The Lord to End All Wars

 

In the summer of 1914, the countries of Europe were drawn into war by a complex set of alliances. Though few of them relished the conflict, they consoled themselves with the rosy idea that it would all be over by Christmas. Once the monster of war is set loose, however, it is rarely satisfied with such a meager meal of blood and lives. Christmas time drew near, but the resolution was still far distant—the armistice would not be signed until November of 1918. By the time the smoke cleared, the total number of military and civilian deaths numbered around 22 million. Two-thirds of these were caused by battle, and another third by the Spanish Flu epidemic, which spread rapidly because of the close conditions of prisoner of war camps, and the economic devastation brought on, across the continent, by the war. The monster was well-sated by the end; everyone stood agape at the demonic evil they’d unleashed upon one another, and so horrified by the scope of it that they called it “The Great War,” or “The War to End All Wars.” One hundred and nine years later, we all know how well that worked out. By the end of each war, we’re left with a sobering lesson about the folly of unleashing it. We tell ourselves that we’ve learned our lesson…and then with the passage of a few years, we go right back at it. If ever we wanted convincing proof of fallen human nature, we need look no farther.

During Advent of 1914, the military forces of both sides had no idea of the atrocities to come. They didn’t have any concept of mustard gas (that horror would be loosed in about four months, at the Second Battle of Ypres), nor did they realize how cheaply their top leaders valued their lives (that was demonstrated the summer and fall of 1917, at Passchendaele, with combined casualties numbering about 495,000). In 1914, they only knew that they’d been hoping to head home by Christmas, and they realized their hopes were likely to be crushed. It is certain that their discouragement grew by the day as they came to accept that they wouldn’t be reunited with their families. The Pope had pled for the leaders of Europe to at least let “the guns fall silent upon the night the angels sang.” But the leaders, in their safe war rooms, weren’t particularly interested. The fighting men huddled, miserable, in their trenches as weeks of rain turned them into muddy sloughs.

Although Kaiser Wilhelm had no intention for his men to call a truce, he did want to encourage them; he had Christmas trees sent directly to the front. On December 23, the German soldiers posted the trees outside their trenches for all to see. And then, it would seem, the Spirit of God intervened, as the Germans began to sing hymns. The words of “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night) drifted across No Man’s Land, and the Allied Soldiers began to join in the singing.  On Christmas Eve, many of the British officers started ordering their men not to fire unless fired upon.

On December 25, 1914, German soldiers climbed out of their trenches, waving their arms to show they didn’t want to fight. British soldiers poured out and joined them, right there in No Man’s Land. They shook hands, had friendly conversations, and sang carols. They even exchanged gifts. Pick-up games of soccer were organized, and they all shared what food they had. Christian services were held to decently bury the bodies of the fallen. As the spirit of peace and brotherhood spread, the Christmas Truce spread to include about 20 miles of a 30-mile front.  Letters home were full of amazement that such a thing could happen between bitter enemies, and my heart swells every time I read the account. I don’t know how any men, raised Christian, could have shrugged off the effects of “Silent Night” in the midst of all that madness. We know that the bulk of the war, and its terrors, lay ahead for them. The sick need humanity has for destruction never seems to fade entirely. But just for this once, men who were killing each other were reminded of the coming of the Prince of Peace to rescue us from our bondage to sin. They just couldn’t keep on shooting each other, at least for that brief space of time.  Senior leaders and officers were angered by this little act of mutiny, and they made sure it never happened again. But, it doesn’t change the fact that it happened that once!

Advent of 2023 begins, and the prospect of peace in this world seems quite dim at the moment. The slaughter in Ukraine has ground on for months, and we have no idea how many more innocents have yet to be killed between Gaza and Israel. Those are the two which capitalize our attention at present, but there are an additional dozen wars going on around the world, as of the most recent report I could find, published in May. The overall picture is just too overwhelming and bleak for the human mind to handle. And honestly, I don’t think it’s good for us to dwell on that reality too much.  The truth is, it’s the same reality that has plagued humanity throughout its history. So long as pride and greed exist in this world, there will be senseless wars, futile loss of life, multitudes slain for the agendas of a few. Jesus told us not to even be surprised at “wars and rumors of wars” right up to the time of His return.

