OTD in 1768 the sheriff of Spotsylvania County, VA seized Baptist preachers John Waller, Lewis Craig, James Childs, James Reed & William Mash & charged them with disturbing the peace for preaching without a license from the Anglican church. They were kept in prison for 43 days.
June 1970: Criswell Challenges: Hold Fast to Doctrine and Mission
"Our world-wide mission program holds us together like cables of steel. We may differ over many things, but we are one in this; the desire to see men brought to Christ throughout the nations of the globe."
May 31 1973 Centerville, Alabama: A devastating tornado slammed into Brent Baptist Church Sunday evening just minutes before the worship service was to begin. One man lost his life, more than 100 others were saved due to the quick actions of the church's leaders.
SBC entity heads are proven leaders that messengers trust. Over they years they have occasionally engaged directly from the floor of the Convention, but it's far from routine.
But when they have, it is usually in consequential matters and end up shaping the SBC for years. 🧵
Dr Al Mohler recently announced his intention to propose an amendment to SBC governing documents regarding women pastors. He will also call for a suspension of the rules to accomplish this quickly. Here are a few instances of when the SBC suspended their rules and why. 🧵
"It got so bad I went over to the pastor and told him if he didn't leave my wife alone with all that Bible and Baptist stuff, I would kill him." May 24, 1974 BP reported on a shrimper with a boat named Ninevah who was a "Fisher of Men" for Jesus after his wife got saved.
OTD in 1882 IT Tichenor was elected President of the Home Mission Board @NAMB_SBC Tichenor was serving as the President of Auburn University and had previously served as a pastor. He served at the HMB from 1882-1899
This year at SBC Annual Meeting we will elect a new Recording Secretary. But what does that person do and how did it become the role it is? I wrote about it's origins and current duties. https://t.co/eEniHuE92A
Formed on this day in 1814, the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society seal showed an ox standing between an altar and a plow, with the words "ready for either." It stood as a picture of the Baptist missionaries and their submission to God's will, ready for sacrifice or service
May 20, 1775 George Liele becomes the first ordained African American Baptist preacher in America. After his ordination, he planted the first African American Baptist Church in North America, a church still in existence today. Read more about his work @ https://t.co/NU4JRp2ROG
OTD in 1920 GW Truett spoke at the US Capitol in support of religious liberty.
“Every state church on the earth is a spiritual tyranny. And just as long as there is left upon this earth any state church, in any land, the task of Baptists will that long remain unfinished."
“The notion of a Christian commonwealth, should be exploded forever." // OTD in 1754 John Leland was born in MA. The early Baptist leader was an outspoken abolitionist and early advocate for religious liberty. read more @ https://t.co/hb3AWIXRxP
OTD in 1925 EY Mullins and committee presented to the SBC the Baptist Faith and Message. It was approved a by a vote of 2,259-218. https://t.co/TnYLC5OSh5 Last year was the 100th Anniversary of first SBC statement of faith.
Today (May 13th) in 1925, messengers @SBCMeeting approved the formation of the Cooperative Program. @SBCCP Learn more by reading the Committee report from the SBC Annual, starting on page 25 https://t.co/kZ2SkC0KLL
OTD in 1943 the Home Mission Board @NAMB_SBC celebrated being debt free for the first time in over 25 years. This was in part thanks to the @SBCCP and leadership of Dr JB Lawrence, shown below with Courts Redford his successor. Photo SBHLA
On May 12, 1792, William Carey published "An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians, to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens." Carey, urged by his friends to publish his pamphlet, set forth the evangelical Calvinism and missional hope of the Particular Baptists.
On May 10 1845, at the first @SBCMeeting, the convention adopted their new constitution unanimously, for the purpose of "organizing a plan for eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the whole denomination in one sacred effort, for the propagation of the Gospel."