Primitive Baptists – also known as Hard Shell Baptists, Foot Washing Baptists or Old School Baptists – are conservative

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

adhering to a degree of Calvinist beliefs who coalesced out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 19th century over the appropriateness of mission boards, tract societies, and

temperance societies The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, a ...

. The adjective "primitive" in the name is used in the sense of "original".

History

The controversy over whether churches or their members should participate in mission boards, Bible tract societies, and temperance societies led the Primitive Baptists to separate from other general Baptist groups that supported such organizations, and to make declarations of opposition to such organizations in articles like the ''Kehukee Association Declaration of 1827''. The

Kehukee Primitive Baptist Church Kehukee Primitive Baptist Church is a historic Primitive Baptist church located near Scotland Neck, Halifax County, North Carolina. It was built about 1742, and is a simple gable-front frame structure sheathed in weatherboard. A Gothic Reviv ...

released a proclamation that they rejected formal service institutions outside of

the church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

. The declaration proposed that

"Upon examination, it was found that most of the churches had given their opinions; and after an interchange of sentiments among the members of this body, it was agreed that we discard all
Missionary Societies A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
, Bible Societies and Theological Seminaries, and the practices heretofore resorted to for their support, in begging money from the public; and if any persons should be among us, as agents of any of said societies, we hereafter discountenance them in those practices; and if under a character of a minister of the gospel, we will not invite them into our pulpits; believing these societies and institutions to be the inventions of men, and not warranted from the word of God. We further do unanimously agree that should any of the members of our churches join the fraternity of
Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...
, or, being members, continue to visit the lodges and parades, we will not invite them to preach in our pulpits, believing them to be guilty of such practices; and we declare non-fellowship with them and such practices altogether."

The official split between "Old School" and "New School" Baptists occurred during a meeting at the Black Rock Church on September 28, 1832 in Butler, MD. This became known as the Black Rock Address. Primitive Baptist churches arose in the mountainous regions of the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, where they are found in their greatest numbers. African-American Primitive Baptist groups have been considered a unique category of Primitive Baptist. Approximately 50,000 African Americans are affiliated with African-American Primitive Baptist churches as of 2005. Approximately 64,000 people were affiliated (as of 1995) with Primitive Baptist churches in the various other emergences of Primitive Baptists. Since arising in the 19th century, the influence of Primitive Baptists has waned as " Missionary Baptists became the mainstream".

Theological views

Primitive Baptists reject some elements of

Calvin's theology The theology of John Calvin has been influential in both the development of the system of belief now known as Calvinism and in Protestant thought more generally. Publications John Calvin developed his theology in his biblical commentaries as w ...

, such as infant baptism, and avoid the term "Calvinist". They are still Calvinist in the sense of holding strongly to the Five Points of Calvinism and they explicitly reject

Arminianism Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...

. They are also characterized by "intense conservatism". One branch, the Primitive Baptist Universalist church of central

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

, developed their own unique Trinitarian Universalist theology as an extension of the irresistible grace doctrine of Calvinist theology. They were encouraged in this direction by 19th century itinerant Christian universalist preachers of similar theological bent to Hosea Ballou and John Murray.

Distinct practices

Primitive Baptist practices that are distinguishable from those of other Baptists include

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

singing, family integrated worship, and

foot washing Foot washing is the act of cleansing one's feet. Foot washing may also refer to: * Maundy (foot washing), a religious rite involving foot washing observed by various Christian denominations * Wudu Wuḍūʾ ( ar, الوضوء ' ) is the Islamic ...

FEMA - 12138 - Photograph by Mark Wolfe taken on 12-04-2004 in Florida

A cappella singing

Primitive Baptists generally do not play musical instruments as part of their worship services. They believe that all church music should be

because there is no New Testament command to play instruments, but only to sing. Further, they connect musical instruments in the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

with "many forms and customs, many types and shadows, many priests with priestly robes, many sacrifices, festivals, tithings" that they see as having been abolished; "had they been needed in the church Christ would have brought them over". African-American Primitive Baptists may not share the general Primitive Baptist opposition to musical instruments, however.

Family integrated worship

Primitive Baptists reject the idea of

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

, viewing it as unscriptural and interfering with the right of parents to give religious instruction to their children. Instead, children sit with their parents and participate in the church service just like the rest of the congregation.

Informal training of preachers

Primitive Baptists consider theological seminaries to have "no warrant or sanction from the New Testament, nor in the example of Christ and the apostles".

Foot washing

Most Primitive Baptists perform

as a symbol of humility and service among the membership. The sexes are separated during the ritual where one person washes the feet of another. The practice is credited with increasing equality, as opposed to hierarchy, within Primitive Baptist churches.

Notable churches

* Mount Zion Old School Baptist Church – Aldie, Virginia *

Goshen Primitive Baptist Church The Goshen Primitive Baptist Church is a historic Primitive Baptist church in Winchester, Kentucky. The congregation was founded in 1792. Its brick church building was built in c.1850. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places ...

– Winchester, Kentucky *

Primitive Baptist Church of Brookfield The Primitive Baptist Church of Brookfield, also known as the Old School Baptist Meeting House, is located along U.S. Route 6 in New York, US 6 in Slate Hill, New York, Slate Hill, New York (state), New York, United States, a Administrative divis ...

–

Slate Hill, New York Slate Hill is one of the eight hamlets found in the town of Wawayanda, New York. It is home to the Minisink Valley Central School District. Slate Hill is found in Orange County, New York, United States, one of the fastest-growing counties in the ...

Spring Green Primitive Baptist Church Spring Green Primitive Baptist Church is a historic Primitive Baptist Church (building), church located near Hamilton, North Carolina, Hamilton, Martin County, North Carolina. It was built in 1878, and is a front-gable, frame building with Greek ...

– Hamilton, North Carolina *

Smithwick's Creek Primitive Baptist Church Smithwick's Creek Primitive Baptist Church is a historic Primitive Baptist church located near Farm Life, Martin County, North Carolina. It was built about 1897, and is a front-gable, unadorned frame building. The building measures 44 feet, 4 i ...

– Martin County, North Carolina * Garden City Primitive Baptist Church -

Garden City, Georgia Garden City is a city in Chatham County, Georgia, United States, located just northwest of Savannah. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,289. Part industrial and part residential, the city is home to much of the heavy industry ...

* Westboro Baptist Church - Topeka, Kansas

References

External links