ABOUT

I am pastor of Old Prospect, a Baptist Church that meets near Mt. Enterprise, Texas. My wife and I have two adult children and two grandchildren. I was ordained to the ministry in 1983, am a tent-making minister, and worked in the education industry (now retired). In addition to family, church, and work, I am active in Sacred Harp singing, and also write songs in this style. I have a long-time interest in history and genealogy. I am the former editor of a Baptist newsletter styled The Baptist Waymark and a founding editor of The Trumpet (no longer in publication). To some extent Seeking the Old Paths blog functions as an electronic successor to The Baptist Waymark.

Two important mentors to me were Louis Asher and J. W. Griffith, both of whom were once my pastors. They were historians and seminary professors who had much to do with nurturing my predisposition toward things historical. Though I rejected the seminary path as outside the pale of New Testament orthopraxy, I hold them in very high esteem as men, preachers, teachers, and historians. Above all in the flesh, I honor my father as the great influence in my life.

PUBLICATIONS
• “The Noted Singer and Music Instructor”: A. N. Whitten and the Harp of Ages, 2020
• Angus McAllister Stewart: “Man of God, Friend of All Mankind,” and the Founding Father of the Free Will Baptist Church in Texas, 2017
• Songs Before Unknown: a Companion to The Sacred Harp, Revised Cooper Edition 2012, 2015
• Thaptology: Toward a Christian Theology of the Disposition of the Dead, 2015
• History of the Old Prospect Baptist Church, Sand Flat, Rusk Co, Texas, 2014
• Rethinkin’ Our Thinkin’: Thoughts on Sacred Harp ‘Myths’, 2013
• A Sheaf of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 2009
• A History of Smyrna Baptist Church 1873-2008, (with J. W. Griffith) 2009
• A Better Paradigm for the Study of Baptist History? (with Nathan Finn, Mark Osgatharp) 2009
• Materials Toward a History of Feet Washing among the Baptists, 2008
• Minutes of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Rusk County, Texas: Oct 1868–Nov 1871, 2006
• Approaching 150: a Brief History of the East Texas Musical Convention, 2005
• Unaffiliated Landmark Baptist Churches Survey: a Listing of Unaffiliated Independent Landmark Baptist Churches, 2001
• American Baptist Association: a Survey and Census of its Churches and Associations, 2001

MEMBERSHIPS

• Georgia Baptist Historical Society (now defunct)
• J. H. Spencer Historical Society
• Texas Baptist Historical Society
• (lapsed member of the) Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies

CONTACT
rl_vaughn -AT- yahoo.com

PURPOSE
The purpose of this blog is glorify Jesus Christ while posting thoughts about things that interest me. The main themes of the blog, based on my interests, will be the Bible and Baptists, songs, hymns, and history. Announcements, current events, and such like will creep in from time to time.

VERY BRIEF DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
Foundational truths
All fundamental doctrines grow from two foundational truths – that God is and that He has revealed Himself in the sixty-six books we call the Holy Bible. God is. The Bible is inspired.

Fundamental doctrines

• All things were created by and exist by God, who reveals Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• The work of God in the world through Jesus Christ is the central truth of the Bible.
• Salvation is a need of man and a work of God.
• The gospel is how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
• The gospel is to be preached throughout the world.
• The Son of God was born into this world of a virgin, lived sinlessly in the flesh, died on the cross and rose from the grave. He has promised to return again.

No rights reserved. All content on this website (except that owned by a third-party) is public domain.

(If you wish to know more about my doctrinal statement or other matters, please contact me by e-mail.)