Unto These Hills

 The Galloway Primitive Baptist Association was formed in 1842. It formed as a result of individual members leaving churches in the Edgefield Association over the mission/antimission  controversy of the 1830's and 1840's. I can find no entire churches that left the Edgefield Association, but I presume there were enough individual members who were against the "new innovations" that some individual members left and formed new churches and a new association. The geographical area covered by the Galloway PB Association was identical to the Edgefield. Many churches in the Edgefield Association were founded by Elder Daniel Marshall, who has been proven to be a Non Calvinist. (See Memoirs of Elder Jesse Mercer, C.D. Mallory, 1832 pp 201-202) This is another instance of a Primitive Baptist association that was not Calvinist, as I have shown in other articles here  and here . The articles of faith of the Galloway PB Association are clear. They are as follows.   1st. We believ...

 The Spring River Baptist Association was formed in 1829 in Arkansas. It's first churches had belonged to the Bethel United Baptist Association in Missouri, a proven Non Calvinist association. The Bethel Association had grown very large, and it was agreed that the churches that lay over the Arkansas border would form a separate association. Bethel's information can be read here .  I have not been able to find why the Spring River did not adopt the "United Baptist" label. It seems they had a strong Separate Baptist sentiments, as they refused to adopt the ordinary practice of having artciles of faith. Instead they made a clearly Separate Baptist statement which said the following:    “We agree to adopt the New Testament for our Articles of Faith, the rule of our practice and our hope of eternal life, the rule by which to try all members, to try all causes between brother and brother, to preach and hold as the eternal, substantial and unchangeable rules to govern i...

 The Sabine Baptist Association in Louisiana, formed in 1847. It is the oldest association west of the Red River. All of the churches forming this association were constituted well before the formation of the association. For 15 to 20 years the churches were just scattered individual congregations, founded by various Baptist preachers from various association in Louisiana and Alabama, waiting on Texas to open up to Baptists and American settlers.   It is generally not within the scope of my research to document associations who changed their theology or 'evolved" from being strictly Calvinist to Non Calvinist/Provisionist. This is because my research does not show any 'evolution" occurring, but there are instances of immediate change. I am writing about this association because the change in doctrine was immediate, and did not evolve over time. This is interesting, first because the change happened very quickly, in the span of a specific year, and second, because of ...

  The following information comes from  "Baptist Memorial and Monthly Record ", December 1846, pp. 366-369 by Elder John M. Peck and "Illinois Baptists--A History"   1930 pp. 54-57 by Edward P. Brand.   The Illinois United Baptist Association was probably formed in 1807.  That is the earliest record found of it, though some of its churches were founded before that time.  This association was anti mission, along with many other general atonement associations. These associations would be in harmony with today's Independent Baptists. The general atonement Baptists that were "anti mission" were not "anti missionary" or against evangelism as many of the Calvinistic Baptists were. They simply believed there should be no one sent out to preach unless it be from a local church, not a "society" or board. The articles of faith are as follows;   1st. There is one only true God; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 2d. We believe that the Old and N...

 The Florida Baptist Association was formed in 1843 by ten churches who seceded from the Ocklockonnee Baptist Association in Georgia. The Ocklockonnee Association passed resolutions against mission societies, seminaries, bible or tract societies, Sunday Schools etc, and demanded at all its churches cease any support of those things. Ten churches "seceded" and formed the Florida Association. There is no information that I have found on the doctrines of the Ocklockonnee Association. However the churches that left it to form the Florida Association had all the hallmarks of Non Calvinist doctrine. They were founded on "liberty of conscience" and compared themselves to the American Revolution, so there is a hint that maybe they differed from their mother association, who they called "dictatorial". The first act of the Florida Association was to establish correspondence with the Bethel Association in Georgia, which no doubt, was a Non Calvinist association. You ...

 The Alachua Baptist Association was the fourth association in Florida and was formed in 1847.  I won't be concentrating too much on Florida, because it was very late in having many Baptists, Methodists or Presbyterians, since it was controlled by Spain until 1819. Being anything other than Roman Catholic was against the law. So I will only report on the first four associations which were Suwannee, Florida, West Florida and Alachua. I will have articles on all but Suwannee, as no records still exist that I know of. There original Articles of Faith of the Alachua Association are as follows;    CONSTITUTION AND DECORUM OF THE ALACHUA ASSOCIATION, FLA. 1847 1. We believe in one only true and living God, and that there is a trinity of persons in the Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and yet there are not three Gods, but one God. 2.We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, and the only rule of faith and pra...

 The West Florida Baptist Association was formed in 1847 and was the third association formed in the state of Florida. I won't be concentrating too much on Florida, because it was very late in having many Baptists, Methodists or Presbyterians, since it was controlled by Spain until 1819. Being anything other than Roman Catholic was against the law. So I will only report on the first four associations which were Suwannee, Florida, West Florida and Alachua. I will have articles on all but Suwannee, as no records still exist that I know of. Most of Florida's early Baptist churches belonged to associations in Georgia at first. The Suwannee Baptist Association was the first in the state, but disappeared fairly quickly after declaring itself to be anti mission. I will assume by this declaration that it was Calvinist, or hyper Calvinist if you prefer. Articles of Faith for the West Florida Association are as follows: 1) We believe in the existence of only one true and living God: and ...