Friday, April 22, 2011

This Day in Baptist History

April 19, 1836 – Adoniram Judson Gordon (AJ) was born. His grandfather, deacon John Calvin Gordon had gone with the Hyper Calvinist split in the Baptist church which he had been a member, but his son was caught up in the new wave of missionary spirit that was sweeping across the land with the ministry of the Judson’s and others that were moving out across the mission fields of the world. So as the father had been loyal to the name of the reformer, the son was now faithful to his vision in the naming of his son. A.J. Gordon was saved when he was fifteen years old, and received his theological training at Brown University (1857-60) and Newton Theological Seminary (1860-63) after which he was ordained and became a pastor in Jamaica Plain, Mass. Soon thereafter he married Miss Maria Hale. In late 1869 he accepted a call to the prestigious Clarendon Street (Baptist) Church in Boston. For over 25 years he was one of the best known pastors in America. He was a defender of the faith and unafraid to battle agnosticism, Unitarianism, religious liberalism, and doctrinal error such as evolution and baptismal regeneration. The cults feared his pulpit and pen. Dr. Gordon was a Fundamentalist, and he said, “The world’s motto is, ‘In union there is strength;’ the church’s motto is, ‘In separation there is strength.” He edited a religious weekly, authored at least eleven outstanding volumes, and was a persistent soul-winner and evangelistic preacher. A.J. Gordon was a favorite in college and university chapels, where he was totally at home with college students. He also founded a Bible institute that was directed to train young people for missions. Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 215-16. [CF: Ernest B. Gordon, Adoniram Judson Gordon (New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1896), pp. 15-17.]

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The IFB Cult

Well, I found out via "Shattered Faith" which aired on ABC's 20/20 that I belong to a cult. Bummer.

This hatchet piece demonized an entire group of people because of their religious affiliation. I can't imagine the hue and cry that would have been raised had the target group been anybody other that conservative (dare I say "fundamental") Christians! That's what the "F" in IFB stands for: fundamental. The term was used in the 20/20 piece like it was some sort of new disease: "Independenetfundamentalbapsist."

It has long been a tactic of those who hate the God of the Bible to use smear tactics and to insinuate monstrous evil against God's people. Assuming that all of the allegations were true, it is yellow journalism at its worst to take 2 or 3 examples of unbiblical weirdness in the extreme and impute that unbiblical weirdness to the entire population.

The key here is the term "independent." Our churches are bound together by nothing more than name in many cases. Many of us share the same biblical principles, but then again many of us don't. We are independent of one another. I hope to blog some on the doctrinal positions that make Baptists distinct from other denominations. In the mean time, read Bro. David Cloud's excellent rebuttal to the 20/20 piece.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:1-4

April 15, 1916 – Joanna Patterson Moore died in Selma, Alabama. The doctor who ministered to her reported that she repeated continually, “God’s blessed book, the Bible,” and then entered the land of that book – heaven. Thousands, both black and white, attended her funeral that was held in the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Joanna was born on Sept. 26, 1832, the sixth of 13 children in Clairton County, Pa. Her father was an Episcopalian and her mother a Presbyterian. Joanna was thankful that she was taught the basics of the Christian faith but about the age of nine while reading a children’s book, she came under conviction and called upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save her. However, she did not share her experience until the age of twenty when she attended a Baptist revival meeting and made a profession of faith, but because her father objected she delayed her baptism for a year. At her church she heard a missionary challenge from Sewell Osgood who was on furlough from Burma. After moving to Illinois in 1858, the death of her father, and attending the Rockford Girls’ Seminary, she believed that God was calling her to assist the liberated slaves in the south. The American Baptist Home Mission Society gave her a commission but no salary. The Sunday school class of a Baptist church pledged $4 per month and the government offered her transportation and provided her with a soldier’s rations, and the thirty-one-year old “missionary” went. In Nov. 1863 she landed on Island # 10 in the Mississippi River. Miss Moore established a network of churches, schools, and families that reached to every corner of the American South. Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 206-08. [CF: Walter Sinclair Stewart, Later Baptist Missionaries and Pioneers (Philadelphia: Judson Press, 1928), 1:119.]

