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The Primitive Baptist faith does not have a single
founder or specific group responsible for organizing this Baptist tradition. There is,
however, a generally-agreed upon timeline of events culminating in the split of the Old
School Baptists from the Missionary Baptists. This occured when ten elders and ten
brethren convened at Black Rock, Maryland on September 28, 1832. Elder Wm. Gilmore was
chosen to moderate the proceedings and Gabriel Conklin presided as clerk for the writing
of the
Black Rock Address
. Two elders, Wilson and Bowen, were not present at the meeting but authorized their
identification on the address.
The year 1832 is frequently used as the founding date. See the history which follows for details of earlier benchmarks that led to the founding of the present day Primitive Baptist faith.
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
In lacking a national headquarters or organizational structure, it becomes difficult to accurately measure total membership. Also, membership is defined by adult baptized believers, so children do not factor into the membership figures or estimates.
The Primitive Baptist faith is generally divided into three distinct divisions:
Absolute Predestinarians
: "Fifty-one associations have been located. There a re approximately 10 churches to
each association, but the average is only about 17 members per church. Thus, a rough
estimate of Absoluters would be approximately 8,500, with several hundred in independent
churches."
Moderates
: "No recent census of Primitive Baptists has been made. In the 1970's, 150 Moderate
associations were located. They vary in size from two churches to more than 20. The
average size is seven. The average church has fewer than 50 members, all baptized. On
that basis, there are more than 50,000 members, not including the membership of almost
five hundred churches of the Moderate position which are not affiliated with any
associations. Those churches would add another 25,000."
Progressives
: "In 1992 there were 122 churches and 133 ministers reported."
Sydney Ahlstrom suggests that the Primitive Baptist
membership in the United States doubled between the years of 1846 and 1890 (68,000 to
121,000). However, membership has declined sharply and a 1990 estimate by the Glenmary
Research Center places the US membership at 49,234 members with 1,159 churches in
activity. Worldwide estimates for 1993 claim 72,000 members.
The first English Baptist church evolved from a Separatist group led by John Smyth that
relocated to Holland.
John Smyth returned to England where he founded the first English Baptist Church in
1611.
The first Particular Baptist church in England resulted from a Puritan shift towards
Baptists. In 1638, a Particular Baptist church embracing Calvinism, was founded and
pastored by John Spilsbury. Once this church and line of belief was established,
concern within the Particular Baptists emerged calling for documentation of true
beliefs. As a result, the 1644
London Confession of Faith
was written.
"This confession outlined the major issues that were to separate Baptists from other
Christina bodies. Baptists would be congregationally governed but completely separated
from the state. As orthodox Christians, they would uphold adult baptism by immersion as
the apostolic mode of baptism."
During the seventeenth century, Baptists were heavily persecuted under the control of
Charles II and James II. As a response to the persecution, ministers and messengers
from more than one hundred churches in England and Wales met in London in July of 1689.
Baptist churches in America were both the product of
immigration of Baptsts from England as well as fostered interest in the colonies. The
first colonial Baptist association was founded in 1707 in Philadelphia.
Separative Baptists, a product of the Great Awakening, split from the Particulars and
began to organize churches across the South with strict doctrine and church practices.
Particular Separatists refused communion with Particulars (now called Regulars) as the
gap widened.
Controversy re-emerged in 1815 when Elder Martin Ross presented a report to the Kehukee
Association, the American leading group, asking, "Is it not the Kehukee Association,
with her numerous and respectable friends...to step forward in support of that
missionary spirit...in various parts of the world?" Initially well-received, a
countering "Declaration of Church Principles" emerged, authored by Joshua Lawrence.
Division was accelerated in 1832 when a group of the conservative Baptists met at Black
Rock, Maryland to compose a general address in which they announced and explained their
resolve to withdraw fellowship from the liberal doctrines and practices of mission,
education, and secret societies.
As a result of this meeting, Regulars held a "unitive consciousness of being the true,
primitive, or old school Baptist church developed among those who refused to support
innovations."
Founding beliefs
Primitive Baptists splintered from mainstream Baptist religion in the United States
during the first half of the nineteenth century as a general reaction to the movement of
Regular Baptists towards liberal views and practices. In particular, objections were
produced to three newer religiously-affiliated ideals: mission, non-Biblical societies,
and specific education.
Objections to these three subjects became the foundation upon which the Primitive Baptists established their faith. Central to the moves Primitive Baptists make in avoiding such recent, individual developments such as the above is the fundamental stance taken that unless a precedent is established within the Bible, an action is likely considered against the intentions of the faith.
