The General Association of General Baptists is a group of Baptists holding the doctrine of

general atonement Unlimited atonement (sometimes called general atonement or universal atonement) is a doctrine in Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that is normally associated with Amyraldism (four-point Calvinism), as well as Arminianism and other non-Calvi ...

(that

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

died for all persons), whose membership is located mostly in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. Though theologically similar to the

General Baptist General Baptists are Baptists who hold the ''general'' or unlimited atonement view, the belief that Jesus Christ died for the entire world and not just for the chosen elect. General Baptists are theologically Arminian, which distinguishes them from ...

s in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and early America, this body of General Baptists arose in the Midwestern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the 19th century through the work of Benoni Stinson (1798-1869), a United Baptist minister first in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

and then in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Stinson was ordained in Kentucky in 1821, and evidently was already leaning toward or embracing Arminian theology. Shortly after he moved to Indiana, in 1822 the Wabash District Association decided to divide into two bodies, for convenience sake. Stinson's church would be in the new body, and he labored to have a statement that "the preaching that Christ tasted death for every man shall be no bar to fellowship" would be included in the articles of faith. The next fall, in 1823, the Liberty Baptist Church of

Howell, Indiana Howell is a neighborhood of Evansville, Indiana, United States. History The town of Howell was platted in 1885 along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and was named after Lee Howell, the local L&N freight agent. An L&N rail yard at Howell was ...

was organized with 33 members, and Elder Stinson was called as pastor. Three other churches were soon organized, all in the

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

area. In October 1824, representatives from these four churches came together and organized the ''Liberty Association of General Baptists''. This appears to be the first time the name "General" was officially associated with this movement. A number of ''General Baptist'' local associations were organized from 1824 to 1870. During this period, some attempts were made by the Liberty Association to correspond with the northern

Free Will Baptists Free Will Baptists are a group of General Baptist denominations of Christianity that teach free grace, free salvation and free will. The movement can be traced back to the 1600s with the development of General Baptism in England. Its formal est ...

, but this appears to have eventually proved unsatisfactory to both parties. In 1870, a convention was called to meet with Harmony Church,

Gallatin County, Illinois Gallatin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,828, making it the third-least populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Shawneetown. It is located in the southern ...

, with the idea of organizing a general association comprising all the annual General Baptist associations. Delegates from Liberty, Mt. Olivet and Ohio associations gathered and formed the ''General Association of General Baptists''. This body has grown and developed until it now embraces about 60 associations, 816 churches and more than 73,000 members. The denominational headquarters are located in

Poplar Bluff, Missouri Poplar Bluff is a medium city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 census. The Poplar B ...

, where they operate Stinson Press. The official denominational publication is ''The General Baptist Messenger''. The General Association oversees publication of Sunday School literature, a home mission board, a foreign mission board, and the

Oakland City University Oakland City University (OCU) is a private university affiliated with the General Baptist Church and located in Oakland City, Indiana Oakland City is the third-largest city in Gibson County, Indiana, United States, after Princeton and Fort ...

in Oakland City, Indiana. The General Association is a member of the

National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...

and the

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...

References

Sources

*''History of the General Baptists'', by Ollie Latch *''History of the General Baptists'', by T. A. Laslie *''Baptists Around the World'', by Albert W. Wardin, Jr. *''Dictionary of Baptists in America'', Bill J. Leonard, editor

External links

* {{Baptist World Alliance Members Religious organizations established in 1870 Baptist denominations in the United States Arminian denominations Members of the National Association of Evangelicals