A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Luke 14:25-26

April 14, 1660 – Charles II, King of England, issued a declaration at Breda which declared “a liberty to tender consciences, and that no man shall be disquieted or called in question, for differences of opinion on matters of religion.” Baptists still continued to suffer to some degree. Dorothy Kelly will ever live in remembrance as the one who initiated Baptist existence in Bristol. Dorothy was a Puritan and as such belonged to the Church of England. But the Puritans were reformers who attended the services of their church, but gathered in private homes for prayer and Bible study. Dorothy was widowed and in the same Puritan group was an Anglican minister, a Rev. Hazzard, who proposed marriage and was accepted. Now Dorothy was a Puritan and the wife of an Anglican Preacher, but their home became a meeting house for the Puritans. Their home also became a haven for Pilgrims who sailed from Bristol to America in search of religious freedom and a refuge for those who were escaping religious laws such as not attending communion, less they be fined. Finally Dorothy began attending for the sermon only, leaving before communion. A John Cannes came to Bristol and encouraged the group to leave the Church even if they had to meet in a barn which they did. In 1651 Thomas Ewins, from London was invited to become pastor of the group that had grown to around 160 persons. In 1654 Ewins and others went to London and were immersed with believers Baptism by Rev. Henry Jessy. In turn the others were baptized and the church became the 1st Baptist church of Bristol. Rev. Hazzard never left the Anglican Church. Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 204-06. [ C.F: Margaret McLaren Cook, Great Baptist Women (London: Carey Kingsgate Press Limited, 1955), p. 15.]

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

This Day in Baptist History

April 12, 1849 – James Whitsett died in perfect peace at 79 years of age. He had been saved under the powerful preaching of Joseph Anderson in his latter years who had come to Christ as a result of the evangelistic zeal of Separatist Baptist preachers Samuel Harris and James Read, who in turn were converts of Shubal Stearns, Pastor of the Sandy Creek Baptist Church of Sandy Creek, N.C. Whitsett, a 17 year old young man had been reared in the Episcopal Church and knew nothing of the saving grace of Christ. Upon his profession of faith he was baptized by Elder Anthony. It wasn’t long until he followed his family to the Cumberland area of middle Tennessee and met his wife Miss Jane Maneese who bore him eleven children. It was there that he united with the Mill Creek Baptist Church and was ordained into the gospel ministry. “From then until the end of his life was the history of the Baptist denomination in the Cumberland.” He was active in the formation of several associations of churches. The Concorn Assoc., composed of 21 churches east of Nashville in 1812 reported 866 baptisms, 350 of which were performed by Elder Whitsett. For forty years Whitsett had the care of four churches himself, until his health would no longer permit him to carry the load. He was a man of striking personal appearance and manners. His entire demeanor was one of dignity, which repelled every light reproach, and a self-possession that never forsook him. On the 2nd Lord’s Day in Oct. 1848, he was with his church in Nashville, at communion. He said, ‘And now brethren and sisters, farewell. We shall meet no more upon this earth.’

Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 200-02. [C.F: J.J. Burnette, D.D. Sketches of Tennessee’s’ Pioneer Baptist Preachers (Nasvhille : Press of Marshall and Bruce Company, 1919), pp. 528-29.]

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.