It's impossible to be glib about it, however.  The sheer bulk of evils and wars in this world tears at our hearts. We all know this isn’t the way it should be, even as a race we seem unable to break our addiction to destruction.  It has amounted to a great obstacle for those who are inquiring about the Christian faith, and it sorely tests the faith of many who profess Christ. How deeply we feel the sentiment expressed by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, when those famous lyrics welled up from heart to pen during the American Civil War! We feel and share his anguish every time we sing, “And in despair I bowed my head:/‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said,/‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song/Of peace on earth, good will to men.’”

We have every reason to despair…that is, if we factor in only the chances that we will finally and permanently learn our lessons as a human race.  Jesus told us that the wars and rumors of wars will keep coming.  We’ll never break our addiction to destruction on our own. But, Jesus knew that when He came. It’s why He came—to break our addiction by allowing us to try and destroy Him. The crowds bayed for His crucifixion, and when they got their wish, they jeered and cheered. Crucifying an innocent man, the Holy Son of God, had an effect they did not anticipate, however. That innocent blood came forth with the power to destroy sin, to dig out our hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh full of love for Him and each other.  His atoning death broke forth with the power to tear temple curtains, and to obliterate walls. I mean, by this, the walls between us and Him, and the walls we build between one another. Jesus came to put an end to it…all of it.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16, NKJV)

We love to celebrate the image of a tiny, vulnerable baby, sleeping a heavenly sleep on a peaceful, quiet night.  That image has power to make armies stop slaughtering each other and embrace each other as brothers.  We shouldn’t be mistaken, though: when that little baby was laid in a manger, it was the beginning of an invasion. The Son of God launched a devastating attack on our pride, hate and destruction. In a real way, the war was already won with the Cross.  What makes our hearts weaken is that we’ve yet to see the full outworking of His victory. It is coming, my friends, as inevitably as His return is near at hand.  When He comes, He will put a full and final death to our enmity.  We will study war no more.  Don’t let your hearts fail! Let’s join, with Longfellow, as he planted his flag of faith. He noticed that all the wars still couldn’t keep the church bells from ringing.  He wrote, “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:/’God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;/The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,/With peace on earth, good will to men."

I can’t stop all the senseless wars in this world, nor can you.  We must pray for peace and justice, and if given the chance we should speak up for it.  But we can’t stop it—that’s for the Lord to do, and He will do it.  However, the Lord commanded His Church to occupy, until He comes.  We are a beachhead of His reign of peace in this world. We can’t transform the world, but He fully intends to use us to transform our little corner of it. When those around us collapse in despair at the darkness in the world, our job is to shine Christ’s beacon of hope.  Everywhere we see people choosing hostility, rudeness, incivility, and disrespect.  By simply being Christ’s people in the midst, He can invade our surroundings with grace, humility, kindness and respect.  We often find ourselves in situations where people are primed to choose conflict; we are called to be peacemakers.  When we do, we will be named the children of God.  That makes sense, because His Son came into the world to be our peace.  We, His redeemed children, are called to spread His peace.

As you celebrate Christmas this year, I pray that your hearts aren’t weighed down with despair over the darkness and senseless destruction in our world. If the tableau of the Nativity is nothing but a sentimental picture to us, it has no power—we’ll run up against the contradiction between that picture and all the destruction that continues to rage. But when we realize that the manger was the start of a war that we’re guaranteed to win, that changes things.  So fill your hearts with hope at the coming of the Lord to End All Wars, and join Him in tearing down the walls separating us from God and each other.

