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What are Primitive Baptists?
- Thread starter Squire Robertsson
- Start date
We have several Primitive Baptist Brothers here in my county and have fellowshipped with them. I believe their worship music is the best in the World whether they're Lining or not.
I've never heard them say that they require rebaptism of anyone immersed joining their church that is not PB. Also never heard of the use of wine during Lord's Supper with them. KJV is always used, I agree with that. I have heard them say that preaching is not necessary for salvation of the elect and hence they don't support missionaries.
Perhaps the PBs in Appalachia are of a different breed than those elsewhere. Years ago in the 1800/1900 many communities out here would rotate Churches due to the remoteness and lack of population. Each Sunday of the Month would be devoted to a certain Church. You'd typically have a Methodist open one Sunday, a General Baptist open one Sunday, a Particular Baptist the next and Presbyterian on the last Sunday. Most of the time the majority of the community would all attend together and rotate through these Churches.
That quit back in the 1950s to 70s when my community got the electric, but some of our Churches here still only meet 2 or 3 times a month on Sunday because of this old rotation schedule.
In any event, all of the PB Churches here are losing members. We also have a couple of Regular Baptist which are similar to PBs. They're also losing members. I expect in 20 to 30 years our county will have lost our PBs, and RBs. Southern Baptists, Missionary Baptist, Mountain Union Baptists, and Reformed Baptists are all going strong.
A final note here is that most PB, Regular, and Old Regulars plus some Mountain Unions here agree on Baptizing in creeks rather than a Baptistry. The whole Church travels to the nearest creek with a deep spot. The men walk out into the middle of the creek typically in their Church clothes and then baptize the person.
I've never heard them say that they require rebaptism of anyone immersed joining their church that is not PB. Also never heard of the use of wine during Lord's Supper with them. KJV is always used, I agree with that. I have heard them say that preaching is not necessary for salvation of the elect and hence they don't support missionaries.
Perhaps the PBs in Appalachia are of a different breed than those elsewhere. Years ago in the 1800/1900 many communities out here would rotate Churches due to the remoteness and lack of population. Each Sunday of the Month would be devoted to a certain Church. You'd typically have a Methodist open one Sunday, a General Baptist open one Sunday, a Particular Baptist the next and Presbyterian on the last Sunday. Most of the time the majority of the community would all attend together and rotate through these Churches.
That quit back in the 1950s to 70s when my community got the electric, but some of our Churches here still only meet 2 or 3 times a month on Sunday because of this old rotation schedule.
In any event, all of the PB Churches here are losing members. We also have a couple of Regular Baptist which are similar to PBs. They're also losing members. I expect in 20 to 30 years our county will have lost our PBs, and RBs. Southern Baptists, Missionary Baptist, Mountain Union Baptists, and Reformed Baptists are all going strong.
A final note here is that most PB, Regular, and Old Regulars plus some Mountain Unions here agree on Baptizing in creeks rather than a Baptistry. The whole Church travels to the nearest creek with a deep spot. The men walk out into the middle of the creek typically in their Church clothes and then baptize the person.
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37818
Well-Known Member
Interesting.
Brief History of the Primitive Baptists
". . .The name “Primitive” was first used in the early 1830’s when a major division came in the Baptist family. One group advocated a general atonement (i.e., that Christ died for all) with salvation by the work of Christ, but also taught that the belief of the gospel by the sinner was necessary to make Christ's work effectual to the individual. They came to be known as “New School” or “Missionary Baptists”. The other group continued holding steadfastly to the doctrine of “Particular Redemption” with salvation entirely by the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They came to be known as “Old School” or “Primitive Baptists”. Therefore, the name “Primitive” expresses the desire to maintain the identity of the Lord’s church as he established it and gave it to his disciples, and, as some have faithfully advocated down through the history of the church, earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. (see Jude 1:3)"
Brief History of the Primitive Baptists
". . .The name “Primitive” was first used in the early 1830’s when a major division came in the Baptist family. One group advocated a general atonement (i.e., that Christ died for all) with salvation by the work of Christ, but also taught that the belief of the gospel by the sinner was necessary to make Christ's work effectual to the individual. They came to be known as “New School” or “Missionary Baptists”. The other group continued holding steadfastly to the doctrine of “Particular Redemption” with salvation entirely by the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. They came to be known as “Old School” or “Primitive Baptists”. Therefore, the name “Primitive” expresses the desire to maintain the identity of the Lord’s church as he established it and gave it to his disciples, and, as some have faithfully advocated down through the history of the church, earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. (see Jude 1:3)"
The 'division' among the Particular Baptists began much earlier, with the criticisms of Andrew Fuller:
"...Often Fuller directed harsh criticisms against his Particular Baptist ancestors, particularly John Gill (1697-1771). He occasionally referred to his Particular Baptist ancestors as “a dunghill of High Calvinism.”