April, 10 1606 – Was the first charter of Virginia. That charter was clear, anyone who was not totally loyal to the Anglican Church was subject to the following penalties. They were to be arrested, and unless reformed, deported to England to receive punishment. In 1611 a further order was given to come before the minister and be questioned as to his religious beliefs. The penalty for the first refusal was whipping; the second, a double flogging, for the third, a daily whipping until the law was complied with. In 1643 a law was passed forbidding anyone to teach, or preach publicly or privately who was not a minister of the Church. In 1673 a law was passed that a Church was to be erected on every plantation and a heavy fine imposed on non-attenders. Also a heavy fine was placed on tobacco for the support of the minister. In memoriam are forty-five Baptist preachers who did not bow. John Alderson, Thomas Ammon, Joseph Anthony, Elijah Baker, Adam Banks, John Burrus, Thomas Chambers, James Chiles, Bartholomew Choning, John Clay, John Corbley, Elijah Craig, Lewis Craig, John Delaney, Augustin Eastin, James Goodrich, James Greenwood, Thomas Hargate, Samuel Harris, Edward Herndon, James Ireland, Ivison Lewis, William Lovall, William McClannahan, William Mash, Thomas Maxwell, Anderson Moffett, Jeremiah Moore, John Picket, James Pitman, James Reed, Nathaniel Saunders, John Shackelford, Joseph Spencer, Philip Spiller, John Tanner, David Tinsley, Jeremiah Walker, John Waller, James Ware, Robert Ware, John Weatherford, William Webber, Allen Wyley, and John Young. May we follow them.

Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 196-97. [CF: Lewis Peyton Little, Imprisoned Preachers and Religious Liberty in Virginia (Lynchburg, Va.: J.P. Bell Co., Inc., 1938) pp. 1-2.]

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Liberty or Death

I want to call your attention to an historic speech given by Patrick Henry. Most are familiar with the words “give me liberty, or give me death.” This phrase is the dramatic climax of this speech, but I suspect that most have never read the entire speech. Mr. Henry’s fiery abilities of oration were indispensable to the struggle for American liberty. This speech was credited with convincing the Virginia House to support the War for Independence.

Notice as you read the direct references to God as well as Biblical allusions. If I am correct, there are twelve. In fact, the meeting of the Virginia House of Burgesses to which this speech was given was held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 1775. That would be next to impossible in today’s political climate. There were those in the crowd who shouted “Treason!” as Henry spoke, but far from treason; it was true patriotism that caused the passion in Henry’s words. I fear that true patriotism has descended into nationalism. Christians in America have adopted the “My country, right or wrong” attitude, and the “America, love it or leave it” philosophy. These ideas are dangerous, and only serve to squelch intelligent discussion and debate on vital matters that deserve the utmost of national scrutiny. Henry beautifully exposes this fallacy in the opening lines of his speech.

As Christians, our first allegiance is to Christ and His word; not blind allegiance to political parties or national policies. Bible-believers really can’t expect much from the Democrats or the Republicans except a raw deal--MT

MR. PRESIDENT: No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves, and the House? Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask, gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!


Source: Wirt, William. Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry . (Philadelphia) 1836, as reproduced in The World’s Great Speeches, Lewis Copeland and Lawrence W. Lamm, eds., (New York) 1973.

The Hercules of the Anabaptists

April 09, 1525 – Conrad Grebel an Anabaptist leader, baptized by immersion, a large number in the Sitter River (Switzerland) according to historian Henry S. Burrage. Another considered the “Hercules of the Anabaptists”, George Blaurock who was martyred for his faith, wrote a thirteen stanza hymn while, it is believed, he was waiting to drink of his cup of suffering entitled “Forget Me Not, O Lord” as a farewell to his brethren. The hymn begins with praise to God for His truth made known and for giving Himself in grace, as Father and Savior, at a time when he was a younger man in despair with a heavy load of sin. He rejoiced in the grace of God that had given him deliverance from sin and the hope of eternity. The last three stanzas sound a note of victory as he finishes his life’s course. “In the hours of the last day, as out turn must come, help us, Lord, to bear the cross out onto the battlefield. Attend to us with all grace, that we may be able to commend out spirit into your hands. “With all my heart I pray to you for all our enemies, no matter how many of them there be, that You, O Lord, as is Your wont, lay not their deeds to their charge. I pray You, may it come to pass according to your will, O God. “And so I take my leave, together with my companions, May God lead us by His grace into His kingdom, that we may be in the faith, undoubting, His holy work completing, and may He give us strength to the end.” May God grant us the strength of our convictions to be able and willing to face persecution and even death itself for the sake of truth. What a heritage is ours in the faith! “Of whom the world was not worthy.”

Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 194-96. [CF: William R. Estep, The Anabaptist Story (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1963), p. 1.]

