Theology

Plunging the Depths of Your Presbyterian Ancestors

11 Jul By Dwight

Why do people do what they do? In a staunch religious family, the reasons often have to do with their beliefs. Not only does faith in a particular set of doctrines inform the believer, but it shapes their worldview. This is especially powerful if that belief is considered unique truth.

In the case of our Presbyterian ancestors, they were shaped by a specific interpretation of the Bible. They saw themselves as a chosen Covenant People with a special mission.

The Calvinist Family Tree

The Calvinist branch of Protestantism consist of many regional and cultural expressions. These include Presbyterian (Scottish and Scots-Irish), Reformed (Dutch, German, Hungarian), and Congregational (English Puritans). In some parts, Calvinism became mixed into various Baptist, Methodist and evangelical groups. By understanding their belief system, we can grasp who Calvinists were and how their beliefs played a part in forming their family histories. This is especially important if you are writing a family history. You will want to get all the facts correct!

Calvinist Systematic Theology Works

Below you will find my favorite hard-core Calvinist theological reference books. Keep in mind theology informs culture just as much as culture informs theology. So emphasis do change over the centuries in the interpretation of practice and belief. My list will detail systematic theology books, which give all the details! Any of the works below are worth your investment.

There is cross over between Calvinist and Baptist-Calvinist theological works. I am limiting my bibliography to one-volume Calvinist systematic theology works. Whether a theological work is Presbyterian, Reformed or Puritan (Congregational) in background, all have solid information. The books below will provide you with answers to questions and by default will give insight into your ancestors in areas such as baptism, Covenant Theology, church administration, the family, marriage, communion, and the core Calvinist worldview.

Bibliography of Calvinist Systematic Theologies

Bavinck, Herman and John Bolt, ed. Reformed Dogmatics: Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2011). This is an abridgement of Herman Bavinck’s (1854-1921) massive four volume work written in The Netherlands and considered by many to be the one of the most important Reformed theological works of the twentieth century. The editor, Dr. Bolt, is professor of systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary.

Beeke, Joel R., Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism (Orlando, Florida: Reformation Trust, 2008). This work outlines the very heart of Calvinism for the modern reader. Dr. Beeke is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor in the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation.

Beeke, Joel R. and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012). A groundbreaking treatment of English Puritan teachings. This work represents the most comprehensive exposition on English Puritan theology. Dr. Beeke is president at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and Mark Jones is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Berkhof, Louis, Systematic Theology: New Combined Edition (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996). Dr. Berkhof, was a Dutch-American theologian, and pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. He was a professor at Calvin Seminary and is one of the often quoted Calvinist theologians. This edition combines his classics Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology (1932) and Systematic Theology (1938).

Boice, James Montgomery, Foundations of the Christina Faith: A Comprehensive & Readable Theology (Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1986). Dr. Boice was pastor of the 10th Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. This work combines four of his theological books.

Frame, John M., Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P & R Publishing, 2013). Dr. Frame holds the J.D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary. An abridgement of his four volume systematic theology, this work is highly readable and understandable.

Horton, Michael, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010). Dr. Horton, is a pastor in the United Reformed Churches in North America, and Professor of Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. In this award winning book, he wrote what some consider to be one of the most important contemporary Reformed systematic theology books.

Reymond, Robert L. 2d rev. ed. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1998). Dr. Reymond, was former Dean of Faculty and Professor of Systematic Theology at Knox Theological Seminary. He was a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. .

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Old Things Made New – Restorationism (Part 2)

18 Mar By Dwight Leave a Comment

In Part 2 of my discussion on Restorationism, I will focus on select traditions. I will briefly note what they consider to be their contributions to the Christian faith. For the deeper currents of thought, I have included at least one reference work.

Forms of Restoration Belief

Adventists: The post-Millerite Seventh-day Adventist Church is rooted in the “Great Disappointment” of 22 October 1844, when Christ’s Second Coming did not physically occur. They see themselves as a “reformation of the Reformation.” Restored ideas would include Saturday Sabbathkeeping, the gift of prophecy (through Ellen G. White), the correct interpretation of prophetic biblical writings, sleep-state of the dead, and the pre-Advent Judgment. Their status within the evangelical community is debated. For the deeper currents of mainline Adventist thought, consult the Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology (2000) edited by Raoul Dederen. For the life of Mrs. White, see The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (2014) by Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon.

