Unto These Hills

 The Judson Baptist Association was formed in 1849 by churches founded by Elder Elijah Hanks, along with other churches who left the Cumberland Association. Most of the founding churches are older than the association they formed in 1849. You can read about Elijah Hanks, with some info of the Judson Assn here . They adopted the constitution and articles of faith of the Duck River Separate Baptist Association. Duck River is very well documented as rejecting Calvinism. You can read about and see the articles of faith of Duck River here  . Not much to write about this association, as all the facts are contained in the articles linked above. Elder Hanks was a well known Non Calvinist in Tennessee, and from what I can gather, the Judson Assn. continued to be active until 2019 when they merged with two other associations to from the JST Baptist Association in Tennessee. Elder Hanks was pastor of Knob Creek Baptist Church, founded 1826, which is still a very active church in the Sout...

 Elder Elijah Hanks, born in Virginia in 1793, grew up in a devout Baptist family. In 1820 they came to Tennessee and Hanks gre up attending church but did not give much thought to religious things. Married at age 19, Hanks was as any other frontiersman, clearing the forest and making a home. At some point, he made a profession of faith and was baptized by Elder Dodson, his pastor. Feeling a call to preach, Elder Hanks said the following; "  My impressions, at times, were very strong to call on sinners to come to the Savior; but, when I thought of my inability for this important work, I would shrink from the cross. Being almost entirely without an education, I thought if I attempted such a thing, I would only disgrace the cause and myself. Finally, I was brought low on the bed of affliction. I felt guilty before God, for not doing what I sometimes thought was my duty, and I promised God that if he would restore me to health again I would do the best I could. I had a ver...

 The Little Bonne Femme Baptist Association was formed in 1838 as the result of a division with the Salem Association. Salem had passed resolutions that it would correspond with both factions of the Mt. Pleasant Association, which had split over the missions issue. Those churches that left the Salem Assn.  and formed the Little Bonne Femme Assn. believed the Mt. Pleasant Association had violated the terms of union agreed upon by United Baptists by splitting over the issue. United Baptists had agreed that the support or non support of missionary societies should be no bar to communion. However, this did not mean that they tolerated an attitude of non evangelism, only that the methods for sending out the gospel could vary by supporting mission societies, or sending out evangelists who were only accountable to their local church.  In the History of the Salem Baptist Association  it mentions that the " more liberal minded churches withdrew ". When the churches who l...

  Baptists organized the First Baptist Church of Caroline, New York in 1814. According to a historical sketch of  Tomkins County from 1894, "This society [i.e. the First Baptist Church] was organized in 1814 with fourteen members and Rev. Pliny  SABIN  pastor. In 1848 a house of worship was erected; this was removed in 1863 and a neat building erected at Brookton, which was dedicated January 11, 1864; its cost was $2,500. The society also owns a parsonage. The pastor is Rev. William A.  HOUSE "(emphasis original) In 1834, William Spaulding became Pastor and served until 1862. In Lewis Halsey's History of the Seneca Baptist Association with Sketches of Churches and Pastors  (1879),  he speaks of controversy that arose in the Caroline church over missions and the atonement. Halsey says:  " The church seems to have enjoyed peace and prosperity from its organization up to 1839, when a rupture occurred on account of differences of opinion i...

 The Big Hatchie Baptist Association was formed in 1828. The land area covered by this association, now has 12 associations, so it covered a big chunk of Tennessee. The majority of the churches were "not predestinarian" or Non Calvinist, yet they allowed Calvinist churches to join.  This came to a screeching halt in 1835 when the Calvinists among them were found to be anti mission. It is unclear whether the anti mission faction voluntarily left, or were expelled. In any case, this left the Big Hatchie Assn. with no Calvinist faction. They became hardy Missionary Baptists, helping to later found the Tennessee Baptist Convention.  J.R. Graves was a moderator of this association in the late 1886, and it seems he may not have been a Calvinist. You can read some remarks by him here  . W.M. Lea was a missionary in the Big Hatchie Assn. prior to 1852, when he moved to Arkansas. He disavowed both Calvinism and Arminianism in both his preaching and his writing. Not ...