God Designed You to Need Rest

Well, Church Family, you did it! September is now behind us, and with it, the festivities in honor of the church’s 150th anniversary. It was a true blessing to take part in your celebration, and to hear so many testimonies to the enduring love of Jesus that has been generously shared between you. You have served and supported each other through trying times, both personally and congregationally—and it’s only right that you also get the chance to rejoice together with the victories that come your way. If 150 years of fellowship and vibrant witness isn’t a victory, I don’t know what is. 

These things didn’t happen on their own—so many people planned and worked for months to bring these things to pass so beautifully. When I think of all the people who have poured themselves into this celebration, I think it entails most of the active members of our church! By God’s grace you all made this happen. But, I have a question for all you hard workers: are you feeling a little tired by now? I wager that the answer is yes, and I’d like to tell you that it is completely natural and proper for you to take some time now to treasure the memories of all you have done. It’s time just to rest a bit.

One of the men I follow on YouTube is Dewayne Noel, who runs the Dry Creek Wrangler School at a ranch in Wyoming. He and his wife, Deanna, teach horsemanship, wrangling and packing to groups of five students each week from April to September. I mostly listen to Mr. Noel for his wise musings on life, permeated by common sense and traditional values. His most recent video, called “Just Rest,” finds him at the end of another successful year. He declares his intention to spend several weeks in Idaho, away from cell phones, schedules, YouTube, and people in general. Make no mistake, he loves his work, and he expresses appreciation for all the people he met over the term. They were all quite helpful, eager learners, and good company.  Though he enjoys meeting people, however, he’s the sort of person who can only recharge his batteries through times of solitude and reflection in between those social seasons. Many of us are like that. It’s possible to spend so much time in the din of society that we might come to feel somewhat like Henry David Thoreau, who wrote, “I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”  At any rate, Mr. Noel ran his battery quite low this year, so he needs a long rest now. He has every intention to continue the work he loves, but the point of his video is that, sometimes, we must rest from what has been exhausting us, even if we love it. Then, when our batteries are recharged, we can return to the work with renewed enthusiasm and joy. That is true for all of us, even when we’re working to serve the Lord.

Today’s culture, though, seems barely tolerant of the real human need for rest. Many companies put such pressure on their employees that they feel scared to ask for a day off or to take a sick day. Their corporate culture pushes them to work overtime and to do work beyond their job description. It’s gotten so bad that simply working agreed-upon hours and fulfilling one’s job description is now labeled “quiet quitting.” The people who are highly-valued these days are always extremely busy. This is one of the great sicknesses of our time, damaging to every dimension of human health. You see, we are not created to be pathologically busy. Our need for rest is baked into the creation itself. God set apart the seventh day for rest, not because He has any need of rest, but because we do. Without a Sabbath-rest, our health begins to fray and unravel. Of course, it’s been decades since society has rationalized its way out of keeping the 4th Commandment. Yes, we worship on Sundays instead of Saturdays now, but the need for a day of rest is still part of our created design. Without it, we work ourselves until our health is degraded. Overload sickens us.

In 1992, Dr. Richard A. Swenson wrote an excellent book for NavPress called Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. A typical medical doctor with an overloaded schedule, his marriage and family just barely hobbled along, until they all traveled together to an island in Grenada for a medical missions trip. The facilities and equipment were primitive, but the doctors did some really good work for the locals notwithstanding. But, the most dramatic healing came to Dr. Swenson and family. They spent large amounts of time eating, talking, exploring, playing and praying together. It was such a transformative experience that, upon returning to the States, he didn’t want life to go back to how it used to be. He cut his medical caseload in half, and moved forward, determined to get more rest and to put his family first. He decided to leave more margin in his life.

Have you and your family ever lived paycheck to paycheck? There’s a good chance you have, and that you will know the stress and ill-health that can cause. Well, we can live paycheck to paycheck physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually, too. We’re just one hardship away from collapse. Just the constant knowledge that we have zero reserves for the unexpected is fearful and exhausting. Overload can ruin our lives.