Baptists: Expressed from several directions, there is no one Baptist Church. Most would consider themselves evangelical. Others would see themselves as exclusive. Landmarkism is an example of Baptist Restorationism. Restoration ideas include believer’s baptism by full immersion after salvation, congregational government and the personal authority of the believer to interpret the Bible. Some denominations would add footwashing, Saturday Sabbathkeeping and a free-will theology. For a full discussion of the development of Baptist Thought, see James Leo Garrett’s Baptist Theology: a Four-Century Study (2009).

Christians (Disciples): Arising on the American Frontier in the 1820s and 1830s, the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement called for Christian unity. This was to be accomplished through restoring the primitive New Testament church. By 1860, they had become the fifth largest church in the United States. Variations are extreme, ranging from Liberal Protestant ecumenical thought to strictly exclusive with no compromises. Historic Restorationist ideas include believer’s baptism for the remission of sins, congregational autonomy and using no denominational names – simply Christian or Disciple. Some would add forbidding instrumental music and choirs in worship; others admit them. For all expressions of this movement consult The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement (2004), edited by Douglas A. Foster, Paul M. Blowers, Anthony L. Dunnavant and D. Newell Williams. For some conservative theology consult Jack Cottrell’s The Faith Once for All: Bible Doctrine for Today (2002)

Holiness: Rooted as far back as the 1830s, a distinct evangelical holiness movement emerged out of North American and UK Methodism by the 1860s. Their emphasis was on John Wesley’s doctrine of Christian Perfection, termed Entire Sanctification. This constitutes a secondary experience and completes the process of salvation begun at conversion. Two excellent texts for discussing this specific concept is Diane Leclerc’s Discovering Christian Holiness: the Heart of Wesleyan-Holiness Theology (2010) and J. Kenneth Grider’s Entire Sanctification: The Distinctive Doctrine of Wesleyanism (1980).

Pentecostals: Rooted in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement at the turn of the twentieth century United States, most Pentecostals would see themselves as evangelicals. Some scholars consider Pentecostals a new branch of Christianity. They see their mission is to restore the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to the world and usher in the Second Coming of Jesus. Currently, they are the second largest branch of Christianity worldwide with some half billion adherents. The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (2002) edited by Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. Van Der Maas covers major movements, trends and theology.

Plymouth Brethren: Rooted in Dublin in 1827-8. Its largest impact has been in the UK, Ireland and in British Commonwealth countries. They see themselves as a restoration of the New Testament Church, with some Brethren seeing themselves as the only true church. There are varieties of “Open Brethren” and “Closed (Exclusive) Brethren.” They see their contribution as helping to restore and develop the Rapture Theology. A standard history is A History of the Brethren Movement: Its Origins, Its Worldwide Development and Its Significance for the Present Day (2001), by F. Roy Coad and F. F. Bruce. The enormously popular Scofield Study Bible (1909) building upon the Brethren approach has embedded Rapture Theology firmly into Evangelical Thought, especially in the United States.

Mormons: Founded in 1830 there developed several Latter Day Saint denominations. The largest is the Utah LDS Church. Their historic impact was in the development of Western North America with colonies stretching from southern Alberta down to northern Mexico. They see the New Testament church went completely apostate and needed a restoration through modern-day prophets, apostles and scripture. While Mormons consider themselves Christian, they are not Protestants. Scholars debate whether they are a new branch of Christianity or an emerging new world religion. The Utah church’s restored theology concerning “work for the dead,” including baptism for the dead, affects family history to no small degree. One contemporary work for Utah Mormon Thought is LDS Beliefs: A Doctrinal Reference (2011), edited by Robert Millet, Camille Fronk Olson, Andrew C. Skinner and Brent L. Top. For an in-depth academic treatment of founding prophet-president Joseph Smith, see Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (2005) by Richard Lyman Bushman.

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Old Things Made New – Restorationism (Part 1)

14 Mar By Dwight Leave a Comment

Restorationism is the theology that the primitive New Testament Church of 2,000 years ago either went underground or morphed into a complete apostasy with the rise of the Roman Catholic Church. This theology historically has been powerful force. It placed how to restore that ancient church in the hands of everyday people. Historically, it affected Protestant Irish and their descendants, beginning on the American Frontier and in Ulster, then spreading far and wide.

Restorationism Saw Something Lacking in Protestantism

Restorationism has taken many forms arising out of Protestantism. Variations of this theme are diverse. Historically, most have seen that the Protestant Reformation neglected important principles. Depending on the group, they either saw themselves as a reformation of the Reformation or bypassing it all together with particular Restoration principles. Thus, some Restorationists do not consider themselves Protestants.