 J.R. Graves (1820-1893) was a famous Southern Baptist most remembered for his "Landmark" views of Baptist origins. Converted at age 15, his Baptist roots predate the founding of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was at one time moderator of the Big Hatchie Baptist Association in Tennessee. Many have claimed that he was a die hard Calvinist, but was he?  In 1887, Graves published the book " The First Baptist Church In America Not Founded By Roger Williams " speaking of the historical question of said church in a history of FBC Newport, RI, by Samuel Adlam, who was pastor from 1849 to 1864. Adlam's history gives it's covenant which was adopted in 1727 and it's articles of faith. In Graves' book he makes clear statements about First Baptist, Newport's articles of faith;  " These will be interesting to all Baptists, and perhaps many of our churches and brethren about to organize would like to adopt them, and so hold the faith of the Fir...

 Of course, I admit that history records the first leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention to be die hard Calvinists. But were they really? How much of the Calvinist confessions must one believe to wear that label?  Let's look at some of the beliefs of the first two presidents of the SBC. W.B. Johnson, the first president said the following in his sermon, " The Free Agency of Man ";    "As a free agent , man has life and death set before him, with the liberty of choosing the one, and rejecting the other. As a fallen creature, he is an enemy to God, and without the provision of mercy in his Son, would for ever remain such. Descending to the abode of the devil and his angels, as a company of kindred spirits, he would for ever unite with them in their unhallowed opposition to their common Creator. Mutual crimination and joint blasphemy against their Maker, would render them as miserable as their capacity would admit. But now, the announcement of pardon and ...

 Churches known  as "The Three Baptist Churches of Stonington Ct. who formed the Stonington Union Baptist Association, evidently were Non Calvinist churches. Elder Valentine Wightman started First Baptist, Groton, in 1743, and he was a General Baptist (Arminian). FBC Groton, along with the three churches of Stonington, were the only Baptist churches in Connecticut at the time. Elder Wait Palmer, a General Baptist was chosen as first pastor. Elder Palmer baptized and discipled Shubal Stearns, who founded Sandy Creek Baptist Association. In 1724, Wightman, along with his brother Daniel ordained and installed Rev. Eyres as the first pastor of the First Baptist Church in New York City. Read about that here  . This would mean the First Baptist Church of New York had as it's first pastor, one who was in theological agreement with General Baptists, and may not have been founded upon Calvinist principals. It is rare that a Regular Baptist church that was highly calvinistic, would...

 The Salt River United Baptist Association, Missouri, formed in 1823 evidently intended to avoid any splits or surprises. In its constitution from the very first day of its founding, Article 7 states " Two thirds of the association concurring therein may withdraw from any church in the union that is heterodox in principle or disorderly in practice. But no member shall be questioned for believing in or promulgating, the doctrine of election, or a general provision in Christ for all men." ( page 212 , A History of the Baptists in Missouri by R.S. Duncan ) Elder Vardeman , a preacher in the Salt River Assn, is described as a "moderate" Calvinist. On page 225 of   A History of the Baptists in Missouri by R.S. Duncan , it says of him , "His views of the atonement corresponded with those of Andrew Fuller in his Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation. He delighted to defend the essential divinity of the Son of God -the trinity of persons in the Godhead-God's sovereign...

 The Bethel Association of United Baptists (Missouri) , organized in 1816. You can read the basic history by William Polk in History of the Bethel Association written in 1856 here . Articles of faith are as follows;  1. That the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the infallible word of God and the only rule of faith and practice. 2. That there is only one true God, and in the God Head or divine essence there are Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 3. That by nature we are fallen and depraved creatures. 4. 1'hat Salvation, Regeneration, Sanctification and Justification are by the life, death, resurrec- tion and ascension of Jesus Christ. 5. That Saints will persevere through grace to Glory. 6. That believers Baptism, by immersion is necessary to receive the Lords Supper. 7. That the Salvation of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked will be eternal. 8. That it is a duty to be tender and affectionate to one another and to study the happiness of the children of G...

 Elder Lewis Duncan (1806-1852), originally from Virginia made a profession of faith and was baptized in 1828. Duncan was a member of Sand Run Church, near Troy Missouri when he moved some distance away, requiring a letter of dismission form the church in order to join a closer one, Sulphur Lick Baptist Church. The Cuivre Assn. were Regular Baptists, and Duncan rejected the Calvinist view of election and predestination. This was evidently common knowledge, yet  no one at Sand Run Church voiced opposition until he requested a letter in order to join another church. It was at the association's meeting that one man objected and said "“I object to the applicant having a letter of dismission in full fellowship, on the ground that he believes in a general atonement." Duncan replied with “Brother Moderator, I believe in a general atonement, and am perfectly willing for my view of that doctrine, or any fact in this case, to be stated in my letter.” The association tabled the r...

