History
The Old Regular Baptist Churches of Jesus Christ here in the United States along with their sister Churches the Regular Primitive Baptist trace their history to Churches that sprang up in the American Colonies. These early Churches had been organized as Regular Baptist Churches and Separate Baptist Churches in Christ and were found from New England to Georgia. A great migration took place in the American Colonies and many pioneer Baptist migrated to western parts of Virginia and into the regions of Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1802 the North District Association was formed from the South Kentucky Association organized in 1788 the North District gave off the Burning Springs in 1813 which armed the New Salem Association in 1825. There were churches and Associations being organized likewise in Western and Southwestern Virginia. In 1800 the Greenbrier Association gave off Teays Valley Association in 1812. In 1811 the Washington District Association was organized as a Regular Baptist Association, although its origins are from the Holston Association which organized in 1786 by the authority of the Sandy Creek Separate Baptist Association. The Sandy Creek Separate Baptist self-organized in 1756. The Washington District Association however upon being organized adopted the Preambles and the Constitution of the Regular Baptist.
The Old Regular Baptist Churches of today can be likewise be traced directly or indirectly to churches who were involved with these older associations. We find others who were involved as ministers and members of the Elkhorn Association organized in 1765 the Licking Association organized in 1810 even the Philadelphia organized 1707 and the Ketockton organized on August 19,1766, joining and organizing Churches that were to become the Old Regular Baptist.
The New Salem Association of Old Regular Baptist was established in 1825, this Association was an arm of the Burning Springs Association. The New Salem Association has undergone several name changes from Baptist to Regular United in 1854, to Regular Primitive in 1870, to Regular Baptist in 1871 and then in 1892 to Old Regular. Names that were synonymous with "Old Regular Baptist" at least in the early history of this faith include, the Regular Predestinarian Baptist, Particular Baptist, Old School Baptist, United Baptist, Regular Primitive Baptist, and Old School or Old Order of Regular Baptist Churches and Associations. These terms held the same general meaning and have been used interchangeably by many of the Associations mentioned.
There have been several Old Regular Baptist Associations and many Churches that have origins other than through the New Salem Association of Old Regular Baptist. The Burning Springs Association (1813), Red Bird Association (1823), Mountain Association (1856), Red River Association (1876) were all directly descended from the North District Association. The Mud River Association (1888), Twin Creek Association (1850) Spencer Association (1898), and others originated from different clusters of churches and associations. In Virginia and elsewhere, some Old Regular Baptist Churches descended from the Sandy Creek Association Churches, along with Churches form the Washington Association and Three Forks of Powell Valley Association. There are Old Regular Baptist Churches that were formed from or contained members who came directly with letters from the Philadelphia and Ketocton Association's Churches along with the Yadkin, Holston, Kehukee and Roaring River Association Churches. Elkhorn Regular Baptist Association of West Virginia and the Pineville Primitive Baptist Association of West Virginia. The Twin Creek Association formed from a split in the Licking River Particular Baptist Association in 1850. The Twin Creek Association was one of the first Associations in Kentucky to title itself "Old Regular Baptist" in 1850. The churches that made up the Twin Creek Association had roots in the Elkhorn Association Regular Baptist Association {Kentucky}. When the Twin Creek Association of Old Regular Baptist dissolved, the remaining Churches went into the North District Association by letter.
The Mud River Association originated from a split in the Pocatalico Particular Baptist Association in 1888. The Mud River used the title "Primitive Baptist" in correspondence with the New Salem Association for many years and later titled itself Regular or Old Regular Baptist. The Sandlick Regular Primitive Association and the Mates Creek Regular Primitive Baptist are both descendants of the New Salem Old Regular Baptist Association. These Associations and the Burning Springs Association all used the name "Regular" and "Old Regular" along with Primitive interchangeably. The word old was added to Regular Baptist soon after many Regular Baptists had joined and began to correspond with mission boards. This was done to distinguish the Old (or original) Regular Baptists from the New School Baptists that had emerged throughout the United States. The terms "Old School", "Old Regular", "Old Order", and "Primitive" came into usage during the same time period and were being added to the Baptist name to show they were of the old form of worship and had rejected what they considered modern innovations such as Sunday or Sabbath Schools, theological seminaries, missions boards and the like.