How this played out in the developing United States has been documented in Richard T. Hughes and C. Leonard Allen’s work Illusions of Innocence: Protestant Primitivism in America, 1630-1875 (1988). On the surface, the variations of Restorationism seem unrelated. However, below the surface are many common themes, driving forces, spiritual rebellions and for the time period, radical thinking.

Differences in Restoration groups are usually the emphasis placed on particular concepts. In some cases, the application of the same principle plays out differently among groups.

Baptists and Christians (Disciples) Apply the Restoration Principles

For example, both the Baptist and the Christians (Disciples) see believer’s baptism by full immersion as an essential piece of restoring the primitive New Testament church. However, the application is totally different. In the Baptist tradition, baptism is not linked to salvation, but is a sign of commitment after the salvation experience. Salvation is by faith only. In the Christian (Disciples) tradition, the conservative branches teach baptism is essential to salvation. It is not separate from faith or the salvation experience.

Historically in some areas such as Kentucky and Tennessee, both traditions developed side by side to become very prominent as both competed for converts. If you’ve ever driven through rural Middle Tennessee and you see a church sign for the local Baptist Church of Christ, then do a double take. This is how Restoration principles played out on the local level as it combined elements of both the Baptists and the Christians (Disciples). Then do another double take and realize that you may be surrounded by Baptist congregations and Church of Christ congregations. Then you will see how powerful of a force Restorationism remains to this day in Middle Tennessee.

In Part 2 of this blog, I will discuss some major threads of Restorationism and what they considered needed to be restored. I will also provide at least one reference work for each tradition which will allow you to continue exploring this fascinating topic.

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Baptist Theology and the Written Record

7 Mar By Dwight Leave a Comment

Baptist records are a direct reflection of Baptist attitudes and theology. On the American frontier, Baptists spread like wildfire during the Second Great Awakening (1790-1830). However, records were not always kept for those converting in revival meetings.

Reasons Why Baptists Were Poor Record Keepers

Historically, many frontier ministers were not professionally trained. They “received a call from God” to preach and that was their credentials. A literate frontier minister was secondary to the “call to preach.” The reason for this is based in the idea that a person’s salvation was based upon a personal experience between the individual and God. Literacy was not the focus as salvation and God’s word was open to all people.

Aligned to this is the importance of the local congregation. If patterned after the ancient New Testament Church, then the local congregation of believers was qualified to their own inspiration. They were fully capable of interpreting and living the principles of the New Testament.

As the frontier was settled, congregations established, and education more available, records were generated. This helped document members, transfers in and out, donations, and disciplinary actions. All record keeping was at the judgment of the local congregation. The believers, as the congregation, together make up the body of Christ. The local congregation is a sacred Baptist concept.

Baptist Theology and the Records Left Behinds

In Baptist theology, salvation is an experience based upon the faith and confession of the believer. It is not based upon baptism. Baptism is by total immersion as a sign of commitment, faith and admission into the church. A record of the “believer’s baptism” may or may not have ever been kept.

An excellent introductory text is Bill J. Leonard’s Baptist Questions, Baptist Answers: Exploring Christian Faith (2009). For the development of Baptist doctrine see James Leo Garrett’s work Baptist Theology: A Four Century Study (2009). For contemporary in-depth systematic theologies representing a general Baptist or Baptist-Calvinistic perspective, I recommend:

Akin, Daniel L., ed. A Theology for the Church (2007). Position: Southern Baptist Convention; revised edition due in 2014.

Bird, Michael F., Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction (2013). General evangelical approach by an Australian Baptist theologian.

Enns, Paul, The Moody Handbook of Theology: Revised and Expanded (2008). Position: conservative evangelical and dispensationalist.

Erickson, Millard J., Christian Theology (3rd ed., 2013). Position: Baptist-Calvinistic and General Protestant.

Geisler, Norman L. Systematic Theology 4 vols. (2002-2005). Position: Baptist-Calvinistic, conservative evangelical. His four volume series is now condensed into one.

Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (2000). Position: Baptist-Calvinistic, Charismatic and General Protestant.

Lewis, Gordon R. and Bruce A. Demarest, Integrative Theology: Historical, Biblical, Systematic, Apologetic, Practical (1996). Position: conservative Baptist.