 The Daviess-McLean Baptist Association in Kentucky, was organized in 1844. Originally titled Daviess-McLean United Baptist Association, it is still a very active association affiliated with the KBC and SBC. This association was formed from churches coming out of the Goshen United Baptist Association. The Daviess-McLean Association has a long history of opposing Calvinism. In 1846  they affirmed a resolution made by the Goshen Association against limited atonement. In 1851 they adopted articles based on the New Hampshire Confession, which they esteemed "does not affirm the Calvinist notions of predestination to life". In more modern times they refused to allow a Calvinist church into the association in 2011. You can read about that here .  The Goshen articles of faith are as follows; 1. We believe there is but one only living and true God 2. That there are three that bare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. 3. That the scri...

 The following is an excerpt from the circular letter of the Concord Baptist Association, Owen Co. Kentucky, from the minutes of the 21st session in1841. This association was founded in 1820. "  She (the church) may preach the gospel, by using means to place the word of life within reach of every individual , not only in our own land, but by sending it abroad upon every breeze until it shall have found access to every family that dwells upon the wide domain of earth, and until its healthful and ameliorating influences shall have flowed through the veins of every government under the sun, and until Paganism, Mohamedanism, and every species of idolatry, shall have fled from the earth , before the celestial light. Each member of the church must bear a part of this burden of preaching sustained by the whole, and must also, himself, be a constant and zealous preacher to those around him, by his daily walk and conversation. In this sense, the humbliest saint that holds ...

 The Duck River Baptist Association (later the Duck River and Kindred Association of Separate Baptists) separated from the Elk River Baptist Association (Tn), founded in 1808, over the issue of general atonement in 1822. History records the Elk River Association (now extinct) as Calvinist. At some point though, many of the churches in that association either began to embrace general atonement and reject the Calvinist view of election, or Elk River adopted a more hyper Calvinist view, which forced the Non Calvinist churches to withdraw.  The historical sources I have found do not agree as to the details. There is some questions that cannot be answered, as it seems strange that in a period of only 18 years, that much variance over doctrine arose. It seems possible that both views of election may have been tolerated, and when the Duck River seceded, they reverted back to the Separate Baptist name. This further shows that "Separate Baptists" had a more Non Calvinist reputation, w...

 The Nolynn Association of Separate Baptists was organized by churches from the South Kentucky (Separate) Baptist Association in 1819, and still exists under the same name. The Nolynn Association was Arminian in doctrine. This shows that Arminians were definitely part of the Separate Baptists, even though some historians tend to ignore this fact. In the minutes of the Nolynn Association of 1823, we see a rather comical approach by the Nolynn Assn. written by one of their churches, in denouncing their Calvinist detractors. this can be found here on pages 17-19 from the collection of minutes of the Nolynn Separate Baptists. " The Church of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, being assembled together in the realm of Kentucky and province of Hardin, near Nolin because there is much water there, it being in the region of John, whose surname is Adair, and in the ninth month of the year 1823, with one accord sendeth greeting to the disciples who are scattered abroad in the realm of Tennessee...

  The South Kentucky Baptist Association, formed in 1785, is found to be Non Calvinist/Provisionist.  The association was never Calvinist in doctrine, but some have reported it to have been so, because it was said that South Kentucky Baptists had "adopted Arminian sentiments." What has been left out though, is that the South Kentucky Association adopted a tolerance of the belief that salvation could be lost, when they agreed to the Terms of Union of the United Baptist movement, which allowed for Calvinist, Provisionist and Arminian views. Most associations kept their specific doctrinal views within their association, agreeing only to view the baptisms, and ordinations and church acts as valid, regardless of doctrinal view.  The Elkhorn (Calvinist) and South Kentucky (Provisionist) associations agreed to a union, and to be known as United Baptists in 1801. However, when the Elkhorn Association realized that the South Kentucky allowed Free Will (Arminian) Baptists to preach...