Feet washing in Baptist Periodicals

In 2008 I published my book Materials Toward a History of Feet Washing among the Baptists, consisting of Historical References to the Practice among the Missionary Baptists, including miscellaneous notes on other groups.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.

Mt. Zion Baptist Association minutes, 1870, p. 3

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.

The Tennessee Baptist, Memphis, Tennessee (1867-1870).

• “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)

Apparently J. R. Graves tired of the discussion of feet washing and stopped printing articles about it in 1869, when “the discussion became stale and heavy, and we closed it out” (cf. Tennessee Baptist, May 5, 1882, p. 8). “We request that no more articles be sent us on this subject, as it has been fairly and fully discussed in our columns. With the articles in hand, that will appear in our next, the discussion closes, for this year, at least” (Tennessee Baptist, October 2, 1869, p. 4) Nevertheless, in the 1880s (cf. Tennessee Baptist, August 25, 1882, p. 7), when Graves disagreed with J. B. Gambrell (now a “rival” editor) on something, he referred to Gambrell as the “champion advocate of feet-washing in the Southwest,” and the like (“in Mississippi,” “as a church ordinance”).

The Baptist Chronicle, Ruston, Louisiana (1895-1912).

• “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)

What’s on Archive and Google

On Archive.Org:

Alexander Campbell and His New Version by Cecil K. Thomas (St. Louis, MO: The Bethany Press, 1958)

This is an extended treatment of a Bible version created by Restoration movement leader Alexander Campbell. It is a generally favorable treatment that seems to find it more important than it was. It also has a bit of feel of promoting the Revised Standard Version. Thomas writes about “the striking way in which Alexander Campbell anticipated, by some one hundred twenty-five years, many of the most striking features of the Revised Standard Version” (p. 10). It appears a few years after the RSV. The “Introduction” was written by Luther A. Weigle, the chair of the RSV translation committee. He writes that “there is so large a degree of likeness between Campell’s translation and the Revised Standard Version of our own day” (p. 13).

Speaking of Alexander Campbell, Google Books has Volume 1, 1830, of his periodical The Millennial Harbinger (as well as some other volumes).