The Fortune of Texas Baptists

rlvaughn · Nov 9, 2016

Here are a few links to historical articles, too many and some too long to post in full here:

The Fortune of Texas Baptists: Arguing the Atonement

Multiplying by Dividing: Southern Baptist Mid-life Crisis

An earlier "first" Baptist hymn book?

Exhibit 1, Organ burned

Exhibit 2, Organ drowned

Two Important Southern Hymn Books: Mercer’s and Lloyd’s

rsr · Nov 11, 2016

Fascinating stuff. On the organ controversy, I would offer the testimony of Francis Wayland:

To us, worship, either in public or private, is the offering up to God of holy and devout affections. Hence we believe that no one can be a minister of the sanctuary, unless he be a devout and regenerate man. Hence we believe that to sing the praises of God without really lifting up the heart to him, is in no sense Christian worship, and is, in fact, no acceptable service. Hence our belief always has been that singing is a part of worship which belongs, in a peculiar manner, to the disciples of the Saviour. In this service they, with one voice, utter the confessions of penitence, the triumphs of faith, the confidence of hope, and bow down together with one feeling of holy adoration. Hence our singing was a service of the church, in which others united with them only in so far as they could sympathize with them in the sentiments which they uttered. These are, if I mistake not, our beliefs on this subject, and to it our practice, until lately, conformed. A member of the church selected the tunes, led the singing, and the whole church, and the devout portion of the congregation, united with him in this part of religious worship. Their design was to make melody in their hearts to the Lord.

For these reasons, Baptists formerly were universally opposed to the introduction of musical instruments into the house of God. They asked, How can senseless things speak the praises of God? In this, they may or may not have erred. I do not deny that something of this sort may be useful to harmonize the voices of a congregation. I leave the decision of this question to the judgment of others, yet I can not but remark, in passing, that I have rarely met a Christian person who did not prefer the singing in a vestry-room below, where nothing was heard but the voices of the congregation, to the music of the choir, aided by the organ in the meeting-house above. Hence the singing in Baptist churches was formerly what is now denominated congregational. We had neither choirs nor organs. Nothing but the voices of worshipers wa-s heard in hymning the praises of God, and in this service every devout worshiper was expected to unite. I do not pretend that in this singing there was any artistic excellence. This is never needed in popular music, or that music which is intended to move a multitude of people. All national airs are simple, and they strike upon those chords which vibrate equally in the bosom of the common man and the amateur. When you hear a thousand Englishmen unite in the chorus of " Rule Britannia," or as many Americans join in singing "Hail Columbia," you forget every thing about chords and discords, but you are deeply moved by the common feeling, and can hardly refrain from leaping and shouting from deep emotion. So in religious music. The tunes employed were perfectly adapted to religious sentiment, and blended the whole audience in one consciousness of solemn worship. [/quote\
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Squire Robertsson · Nov 11, 2016

For more on Francis Wayland's thinking this is a link to his Notes on the Principles and Practices of Baptist Churches. Published in book form in 1859, it is a seminal work on historical (pre-modernist) Northern Baptist thinking.

JPPT1974 · Nov 21, 2016

Thanks Squire as really need to go on it. Sounds interesting!

Squire Robertsson · Nov 22, 2016

Dr. Wayland was one of the seminal figures in the beginning of the Northern Baptist movement. His section on why Baptist churches can not be represented is a reason why many of us do not look at the SBC as an option.

rlvaughn · Nov 22, 2016

rsr, thanks for the Wayland quote, and Squire, thanks for the Wayland link.

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