This paper is based on information from General Baptist History by D. B Montgomery and Ch 2 of Meet the General Baptists by Edwin Runyon. Runyon, in discussing General Atonement, confines his historical analysis mostly to the development of the General Baptists in America after 1800. Montgomery begins with its precursors in England under John Smyth and Thomas Helwyss.
The main driving issue that historically distinguished General Baptists from particular Baptists is the emergence of Calvinism in general, and of the doctrine of limited atonement in particular. Calvinists begin with a wooden conception of predestination that denies the role of freewill and human response – turning repentance into theater. It is based on a flawed understanding of the sovereignty of God that requires free will to be annihilated, creating the ironic situation of actually downgrading the sovereignty of God. God is, in fact, big enough to rule as He will and yet allow and even embed freewill into the world that allows genuine human freedom and responsibility without compromising God’s sovereignty. From this faulty view of Sovereignty came limited atonement – the idea that Christ died only to save the elect. Limited atonement runs counter to many Scriptures, including John 3:16-20. I want to briefly show the absurdity of the doctrine of limited atonement.
Here’s an English translation of the passage as it exists
John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (18) “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (21) But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
This is the same passage if “world” is replaced with “the elect”
John 3:16-21 For God so loved the elect that He gave His only begotten Son, that the elect who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the elect to condemn the elect, but that the elect through Him might be saved. (18) “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Verses 19-20 don’t fit Calvinism at all, but would have been written much differently. The elect is defined in John 3:16-20 here as “Whosoever will,” which allows for free will, human responsibility, and the immanent influence of the Holy Spirit working in space-time history. While the lord know those who are being saved ad His eternal decree sets up our space-time, He does not hard code at the beginning who will be saved, but leaves room for free will and prevenient grace to operate in history. Verses 19-20 indict human hardness of heart rather than non-election as the explanation on why some do not answer God’s call.
(19) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (21) But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
The absurdity should be quite evident. It was evident to godly men at the time it was introduced by Calvin and then promoted by his chief student Theodor Beza, who was even more hard core than Calvin. Calvinism was not the view of the early Church but an innovation the sixteenth century based on human reasoning that made sense at the time. Like all false doctrinal systems it would take a kernel of truth out of context, interpret it in light of the system, and superimpose the system to force the rest of Scripture to fit the false paradigm. The early Church did not subscribe to anything resembling Calvinism.When Calvin and Beza introduced their novelty, there was pushback. one notable source of this early pushback was from Jacobus Arminius, from whom Arminianism came. General Baptist are typically Arminian in their theology.
The origins of the General Baptist movement can be traced to The origins of the movement to protest the excesses of the Church of England. The Church of England turned Protestant in a most usual way. The Church of England was not birthed from some lofty doctrinal dispute but from carnal impulses. King Henry 8 pulled the Church of England out of the Catholic Church when they would not annul his marriage so he could pursue another wife. King Henry 8 declared the Church Protestant and the King the head of the Church. both the King’s lust and his un-scriptural mingling of the offices of church and state created all sorts of problems in the church.
These problems drove movements for reform. Two major reform movements emerged. One group, the Puritans, initially wanted to reform the Church of England. The other group was the Brownists, named for Robert Brown. The Brownists insisted on separation from the Church of England. Their points were the rejection of the King as Head of the Church, the rejection of broadly episcopal government to congregational autonomy, and religious freedom and tolerance. From the Brownists movement emerged the various flavors of Baptists around the world.
One issue that divided early Baptists was Calvinism in general and the scope of the atonement in particular. Calvinists hold to limited atonement or particular atonement – the idea that Christ died only for the elect. Arminians hold to unlimited atonement – that Christ died for the sins of the world. The Calvinist Baptists are sometimes called particular Baptists, after particular or limited atonement. The Arminian Baptist would be called General Baptists, after general or unlimited atonement.
The General Baptist movement started in England. From 1605- 1609, John Smyth and Thomas Helwys established the foundational elements if what would become the General Baptist. Smyth died in 1612. Helwys established the first General Baptist Church in 1614 in Coventry.
The first General Baptist congregation in the United States was organized by Roger Williams in 1637. This is the same Roger Williams who established Rhode Island as a haven for religious liberty. His work on both spiritual and political fronts shifted the trajectory for the development of religion in America.. From Rhode Island churches spread to New York, Virginia and the Carolinas – and eventually Kentucky.
The Rise of the Liberty Association.
The progression of of General Baptists Churches in the West began with the story of Elder Benoni Stinson. Stinson was born October 11, 1798 in North Carolina. As a child he moved to Wayne County, Kentucky. He would end up moving to Vandenburg County, Indiana. Stinson was a part of the United Baptists, who sought unity between the less rigid Calvinists and Arminians. while in Kentucky he was in an environment tolerant to his Arminian perspective, all that changed when he moved to Indiana. He left the United Baptists after moving to Indiana because the United Baptist there were dominated by rigid Calvinists. He founded Liberty Church. Stinson was known as an eloquent and well-reasoned preacher who not only reached crowds but equipped both individuals and churches for ministry per Ephesians 4:11-16. Liberty Church was formed against the backdrop of the great revivals of the early 19th century which included the Kentucky Revival. Out of the revivals Stinson preached emerged the Liberty Association
The Liberty Association of General Baptists was organized in August of 1824. It was composed of four churches. Liberty Church, Union Church, Black River Church, and Providence Church. Elder Benoni Stinson was pastor of Liberty Church, which had 74 members. Union Church has 72 members, of which Elder Berry Dunn was a delegate. Black River Church had 29 members. Providence Church, where elder Jesse Lane was ordained. From this beginning the General Baptist grew in number and organization. There are now multiple associations of General Baptists united under the General Association of General Baptists.