Historical Facts Relative to the Fulton, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri Conventions, in 1900 and 1904
The First (so-called) National Meeting of Primitive Baptists was held at the Fulton Church, in Fulton, Kentucky, in November 1900.
A careful study of the events leading up to the Fulton Convention reveal that Elders J. V. Kirkland and R. S. Kirkland were instrumental in arranging for this "national" meeting, which resulted in trouble and division. To read the announcement which they published of the plans for this meeting, Click Here
(It is no wonder that the leaders of the Liberal movement today have referred so often to the Fulton Convention, as they favor many of the same departures from the faith which the Kirklands and Todd favored. One of these is the unscriptural idea that there should never be bars of fellowship raised by churches against disorder.)
We invite your careful attention to an article by Elder John R. Daily on the subject of Non-Fellowship Bars. To read this article, Click Here . To read an article called "No Non-Fellowship Bars," by Elder C. H. Cayce, regarding J. V. Kirkland and the Burnamites dropping all bars of fellowship, in 1909, Click Here
We also point to the historical fact that several of those who attended the Fulton Convention at Fulton, Kentucky, in 1900, later withdrew fellowship from Elders J. V. amd R. S. Kirkland, who were then pastors of the Fulton Church. History, like scripture, needs to be understood in its full context. Those who stood with the Kirkland's, H. A. Todd, W. M. Strickland, and other leaders of this movement (of whom there were more than one might think), either left the Primitive Baptists and joined the Missionaries, or led their churches into the Progressive movement. For a list of the names of those who attended and some of their history, Click Here
For the past several years, the leaders of the "Liberal Movement" have used the Recommendations of the Fulton Convention to justify themselves as they advocate accepting disorderly and unsound churches and ministers into fellowship. To see these Recommendations, and articles written by Elders C. H. Cayce and John R. Daily on the issues raised, Click Here . To see what certain leaders of the Liberal movement are saying today, about the Fulton Recommendations, Click Here .
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The Second National Meeting was held in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 24-29, 1904 (we have a complete copy of the minutes of this meeting). A much smaller attendance of ministers and members was present at this so-called "national" meeting, which was smaller than the attendance of most associations at that time. Elder John R. Daily made the following comments regarding this meeting:
COMMENTS ON THE NATIONAL MEETING AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 44, No. 1, January 1905, by Elder John R. Daily
"We received a minute of the proceedings of the "Convention" held at St. Louis. We deem it our duty to say that we cannot agree with the sentiment that seemed to prevail in that meeting in regard to a "federal government," the commission being given to the church, and the idea of a national or union paper to take the place of all our religious magazines, those now being published to suspend for that purpose. We will not question the good intentions of those favoring the points named, and we are not disposed to say harsh things to them, but we cannot accept their plans. Our advice to all our brethren is to let this matter drop now, and the blaze will become extinguished for want of fuel. Let us live and labor for peace. These measures will never be adopted by the Baptists of the United States, and the pro and con discussion of them will only bring confusion."
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The Third National Meeting was appointed to be held at Benton, in Franklin Co., Illinois, but it was never held, as the following letter shows:
"NOTICE. To all whom it may concern: - This is to certify that after prayerful consideration and counsel with my dear brethren at home and abroad, and quite a number who attended the meeting at St. Louis, and in consideration that our secretary has gone out from us (because he was not one of us), and there being so much opposition from many dear, good brethren all over the United States, whether it is well founded or not, and with good feeling toward all the dear brethren and sisters who were at the meeting, I have come to the conclusion as far as I am concerned and our dear little church here at Benton, it will be the best for the blessed old cause of our God not to have the meeting here this Fall. So please take notice that as far as Benton church and pastor is concerned it is called off. You know, dear brethren, that the great apostle said give not offense to Jew or Gentile, nor to the church of God, and also if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth. I don't want any one to think we did not want to entertain the dear people of God here. If the meeting would have been in peace and love, every Baptist door would have been open, but we feel now holding the meeting would be offending some of God's little ones.
Your brother for peace and union of Zion.
Elder W. A. Fish, Benton, Ill." - Zion's Advocate, October 1905, p. 466-467.
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The following article written by Elder W. C. Arnold, of Illinois (with the endorsement of Elder John R. Daily at the bottom), no doubt greatly contributed to the cancellation of the meeting at Benton, and the demise of efforts toward a "national" meeting.
A PLEA FOR THE OLD LANDMARKS
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 44, No. 6, June 1905, By Elder W. C. Arnold.