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Using Study Bibles in Genealogy

15 Feb By Dwight Leave a Comment

One method to grasp the complexities of our ancestors is approach their lives from the sidelines. For example, you can’t fully know about their religious and spiritual life. However, clues to this closed door can be identified by understanding their understanding. If we can determine what they heard in church and how they may have interpreted that message, we can gain valuable insights. This is why I use Study Bibles. These can also be an excellent secondary tool when seeking background information when developing a narrative for your family history.

Types of Study Bibles

There are many different Bibles on the market today. Some are general and some are specific. For example, for a Scots-Irish Presbyterian family, the Calvinist based Reformation Study Bible provides excellent insight. If your ancestors were of the Irish Brethren tradition, then you certainly would be interested in The Scofield Study Bible. For a Roman Catholic perspective (even if a contemporary one), The Catholic Study Bible provides helpful information. I use the commercial site Christianbook to identify reference material such as these.

It’s the study notes at the bottom of the pages which you will find most informative. Many also have special discussions on specific topics. These notes typically guide the reader through belief, theology, history and culture. Even if an ancestor was illiterate or semi-literate, they would have understood principles taught at church.

Tradition Specific Study Bibles on the Market Today

Upon arrival in an immigrant country, both Irish Catholics and Protestants may have changed religious affiliations. This affects your family narrative and history; opening up a variety of Study Bibles as references.

Faith and understanding are progressive. What a modern Study Bible states may not necessarily be how your ancestors saw their faith. The demands of orthodoxy also do not necessarily correspond with what the person in the pew practices. Even with these considerations, you can draw some important understandings. Below is a selection specific to a particular tradition.

Baptist (Conservative)
The King James Study Bible (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2012).

Calvinist (Reformed, Presbyterian, Congregational)
The Reformation Study Bible (Orlando, Florida: Ligonier Ministries, 2005)

Ecumenical
CEB Study Bible with Apocrypha (Nashville, Tennessee: Common English Bible, 2013).

The HarperCollins Study Bible Including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, Revised Edition (San Francisco, California: HarperOne, 2006).

The New Interpreter’s Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha (Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2003).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, Fourth Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010).

Evangelical (Conservative/Fundamentalist)
The Scofield Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1909, 1917).

Evangelical (General)
ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008).

HCSB Study Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, Tennessee: Holman Bible Publishers, 2010).

NIV Study Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2011).

NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, Revised and Updated Edition (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2012).

The Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 1999).

Jewish
The Jewish Study Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004).

Latter-day Saints (Utah Mormons)
The Holy Bible (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979).

Lutheran
The Lutheran Study Bible: English Standard Version (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 2009).

NIV Concordia Self-Study Bible (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 1973).

Orthodox
The Orthodox Study Bible (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2008).

Pentecostal-Charismatic
Life in the Spirit Study Bible: Formerly Full Life Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1992, 2003).

New Spirit-Filled Life Bible (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2013).

Roman Catholic
Anselm Academic Study Bible: New American Bible Revised Edition (Winona, Minnesota: Anselm Academic, 2013).

The Catholic Study Bible: The New American Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011).

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament (San Francisco, California: Ignatius Press, 2010).

Little Rock Catholic Study Bible (Little Rock, Arkansas: Little Rock Scripture Study, 2011).

The Navarre Bible: New Testament (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2008).

Seventh-day Adventists
Andrews Study Bible: Light, Depth, Truth (Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press, 2010).

The Remnant Study Bible with E. G. White Comments (Coldwater, Michigan: Remnant Publications, 2009).

Wesleyan (Methodist, Holiness)
Wesley Study Bible (Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2009).

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American and Baptist: What Kind? (Part 2)

21 Jan By Dwight Leave a Comment

Baptists often divided over cultural, racial, political, polity and doctrinal issues. The listing below will outline major traditions, both white and black.

Major Baptist Denominations in the United States

American Baptist Churches USA: Considered Mainline Protestant, it has historically been known as “Northern Baptists.” The American Baptist Churches traces back to the first Baptists, but the convention itself back to 1814. This multi-ethnic denominations is concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast.

Free Will Baptists: Concentrated mainly in the South and Midwest, although at one time it was strong in New England, the largest organization, the National Association of Free Will Baptists traces its lineage from two different lines dating to 1727 and 1780.

General Baptists: Located mainly in the Midwest, the General Association of General Baptists is rooted back to 1823 in Indiana.

Independent Baptists: Independent Baptists began in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in reaction against liberalism and modernism. Congregations nationwide maintain their autonomy.

National Baptists: An African American denomination founded in 1880, the National Baptist Convention, USA is the world’s second largest Baptist denomination.