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Sin of Gambling

Note: This is an article that I wrote back in 2009 for The Conservative Standard, published by Brent Madaris. It is available in tract form and an audio sermon is available as well.



Exodus 20:17 says: Thou shalt not covet…any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Each and every year, Americans spend more on gambling than they spend on every other form of entertainment combined!

We live in a society that is absolutely permeated by gambling, from state lotteries to riverboat casinos, to internet gaming, to dog and horse track betting, to entire cities such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas that are given over to gambling. What does the Bible have to say about gambling? The gambling ads scream loudly about the winners, but what about the losers?
Gambling is built on losers!

Gambling researcher Chad Hills defines gambling as: “…three components. A consideration or something of value that serves as a deposit; chance, skill or the opportunity to win regardless of the odds; and a prize or reward, which usually consists of the sum total of the other participants' losses.”

There is no direct command that says “thou shalt not gamble,” however there are plenty of Bible principles that apply. Gambling is rooted in covetousness, breeds discontent, and ruins multitudes of lives! Sleaze, corruption, and vice ooze out of gambling like a disease! Gambling attracts organized crime like garbage attracts flies and rats! The Bible declares the love of money to be the root of all evil! 1 Timothy 6:6-10 says:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The Lottery

He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live. Proverbs 15:27

The first state run lottery came into being in 1964 in New Hampshire, followed by New York in ’67, New Jersey in ’69, and the lottery was off and running. Lottery revenue was over $500 million in 1973, and had passed the $1 billion mark by 1976, and multi-state lotteries were legalized in 1985. Lotteries are promoted as a boon to education, but in reality state spending on education actually decreases once the lottery is in place! The lottery is used for the education spending, and the money that was otherwise budgeted for education gets diverted to other projects. Greedy politicians buy votes from greedy voters with promises of big winnings and free education! Where does the money really go?

In Tennessee, for every dollar spent on lottery tickets, 50 cents will go toward prizes, 30-35 cents will go toward scholarships, 6.5 cents will go to the retailer, and the remaining 8.5 to 13.5 cents will go to operational costs. Lottery chief Rebecca Paul receives a $350K per year salary, along with bonuses for a total of 750,000 per year! Sounds like Rebecca hit the lottery!

Who really goes to college with lottery scholarships? According to the Chattanooga Times Free-Press on 2-12-06, nearly 21% of scholarship recipients are from households that make more than $100,000 per year! The average recipient is a white female from a household making $60,000 per year.

The lottery is a fools tax, taking money from the poor to pay for the college education of those who could well afford to pay for it themselves! A study by professors from Duke University found that those who earn less than $10k per year spend more on lottery tickets than any other group. Lottery advertising targets the poor with ads that promise quick riches and an easy life. Often lottery promotional drives are timed to run during the time of the month that welfare checks are received. There truly is a “sucker born every minute!”

1. The first Bible principle violated by gambling is the principle of work!

Remember that gambling is the act of trying to get what belongs to someone else without working for it. Exodus 20:9 says “Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work.” When God created Adam, He placed Adam in the Garden and commanded him to dress and keep it; Adam had work to do before sin. An honest day’s work is very rewarding. The Bible promotes work and business. If you and I gamble money changes hands, but no new wealth is created. Business produces goods and services that people wish to buy. The consumer gets a desired product, and the businessman earns a profit. This involves the investment of time, money, work, and some amount of risk, without which you can’t operate a business or run a farm. See Ecclesiastes 11:4. There is nothing wrong with taking a risk in business, and there is nothing wrong with making a profit. The Bible commands work and commends profit through hard work and diligence. See the following scriptures: Proverbs 10:4, 13:4, 21:5, 22:29, 27:23, and 28:19.

The lottery however scorns work.

In a Massachusetts Lottery ad work is ridiculed as heart-attack producing drudgery. The first thing most people say they would do if they won the lottery is quit work. Young people are duped into believing that the ticket to success is not hard work and diligence, but a lottery ticket and a little luck. Young people also come to believe that the State owes them a college education. Nobody owes you and education!