Non-Biblical societies & Higher learning
- Primitive Baptists are very wary of any source of influence or teaching outside of
the text of the Bible. The Primitive Baptist faith views The Bible as its sole means of
teaching and sole source for guidance. Primitive Baptists justify the idea that The
Bible, specifically the 1611 King James version, as the sole literal rule of faith and
practice for the church by citing scripture itself. The power of the scripture is
established when Paul asserts that "all scripture is given by the inspiration of God"
(II Timothy 3:16). Later, Jesus certifies the legitimacy by saying that "the scripture
cannot be broken" (Jn 10:35).
Spiritual understanding of election
The principle spiritual teaching from Scripture that differentiates the Primitive
Baptist faith from mainline Baptist teachings is
doctrine of
election
. Prior to the Black Rock Address, Primitive Baptists experienced dissent concerning
the issue of man's path while on the physical earth. Baptists in general tend towards
Free Will, or the belief that every person is in full control of his or her destiny.
However, the traditional Calvinist heritage of the Primitive Baptists brought with it
the notion of election: "God elected the saved before the foundation of the world."
The belief of election is the primary ideal ascribed to by Primitive Baptists as a whole. While the Bible is officially the true word, Primitive Baptists have written a Doctrine of Salvation which breaks down the idea of election and why it pertains to members of the church into seven points. Although not an official doctrine of any organization connected to Primitive Baptists, the Doctrine of Salvation is universally accepted within the faith. The following are the seven points quoted directly from the abstract:
Literal Biblical Interpretations- baptism and foot washing
Primitive Baptists, due to the strict interpretation
of the Bible demanded by nature of the faith, hold the practices of baptism and
footwashing/communion as vital in a very particular manner to the health of the church.
Baptism in the Primitive Baptist tradition follows the example set by John and cite
Jesus' baptism as the model to follow.
The practice of foot washing during communion is the second of the Biblical actions
Primitive Baptists take which bring them closer to the intentions and life of Jesus.
Opponents to the Primitive Baptist view often dismiss this practice as mere symbolic
gesture and thus accuse practicers of buying into such symbolism of which they are
vehemently opposed.
Organizational structure
Each local church consists of members, deacons, and elders.
Absolute Predestinarians and Progressives
The vast majority of Primitive Baptists are described as Moderates and thus
discussions referring to Primitive Baptists are more specifically about Moderates.
However, two other groups have emerged and gained a small foothold under the Primitive
Baptist umbrella. The first are the Absolute Predestinarians. This group is the
smallest of the three divisions. Absolute Predestinarians believe "that God decreed in
himself from all eternity all things that will come to pass from the greatest to the
smallest event."
The other division is called Progressives. This group accepts the general doctrinal
beliefs of the Moderates, but differ greatly with respect to innovation in
congregational life.
History and Scripture
The Primitive Baptist faith views The Bible as its sole means of teaching and sole
source for guidance.
The architecture, music, and preaching are three dimensions of Primitive Baptist life that bear uniqueness compared to many other religious groups. We will deal with each of these dimentions in the first part of this discussion of the social organization of Primitive Baptist church. This will be followed by a discussion of controversies that are current, but each has persisted in one form or another since the beginning of Primitive Baptist churches.
Architecture
Most of the church buildings are small, rectangular,
and usually built of secular material such as white-painted wood or brick.
Typically the only wall mountings are hat hooks for the
elders.
The photos included on this profile page are courtesy of Elder Jay Harris, Pulaski
Primitive Baptist Church-Pulaski, Virginia. They have been included to illustrate
visually the architectural style explained within the text. In sequence, the photos
are:
Music
Music and hymns are a vital component of the Primitive Baptist tradition. The
content of hymns are closely inspected prior to approval for inclusion within services
and practices. Clearly, there are numerous widely-accepted hymns that will not be found
within this faith due to their ackowledgement of symbolism.
Preaching
The sermon is the anchor of a Primitive Baptists service. There are three types of
sermons as determined by those within the faith. "Experimental" sermon focuses on the
spiritual experience of biblical figures. Doctrinal preaching, the dominant form,
addresses church practices and beliefs. The third, duty preaching, stresses obligations
to the Church. These three types of sermon directly relate to the three types of
Primitive Baptist church: absolute, progressive, and moderate. Absolutists are strict
logicians. Progressives have brought such normative practices into the church such as
sunday school and instrumentation. Old regulars maintain a middle course serving
doctrine but not to the extreme of the absolutists.
