In 2008 I published my book Materials Toward a History of Feet Washing among the Baptists, consisting of Historical References to the Practice among the Missionary Baptists, including miscellaneous notes on other groups. Over the years I have continued to pursue this interesting subject, with hopes of one day revising the book and adding much more material that I have found since then. Most recently I made a connection I had not noticed. The old association I grew up in, Mt. Zion, was discussing feet washing circa 1867-1870. At this same time, there were debates on the subject printed in The Tennessee Baptist, edited by J. R. Graves.
Articles on feet washing in The Texas Baptist, The Tennessee Baptist, and The Baptist Chronicle. The Texas Baptist is freely accessible online. Unfortunately you will need a subscription to see The Tennessee Baptist and The Baptist Chronicle (or will have to find access to them another way).
The Texas Baptist, Anderson, Texas (1857-1861).
- “Washing of Feet,” September 23, 1857, p. 2, “Montgomery” (against)
- “Feet Washing,” July 15, 1858, p. 2, Michael Ross (for)
- “Feet Washing,” August 19, 1858, p. 2, Stephen Ray (against)
- “Feet Washing,” September 16, 1858, p. 1, Stephen Ray (against)
- “Did Christ Make ‘Feet Washing’ a Church Ordinance?” August 25, 1859, p. 1, Stephen Ray (against)
- “Feet Washing a Church Ordinance,” October 18, 1860, p. 2, Ira M. Camp (for)
- “Feet Washing,” January 3, 1861, p. 1, Ira M. Camp (for)
- “Queries. Answer No. Four,” April 18, 1861, p. 2, “B” [G. W. Baines] (against)
- “Reply to Brother Camp,” June 14, 1861, “B” [G. W. Baines] (against)
- Title unknown/unreadable, June 14, 1861, Ira M. Camp (for)
Notes: G. W. Baines was editor of The Texas Baptist. Ira M. Camp was in Grimes County, Texas. Stephen Ray (1788-1871) was at Weatherford, Texas at this time, then later at Owensboro, Kentucky when he debated the subject again in The Tennessee Baptist.
- “Did Christ Enjoin Feet Washing as a Church Ordinance?” September 7, 1867, p. 5, Biblius (against)
- “Washing the Saints’ Feet,” February 1, 1868, p. 2, Elihu (for)
- “Prize Essay No. 3.—JOHN XIII. 14.” February 22, 1868, p. 2, Minus (against)
- “Feet Washing,” March 28, 1868, p. 2, J. S. B. (against)
- “Feet-washing,” September 26, 1868, p. 2, Elias George (against)
- “Deliberative Meeting,” October 31, 1868, p. 2, among other subjects, R. A. Coleman and M. H. Neal were appointed to write papers on “Feet-washing”
- “J. B. Gambrell,” March 13, 1869, p. 4 (note from editor to J. B. Gambrell, to publish 8 more articles on feet-washing, four representing each side)
- “Did Christ Design, or Appoint Feet-washing to be Observed as a Church Ordinance?” April 24, 1869, p. 2. Stephen Ray (against)
- “Feet Washing,” July 10, 1869, p. 2, M. H. Neal (for)
- “Feet Washing, Is It of God or Man?” July 24, 1869, p. 1, J. B. G. [J. B. Gambrell] (for)
- “Feet Washing,” July 24, 1869, p. 3, D. B. R. [D. B. Ray] (against)
- “Feet Washing Again,” September 18, 1869, p. 2, Stephen Ray (against)
- “Is Feet Washing of God or Man?” October 2, 1869, p. 2, J. B. Gambrell (for)
- “Feet Washing Again,” October 2, 1869, p. 2, Moses Green (against)
- “Feet Washing,” October 9, 1869, p. 2, M. G. Turner (against)
- “Feet Washing, No. 3,” October 9, 1869, p. 2, D. B. Ray (against)
- “Feet Washing,” October 30, 1869, p. 6, M. H. Neal (for)
- “Union Meeting of 2d Dist. Tippah Association,” September 17, 1870, p. 2 (“Feet-washing—of God, or man” to be discussed at next union meeting)
- “Please Note,” January 3, 1895, p. 2, editorial commentary about book by D. B. Ray on subject
- Programme of Ministers and Deacons Meeting, March 21, 1895, p. 4 (query turned in too late)
- “Feet Washing,” June 13, 1895, p. 1, Unknown, editor? (against)
- No title, July 25, 1895, p. 2, editorial comments (against)
- Third District 5th Sunday Meeting, May 14, 1896, p. 3 (query for discussion)
- “Questions and Answers,” November 5, 1896, p. 4, editor? (against)
- “Jesus Washing Feet,” March 16, 1899, p. 6 (info for ordering tract on the subject)
- “Program,” July 14, 1904, p. 7 (subject for 5th Sunday Meeting discussion)
- “Program,” June 20, 1912, p. 7 (“Is foot-washing a church ordinance” to be discussed at 5th Sunday meeting of Big Creek Association)
2 comments:
Bro. Vaughn,
The results of your research are very interesting. My comments are somewhat tangential to your topic, but related: I have been reading a book about Russian Baptist beliefs 1960-1990 and the relationship of Russian Baptist belief and practice to the Russian Orthodox religion. I was surprised to see how many ordinances some Baptists said there are: often seven (surprisingly enough!). Interestingly enough, although two main actors in Russian Baptists circles said there are seven ordinances, the ordinances they listed were not all the same. Then quite by accident I recently ran across this post and part 2 of it by a man named Ryan Martin (I take exception to many of his positions, but he surely is a brother in Christ): https://immoderate.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/baptists-and-the-ordinances-part-1/. He documents some of the history and definitions of the term "ordinances" among Baptists. Seems the Russian Baptists might have been imitating some other Baptists, perhaps less than they were imitating the Russian Orthodox on this issue.