Scripture is very plain that laziness is not to be rewarded. Christians ought to help relieve the poor, but we ought never to reward laziness. In fact, scripture supports the idea that a man who will not work should be allowed to bear the consequences of his inactivity. See the following scriptures: Proverbs 20:4, 6:4-11, 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.


2. The second Bible principle violated by gambling is the principle of honesty!

Gambling is dishonest by its very nature. Gambling is a form of thievery.
The eighth commandment is “Thou shalt not steal.” When you try to get what belongs to someone else without paying them for it or working for it, you are in effect stealing from them. Two men who gamble are two thieves at heart.

Dueling is murder by mutual consent. Gambling is theft by mutual consent!

At the very heart of gambling is covetousness. The tenth commandment is “Thou shalt not covet.” Gambling is built upon greed. Our text in 1 Timothy 6:6-8 exposes the greedy heart. The lottery breeds discontentment which is contrary to scripture.

Advertisements constantly tell you that you need more, and the only reason that you don’t have more is because you haven’t won the lottery yet. The lottery targets the poor in this area, and instead of encouraging them to work and try to get ahead, they are encouraged to spend money that they can’t afford to lose on a false hope of big bucks. It is a documented fact that some state lotteries run advertising promotions during the time of the month that the welfare checks, Social Security checks, and other payments are received. The biggest thing that the lottery consistently produces is losers, playing on the discontentment of the poor.

3. The third Bible principle violated by gambling is the need to depend upon God!

See Matthew 6:25-34

Gambling depends on luck. We are to depend on God. For the child of God, we have the promise that He will supply all of our need according to His riches in glory. We are to place our faith in the Providence of God, not games of luck and chance. If God is able to clothe the grass of the field, surely He is able to clothe you and me. The birds and animals out in the woods give no thought for what they will eat, and God provides for them and cares for them so that not one little sparrow will fall to the ground without the watchful eye of Almighty God seeing.

Paul reminded Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain, and that no one will take anything of material value from this life to the next, and he admonished Timothy to be content with what he had.

Could less be expected of Christians in our day? Dear Christian friend, if you are guilty of the sin of gambling repent today!

If you are one who has not trusted Christ for your salvation, today is the day of salvation! Seek out the counsel of a godly Christian or a godly pastor, or else open the Bible for yourself and see what Christ has done for you!

Matthew 6:19-21, & 24 says:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also…No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Cuban Missions Under Castro

April 08, 1965 – Rev. Herbert Caudill was arrested by the Castro regime in Cuba as being the chief leader of a band of conspirators against the Cuban government. Even though the charges were trumped up, the tribunal found him guilty. Sentenced for ten years, Caudill was released from the Cabana prison on Nov. 25, 1966. The authorities said that it was because of medical treatment that could not be obtained in Cuba. Caudill was born in Georgia in 1903. At 15 he came to a personal faith in Jesus Christ, and soon after, he testified to his faith in the waters of immersion. During that first summer he read the Bible through. After graduation from high school in 1922, he enrolled at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. In 1926 he was ordained by the Tattnall Baptist Church in Macon, and then enrolled in seminary in Texas. While at Mercer he met Marjorie Jacob and they were married in Oct. 1930 after he had served in Cuba for a year as a missionary. Before that he pastored four different churches in Georgia and Marjorie continued her training in the piano and seminary. After mastering Spanish, their ministry began with the Spanish-speaking church in Calabazar. In 1933, the Caudills returned to Georgia so Marjorie could give birth to their first child. While away, Revolution broke out, but they returned and continued to minister in Regla, across the bay from Havana. He assisted the young Cuban preachers in church planting. When the government of Fidel Castro took power, the Caudills determined to remain at their post but they did send their son back to the U.S. He paid the price for his leadership position, but he won the crown.

Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 192-94. [CF: Tom McMinn, The Caudills: Courageous Missionaries (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1982), p 59.]