Primitive Baptists: Historically known as Hard Shell, Anti-Mission, or Old School Baptists, the Primitive Baptists formed in the early 1800s mainly in and the mountainous regions of the Southeast. The white Primitive Baptists have Internet websites where you can find more general information Primitive Baptist Church as a whole. The African American denomination is the National Primitive Baptist Convention, USA.

Seventh Day Baptists: Coming out of English Baptists, the first congregation was formed in Newport, RI in 1671. The Seventh Day Baptist General Conference worships on Saturday.

Southern Baptist Convention: The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Baptist denomination in the world. Founded in 1845 over slavery issues; it is heavily concentrated in the South. Historically, it was predominately white.

Each tradition generated a paper trail and wove itself into the local and national experience, helping define what it meant to be an American.

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American and Baptist: What Kind? (Part 1)

17 Jan By Dwight Leave a Comment

The Baptist tradition is so interwoven into American history that it cannot be separated out. This alone makes Baptist Studies an important part of your family history research. For your Irish Studies, vast numbers of Scots-Irish and their descendants joined the Baptist Church in America as did many Irish Catholics after immigrating.

What Kind of Baptist Church Did Your Ancestors Belong

In documenting a Baptist family, the first question to ask is: What kind of Baptist? Today, all Baptists combined comprise the second largest religious grouping in the country; with the Southern Baptist Convention being the largest Protestant denomination.

Baptists congregations range from militantly independent conservatives on the right to socially oriented and ecumenically minded on the left. There are those who worship on Saturday or Sunday; small groups in almost compound-like settings and mega churches hosting tens of thousands of worshipers at a time. Congregations also can change their allegiance to a larger convention or association or establish their own governing body or none at all.

The Roots of Baptists in America

The earliest Baptists came from England with the first congregation founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1639 by William Rogers. If you do not find an ancestor, for example, in the predominant Congregational Church in New England, then they may have been Baptists.

During the Second Great Awakening (1790-1830), Baptists would spread into new areas and people. It was also the Baptists, along with the Methodists who would win the hearts of African Americans. So whether you are tracing a white, black or even a mixed-blood Indian lineage; chances are you will come across Baptist ancestors along the way.

In Part 2 of this blog, I will discuss the major Baptist denominations in the United States as they all left behind records from which to document an ancestor.

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Dictionary of Episcopal Burial Terms (1901)

30 Nov By Dwight Leave a Comment

Often we see terms in the old records and we have a basic understanding of what they mean. At other times we don’t have a clue. In the case of Episcopal Church burial records we will know the basic terms used in 1901. However, there’s a second tier of insights which may not be so obvious. For example, what about someone who committed suicide? What was the church policy? Can a non-member be buried in the Episcopal Cemetery? These types of questions can affect your research in no small way!

The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia

This is where William James Miller’s The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia (1901) becomes a valued research tool. It is available on the Internet for download. Although this work is a product of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, as expected, there is a heavy historical United Kingdom emphasis. This makes this dictionary useful for not only your American immigrant research, but also for other places where the Irish settled or simply for your Church of Ireland research.

Dictionary of Episcopal Burial Terms

When using the dictionary below, consider the writing style of the period which includes the use of very long sentences and paragraphs. I am preserving these in order to provide the flavor for what the readers saw and experienced in 1901. Also, notice the undertone in some definitions meant to counter the rise of American Evangelicals by defining what is proper Episcopal procedure.

Burial: The Burial Office set forth in the Prayer Book is intended for the Church’s own people, and therefore it cannot be used over an unbaptized adult, because not being baptized he is not a member of the Church. It cannot be used over an excommunicated person because he has been cut off from the Church’s privileges. It cannot be used over one who has committed suicide, even if a member of the Church, for by this act he has voluntarily removed himself “from the sphere of its sanctions,” and to whom all branches of the Church as well as our own have ever denied the use of this Office. The reason for these prohibitions may be learned when we consider that the Burial Office is founded on the fact of our incorporation into Christ’s Mystical Body, on which is founded our hope of the General Resurrection. The whole service is colored by this belief and is illustrated and confirmed by the Lesson read from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians, setting forth the doctrine that our Lord’s Incarnation is the source of all spiritual life and, therefore, the source of eternal life in the world to come.

The proper place for the use of the Burial Office is the Church and it out not to be used in houses except for great cause.

Crypt: A vault beneath a church, more especially under the Chancel and sometimes used for burial. The word is sometimes given to the basement of a church where services are held.