From his own experience, Dr. Swenson lists the warning signs that we may be experiencing overload. A creeping sense of anxiety begins to stalk us, robbing us of sleep and focus. Our anxiety can bleed over into how we deal with others, so that we become irritable toward the people we care about.  I’m sure this is behind much of the rudeness and “road rage” that we see so much these days.  Alternatively, we may start to withdraw from activities we used to enjoy.  The enjoyment bleeds away—our interest fades. We might become so overwhelmed with our anxieties that we pull away from treasured relationships. We know where all this leads: depression or possible breakdown. Or perhaps, we may begin to build up a resentment, or bitterness, toward the things we used to do gladly.  Eager service can devolve into begrudging duty. You can probably think of other symptoms of overload.

In our culture, it is viewed as a luxury to have any kind of “safety cushion,” either of finances or leisure time. However, the truth is that we all need a bit of margin for our own well-being. It’s a harrowing and unsustainable condition to be right at maximum capacity, with no room for anything unexpected.  Human beings need the time and wherewithal to get a little perspective on the circumstances of our lives so that we can respond to them faithfully and rationally.  

That’s why Dr. Swenson spends half of his book prescribing various steps that we should take to reclaim some margin in the various areas of our lives. Much of it is common sense, but common sense demands that we clarify our priorities and make changes in line with those priorities. If we want to invest more time and love into our families, it may require us to work less and downsize our material ambitions so that we live more simply, with contentment. This would noticeably cut down on our anxiety and insomnia as we begin to live with some financial margin as well.  Light to moderate exercise serves as a pressure release valve for stress. Our physical health and energy increases, so we can actually accomplish more and give ourselves more margin. Irritability starts to fade away, since we’ve used our anxious energies on something more constructive. Even depression can be powerfully helped by these measures.  Again, we must make time for these things.  If we’re too busy, we must make the needed changes to become less busy. There is no other way. 

Our activities must also be reevaluated in light of the things we’ve decided are our core priorities. Some things, though they might be fun or make us popular, need to be set aside to allow us a bit of margin. Our acts of service to God must also be done for the right reasons, and with the right energy source. Begrudging or resentful acts of service do no one any good, least of all the Lord. Our service to God can’t be sustained on the tiny energy reserves of human strength. Bearing fruit for God can only come when we constantly “abide” in our relationship with Jesus.  That means our relationship with Him must be our constant home, not a place we visit from time to time. Corporate worship, and the daily disciplines of solitude, prayer and scripture are not things we do if we have time—these are central priorities we build everything else around. When we are walking in the fulness of the Spirit, we will find abundant resources to serve Him joyfully.  Apart from Him, as Jesus warns, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Even one of God’s boldest servants, Elijah, became exhausted and anxious when he’d gone too long with his speedometer pegged at top speed. God led him on a private retreat where he could eat some good meals, take some good naps, and recover margin so that he could hear the still, small voice of God again. God was one hundred percent fine with Elijah getting some rest—He built the need for rest into him. So it is with you.  I admire and am grateful for all the things you did to make our anniversary celebration truly special.  Now, get a little rest so that you can return to the work you love refreshed and with renewed love.  Reflect, store up your good memories, and enjoy. God bless you all.

Your Brother and Servant,

Pastor Scott.

Baptist Bites: Associations Strengthen the Churches

     For the past couple of months, I have been relating the story of how Baptist churches have joined forces to equip missionaries to carry the Gospel throughout the world. Last month we had the account of Adoniram and Ann Judson who, with their colleague, Luther Rice, galvanized American Baptist congregations and individuals to pool their resources so that these faithful servants could remain on the global mission field.  This led to the formation of the "Triennial Convention," which later renamed to the Northern Baptist Convention, and eventually the American Baptist Churches, USA. I have made the point that mobilizing for missions is the strongest cause that has bound us together into a denomination, and I still maintain that it is the chief glue that holds us together. But there are other benefits for Baptists in forming associational relationships, and that story reaches back farther into history.