Fuller introduced his watershed work around 1792. From that time forward Baptists in both England and America debated his teachings, often bitterly. Finally, forty long and painful years after Fuller first promoted his ideas, our ancestors in the faith gathered in 1832 at Black Rock, Maryland and took a public position against Fuller’s teachings. While the Black Rock document addresses a number of cultural issues, some of which we might question, the dominant issue that motivated this meeting and the document that grew out of it was Fuller’s errant teachings....."
What is the Problem with Fullerism? - Elder Joe Holder (littlezionpbc.org)
37818
Well-Known Member
I bellieve you are confusing Particular Baptists with the Primitive Baptists.
They first called themselves Reformed Baptists:
Before the 'Black Rock Address' of 1832 there was the 1826 'Declaration of the Reformed Baptist Churches in the State of North Carolina':
"Article 1. Our body of churches shall be known by the name of the 'Reformed Baptist Association of Churches.'
Article 2. ....Missionary Societies are only the inventions of men, and like all other such inventions will only prove a curse to the church of God....
Article 3. ....no person who is a member of any such Tract Society, shall have membership with us except he first renounce his connexion with the society; and no minister or preacher in membership with these societies, shall be invited into our pulpits if it be known to us that he is a member of such societies.
Article 4. Convinced that Theological Seminaries are the inventions of men, and have no warrant or sanction from the New Testament,....We therefore fell constrained to declare a non-fellowship with all such human institutions and devices, and to discountenance all societies and travelling beggars for their support, believing them to be the emissaries and agents of Anti-Christ, and opposed to the true kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Article 5. In regard to the spread of the Bible, and Bible Societies,....no person who is a member of any such Bible Society shall have membership with us except he first renounce this connexion therewith, for we are fully assured that if a worldly minded Judas betrayed Christ, so will these worldlings in Bible Societies betray the cause and church of God...."
Before the 'Black Rock Address' of 1832 there was the 1826 'Declaration of the Reformed Baptist Churches in the State of North Carolina':
"Article 1. Our body of churches shall be known by the name of the 'Reformed Baptist Association of Churches.'
Article 2. ....Missionary Societies are only the inventions of men, and like all other such inventions will only prove a curse to the church of God....
Article 3. ....no person who is a member of any such Tract Society, shall have membership with us except he first renounce his connexion with the society; and no minister or preacher in membership with these societies, shall be invited into our pulpits if it be known to us that he is a member of such societies.
Article 4. Convinced that Theological Seminaries are the inventions of men, and have no warrant or sanction from the New Testament,....We therefore fell constrained to declare a non-fellowship with all such human institutions and devices, and to discountenance all societies and travelling beggars for their support, believing them to be the emissaries and agents of Anti-Christ, and opposed to the true kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Article 5. In regard to the spread of the Bible, and Bible Societies,....no person who is a member of any such Bible Society shall have membership with us except he first renounce this connexion therewith, for we are fully assured that if a worldly minded Judas betrayed Christ, so will these worldlings in Bible Societies betray the cause and church of God...."
a.k.a. 'Anti-Missionary Baptists'
Summarized in:
Hassells' History of the Church of God: From the Creation to A. D. 1885; Including Especially the History of the Kehukee Primitive Baptist Association:
"wherever Missionary Societies, Bible Societies, Tract Societies, Sunday Schools,...and Theological Seminaries in America prevail, there the doctrine of Phariseeism (modernly called Arminianism) prevails, there the doctrine of saving the souls of men from sin and from hell by works which men may do for themselves and for each other prevails. There the mark of the Beast and there persecution prevail."
Summarized in:
Hassells' History of the Church of God: From the Creation to A. D. 1885; Including Especially the History of the Kehukee Primitive Baptist Association:
"wherever Missionary Societies, Bible Societies, Tract Societies, Sunday Schools,...and Theological Seminaries in America prevail, there the doctrine of Phariseeism (modernly called Arminianism) prevails, there the doctrine of saving the souls of men from sin and from hell by works which men may do for themselves and for each other prevails. There the mark of the Beast and there persecution prevail."
AVL1984
<img src=../ubb/avl1984.jpg>
Back in 1995 when my wife and I moved here to Murfreesboro, TN, there was a Primitive Baptist church just around the corner from our home. It was just two blocks from the Sword of the Lord. It closed many years ago because of declining membership. There was only one other Primitive Baptist church in our area that I knew of, and that was on a back road to Smyrna, TN from Murfreesboro. It too is now closed. I don't believe there are any others around here, though we do have a lot of Free Will Baptists in our area.
Many won't attend a PB church because they believe they live almosr like Amish, which simply isn't true. I share many beliefs with them, but I am unalterably opposed to the KJVO myth, & won't set foot in a KJVO church, nor a church I know has preterism among its doctrines. I disagree with PBs over missionaries, due to Jesus' "Great Commission".