The Old Regular Baptist in the late 1800s became concerned over the doctrines of "Absolute" Predestination of all things both good and evil, Actual Eternal Vital Union [Eternal Children Doctrine], and the Atonement. The Minutes of the New Salem Association in the year of 1892 stated that the New Salem Association feared the doctrine of an "Absolute" Predestination of all things that made God the author of man‘s sins and the doctrine of Arminianism that taught the works of the creature to be essential to eternal salvation. A circular letter in the Three Forks of Powell River began to circulate supporting Actual Eternal Vital Union. Debates in the Pulpit became more frequent as Brothers became more extreme in their views.
The Old Regular Baptists of Central Appalachia have, in fact, experienced several different divisions through the years over doctrine and practice. In the late 19th century to early 20th century, they had major splits over the doctrine of Absolute Predestination of all things and Actual Eternal Vital Union and Eternal Creation theories; this was the cause of their largest split ever, in combination with their differences over the Atonement and Election doctrines that escalated splits and divisions. Three of New Salem's daughters, the Union, the Mates Creek, and the Sandlick, divided. The New Salem also dropped correspondence with the Burning Springs Association, her mother, because she had members that belonged to secret orders. The United Baptist Associations were dropped for Secret Order and Mourners Benches. In the 1960s, a debate started over when eternal life began. Was regeneration the new birth before belief and repentance [conversion] or after faith and repentance [conversion]. There are Old Regular Baptists that hold the same views as other Primitive Baptists bodies [both Old Line and Absolute Predestination Primitive Baptist] on regeneration that one is regenerated instantaneously on hearing the Voice of the Son of God [John 5:25]. These Old School Regular Baptist hold strictly that eternal life and salvation are given first in a free gift by the grace of God and that the elect are called by a holy calling (II Timothy 1:9). This effectual call is referenced as the "Light of Christ" doctrine (I Peter 2:9) also known as the "Light is Life" doctrine. This view teaches that faith and repentance are the effects of regeneration and not the cause of regeneration. They hold that the individual is quickened by the Spirit and has eternal or everlasting life prior to belief and repentance the gospel brings life and immortality to light but has no part in regeneration. Regeneration is first then Conversion is manifested by true faith and repentance in which a Godly sorrow sets up in the quickened individual's heart and they are sorrowed to repentance and mourning in which after the Godly sorrow has sorrowed them to repentance they profess a burden of sin being removed and take comfort in the gospel and express an experience of grace. Old Regular Baptist holding those views Monergism are often derided as the "Hardshell Side". The Synergist side holding that a man must repent and believe in order to be regenerated, and that through the Creature obeying, making up his mind, taking heed to the light and call, he then being enabled by grace and the light that leads one to life. They reject an effectual call and light is not synonymous with life, the creature can reject the light and be lost eternally, light and life are separate entities, this is referred to as the "Softshell Side"[see Fullerites]. There is one side of the Synergistic Old Regular Baptist that teaches that God dealt to everyman universally a " measure of faith" and it must be put to work by the creature in order for salvation to occur. This teaching has been recorded in the minutes of some of the Conditional Salvation advocates Annual Association Minutes. There are ministers within the Old Regular Baptist that hold the " Duty Faith" and "The Measure of Faith" doctrines as heresy and claim it was invented in the 1960s in Southwestern Virginia, after the light of Christ division came about, any prior reference to the terminology in Old Regular Baptist records or usage has the measure of faith as a gift to the regenerated and not the unregenerated.
