Baptist History Lesson 33

1
Baptist HistoryLesson 33

• A Survey of Calvinistic Baptist History from 1950
  forward

2
Were not the only Baptists who believe the
Doctrines of Grace!
1. Contemporary history is difficult!

• People have myopic vision

• Participants are often still alive

• All aspects of Reformed Baptist history are not
  particularly pretty

Reformed Baptist history has probably been
neglected because in some ways it can be very
painful and awkward to pursue that subject very
far especially in attempting to draw conclusions
about what has happened. Sadly, our modern
history has included such painful, grieving
things as immorality, other unfaithfulness, and
in some cases outright apostasy by leaders
divisions within local churches and between local
churches personality conflicts and possibly
rivalries pastors treating sheep and other
churches abusively perhaps in some cases people
treating pastors abusively etc. We could go on,
but we certainly have our dirty laundry which is
in many ways hard to face, and which in many
regards should not be our focus
David Merck unpublished
notes Modern Church History-Module Six , p. 342
Pastor Stu David, take a Chronicles view
3
2. Reformed Baptists Churches (movement?) is/are
so very small
74,000 Baptist Churches
350 RB chs

• But we will study because
• It is our history

• It has importance

4
Condition of the Protestant Church in the mid
20th century
1. The Mainline denominations had all but lost
the gospel
2. The largest evangelical denomination (SBC)
could be characterized by atheological
pragmatism and described as programmatic in
its operation
3. Rise of Independent Fundamental Baptists
Decisions, decisions, decisions!

• All efforts by conservatives to reform the NBC
  failed resulting in the
• formation of the GARBC in 1933 and the CBC
  in 1947

5. New phenomena of the city wide crusade
Could you find emphasis on grace anywhere?
5
Rise or Revival of Reformed Theology
1. Writings of A.W. Pink
1918 Sovereignty of God
I. C. Herendeen
The Bible Truth Depot
1922 Studies in Scripture
Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)
2. Ministry of David Martin Lloyd-Jones
D. Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)
Bethlehem Evangelical Church
6
(No Transcript)
7
3. Establishment of the Banner of Truth Trust
1955 First Issue of Banner of Truth magazine

• Formation of The Banner
• of Truth Trust

To republish Reformed literature in this country
Iain H. Murray (1931-
4. Other Christian publishers
Jay Green and Sovereign Grace Publishers
But what about the Baptists?
8
Sovereign Grace Baptists
Influence of Rolfe Barnard

• Parents dedicated him to Jesus

Rolfe P Barnard (1904-1969)

• Hardin Simmons College age 15!

Pres of Infidel club

• School teacher in West Texas

• the battle was fought out God won!

• SWBTS W.T. Conner/sermons of B.H.Carroll

• 1946-1951 PBC

1950 Ashland Kentucky
1954 Sovereign Grace Bible Conference in Ashland
Sovereign Grace Baptist Churches
South, Southwest, Ohio and Michigan
Thoroughly Calvinist in soteriology
Differ from RB in covenant theology, abiding
nature of the Sabbath
Many (most) remain pre-mil in eschatology
Landmark in ecclesiology
No direct link from Sovereign Grace Baptists to
present day Reformed Baptist
9
First distinctly Reformed Baptist Church Grace
Baptist, Carlisle, PA

• Converted 1942

• Returned to Carlisle began lay ministry

• 1951 Grace Chapel founded

• Walter Chantry enters Dickenson College 1956

Ernie Reisinger (1919-2004)
A carpenter who has been my spiritual father and
principle teacher in the faith

• 1959 adopted 1689 Confession of Faith

• 1963 Walt becomes interim the full time pastor

• 1966 sponsored first Pastors Conference

Carlisles contributions

• Passion to plant other churches

• Home of Banner of Truth US office

• Began Reformed Baptist Family Conference 1970

Pine Brook Harvey Cedars Massanetta Springs
Eagle Eyrie Lycoming College, Williamsport
Tuscarora Inn, Mt. Bethel, PA
Ernie with Walt Chantry Ca. 1996

• Reformed Baptist Association - 1969

• Reformed Baptist Mission Service - 1985

10
24 chs in 1997 Ca. 75 today
Other churches in the NE in the 1960s 1970s

• Paradise, PA Charles Barnhart
• Grace Fellowship, Hazelton, PA Tedd Trip
• Grace Baptist, Chambersburg, PA,
• Faith RB, Media Wayne Mack/Bruce Ray
• John Reisinger-Rochester/Webster Bill Franklin

Trinity Baptist Church Montville, NJ
11
Albert N. Martin
Greatest influence

• Trinity Pulpit tape ministry

• Pastor Martins conference ministry

• Trinity Ministerial Academy - 1977

• Trinity Pastors Conference - 1985

As a word of summary at this point, it is
generally recognized that Walt Chantry has had a
profound influence among and beyond Reformed
Baptists especially through his writing, while Al
Martin has had his most profound influence
through his preaching - not only through tapes of
messages, but at many conferences and speaking
engagements as well. Merck, pg 387
12
How about the rest of America?
Reformed Baptist Churches are located in almost
all 50 states
360 congregations listed on Johnny Fareses web
site
http//www.farese.com/
Rise of Calvinism in other movements
The Southern Baptist Conference on the Faith of
our Founders Memphis, July 1983
Our purpose is to encourage pastors, students and
church leaders to recover the gospel of God's
grace and work for the spiritual health and
reformation of local churches. Our abiding
concerns We desire to be orthodox without
being obnoxious. We want to be confessional,
yet contemporary. We are Southern Baptist,
though not sectarian. Our goal is to be
doctrinally and devotionally balanced.
Ernest Reisinger and distribution of Boyces
Abstracts of Theology
13
Rise of NEW CALVINISM in many evangelical
denominations
Collin Hansen Young, Restless, Reformed
the grass withers, the flower fades, but the
Word of our God endures forever!