Funerals: The solemn Burial of the Dead. In the Church there is no such thing as “Preaching a Funeral,” as it is called, but the reverent and devout committal of the “body to the ground,” “looking for the General Resurrection in the last day and the life of the world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Plainness and simplicity should mark so holy a function.

Parish Register: A book in which all births, Baptisms, Confirmations, deaths, and marriages that occur in the Parish are recorded, together with the list of Families and Communicants. The importance of the Parish Register and the care with which it should be kept will appear when it is considered that it is a legal document.

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Landmarkism and Your American Scots-Irish Ancestors

25 Oct By Dwight Leave a Comment

Knowledge of regional religious movements can help forward your research. In the case of Landmarkism, theology affected the descendants of Scots-Irish immigrants who had already joined the Baptists in America. It can be found mainly in the Southeastern and Southwestern United States.

In 1851, Baptists in Kentucky and Tennessee began questioning whether a non-immersed minister from another denomination could preach in a Baptist congregation. The question spoke to the very nature of the church. The conclusion for many was such ministers had a false baptism and a false view of the church.

The Meaning of Landmark

The term Landmark comes from Proverbs 22:28 “Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set” (KJV). In their reasoning, these landmarks included congregational autonomy, believer’s baptism by immersion, closed communion and a belief the true church has always been on the earth since New Testament times. The unbroken succession of the true church means the Baptist Church.

The Impact of Landmarkism

The impact of Landmarkism can be still felt among those who reject it. For example, many Baptist will rebaptize non-immersed Christians from other denominations who wish to become Baptists. Landmarkism also became somewhat of a litmus test of the true church and proof Baptists are not Protestants. In 1859, the Southern Baptist Convention rejected Landmarkism. This caused many to withdraw forming their own Landmark congregations.

Landmark Baptist Websites

The website Landmark Baptist: Non-Protestant Baptists holds a wealth of background information. In its “Reference” section are scanned older works documenting people in the movement. The Baptist History Homepage includes biographies, links to old periodicals and is continually adding old documents and books.

It is within journals, books and controversies that your ancestor may have been named as a participant. For further information, see the chapter “Baptist Landmarkism” in James Leo Garrett’s Baptist Theology: A Four Century Study (2009).

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The Wesleyan Rooted Traditions (Part 3)

28 Nov By Dwight Leave a Comment

John Wesley’s contribution to Protestantism was his writings on sanctification, or “Christian Perfection.” This is living a life of Holiness and how to achieve it. Wesley’s theology created a union between the believer and God. This blog will focus on how this Wesley’s doctrine was transformed with new generations of believers.

Wesley’s influential work, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1766): http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/a-plain-account-of-christian-perfection/ taught people to experience Jesus personally. Christian Perfection was a state in which the love of God dwells in a person’s heart, transforming the believer. In this post-conversation experience, the believer can experience perfect love and is free from original sin. It can be a lifelong process, or an instantaneous event. The perfection is in love not sinlessness. The believer chooses not to sin.

By the 1830s in the United States Phoebe Palmer (1807-74) would reinterpret Christian Perfection within the Methodist Church. She reasoned one need not wait a lifetime.

Rather, through a “second work of grace” it was available in an instant post-conversion event. This became known as “entire sanctification,” and continues to be a defining doctrine in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. In this view, the Christian may attain a state of holiness and be free from original sin and depravity. This creates a total love for God and others through the Holy Spirit.

Methodist revivals featuring holiness would sweep the United States and into Ontario during the 1840s through the 1860s. The first distinct Holiness Revival was in New Jersey in 1867. One of the oldest and the largest Holiness denominations is the Church of the Nazarene.

By the 1880s Holiness people would begin to associate their “second blessing” with a baptism of the Holy Spirit. This included speaking in tongues, prophecy and faith healing.

As entire sanctification theology transformed, many of the rising Classical Pentecostal churches would emphasize this baptism of the Holy Spirit as “evidenced” by the gifts. This was especially true of the gift of tongues. The oldest and largest Classical Pentecostal denomination today is the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee).

With the Azusa Street Revival (1906) a growing Pentecostalism would bring in believers from outside the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. They did not see the baptism of the Holy Ghost as evidence of salvation, but as a help with Christian service. The largest and most widespread non-Wesleyan Pentecostal denomination is the Assemblies of God, which is today the sixth largest international Christian denomination in the world. Today, most Pentecostals do not see a requirement for salvation other than faith.

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