The Old Regular Baptists are a branch of Primitive Baptists [primitivism] that clearly rejected modern innovations such as Sunday Schools, Tract Societies, Mission Boards they held to a more historical style of early Baptist worship and stricter gospel order. The Old Regular Baptist in Appalachia were more tolerant in doctrine, originally allowing for different views on the atonement. [This stems from an earlier agreement made by the Regular and Separate Baptist when forming the United Baptist in Kentucky] While the doctrine of some traditional Old Regular Baptists [Gillites] would be in harmony with the London or Philadelphia Confessions of Faith advocating Limited or Particular Atonement, others among the Old Regulars hold to a more modified Calvinism and to Andrew Fuller's view of the atonement, Universal/Limited [see Fullerism or Fullerites] and yet there are some ministers and members that hold to a modified General Atonement. The original compromise on the Atonement made by the Regular and Separate Baptist was never kept, it then led to doctrinal splits, on the Atonement issue, these divisions were widespread throughout Appalachia. Statements were made by some of the Mountain Associations, that Christ made a full atonement for all those that have believed and those that will believe and that these believers were the elect chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. This statement seemed to satisfy the different factions for a while. The Red Bird and Red River and Spencer, Sandlick, Mates Creek, Burning Springs, Mountain, Rock Springs, North District, Licking, with parts of the New Salem and Union along with Mud River, Twin Creek Associations of Old Regular Baptist held to Special or Limited Atonement. Strict Particular Atonement was the doctrine of the majority side of Mates Creek and Sandlick Associations and part of the Union Association at the time of the great divide it was the historical view of the Washington, Pocatalico, Three Forks of Powell River and the Elkhorn of West Virginia's view. The New Salem Association corresponded with the limited atonement side of the Union Association after the split and then later switched sides, and took correspondence with the side holding more to a Fullerite View, Elder J.C Swindle [from Three Forks of Powell Valley] and Elder N.T Hopkins[New Salem] were champions of Andrew Fuller's Atonement view to the point that Elder N.T Hopkins declared the Fullerite {General} view to be the doctrine of the New Salem Association from the Pulpit this caused several delegates representing their home churches within the New Salem to abruptly leave the Association with their Church letters in hand, along with other Sister Old Regular Baptist Association's delegates with their Association letters. These delegates and Churches and Associations all holding to a Strict or Special Limited atonement. One of the New Salem Association's oldest Churches the Stone Coal Church of Garrett, Kentucky [the delegates] walked out and eventually the Church divided into two bodies, an Absolute Predestination side and Limited Predestination side. The Limited predestination side believed that God predestinated the salvation of his elect people and that the saving of his people by his grace, but denied, that every event that occurs in time was predestinated, they believed in a Common Salvation [timely or in time that involved actions of the creature] and an eternal salvation [that was the sole work of the creator with no action of the creature] The Absolute Predestination side held every event that came to past was predestinated of God. Amazingly after several years apart under the Ministry of Elder Marion Chaffins both factions came back together. Several of the Churches that walked out after N.T Hopkins sermon were reconciled back to the New Salem Association the ministers decided among themselves to just preach the scriptures and that Christ died for all that believe and repent through Grace. The New Salem Association at one time contained ministers holding to three different views on the atonement and was thereafter, able to navigate fairly peaceful. During the 1960s The " Light of Christ" or " Light is Life' split [Light is Life teaches immediate spontaneous regeneration] this division took place in the Union Association of Old Regular Baptist[New Salem Correspondence] 1961-1962 this doctrine was an argument over when eternal life was given, both sides held it was a gift given in time. This was the second time the Union Association had a large division over doctrine, [they had endured a previous split over Actual Eternal Vital Union and Absolute Predestination of all things both good and evil] the fallout of the Light of Christ division soon spread to other associations being brought on by requests sent to them from the Union Association. This split resulted in the isolation of the Mud River Association which advocated regeneration prior to faith and repentance, and the formation of the Bethel. The Elders in the Mud River Association were more sympathetic to the doctrine of the six churches that left the Union Association. The Union Association's act of expulsion of the Bold Camp Church was considered a violation of the Union's Constitution by most Elders versed in discipline. There were seven churches that left the Union Association[ Bold Camp, Bethel, Mount Olive, Hylton, Longs Fork, Turner, Rose Hill] and others who felt the Union dismissed Bold Camp in error. The seven churches that left formed the Bethel Association of Old Regular Baptist. The New Salem Association leadership, seeing the chaos in the Union Association chose not to divide over this issue [Light and Life]. Today there are still debates among the Old Regular Baptists Churches over when one receives faith, men and women's dress, the receiving of divorced members, and the doctrinal differences over hope and knowledge. Some Old Regular Baptist do hold to some points of Arminianism vs others who are more Calvinistic. There are several factions of Old Regular Baptist at present, including the "Old" Regular Primitive Baptist who include the Mother Association[Burning Springs] and Daughter Associations of the New Salem [Mates Creek, Sandlick and Union]. There remains Churches and Associations that remain in direct doctrinal sympathy with the Old Line Primitive Baptist. There are factions of Old Regular Baptist that are in doctrinal sympathy with the "Old" United Baptist. These "Old" United Baptist share the same heritage as the Old Regular and Primitive Baptist Churches and are Old School in practice [The Separate Baptist and Particular (Regular) Baptists].