     I was fascinated to learn from Robert G. Torbet that the earliest expressions of Baptist associations actually came from the British Isles in war-time. From 1642-1651, Civil Wars raged between the King and the English Parliament. These came to engulf Wales, Scotland, and Ireland as well. During this time, counties organized themselves to raise money and troops, but also to protect their cities from plundering forces.  By 1653, as political tensions calmed down, regiments were told they could stand down in the outlying areas.  In Ireland, a good portion of the forces raised were of the Baptist faith, and their churches had enjoyed a time of greater encouragement and mutual support during this time of coordination. Before this time, individual congregations had felt lonely and isolated, and they were not eager to return to such a life. Thus,the Irish Baptists decided to continue their association and began to make contact with Welsh, Scotch, and English Baptists who were also looking to maintain relationships with one another. 

     It’s important to remember this, because Baptists in America looked back to the associational model of the British and Irish Baptists when forming their own. They, too, needed each other. Please remember our discussions of previous months, when we discussed the painful persecutions Baptists faced in colonies which initially allowed no freedom of religion. Expressing their consciences concerning things like believer’s baptism caused many to be banished, imprisoned, and some to even lose their lives. They felt like strangers in a strange land--they needed other Baptists for reminders that they weren’t alone. And small congregations needed pastoral ministry, as well. That’s another big reason they turned to associational life.

     In 1686, Elias Keach arrived in Philadelphia from England.  The rebellious son of Benjamin Keach, a prominent London Baptist minister, he wanted to make a life for himself apart from his parents' rules and strict religion. The New World stretched open before him, but how to put down roots and start making a living for himself? He was no Christian, but he had grown up watching a minister go about his duties. He settled on a scheme that was deceitful and contradicted the very reason he left home: he would dress and pass himself off as a minister. 

     When local Baptists learned whose son he was, they excitedly asked him to preach for them. Elias gathered a congregation together and began to read a sermon which many believe to have been written by his own father. The Holy Spirit took hold of Elias' conscience as his father's words came from his own mouth. The depth of his hypocrisy and sin came crushing down on him; he ceased speaking mid-sermon. He stood there, trembling, as the congregation became concerned that he'd taken ill. When they asked him what was the matter, he burst into tears and confessed the whole charade to the people. He poured out a confession of his many sins and there, in front of them all, begged for God's pardon. 

     Upon the recommendation of some present, Elias traveled to the Cold Springs Baptist Church, also in the Philadelphia area, and sought the counsel of Elder Thomas Dugan.  The compassionate, elderly pastor led him to a sure relationship with Christ.  Elias was baptized and quickly grew in his faith. Though he'd started out as a fraud, Dugan and the rest of the church identified strong gifts and speaking abilities in the young man. They ordained him to the Gospel ministry. Keach returned to the people he'd initially deceived and began to preach his own sermons.  He did so with a great amount of zeal, and soon he had baptized a sizable number of new believers. The congregation saw healthy growth, and in 1688 the "Lower Dublin Baptist Church" was constituted. This church, also known as "Old Pennepak" (or Pennepack as it's spelled today) still meets today. It celebrated its 335th anniversary in June of this year (2023), and is the oldest Baptist church in Pennsylvania. 

     Keach's prowess in the pulpit became widely-renowned, and so he also began to travel when he could. He preached in several southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey locations. Hundreds were baptized, all of them were initially under the Lower Dublin Church, until they formed four more congregations in their own right. Thus Old Pennepak became the mother-church of several others, and they remained in close association with each other. This nucleus of churches led to the foundation of the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1707.  It is the oldest Baptist Association in the country, and still in operation today.