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Congregational Hymn Singing

April 07, 1773 – John Rippon became the fourth pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, following John Gill, and for the next 63 years he labored as a faithful shepherd to his flock. Rippon had been born in Devonshire in 1751, and at the age of 16 he was saved and baptized by his preacher father; and the following year entered Bristol Baptist College. His preaching at the Tabernacle was “lively, affectionate, and impressive,” and it was soon necessary to expand the facility. Dr. Rippon was a great friend to the missions cause both home and foreign. He was also a friend to America during the Revolutionary War, as most Baptist pastors were. Congregational singing had been introduced by Benjamin Keach, one of the first pastors of the Tabernacle right after the conventicle when they could have no singing for fear of the authorities. An innovation had become popular with “precentors” (song leaders) to direct the congregation audibly in hymn singing. Dr. Rippon was an ardent admirer of the hymns of Isaac Watts but he also liked to introduce new ones. One of the great hymns that has continued to resound in Baptist churches to this day was written by Rippon’s “precentor,” Robert Keene, “How Firm a Foundation.” On Christmas Eve of 1898 – on a beautiful tropical night in Havana, Cuba a sentinel from the 49th Iowa began singing: “The Soul that on Jesus hath lean’d for Repose,” Then the 6th Missouri, “I will not, I will not desert to His Foes; then the 4th Virginia, “That Soul, tho’ all Hell Should endeavor to Shake,”, and then the whole American Army Corp – “ I’ll never-no never-no never forsake.”

Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 190-92. [C.F: Amos R. Wells, A Treasury of Hymns (Boston: W.A. Wilde Company, 1945). P. 38.]

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Christ the End of the Law for Righteousness!

This Day in Baptist History Past



April 06, 1769 – Thomas Ansley was born to Mrs. Ozias Ansley, wife of a British officer in NY, and they had him sprinkled and reared in the Anglican Church. Following the Revolutionary War, the family moved to New Brunswick, Canada. On Feb. 13, 1792, Thomas married Miss Mary Scott, and that union was blessed with eight children of which Thomas supported his family as a respected farmer. At this point he became concerned over his eternal welfare and even became concerned that he had partaken of communion unworthily and had increased the wrath of God upon his soul. This drove him to the scriptures until he found Christ as the “end of the law for righteousness and trusted him as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He began a desire to warn sinners of this truth and also became concerned over the issue of the mode of baptism and sought out Rev. T.S. Harding in New Brunswick and requested believer’s immersion. He was then ordained as a Baptist evangelist while in America, and pastored a Baptist church in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, but traveled extensively in the field of evangelism in Canada and the US. He met a young Scot Presbyterian who was afraid to read the Bible lest he become a Baptist. Ansley was quite bold as he said, “Does it say, John the Catholic? - Episcopalian? - Presbyterian? – Methodist? – Quaker? – John the Baptist – Yes, that’s it!” Ansley reached another Presbyterian lay preacher in March of 1829 and led him to accept believer’s immersion and baptized him before a large crowd. Within three weeks, 29 had followed him in baptism, and a church was formed. Ansley died on Dec. 7, 1831. Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 188-90. [C.F: I.E. Bill, Fifty Years with the Baptist Ministers and Churches (Saint John, New Brunswick: Barnes and Company, 1880). P. 169.]