So far in the book I’m reading, I've seen no interaction with the new-to-me-fact (learned from Ryan Martin) that historically even (1) non-Russian Baptists have variously *defined* the term "ordinance" (and often called ordinances sacraments, something I find ill-advised), and (2) that Baptists have historically countenanced *various numbers* of ordinances.
I recall long ago wondering why I and others in my circles use the word "ordinance" so specifically for the two rites (def. "a religious or other solemn ceremony or act") of baptism and the Lord's supper, when the Bible uses the term "ordinance" so much more broadly. I always thought that term "ordinances" was used imprecisely in Baptist circles.
I've tentatively concluded that if "ordinance" means a command from the Lord, then there are many of them, but if we define "ordinance" as a *rite* commanded by the Lord for the church (which I believe excludes old covenant saints), then there are but the two we 20th-21st century Baptists generally see. In any case, it is surely true that definitions and terminology matter, and imprecision can cause headaches to later generations when later believers try to learn from the past.
I think foot washing in mentioned only once in this Russian Baptist-Russian Orthodox book, and I think it was stated that the Russian Baptists generally did not consider it a "holy ordinance" (their term). I think some did practice it, though. One thing that stood out to me was that Russian Baptists of that time (the 90% in the gov't-approved top-down Baptist Union and the 10% in the very much organized and also top-down, but unregistered, splinter [separatist] union) were very, very hierarchical in their practices. (The 90%/10% numbers come from that author.) I was, frankly, appalled that their doctrines and practices seemed so centrally-dictated and that individual churches seemed (to me) to be branches of the denomination, not really assemblies under the headship of Christ alone. I have never, ever understood this practice among Baptists. I still do not even understand how any past or present Baptists justify hierarchy and even Baptist unions / conventions / fellowships biblically. The Philadephia Baptist Association, The Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions, the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship (now "Foundations…"). But I digress even further.
I've not finished it yet, but the book I'm reading is this: https://langhamliterature.org/books/russian-baptists-and-orthodoxy-1960-1990 (British link), https://www.christianbook.com/baptists-orthodoxy-comparative-theology-liturgy-traditions/constantine-prokhorov/9781783689903/pd/689903 (US link#1), https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Baptists-Orthodoxy-Comparative-Traditions-ebook/dp/B00OD03US2 (US link#2). This book has taught me things I never knew about Russian Baptists (not that I've had much contact with them). I think it’s worth reading.
E. T. Chapman
Thanks, Brother. This has been an historical interest of mine since the 1980s. It is interesting to get some perspective on the Russian point of view in general (ordinances) and in particular (feet washing). I would be interested in what seven ordinances the two different Russian brethren had.
The early Separate Baptists in the U.S. often had up to nine ordinances (but were not consistent in their number from church to church) – baptism, the Lord’s Supper, agape/love feast, laying on of hands, feet washing, anointing of the sick, the right hand of fellowship, the holy kiss, and infant dedication (this was a prayer for & dedication of the child, rather than baptism). The Philadelphia Baptist Confession of 1742 added two articles to the 1689 London Baptist Confession – “Of singing of Psalms” and “Of laying on of hands” and called both of these ordinances. Long-time clerk of the association – Morgan Edwards – outdid them all, compiling a list of eleven ordinances. (And if I recall correctly, listed these differently at different times in his life.) They were, I think: baptism, the Lord’s Supper, laying on of hands, the right hand of fellowship, love feast, feet washing, holy kiss, anointing the sick, collecting for the saints, fasts & feasts, and dedicating of infants.
I think you raise a good point that we have variously defined the term ordinance. When we read different people writing about ordinances, do they really even have the same thing (definition) in mind. It is my sense that in most all cases all Baptists have had a special place or higher regard for the two rites of baptism and the Lord’s supper than for any other thing they might call an ordinance. (One exception to this would be some early Baptists in the U.S. who held that laying on of hands after baptism was a prerequisite for communion, and divided from other churches that did not practice it, or did not make it a prerequisite for communion.) Writing in the early 1900s, Brother George P. Birdwell (who was ordained in the 1860s) said that at one time 38 out of 42 churches in the Mt. Zion Baptist Association practiced feet washing. However, they did not make it a test of fellowship – as can be seen in four churches in the fellowship not observing it. While you can find some associations and churches that say they have three ordinances – baptism, the Lord’s supper, and feet washing – our churches here were usually pretty careful to refer to is as “an example” rather than “an ordinance.”
Post a Comment