Dear David:
There are
several items here for explanation:
1. The Campbells were never at any
time received as members by a Baptist Church. They were immersed in June of
1812 by a Baptist preacher, Matthias Luce, but it was done privately or
independently from any church, and they did not become members of a Baptist
church at that time nor later. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Vol. 1, pages
396-398.
2. In May of 1811, months previous to their immersion by
Luce, the Campbells -- still pedobaptists at the time -- and some of their
followers had formed an independent congregation at Brush Rush. Memoirs of
Alexander Campbell, Vol. 1, pages 365-369.
3. The Brush Run congregation
applied for and despite some opposition was given affiliation with the Redstone
Baptist Association in 1813. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Vol. 1, pages 391,
438-441.
4. Alexander preached what was considered an unorthodox "Sermon
on the Law" at an annual Associational meeting in 1816, further contributing to
the growing dissatisfaction with Campbell; a move arose among many of the
Redstone Association ministers to expel Alexander from the Association. But he
eluded the scheme by purposefully being dismissed by the Brush Run church, along
with a few other members, in order to form a second independent church located
at Wellsburg. By this action he was no longer under the Redstone Association's
disciplinary power and he thereby frustrated their plan to expel him. Memoirs of
Alexander Campbell, Vol. 1, pages 471; Vol. 2, pages 69, 70.
5. The ONLY
immersion Campbell ever received was the immersion by Luce in 1812. At that
time, he did not hold to the theory later adopted in the 1823-1827 period as to
the "purpose of baptism." Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Vol. 2, pages 208-220.
So he was NEVER baptized in accordance with the later emphasis of the movement
on the purpose of baptism.
6. The Campbell movement does not hold to
what is usually called "baptismal regeneration." They do believe in the
necessity of baptism as one of the "acts of obedience" which completes what they
consider to be the "Gospel plan of salvation," but they do not believe that
baptism regenerates nor do they believe what is generally understood by Baptists
by the terms "new birth" or "regeneration."
They do not hold that there
is an inner renewing work by the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the Gospel or
Word of God; rather, they believe in the "Word alone" theory, and that one's
initial obedience to the Word and his continuance in obedience throughout his
life are contingent "conditions" to ultimate salvation. They do not regard any
one as eternally "saved" in this life -- with obedience being a consequence of
salvation -- but they teach that one may lose his temporary "salvation" if he
becomes disobedient.
All of this information is available in my
books on Campbellism, as well as on the Internet.
See the Memoirs of
Alexander Campbell at the following URL:
>http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/rrichardson/mac/MAC100A.HTM<
--
Bob L. Ross
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