and pawned off a misinterpretation of it. It condemned both the use of means in rebirth and the predestination (decree) of all things.

First Major Periodicals

1. The Signs of the Times
2. The Christian Doctrinal Advocate and Spiritual Monitor
3. The Primitive Baptist
4. The Old Baptist Banner

Observations

1. These periodicals all taught that all things that come to pass are the result of God's will or eternal decree.

2. These periodicals all taught the use of gospel knowledge in the new birth.

3. These periodicals all taught the certain perseverance of all the elect and called (adult) and that faith in Christ was essential for that perseverance, and perseverance for final salvation.

4. These periodicals all taught that the spiritually dead were to be addressed in gospel preaching and exhorted to believe and repent for salvation.

Second Generation Leaders

1. Elder Sylvester Hassell
2. Elder P.D. Gold
3. Elder R.W. Fain
4. Elder T. P. Dudley
5. Elder S. F. Cayce
6. Elder C.H. Cayce
7. Elder J.R. Respass
8. Elder William Mitchell
9. Elder T.S. Dalton
10. Elder (Dr.) Charles Waters
11. Elder John R. Daily
12. Elder Walter Cash
13. Elder Lee Hanks
14. Elder Silas Durand
15. Elder J.H. Oliphant
16. Elder S.N. Redford
17. Elder J.S. Newman
18. Elder J.H. Purifoy
19. Elder W.T. Pence
20. Elder E.H. Burnam
21. Elder J.M. Thompson

Observations

1. Many of these men, early in their ministries, held to the gospel means position, believed in the predestination of all things, and to the perseverance of the saints, but many changed during the last half of the nineteenth century. This is documented in historical writings of the period.

2. Many of these men held to the view that all the elect would hear the gospel as preached by Jesus via the Spirit apart from human preachers or the written word.

3. Some of these men went further and held that one could be "born again" while in heathendom, and yet remain a heathen in faith (quasi Universalism).

4. This led others to further extremes, denying that all the regenerated (or born again) would be converted evangelically and to deny the historic doctrine on perseverance and predestination.

I have studied the writings and lives of these men and read many of their old periodicals and there is an interesting biographical history in all that information. Perhaps one day I can put it all together in such a form.

2nd Generation Periodicals

1. The Primitive Baptist (Cayce - 1880s)
2. Zion's Advocate (1854)
3. Zion's Landmark
4. The Gospel Messenger
5. The Signs of the Times
6. Herald Of Truth
7. The Baptist Watchman
8. The Messenger of Peace
9. The Primitive Monitor
10. The Church Advocate

Observations

1. You can see the ecclesiastical battles play out in these second generation periodicals and among these leaders.

2. What is known today as the "Conditionalist" faction of PBs (largest), called "ultraists" and "modern innovators" by Elder Watson (Old Baptist Test), won the battle with those contending for keeping to a belief in means, absolute predestination, perseverance, etc., in this period.

3. It was still common in this period to hear the "three stage model" of the new birth taught and believed.

4. It was a time when the doctrine of "time salvation" became a popular apology for neo Hardshellism.