Monday, April 4, 2011

Don Pablo--Presbyterian Pastor to Persecuted Baptist

This Day in Baptist History Past



April 04, 1848 – Pablo Beeson was born in the village of Nods, Switzerland. His father was the local evangelical pastor, and his mother came from Waldensian stock. Preparing for the Presbyterian ministry he studied in the Latin College, in the University at Stuttgart, and at the University of Leipzig. Upon graduation Pablo assumed a Presbyterian pastorate. He fought with Dr. Frederic Godet, his former instructor, to disestablish the state church in Switzerland. When their efforts failed, Beeson was one of 25 pastors who separated from the Presbyterian Denomination to found the Free Church of Neuchậtel, however his fidelity to the New Testament surpassed the others and he found himself alone. Pablo traveled to France and ministered to a small church there for several years but his evangelism was too aggressive and he found himself in a narrow dungeon and fined 100 francs for distributing tracts and preaching in public. Persecution drove him to search for truth and in Lyons, France he met a Baptist missionary, and came to adopt Baptist convictions and was immersed by Rev. I.B. Cretin, a French Baptist pastor. This cost him his pastorate as well as his friends, and his father disinherited him. His dear mother wrote, “You will be a wanderer in the world without friends, and will be called a Baptist!” For the next six years he preached in France and started a church. Some of his members migrated to Argentina, South America. Pablo got steerage on a ship and joined them, now known as Don Pablo, he became pastor of the little flock. He fought the Papists to be able to marry and bury his people, and founded a church in Buenos Aires. Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 184-86. [C.F: J.N. Prestridge, Modern Baptist Heroes and Martyrs (Louisville, Ky.: World Press, 1911), p. 281.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Faithful Unto Death

This Day in Baptist History Past



April 02, 1881 – Mrs. Martha Craig, the wife of Rev. John Craig, missionary to India, passed away at the young age of twenty-eight years. They had only been in India since Jan. of 1878 and at their station at Akidu since Nov. of 1881. He has been depicted as a persevering and conscientious missionary. Martha Craig has been described as “A quiet…Christian woman, who did what she could in the sphere to which God called her. “…Her sweet face and affectionate heart endeared her to all who knew her.” The couple had first resided in Cocanada, where they had studied the language before being assigned to Akidu. After about five weeks after the birth of their first child, a daughter, the Craig’s left to return to Akidu by boat, on a Friday from Cocanada. They had gone there for medical assistance for Martha. They arrived back at their home on Monday. It became apparent that Martha had problems so John sent a messenger for the services of a doctor. It was Saturday morning before he arrived, his trip was in vain; Martha went home to be with Jesus that afternoon. A saddened group of believers gathered on the Lord’s Day, and a service was conducted by a native believer. There was no cemetery at Akidu, so it was a sad procession that moved on various conveyances the thirty miles to Narapur, where Martha’s body was lovingly laid to rest in the local cemetery near the Godavari River. John Craig, though grief stricken, stayed at his post for Christ until a furlough in 1885 when the Lord gave him a second wife to help bear his burdens. Little Mary Alice was well cared for by other missionaries and relatives until the time they could be together. Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 180-82. [C.F: Thomas S. Shenston Teloogoo Mission Scrap Book (Brantford, Canada: expositor Book and Job Office, 1888), p. 179.]

Friday, April 1, 2011

Separate Baptists of Virginia

This Day in Baptist History Past



April 01, 1734 – Joseph Murphy was born, the twin brother of William, who would become known sneeringly as “the Murphy boys.” Both were raised in an Anglican background, and both soundly converted to Christ in the Separate Baptist movement in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1757 and baptized by Rev. Shubal Stearns the founder of the famed Sandy Creek Baptist Church of N.C. There is a reference to Joseph in a book called A History of the Sandy Creek Association that says that he, “possessed a strong mind, a ready wit, a bold and fearless spirit…a heart filled with the love of God and man…he became a respected preacher throughout an extensive circle of churches.” He was once taken up in Virginia for preaching and carried before the magistrate, where he defended himself so expertly that his accusers retired in shame, and the magistrate bade him go about his business. After a successful ministry in Virginia he took charge of the Baptist church in Deep Creek, Currey County, N.C. where he became the leading minister in the Yadkin Association. At one point while pastoring in N.C. the vile Col. Fanning accused him of aiding the “Regulators”, a group of citizens who were trying to defend those who were being accused falsely by the authorities, although there was no evidence of such activity on his part. A detachment of dragoons entered his house, stole his papers, and a new pair of stockings which were the most valuable thing they saw. If they had found him no doubt he would have met the same fate as Benjamin Merrill which we will reveal on May 27. These Baptists were the enemies of “Mother Church.”

Condensed by Greg J. Dixon from: This Day in Baptist History II: Cummins and Thompson, BJU Press: pp. 179-80. [George W. Purefoy, A History of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association (New York: Sheldon and Co., Publishers, 18590. p.84.]