The Baptist Struggle for Religious Freedom in America

7/30/2019 The Baptist Struggle for Religious Freedom in America

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THE BAPTISTSTRUGGLEFOR

RELIGIOUSFREEDOMIN AMERICA


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MASSACHUSETTS

Congregationalism the established church,supported by public taxationsome Baptistsrefused to pay these taxes on grounds that noone should be forced to support someone

elses churchsome Baptists who refused topay had their property sold for tax costs

1728Exemption Act passed by Mass. GeneralCourtexempted Baptists and Quakers fromchurch tax if they supported a church of their

own within 5 miles of where they livedlawreferred to Baptists as Anabaptists


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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)

1728 exemption expired in 1733renewed with

some difficulty in 1747amended in 1753 to

require testimony of 3 other Anabaptist

churches to certify that a church had good

denominational standing (sometimes difficult inlight of Regular/Separate controversies)

1757new law that exempted only Baptists

whose names were on a list by July 20, 1757

list had to be certified by 3 principal members ofAnabaptist church to which they belonged


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Isaac Backus (1724-1806):

born in CT into strong Puritan familyconverted as

teenager during 1st Great Awakening (1741)

ordained in Separate Congregational Church in

Middleborough, MA, in 1748accepted believersbaptism and was immersed in 1751tried for a time

to lead a mixed churchorganized Separate

Baptist congregation in Middleborough in 1756in

addition to pastoral duties, he itinerated widely

(during his career, he travelled over 67,000 milesand delivered almost 10,000 sermons)

Backus involved in establishment of Warren Assoc.

in 1767


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BACKUS


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Backus (cont.)

1769Warren Assoc. organized a Grievance

Committee to aid in fight for religious liberty

1772Mass. General Court granted Baptists a new

exemption from church tax if they providedauthorities with certificates affirming their good

standing as BaptistsBackus became head of

Warren Assoc. Grievance Comm., functioning as a

special agent to promote the cause of religious

freedomhe opposed the whole certificate systemas taxation without representation and argued

that freedom of conscience was a natural right


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Backus (cont.) 1773he wrote An Appeal to the Publ ic for

Rel ig ious Liberty against the Oppression of the

Present Dayin part, he wanted to persuadecautious fellow Baptists to follow a policy ofnoncompliance with the exemption system (heurged them not to turn in exemption certificates, anact of civil disobedience)he argued for religiousfreedom and the separation of church & state

1774Backus sought to persuade Samuel Adams

to adopt a consistent policy of separation of church& state in MA, comparing church taxes that Baptistspaid with taxes colonists paid to Great Britain


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Backus (cont.)

Backus also went to the meeting of the 1st

Continental Congress in 1774 to press Baptist

claims for religious libertyhe enlisted supporters

in the Phila. Assoc.a preliminary meeting washeld with MA delegates to the Congressmany

delegates tried to dismiss the Baptist chares as

unwarranted or initiated by fanaticsafter 4 hours

of debate, the MA delegates agreed to do what they

could for the relief of Baptists, although JohnAdams warned that changing the solar system

might be easier than getting MA to give up her

establishmentthere were no immediate results


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Backus (cont.)

He continued to fight for the cause of religious

liberty in MA and for the ratification of the new U.S.

Constitution and the Bill of Rightsthere was some

progress in MA but full disestablishment did notcome until 1833


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VIRGINIA

persecution in 18th century generally restricted

to Separate Baptists who refused to comply

with a provision of the 1689 Act of Toleration

that required dissenting ministers to obtain a

license to preach in various localitiesSeparates also known to attack Episcopal

clergy as unscriptural and worldlystate

church was threatened by this and by the

growth rate of Separates, so they subjectedthem to fines and imprisonments for either

disturbing the peace or violating restrictions

placed on itinerants (e.g., preaching w/o a

license)


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VIRGINIA (CONT.)

1765Samuel Harris driven out of Culpeper Co.

by a mob armed with sticks, whips, and clubs

in Orange Co. he was pulled from a platform

and dragged around, first by his hair and then

by a leg

1771John Waller and his colleagues were

beaten in Caroline Co. by the sheriff, an

Episcopal parson, and othersWaller and

friends were imprisoned, where they preachedfrom the windows of their cells

1765-78Virginia jailed over 45 Baptist

ministersgot worse in early 1780s


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VIRGINIA (CONT.)

1770sBaptists and other groups petitioned VA

House of Burgesses for relief from harassment

and restrictions placed upon themlittle

progress

John Leland (1754-1841):

Leland was to the cause of religious liberty in VA

what Backus was in MA

Leland maintained a friendship with Thomas

Jefferson (at times Jefferson worshiped in Lelandschurch)politically Leland was a Jeffersonian

Republican, supporting limited govt. and freedom

of conscience)


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LELAND INSCRIPTION


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DITTO


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VIRGINIA (CONT.)

Leland (cont.)

Leland and Jefferson helped to shape a Baptist-

Deist alliance for the cause of religious freedom

1779Jefferson introduced a Bill for Religious

Freedom in VA Assemblyit did not pass but a doorwas opened and the tide was beginning to turn

1784Baptists organized a General Committee to

set forth grievances and eliminate religious

discriminationLeland a key comm. memberin

1784 they gained a concession allowing dissentingclergymen the right to perform marriage ceremonies


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VIRGINIA (CONT.)

Leland (cont.)

1785Jeffersons Bill for Religious Freedom

passed the VA AssemblyJames Madison a key

supporterBaptists, Presbyterians, Catholics,

Quakers, and Mennonites all worked for its passage 1787end of established Episcopal Church in VA

with repeal of the Act of Incorporation, which had

given Episcopal Church special legal standing in

1784 (at that time Episcopal Church in America was

in process of becoming institutionally separate fromChurch of England)


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VIRGINIA (CONT.)

Leland (cont.)

Leland, like Backus, lobbied hard for the Bill of

Rights to be added to U.S. Constitutionhe would

not support Madisons candidacy to be a delegate

to VAs ratifying convention until he receivedassurances that Madison would work for a Bill of

Rights in the 1st Congressfirst 10 amendments

ratified in 1791 (1st Amendment relevant for church-

state relationships with establishment and free

exercise clauses) 1792Leland moved back to MA and itinerated for

next 50 years, including return trips to VAhe also

served in MA House of Representatives from 1811-

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Documents

The Baptist Struggle for Religious Freedom in America