In the 1990s, a debate arose in the Northern New Salem over one of its member churches' use of fermented wine in communion (wine was the original Regular Baptist custom) vs. grape juice. A query was sent into the association by a sister church against the church that used wine. All evidence shows that the church that sent the query had not taken the proper steps according to Old Regular Baptist decorum. The Association involved itself, failing to send the query back to the church that sent it, and violated its own orders. This led to two member churches breaking fellowship with the Northern New Salem. The two member churches, and one formed later, lettered to the Original Mountain Liberty Association and was found to be orthodox and orderly and were dismissed to form the Sovereign Grace Association in 1997. The Sovereign Grace Association's doctrine would be in total harmony with the Old Line Primitive Baptists of today or close to the Original Philadelphia Association of the past.
Faith and practice
The theology of the Old Regular Baptists is "election by grace", as stated in the scripture: "By Grace are ye saved through faith." While all Old Regulars preach "election by grace", a difference of opinion exists among them concerning election and predestination. Today, depending on which faction you hear preach, their doctrine ranges from absolute predestination to man being a free moral agent. The majority of Old Regular Baptists hold to a doctrine that is between these extremes, with absolutism the smallest minority. The Old Regular Baptists are united in their eschatology, all factions hold that the binding of Satan took place during Christ's earthly ministry and that the thousand years is to be taken symbolically as it represents a period of time. That there will be a Last Day and General Judgement [an hour in which all the dead will be raised, the just and unjust]. Old Regular Baptists all believe in experimental grace, baptism by immersion, a called and regularly ordained ministry. Old Regular Baptist factions are in agreement believing that Christ is the Eternal Son of God, that he is now and has been and always will be Christ. Old Regular Baptists hold to the Godhead [being three in one], The Scriptures Old and New Testament being the written Word of God and infallibility thereof, [King James is the only English version used] Sinners are called to Repentance, that both faith and repentance are required prior to baptism, justification is by the Imputed Righteousness of God.
Churches form local associations by which they fellowship with one another. This fellowship is formally maintained by the election of correspondents to attend the meetings of the other associations. Preachers are God-called (not trained by man), unpaid, and preach improvisational (often chanted) sermons. Baptism (in running water), the Lord's supper and feet washing are held to be ordinances. [1] Shouting is a frequent occurrence at an Old Regular meeting, particularly among the female membership. Conversion experiences may be a lengthy process, beginning with an awakening to sin, through a period of conviction and travail of the soul, to repentance and belief.
Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the Remonstrance (1610), a theological statement submitted to the States General of the Netherlands. This expressed an attempt to moderate the doctrines of Calvinism related to its interpretation of predestination.
Perseverance of the saints, also known as preservation of the saints, is a Calvinist doctrine asserting that the elect will persevere in faith and ultimately achieve salvation. This concept was initially developed by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century, who formulated the idea of predestination by predeterminism. In the 16th century, John Calvin and other reformers integrated this idea into their theological framework. The doctrine of perseverance of the saints is rooted in this understanding of predestination and continues to be a central tenet of Reformed theology today.
Predestination is a doctrine in Calvinism dealing with the question of the control that God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass." The second use of the word "predestination" applies this to salvation, and refers to the belief that God appointed the eternal destiny of some to salvation by grace, while leaving the remainder to receive eternal damnation for all their sins, even their original sin. The former is called "unconditional election", and the latter "reprobation". In Calvinism, some people are predestined and effectually called in due time to faith by God, all others are reprobated.
The Westminster Confession of Faith, or simply the Westminster Confession, is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" of doctrine in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.
Regular Baptists are "a moderately Calvinistic Baptist denomination that is found chiefly in the southern U.S., represents the original English Baptists before the division into Particular and General Baptists, and observes closed communion and foot washing", according to Merriam Webster. This definition describes Old Regular Baptists, not those who formed as a result of the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy.
Though the annual meeting of this group is denominated The General Association of The Baptists, they are most widely known as the Kindred Associations of Baptists. Other names associated with these churches are the Baptist Church of Christ, The Baptists, and Separate Baptists. The primary location of the churches is middle Tennessee and northern Alabama. Members from this association form the largest body of Baptists in Moore County, Tennessee.
Free Will Baptists or Free Baptists are a group of General Baptist denominations of Christianity that teach free grace, free salvation and free will. The movement can be traced to the 1600s with the development of General Baptism in England. Its formal establishment is widely linked to the English theologian, Thomas Helwys who led the Baptist movement to believe in general atonement. He was an advocate of religious liberty at a time when to hold to such views could be dangerous and punishable by death. He died in prison as a consequence of the religious persecution of Protestant dissenters under King James I.
United Baptist is name of several diverse Baptist groups of Christianity in the United States and Canada.