"Scriptural associations are only general meetings of churches, or brethren from different churches, for the purpose of divine worship and mutual edification; and, while no church should, either in a private or in a general way, maintain fellowship with a church which persists in heresy or disorder, yet there is not a particle of New Testament or apostolic authority for any such general meeting assuming the function of an individual church, such as admitting, disciplining or excluding members of a church, or electing or disciplining the officers of a church. It cannot be repeated too often that each gospel church is, according to Christ and his apostles, the highest ecclesiastical authority on earth. While all gospel churches should always so live as to maintain peace and fellowship with each other, Christ nowhere in the New Testament gives the slightest authority for an organic union or consolidation of gospel churches. Such a union would be a fruitful source of corruption and oppression.
The New Testament contains not a single example or intimation of the subordination of a church to any ecclesiastical authority outside of itself, whether popes, or diocesan bishops, or synods, or presbyteries, or general assemblies, or councils, or associations, or conventions. It would be disloyalty to Christ for any church to alienate from itself and delegate to any other person or set of persons the rights and functions which Christ has committed to her; a gospel church cannot have delegates, but may have messengers. But the sisterly relations of churches involve sisterly obligations. They are all members of the same mystical body of Christ, permeated by the same Divine Spirit, and should be sweetly constrained by the same heavenly love to maintain the same strict faith and order of the gospel, to have tender regards for one another's feelings, and to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace." - Hassell's Church History, pages 293, 294.
We feel sure the above is the only scriptural, and hence the only safe position for Primitive Baptists. Any deviation from the laws given by Christ as "King of his kingdom," is rebellion upon the part of the church, or the individuals thus deviating, and should receive the disapproval of every lover of Zion. There have been men all along in the history of the church who have vainly imagined that they had discovered a plan by which the church might escape all trials and troubles and become fair in the eyes of the world and have a place among the nations of the earth. Jesus said, "Ye are not of the world," and every effort to dress the church in garments which will attract the attention of the world is disloyalty to Christ her head.
The idea of "respectability" and to "be like other people" has always been damaging to the church of God whenever entertained by them. It was so in the days of Andrew Fuller and Martin Ross, who so zealously, earnestly and eloquently endeavored to "remove the shame" and raise to "honor and distinction" the church of Christ by bringing in their new things, such as, Sunday Schools, Bible Classes, Tract Societies, Conventions, &c., &c. While the staunch old defenders of the cross looked upon the maneuvering of these men with a jealous eye and refused to be captured by their pleadings, many who were not so well established and settled were lead off by the tearful entreaties and sympathetic appeals of these lovers of peace (?). And finally came the awful result, the division of the old church.
We feel sure that the only safe rule for the church is to reject every thing that may be proposed as a means of her perpetuity and progress not found in the New Testament Scriptures. Men may plead that the "church will lose her crown" if this and that new thing is not endorsed, and the "crown will be given to another people," but let them know that such language is a flat contradiction to God's eternal truth, and we will not heed their plaintive cries. That the brotherhood throughout the United States may know the mind of my brethren in regard to the new things that are now being agitated here in the middle west, I give the following quotation from the Corresponding Letter which was published in the minutes of our last Association:
"We have no reason yet to depart from the Scriptural and Baptistic position of the late and greatly lamented Elder Lemuel Potter, who said, ?The commission to preach was not given to the church, but to the apostles, to the ministry. The command of Jesus comes to the minister and tells him to go. It does not come to the church and tell her to send.' The pure gospel will not bring confusion and distress into the church of Christ, and we would regret to see our people taking up the popular ways and new things of the day, such as Sunday Schools, Theological Schools, Courts of Appeal to settle difficulties among us to which the church must submit, the unscriptural exhortations of alien sinners to the performance of spiritual service, calling for mourners, &c., &c. None of these unscriptural things have been practiced among us, and we would be greatly distressed to see them introduced. We want to remain old fashioned Baptists, and by the sustaining grace of our Lord, this we will do."
This Association is composed of fourteen churches with a membership of 1250, and nine elders. There is not an Antinomian preacher in the Association, and the churches are closed against the advocates of the "unlimited predestination of all events, both good and bad," and are not anxious to secure the labors of any who are not willing to leave off all the isms of men and contend for the faith and practice of the New Testament scriptures. Having the action of such a grand body of Baptists behind me, I feel free to speak out plainly against the late innovations and unscriptural suggestions of men.
