PIEDMONT BAPTIST ASSOCIATION (GA) NOT CALVINIST

 The Piedmont Baptist Association in south Georgia was formed in 1815. It has been found to be a Non Calvinist association. The earliest minutes I can find with any articles of faith is from 1846, and by that time, they had adopted the New Hampshire Confession as their articles of faith, which they adopted in 1844. The Confession can be seen on pages 4 and 5 of the 1846 minutes. The New Hampshire Confession is seen by some as calvinistic and by others as not being so. However, we can learn the doctrinal position they held by reading the resolutions in the minutes of 1846. On page 2 we see the following;

 "14. RESOLVED That where any member or members of Baptist churches are rejected on account of their liberal Doctrinal principles and not for disorderly behaviour or wicked lewdness that the Minutes and Churches of this association are at liberty to receive such into full fellowship

15 RESOLVED that where any Baptist church or churches are rejected from an association on account of their Liberal Doctrinal principles, that this association will gladly receive them.

27 RESOLVED That we return our thanks to the Georgia Convention for their token of respect in sending to our ministers a copy of their minutes"
 
The 1846 minutes can be read here  or seen in the pics below.
 
In resolutions 14 and 15 we see the term "liberal doctrinal principles". "Liberal doctrine" was a term used to refer to those who held to general atonement and free salvation. If this association would "gladly receive" those who held such doctrines, it meant that they held the same doctrines, and were announcing that if any preacher or church was excluded from a Calvinist association for holding those doctrines, they had a home in the Piedmont Association. As further proof that "liberal" referred to general atonement, it should be noted that the Free Will Baptists used that term for themselves when they organized the Georgia Association of Liberal Baptists, after they withdrew from the Georgia Baptist Convention, to form their own.
 
In 1848 they opened correspondence  with the Houston Association, identical in doctrine. Also petitioned to join the Georgia Baptist Convention. Clearly the GBC was not "overwhelmingly" calvinist (page 3 and 4) The 1848 minutes can be read here or seen in the pics below.
 
The GBC replies with the following, seen on page 5 of the 1848 minutes; 
 
" Beloved brethren in Christ: We have resolved at last to take a more decided stand in our religious sentiments, and have therefore determined to show to the world, that we are no longer neutralists in this matter, but stand up in defence of those principles of the gospel that were taught by Christ, and his apostles and which we believe are the tenets of your honorable body: and having a desire to be one with you, we petition through the medium of the letter for a connexion with your body as a member of the Convention. We send you this by our beloved Brethren W.F. Willis, T.G.B. Law, Wm. H. Parker, L.W. Bryan, J.N. Tatom, H.F. Horne, J. Moody, S. Harrington, W.B. Smith, J.W. Todd, whom we deem worthy to represent us in your body.   Thos. G.B. Law, Moderator, WM. B. Smith, Clerk"
 
Notice how the reply from the GBC says "which we believe are the tenets of your honorable body".  Clearly the GBC believed the doctrines (tenets) held by the Piedmont Assn. was at least in harmony of those held by the GBC. What was the GBC referring to when it said they were no longer neutral "in this matter"? I suspect, though cannot prove, that it had something to do with the evangelical preaching of the Gospel to every person, as the Baptists in Georgia had just gone through the mission/anti mission schism, with the hyper Calvinists.               
 
                             
The Ochlocknee Association was formed by 7 churches out of Piedmont in 1827. Thus Ochlocknee wouldn't have been Calvinist either, The Suwannee River Assoc came out of  Ochlocknee in 1834, thus they wern't Calvinist either. This would be another instance of Primitive Baptists who were Non Calvinist, yet against mission boards or anything beyond the associational level.
 
The first minutes from  the very first year of 1815, through the 1940's can be read here , The first years are hand written, so it will take some patience to read.
 




 

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