The Church of God, Mountain Assembly (CGMA) is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian body formed in 1907, with roots in the late 19th-century American holiness movement and early 20th-century Pentecostal revival. The denomination maintains headquarters in Jellico, Tennessee and is a member of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America.
The Church of God by Faith is a Methodist denomination aligned with the holiness movement. It is based in the United States. The Church of God by Faith was organized by the Methodist minister John Bright in 1919.
Limited atonement is a doctrine accepted in some Christian theological traditions. It is particularly associated with the Reformed tradition and is one of the five points of Calvinism. The doctrine states that though the death of Jesus Christ is sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world, it was the intention of God the Father that the atonement of Christ's death would work itself out in only the elect, thereby leading them without fail to salvation. According to Limited Atonement, Christ died for the sins of the elect alone, and no atonement was provided for the reprobate. This is in contrast to a belief that God's prevenient grace enables all to respond to the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ Acts 2:21 so that it is each person's decision and response to God's grace that determines whether Christ's atonement will be effective to that individual. A modified form of the doctrine also exists in Molinism.
Irresistible grace is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save and, in God's timing, overcomes their resistance to obeying the call of the gospel, bringing them to faith in Christ. It is to be distinguished from prevenient grace, particularly associated with Arminianism, which teaches that the offer of salvation through grace does not act irresistibly in a purely cause-effect, deterministic method, but rather in an influence-and-response fashion that can be both freely accepted and freely denied.
Hyper-Calvinism is a branch of Protestant theology that places strong emphasis on supralapsarianism, or salvation from eternity, where the atonement of Christ was and is difficult for the non-elect to understand, where man has little to do with his salvation, there being nothing man can do to resist being saved, wherein evangelism was given lower emphasis as compared to traditional Calvinism, and where assurance of salvation was felt within a person, identified by introspection.
Eternal security, also known as "once saved, always saved" is the belief providing Christian believers with absolute assurance of their final salvation. Its development, particularly within Protestantism, has given rise to diverse interpretations, especially in relation with the defining aspects of theological determinism, libertarian free will and the significance of personal perseverance.
Amyraldism is a Calvinist doctrine. It is also known as the School of Saumur, post redemptionism, moderate Calvinism, or hypothetical universalism. It is one of several hypothetical universalist systems.
Unlimited atonement is a doctrine in Protestant Christianity that states Jesus died as a propitiation for the benefit of all humans without exception. It is normally associated with Amyraldism, as well as Arminianism and other non-Calvinist tradition. It is a doctrine distinct from other elements of the Calvinist acronym TULIP and is contrary to the Calvinist doctrine of limited atonement.
Monergism is the view in Christian theology which holds that the Holy Spirit is the only agent that effects the regeneration of Christians. It is contrasted with synergism; the view that there is a cooperation between the divine and the human in the regeneration process. It is most often associated with Lutheranism, as well as with the Reformed tradition and its doctrine of irresistible grace, and particularly with historical doctrinal differences between Calvinism and Arminianism.
The history of the Calvinist–Arminian debate begins in the early 17th century in the Netherlands with a Christian theological dispute between the followers of John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius, and continues today among some Protestants, particularly evangelicals. The debate centers around soteriology, or the study of salvation, and includes disputes about total depravity, predestination, and atonement. While the debate was given its Calvinist–Arminian form in the 17th century, issues central to the debate have been discussed in Christianity in some form since Augustine of Hippo's disputes with the Pelagians in the 5th century.
The Primitive Baptist Universalists are Christian Universalist congregations located primarily in the central Appalachian region of the United States. They are popularly known as "No-Hellers" due to their belief that there is no Hell per se, but that Hell is actually experienced in this life.
Free grace theology is a Christian soteriological view which holds that the only condition of salvation is faith, excluding good works and perseverance, holding to eternal security. Free grace advocates believe that good works are not necessary to merit, to maintain or to prove salvation, but rather are part of discipleship and the basis for receiving eternal rewards. This soteriological view distinguishes between salvation and discipleship – the call to believe in Christ as Savior and to receive the gift of eternal life, and the call to follow Christ and become an obedient disciple, respectively. Free grace theologians emphasize the absolute freeness of salvation and the possibility of full assurance that is not grounded upon personal performance. Thus, Free Grace theology allows for the salvation of an individual despite moral failings, although the disobedient Christian will face divine discipline. Norman Geisler has divided this view into a moderate form and a more radical form. The moderate form being associated with Charles Ryrie and the strong form with Zane Hodges.
