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WILLS CREEK & TOWNS CREEK UNITED BAPTIST ASSN. ALABAMA NOT CALVINIST

 

Wills Creek United Baptist Assn. founded 1836. Churches from Wills Creek formed the Towns Creek Assn. in 1870. 
The Wills Creek article on the subject of election reads as follows:

"We believe in the doctrine of election by grace in Christ, and that God according to His foreknowledge, purpose and grace, chose His people in Christ, before the foundation of the world, thru sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth. (article 6) and "We believe the saints will persevere in and be preserved by grace and never finally fall away nor be lost." (article 7)

Now let's compare this to the Towns Creek article on the same subject, which states:

"God working all things after the counsel of His own will, and all His works from the beginning being known unto Him, of course all that the Father hath given to Christ, through sanctification of the Holy Spirit, and belief of the truth will come unto Him, so that none of them will finally be lost." (article 8)

Both Wills Creek and Towns Creek taught/teach general atonement. If you have followed my articles of the Eastern District Association of Primitive Baptists, you'll certainly notice that both of these articles share something in common with the Eastern PB association articles, which is the statement "through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth."  This phrase seems to be the "code word" for general atonement beliefs. The Eastern District PB's came out of the Mulberry Gap Association of United Baptists. This phrase is also present in the Coosa, Hiwassee, Original Tennessee PB and many other Non Calvinist associations. All these associations mention the statement above, along with foreknowledge (from the beginning being known to Him). This (to me) seems to support the idea of corporate election, as those who are chosen are those who "believe the Truth". It definitely rules out any notion that someone could be saved without hearing the gospel. There is no "certain number" or "particular" clauses. Wills Creek was formed at the beginning of the missionary/anti missionary split.

Many historians will stop at their articles of faith and conclude that they were Calvinists. Once again however, this is not the case. Their articles of faith would have been clear to any Baptist of the 18th and 19th centuries, that "believing the truth" would have brought you into the election of CHRIST as the elect Lamb of God. A hint can be gotten from a doctrinal sermon in the Wills Creek Assn. in 1838 where it was said " Oh sinner, come and make your calling and election sure!" I don't know how a Calvinist would interpret such a phrase, but I can tell you my childhood pastor frequently made the same statement when giving an invitation, and he was not a Calvinist. In 1841 the Wills Creek Assn. expelled an elder for "preaching doctrines not in agreement with this association, that Adam represents all in the fall, but Christ did not represent all when he was raised." 

Many thanks to elders Chubby Pope and Shannon Hilley of the Towns Creek United Baptist Assn. for their help in this research!










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