Should we heed every suggestion that is offered, there is no telling where the landing would be. Hence we feel safe in standing upon the old, tried, and time-honored grounds of our fathers. We are absolutely opposed to any change in the government of the church, believing as we do that the laws given by the King of heaven are suitably adapted to the best interests of the church till the end of time. Worldly orders and denominations may devise their schemes and plans, but let the lovers of Zion be satisfied with the goodness of the house of the Lord, and rejoice to know that unto them is given the kingdom of God, and that they are accounted worthy to suffer the sneers and reproachful sayings of a rebellious world, for the sake of their blessed Lord. There have been a great many things said, pro and con, in regard to the St. Louis Convention and its proceedings, and perhaps the readers of our periodicals have become somewhat tired. However, as the next Convention is to be held in my own state, and I am truly sorry to say, within fifty miles of my home, I desire that the Baptists everywhere, and the world at large may know that we are in no way connected with the affair, but to the contrary are opposed to the whole concern. And I am sure I speak the sentiments of the Baptists as a body of southern Illinois. Many have been the complaints of the brethren in this country since hearing of the coming of this unwelcome visitor among them. Good brethren in the church at Benton where the meeting is to be held are very much dissatisfied concerning it. Not that these brethren do not want our preaching brethren to visit them, nor that they do not want to entertain the people, for a more open hearted hospitable people cannot be found, but that they fear the results of such a meeting, judging from the confusion that has ever followed such things.
We would love to see our people all united, but feel sure that such meetings only tend to widen the chasm, and advertise our differences. We gladly welcome the lovers of Zion to our borders,and invite our dear ministers, who are content to walk with us in the old paths, to a place in our pulpits. We long to hear them speak of the glorious majesty of redeeming love. O how our hearts yearn for the sweet old story of Jesus' love! How much we need the help of our precious yoke-fellows in the gospel of the Son of God!
O that the spirit of unrest may soon be unknown, and the sweet dove of peace hover over our beloved Zion. Grant it, Lord, for Jesus' sake. W. C. A.
Remarks: The brethren who favored the plan proposed at St. Louis for the "Federal Government" of the churches, and the notion that the commission was given to the church as a body and not to the ministers of the gospel only, and that only one denominational periodical was to be published in the interest of the church, claimed to offer these matters only as suggestions for the consideration of the Baptists. Inasmuch as the Baptists have had time to consider them, and there appears such an array of opinion against them, it is to be hoped that these measures will not be further pressed. If they were meant as mere suggestions they will be dropped, no doubt, since it is ascertained that the great body of our people are opposed to them. We greatly desire to see our precious ministers and brethren united on the old principles of our holy religion and satisfied with these grand principles. A spirit of love and brotherly forbearance becomes us. Let us labor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace. To do this the introduction of new and strange things must be carefully avoided. A spirit of dissatisfaction with the old paths is a bad omen. Parties are formed by the leadership of those who are thus dissatisfied. Had not parties been formed our dear people would present an unbroken front. - Elder John R. Daily
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LATER "NATIONAL MEETINGS":
We do not have any copies of the periodical which Elder J. V. Kirkland started, called the "Apostolic Herald," but from the Editorial writings of Elder C. H. Cayce, we find an article called "Another One Gone Home," dated August 13, 1907, in which a missionary Baptist paper is quoted which tells of R. S. Kirkland and A. M. Kirkland joining the missionary Baptists, and further states, "Elder J. V. Kirkland has lately been among the Burnham people in Indiana, and wants his national meeting held at a time next year that the Burnham people can attend. Some of the Burnham people are now doing some missionary work in connection with the anti-board part of the Missionary Baptists. "Straws show which way the wind blows." The leaders of the Lord's people cause them to err. May the Lord help us to forsake men and follow Christ. - C. H. C."
In another article from the same source, dated June 15, 1909, we find that Elder Cayce wrote, "We notice that Kirkland, Burnam, Pence & Co. are to hold their great "General" or "National" meeting at Mill Creek, near Maury City, Crocket County, Tennessee, this year. (At the time of the publication of the Editorials book, this church had been restored to order.)
This shows that there were later "National Meetings," but they were not approved or supported by the Primitive Baptists.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
A copy of the Fulton Convention Meeting, with its recommendations, and its republication of the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, and a copy of the Condensed History of the Church of God, by Elder J. V. Kirkland (copyrighted in 1904), in which an unscriptural plan for a federal government of the churches is advocated on pages 81-113. A copy of this book is located in the collection of The Primitive Baptist Library.
The Second National Meeting of Primitive Baptists, was held at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904. An original copy of the Minutes may be seen in The Primitive Baptist Library.
Selected Editorials from The Primitive Baptist, 1896-1910.
Seven reels of microfilm of "The Primitive Baptist," (published first at Martin, Tennessee, and later at Thornton, Arkansas) from 1886-1909, which contain the correspondence and articles by those who advocated the new proposals, and those who opposed them. This has been compiled, in the order of the date of its publication, and may be obtained from the Primitive Baptist Library. (Library Quarterly, 2005.)
Copyright c. 2002-2004. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
