Colonial Baptists used Bible to rally support for revolution

The Baptist Standard ^ | October 16, 2012 | Ken Camp

[Alex Murphy]

From the days surrounding the American Revolution, Baptists used religious arguments to make political points and political arguments to make religious points, historian James P. Byrd, associate dean at Vanderbilt Divinity School, told a conference at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

At the same time Baptists argued for separation of church and state, they did not hesitate to preach on political topics or embrace patriotic causes with religious fervor, Byrd said, addressing an Oct. 12-13 conference on “Baptists and the Shaping of American Culture.”

In a sense, Baptists reflected their culture. Neither Thomas Jefferson nor Benjamin Franklin accepted orthodox Christian teachings, but both used biblical language in public statements. Even Thomas Paine, a deist rationalist, cited Old Testament Scripture in his widely distributed pamphlet, “Common Sense.”

“Thomas Paine realized ‘Common Sense’ had to make biblical sense” to an 18th century audience, Byrd noted.

Similarly, Baptist preachers such as Isaac Backus and Samuel Stillman applied biblical texts and theological arguments to calls for civil and religious liberty—even preaching on secular topics as specific as repeal of the Stamp Act of 1765.

In a widely reprinted 1772 sermon at Second Baptist Church in Boston, John Allen argued on scriptural grounds the colonists needed to throw off the yoke of the monarchy and declare themselves an independent nation.

“Baptists saw themselves as the patriots of all patriots,” Byrd said.

Once the colonists declared their independence and the American Revolutionary War began, Baptists rallied support from their pulpits and served as military chaplains, he noted. Jeremiah 48:10 served as the text for many sermons of the period: “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.”

As commander of the Continental Army and first president of the United States, George Washington spoke highly of Baptists “because Baptists supported the revolution,” Byrd said.

Baptists returned the favor. Washington spoke rarely of Christianity other than in veiled references to Divine Providence or in support of Christianity’s utilitarian value in promoting good behavior, Byrd noted. But Richard Furman, a Baptist leader from Charleston, S.C., compared Washington to Moses and Joshua, extolling him as “God’s gift to America.”

“Similarly, John Leland the Baptist defender of separation of church and state saw the deist Thomas Jefferson as God’s gift and as his hero, hailing him as an apostle of liberty,” Byrd said.

The tendency to “deify deistic figures” such as Jefferson and Franklin whose words still are “quoted very much like Scripture” remains even in the 21st century, he observed.

“The Founders never go away,” Byrd said. “There seems to be an American obsession with the Founders. It’s as if we periodically have to check in with Benjamin Franklin or ask, ‘What would Thomas Jefferson think?’”

[Alex Murphy]

“Baptists saw themselves as the patriots of all patriots,” Byrd said. Once the colonists declared their independence and the American Revolutionary War began, Baptists rallied support from their pulpits and served as military chaplains, he noted. Jeremiah 48:10 served as the text for many sermons of the period: “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.”

As commander of the Continental Army and first president of the United States, George Washington spoke highly of Baptists “because Baptists supported the revolution,” Byrd said. Baptists returned the favor. Washington spoke rarely of Christianity other than in veiled references to Divine Providence or in support of Christianity’s utilitarian value in promoting good behavior, Byrd noted. But Richard Furman, a Baptist leader from Charleston, S.C., compared Washington to Moses and Joshua, extolling him as “God’s gift to America.”

“Similarly, John Leland the Baptist defender of separation of church and state saw the deist Thomas Jefferson as God’s gift and as his hero, hailing him as an apostle of liberty,” Byrd said. The tendency to “deify deistic figures” such as Jefferson and Franklin whose words still are “quoted very much like Scripture” remains even in the 21st century, he observed.

[cripplecreek]

Picture "It was Sunday morning early in the year 1776. In the church where Pastor Muhlenberg preached, it was a regular service for his congregation, but a quite different affair for Muhlenberg himself. Muhlenberg's text for the day was Ecclesiastes 3 where it explains, 'To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted...'"

"Coming to the end of his sermon, Peter Muhlenberg turned to his congregation and said, 'In the language of the holy writ, there was a time for all things, a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times have passed away.' As those assembled looked on, Pastor Muhlenberg declared, 'There is a time to fight, and that time is now coming!' Muhlenberg then proceeded to remove his robes revealing, to the shock of his congregation, a military uniform."

"Marching to the back of the church he declared, 'Who among you is with me?' On that day 300 men from his church stood up and joined Peter Muhlenberg. They eventually became the 8th Virginia Brigade fighting for liberty."

"Frederick Muhlenberg, Peter's brother, was against Peter's level of involvement in the war. Peter responded to Frederick writing, 'I am a Clergyman it is true, but I am a member of the Society as well as the poorest Layman, and my Liberty is as dear to me as any man, shall I then sit still and enjoy myself at Home when the best Blood of the Covenant is spilling? ...So far am I from thinking that I act wrong, I am convinced it is my duty to do so and duly I owe to God and my country."

[lurk]

Sure, use the Bible to promote revolution.

The apostles advocated the violent overthrow of Rome. Paul wrote about it in Rom. 13 and Peter wrote about it in 1 Pet. 2. In the first century, the followers of Jesus went all over fomenting armed rebellion.

[Augustinian monk]

Ahh. But as soon as the Continental Congress declares its independence from the crown, Baptist citizens are subject to new rulers, no?

[Alex Murphy]

Sure, use the Bible to promote revolution.

They didn't call it the Presbyterian Rebellion for nothing!

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Alex Murphy. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.