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The Story of Lincoln's Secret Baptism
- Thread starter 37818
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I'm not quite sure whether I believe the account... It might be motivated by a woman's desire to associate her church with A. Lincoln.
The Lincoln had a strong Baptist background. I find it somewhat difficult to believe that Abraham Lincoln was baptized so late in life (although traditions were different back then).
This is from Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, A Complete Compendium by Gordon Leidner. 2023 Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 12-14
There is disagreement among historians as to when [Lincloln's parent's] Thomas and Nancy first joined a church. A few sources say that shortly after marrying "they were united with one of the churches of Baptized Licking Locust Association of Regular Baptists in Kentucky," The Licking Locust Association was founded by David Barrow, and represented one to the earliest Kentucky churches that supported the abolition of slavery, known as "emancipationist" churches. Most sources, however, do not associate the Lincolns with any church until they began attending the emancipationist church formed by William Downs called Little Mount Separate Baptist Church.
...Few of the preachers had much in the way of formal education, because Separate Baptist churches valued God's call to preach over schooling, and believed that a spontaneous utterance was more suggestive of the leading of the Holy Spirit than a prepared sermon.
...Lincoln told a friend that "the Bible stories, and the interest and love he acquired in reading the Bible through this teaching of his mother, had been the strongest and most influential experience in his life" and that "even yet, when he read certain verses which he had in early boyhood committed to memory by hearing [his mother] repeat them as she went about her household tasks, the tones of his mother's voice would come to him and he would seem to hear her speak those verses again."
Life on Knob Creek farm included at least two important milestones for the Lincolns. First was the tragic death of their third child, infant Thomas Lincoln, Jr., in 1812. Second was Thomas Lincoln's baptism by Rev. William Downs in Knob Creek and his formal joining of the Little Mount Church in 1816. Evidently Thomas was not bothered by the fact that the man who baptized him had previously been admonished by his church for drinking. According to nineteenth-century historian J.H. Spencer, Downs had at least once "been summoned before the church to answer the charge of being intoxicated." ...
When warm weather arrived in the spring of 1817, ... The Lincolns began meeting with members of a local church that had been organized by Thomas Downs, whose brother William Downs had baptized Thomas in Kentucky. Known as Little Pigeon Creek Baptist, it was a Calvinist church that was composed of about fifteen families. Thomas and Nancy joined in fellowship with them, but being Separate Baptists of good conscience, they did not formally join the Little Pigeon Church--which was Regular Baptist.
Rob
The Lincoln had a strong Baptist background. I find it somewhat difficult to believe that Abraham Lincoln was baptized so late in life (although traditions were different back then).
This is from Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, A Complete Compendium by Gordon Leidner. 2023 Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 12-14
There is disagreement among historians as to when [Lincloln's parent's] Thomas and Nancy first joined a church. A few sources say that shortly after marrying "they were united with one of the churches of Baptized Licking Locust Association of Regular Baptists in Kentucky," The Licking Locust Association was founded by David Barrow, and represented one to the earliest Kentucky churches that supported the abolition of slavery, known as "emancipationist" churches. Most sources, however, do not associate the Lincolns with any church until they began attending the emancipationist church formed by William Downs called Little Mount Separate Baptist Church.
...Few of the preachers had much in the way of formal education, because Separate Baptist churches valued God's call to preach over schooling, and believed that a spontaneous utterance was more suggestive of the leading of the Holy Spirit than a prepared sermon.
...Lincoln told a friend that "the Bible stories, and the interest and love he acquired in reading the Bible through this teaching of his mother, had been the strongest and most influential experience in his life" and that "even yet, when he read certain verses which he had in early boyhood committed to memory by hearing [his mother] repeat them as she went about her household tasks, the tones of his mother's voice would come to him and he would seem to hear her speak those verses again."
Life on Knob Creek farm included at least two important milestones for the Lincolns. First was the tragic death of their third child, infant Thomas Lincoln, Jr., in 1812. Second was Thomas Lincoln's baptism by Rev. William Downs in Knob Creek and his formal joining of the Little Mount Church in 1816. Evidently Thomas was not bothered by the fact that the man who baptized him had previously been admonished by his church for drinking. According to nineteenth-century historian J.H. Spencer, Downs had at least once "been summoned before the church to answer the charge of being intoxicated." ...
When warm weather arrived in the spring of 1817, ... The Lincolns began meeting with members of a local church that had been organized by Thomas Downs, whose brother William Downs had baptized Thomas in Kentucky. Known as Little Pigeon Creek Baptist, it was a Calvinist church that was composed of about fifteen families. Thomas and Nancy joined in fellowship with them, but being Separate Baptists of good conscience, they did not formally join the Little Pigeon Church--which was Regular Baptist.
Rob
37818
Well-Known Member
@Deacon,
That is why this thread is called the "story" of.
A source book is presented. And and.other research is claimed.
Amazon.com : lincoln's unknown private life
That is why this thread is called the "story" of.
A source book is presented. And and.other research is claimed.
Amazon.com : lincoln's unknown private life
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