The first controversy pivots on the belief that the church itself has become too corporate . There are two main levels to the seeming corporate aspect. The first is at the membership level. To become a true and official member of a Primitive Baptist church, one must be elected into the church.
There have been many cases, both documented and ignored, throughout the church's
history when a prospective member has demonstrated all of the seeming requirements only
to be turned away by the church. In many cases, people have worshipped regularly for
years as well as demonstrated consistent faith only to be denied membership by the
governing body of elders at the particular church.
Similar practices exist on a broader level between church within the faith. Division
or exclusion has become fairly prevelent. An individual church may vote to sever ties
of fellowship with another church for any reason. When such a vote is passed, members
of the absolved church can attend services, but no longer participate in the annual
communion services. Once a member has been excluded from a church, he cannot be
accepted at a new Primitive Baptist church without a letter of "dismission" obtained by
a restoration to fellowship.
A second controversy deals with
gender relations
within the church and the unequal status of males and females. It is still the rule
of the Primitive baptists that elders must be male. This is justified by the citing of
scriptural precedent clearly established. However, Primitive Baptist leaders are clear
that a lack of opportunity to obtain elder status does not release females from their
obligation to teach and serve in other capacities.
Even in today's church, the woman's main job is still to cook the meals and prepare the
materials for communion and foot washing services. A general characterization of the
belief is that women are silent, men speak. The dichotomy is even prevelent in the
music where the men take the melody while the women back up the harmony. However, it is
important to note that on a doctrinal level the eligibility of males and females to be
saved remains equal.
Race relations
constitutes the third controversy within Primitive Baptist churches. "Until the
Civil War, blacks were members of the predominantly white Primitive Baptist associations
and worshipped in segregated meeting houses. After the Civil War, the blacks were
organized into separate congregations, and associations were gradually formed."
Contemporary Primitive Baptist churches are split along racial lines. The National
Primitive Baptist Convention of the United States oversees the black Primitive Baptist
churches. All churches within this organization remain independent. These churches
tend to be identical to the white counterparts outside of the acceptance of sunday
schools. The Convention lists a membership of 250,000 and 600 churches nationwide.
Primitive Baptist Online
Ministry
Principally a historical reference point, this site has an extensive database of the
writings of the main proponents of the early Primitive Baptist movement. There are
links to frequently asked questions as well as a selection of recent writings and audio
sermons. A message board is also active.
http://www.primitivebaptist.org
Baptist Bible Hour
An affiliate page of the Primitive Baptist Online Ministry, the Baptist Bible Hour is
a radio broadcast of Elder Bradley, Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio. This offers a nice
explanation of the teachings of this typical elder as well as an extensive Real Audio
archive of his broadcasts.
http://www.primitivebaptist.org/bbh/
Baptist.org-The Homepage for all
Baptists
The homepage for the broad baptist faith, this site is helpful in providing
information on general practices and beliefs of the Baptist organization as well as
direct links to more detailed Primitive Baptist sites.
http://www.baptist.org
Sovereign Grace Publications
The homepage for Sovereign Grace Publications, the leading publisher of Primitive
Baptist related material including books, pamphlets, tapes, and hymnals. All materials
are available for odrder on-site.
http://www.sovgrace.net
Sovereign Grace
Hymns
A fantastic database of Primitive Baptist hymns, this site has the full text available
for 189 songs. It also has the history of Old School Baptist hymnals and links to other
hymn sites.
http://members.aol.com/jweaver303.hymn/
The Primitive Baptist Library
The Primitive Baptist Library page is dedicated to calling attention to the reference
library organized in Illinois in 1988 by Elder Robert Webb. The page has a
comprehensive listing of materials available for reference as well as purchase. The
library has as a goal to use this page to further interest in Primitive Baptist studies
and create a market for further writings. The page also contains a photo documentation
of the building itslef.
http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/pbl.html
Primitive
Baptist Evangelist
A nicely organized springboard to other sites, the Primitive Baptist Evangelist's
principal objective is to connect a visitor to the major official sites as well as
emphasize Real Audio sermons.
http://www.members.tripod.com/~primitive_baptist/
The Primitive Baptist National
Directory
InJesus.com allows churches and Christian ministries to communicate easily and
effectively via the internet. After registering, one can search the vast database to
locate other Primitive Baptist members worldwide.
http://www.injesus.com
Created by
Will Hartzog
For Soc 257,New Religious Movements
University of Virginia
Spring Term, 2000
Last modified: 05/07/01