The History Of The Freewill Baptists For Half A Century With An Introductory Chapter Volume 1

This book is an account of the history of the Freewill Baptists over fifty years, with emphasis on the growth and development of the church in the United States. It provides an insight into the challenges faced by the early pioneers and the struggles endured in building a new community. This book will be of interest to historians, theologians, and anyone interested in the history of the church in America. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1862 edition. Excerpt: ... This year the church in New Durham received an accession of thirty-one members, and the next year twentysix were added. At the October session of the Quarterly Meeting in 1794, neither David Knowlton, an unordained preacher, nor any other member from Pittsfield, was present. Such a delinquency was not allowed to pass unnoticed; and Randall, by instruction, admonished them as follows: "We are this day convened at our Quarterly Meeting, and have a good day, through grace; but feel somewhat grieved at finding--David's seat empty. We wonder at you, brethren, that none of all your meeting are present, when the weather is so pleasant, and the travelling so good." The request for the ordination of Knowlton in 1795 was referred from the Quarterly Meeting to the June session of the Yearly Meeting, and a council of five ministers, each to be accompanied by a layman, was chosen and sent to Pittsfield. It convened with the church August 12th, and the following extract from the church record is here inserted at length, as a specimen examination by the fathers: "1, Chose John Buzzell Chairman. "2. Chose Benjamin Ran dull Clerk. "3. Queried with the candidate as follows: "' Dost thou believe that the Lord has called thee to preach the gospel?' "Answer. 'Yes.' "' Dost thou believe it will be for the glory of God that hands should be laid upon thee, if the council should find satisfaction?' "Answer. 'I dare not draw back.' "* Then give us a reason of thy hope; relate the dealings of God in bringing thy soul from bondage into liberty, and thy call to public improvement.' "He did so; all of which was satisfactory to the council. Questions were proposed as to the fall of man--his 1795.] CHURCH IN CANTERBUBY. 147 restoration by Jesus Christ--the obligations...

Excerpt from The History of the Freewill Baptists, for Half a Century, Vol. 1: With an Introductory Chapter; From the Year 1780 to 1830 Revival in New Gloucester. Revival in Bristol. Ordination of Blaisdell and Lord Churches and Ordinations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

“An important new interpretation of how religious change shaped American cultural identity in the early republic.” —Journal of American History Northern New England, a rugged landscape dotted with transient settlements, posed challenges to the traditional town church in the wake of the American Revolution. Using the methods of spatial geography, Shelby M. Balik examines how migrants adapted their understanding of religious community and spiritual space to survive in the harsh physical surroundings of the region. The notions of boundaries, place, and identity they developed became the basis for spreading New England’s deeply rooted spiritual culture, even as it opened the way to a new evangelical age. “I strongly recommend Balik’s book for those studying colonial religious landscapes and heritages not only in New England, but in the nineteenth-century religious diasporas that swept the continent with varying mixes of European colonials and also African and Asian heritages.” —Stanley D. Brunn, University of Kentucky “In this beautifully written and richly researched work, Shelby Balik shows how the travels of early nineteenth century Methodists, Universalists and freewill Baptist itinerant missionaries and congregations recreated the geography of New England Protestantism, setting in motion (literally) a tension between religious rootedness and religious uprootedness, center and periphery, that endures to today. Early American religious history in Balik’s retelling of it is one of bodies in constant movement in and out and around the city on the hill. The delight Balik takes in maps and journeys is infectious. This is a wonderful addition to American religious historiography.” —Robert Orsi, Northwestern University

Although most evangelical traditions bar women from ordained ministry, many women have carved out unofficial positions of power in their husbands' spiritual empires or their own ministries. The biggest stars write bestselling books, grab high ratings on Christian television, and even preach. Bowler offers a sympathetic and revealing portrait of megachurch women celebrities, showing how they must balance the demands of celebrity culture and conservative, male-dominated faiths. And black celebrity preachers' wives carry a special burden of respectability. A compelling account of women's search for spiritual authority in the age of celebrity. -- adapted from jacket