     In my article covering distinctive Baptist beliefs (March of last year), I pointed out that Baptist congregations are locally autonomous; i.e., each congregation is its own unit of governance. We answer to no hierarchy of church officials.  It might seem surprising, then, that Baptist churches would want to form groups of churches to make decisions together. But, the advantages in forming Associations became apparent to them. The Philadelphia Baptist Association churches had issues to navigate from the beginning. For example, they dealt with the question of whether "laying on of hands" should be given at baptism. It was a gesture symbolizing that the Holy Spirit was being imparted and separating the individual from the world. Apparently it was an issue debated with some passion, and churches dealing with it concluded that they should meet with the Association to seek the mind of Christ together. As Solomon wrote in Proverbs 11:14, "in the multitude of counselors there is safety." 

     Other matters included church discipline for erring members, whether to continue in fellowship with Baptists who own slaves, the remarriage of widows, musical instruments in worship services, and many others. Congregations decided to seek the wisdom God could bring them through the larger Baptist family in Christ. It should be said, though, that the associational model was different from the hierarchical, connectional plan followed by other denominations like the Methodists. Baptist congregations retained their local autonomy; associations would seek the mind of Christ on an issue and offer advice, but they did not have the power to make their resolutions mandatory. That remains the principle we follow today.

     Some of the issues these early American Baptists faced are similar to our own. Churches often get into conflict, and those embroiled in all the painful drama have a hard time finding their way out of it. They sometimes need help from other Christians who have the benefit of objectivity to help mediate the situation. Just as now, they needed some method to qualify and credential candidates for the ministry. The Philadelphia Association would convene to test these candidates, to set educational standards for credentialing -- and to protect member churches from imposters like Keach had been at the beginning! 

     But because each congregation maintained its autonomy, sometimes the Association was unsuccessful in guarding them from trouble. For example, in the 1720s the Association warned a Baptist church in Piscataway, New Jersey to stay clear of a man who called himself Henry Loveall. The church insisted on installing him anyway. They soon learned, however, that they should have heeded their Associational brothers and sisters. The man was exposed as a complete scoundrel, far worse than Keach.  Loveall's true name was Desolate Baker. He had escaped from England, dogged by charges of gross sexual immorality.  Adopting a new name in a new country could not cleanse him of his personal demons, however: he was shown to be married to two women, had multiple affairs outside these marriages (including slaves and Native Americans--of particular scandal at the time!) and a case of syphilis into the bargain.  Henry “Loveall,” indeed. At any rate, once these scandals were uncovered, the Piscataway church ejected him from their pulpit and, deeply wounded, had to search for another pastor. One would assume that they made better use of the Association's counsel at that point.

     Forward to our own day, it is plain to see that the Associational benefits identified by early American Baptists are still in operation. This is why our denomination supports seminaries, and why our Associations set standards to credential candidates for ministry. The American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware set standards for ministerial ethics, and become involved when it is necessary to investigate ministers for misconduct. When charges are deemed credible, it is our Region's solemn duty to remove credentials so that a candidate doesn't have free reign to bring harm to other congregations. On a very positive note, our Region also administers the Academy of Christian Training and Service (ACTS), which provides lay ministers with educational resources and mentoring in order to license them for ministry. I teach a class for this Academy, as does Pastor Mark McCallion. We personally know several graduates of this program; they have gone on to be wonderfully effective pastors.

     As Baptist churches continued to spread across the country, the effectiveness of the Philadelphia Baptist Association became widely known and emulated. Baptist Associations began multiplying first in the South, with the Charleston Association in South Carolina (1751) and the Sandy Creek Association in North Carolina (1758), and on into Virginia. New England began to see associations form in Rhode Island (1767), Connecticut (1772), and Vermont (1780).  The first association to form in the Mid-Atlantic after Philadelphia was right here in Southwestern Pennsylvania, with the Redstone Association in 1776. New York saw associations formed in the 1790s. By 1800, there were 48 Baptist Associations in the nation.

