Old Regular Baptists - History

History

Most Regular Baptists merged with the Separate Baptists near the beginning of 19th century. The party names were dropped in favor of United Baptists. The use of the name Regular has persisted among some Baptist groups, particularly among primitive sects that reject modern methods, including missionary and educational auxiliaries for the churches. Most Old Regular Baptists can be traced back to the New Salem Association of United Baptists which originated in eastern Kentucky in 1825. The name was changed to Regular United in 1854, to Regular Primitive in 1870, to Regular Baptist in 1871 and then in 1892 to Old Regular. The minutes of New Salem Association in 1892 indicate that they feared the extremism of some predestinarians, which taught that God is the author of sin. Those associations and churches that do not trace their lineage through the New Salem (such as Mountain, Mud River, Twin Creek and others, along with some churches that are in the larger associations) may have originated in the North District Association; or else like the Mud River churches originated from the Particular Baptist. Yet others have left Primitive Baptist and United Baptist Associations and found a home among the Old Regular Baptist. The word old was added to Regular Baptist soon after many Regular Baptist had joined and or began to correspond with mission boards. This was done to distinguish the Old (or original) Regular Baptist from the New School Baptist that had emerged throughout the United States.

Old Regular Baptists have had several divisions through the years. In the 1960s, a debate started over when eternal life began. Many Old Regular Baptist hold the same views as the Primitive Baptist. Some historians consider the Old Regular Baptist a branch of the Primitive Baptist that held to a stricter order but more liberal in doctrine, allowing for different views on the atonement. While the doctrine of some Old Regular Baptist would be in harmony with the majority of Primitive Baptist today, others among the Regulars hold to a more modified Calvinism, this difference led to the light-is-life split that took place in the Union Association. This division soon spread to other associations brought on by requests sent to them from the Union Association, resulting in the isolation of the Mud River Association and the formation of the Bethel Association. Other associations like the New Salem chose not to divide over this issue. Often churches and associations and even elders are distinguished by which side of this debate they are on. Those that hold to the doctrine that an individual is first begotten or quickened into life at the start of their travail are called the "hard shell side" of Old Regular Baptist, or the Old School. This appears to be the original view of the first Regular Baptist in America. Those who hold that life starts at the end of their travail (repentance) are called the "soft shell side". Today there is still debate among the Old Regular Baptist regarding when one receives faith, men and women's dress, the receiving of divorced members, and the doctrinal differences over hope and knowledge. In the 1990s a debate arose in the Northern New Salem over one of its member churches' use of fermented wine in communion (this was the original Regular Baptist custom) vs. grape juice. A query was sent into the association by a sister church against the church that used wine. All evidence shows that the church that sent the query had not taken the proper steps according to Old Regular Baptist decorum. The Association involved itself, failing to send the query back to the church that sent it, and violated its own orders. This led to two member churches breaking fellowship with the Northern New Salem. The two member churches, and one formed later, lettered to the Original Mountain Liberty Association and was found to be orthodox and orderly and were dismissed to form the Sovereign Grace Association in 1997.