     It is clear that associational relationships among Baptist churches have been greatly blessed by God to plant and equip churches, and to prepare and resource pastors and missionaries. In these troubled times, it often seems a struggle just to keep individual congregations alive and active. But Baptist churches of the past found associations to be great helps to encourage and strengthen each other. It seems, from my viewpoint, that associations have been allowed to dwindle too much. I believe we need to rediscover their benefits; if they have been a powerful tool in God’s hands to build churches so far, I believe they can be today as well.

My sources for this article have been: Kidd, Thomas S. and Hankins, Barry. Baptists in America: A History. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2015; Kraft, Brandan, "Elias Keach: The Man Converted by His Own Preaching" Web article, June 7, 2020, https://www.pristinegrace.org/article.php?id=20094;  Torbet, Robert G. A History of the Baptists (Revised). Valley Forge: The Judson Press, 1963; and Torbet, Robert G. The Baptist Story (American Baptist Training Series, Advanced Course) Valley Forge: The Judson Press, 1957.

Baptist Bites: Adoniram and Ann Judson, Pioneer American Baptist Missionaries to Burma

     Last month, we considered the amazing and prolific ministry of William Carey, one of the true pioneers in world missions.  His passion to spread the Gospel in India has inspired thousands to heed the evangelistic call, and millions to rally behind them in support.  Two of those who caught the missionary flame were a couple very important to our history as American Baptists: Adoniram and Ann Judson, pioneering missionaries to Burma.

  Adoniram first met Ann Haseltine at a meeting of a Congregationalist mission-sending agency, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The meeting was held at Ann's father's home. Over dinner, Judson was taken by Ann's beauty.  On the other hand, she wasn't particularly impressed by him. But over time, his strong desire to take the Gospel to an unreached population won her over. 

Just two weeks after their wedding, the Judsons boarded a ship bound for India in February of 1812. Adoniram had been deeply inspired by the missionary accounts of William Carey, and was excited to meet him face to face. But on the long ocean voyage, Judson took some time in close study of the Greek New Testament. He was concerned that Carey might challenge him about his acceptance of infant baptism; he wanted to find good evidence that the Baptists were wrong in that regard. Instead, he wound up proving to himself that infant baptism was a false teaching--that only believer's baptism was taught in the Bible. You can imagine the discomfort for a Congregationalist missionary to suddenly find himself a Baptist! This discomfort was magnified in his wife, who pled with him to content himself with his former beliefs. She warned that if he became a Baptist, she would follow suit. However, dedicating herself to the study of Scripture (probably to guide her husband back to the "right road,") she herself came to affirm believer's baptism.

Such a radical change would come at a high price for them both. Ann feared for the possible loss of friends, and the couple would now be at cross-purposes with the Congregationalist mission board who sent them. Leaving behind one's family, home and country would be difficult enough; what would they do now that they were closing the door on their denomination and source of funding?

The Baptist missionaries in India were great blessings to them at this time. William Carey and his team members welcomed the Judsons warmly.  William Ward baptized the husband and wife by immersion, along with the colleague who met them in India, Luther Rice. (In what can only be described as providential, Rice undertook his own study of the Greek New Testament aboard his own ship, and came to the same conclusions as the Judsons!)  Carey and his friends would help them through the transition; the Judsons and Rice wrote letters of resignation to their mission board, and Rice returned to America to start the work of raising financial support among the Baptists.  He would never return to the mission field; his work as a fundraiser was so effective that he elected to remain in America to continue the work. He'd been on the ground in India; he was able to give share firsthand stories of the great work being accomplished by the Lord in India, as well as the difficulties missionaries faced, and their reliance on support back home.

Luther Rice had in his mind a great vision for mission support. Rather than traveling from city to city and making his pleas to individual churches, he worked to establish a great mission-sending convention, comprised of Baptist delegates sent from every state. This organization was initially known as the General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States of America for Foreign Missions. That's a rather long and unwieldy name, so eventually they chose to go by the name, the "Triennial Convention" -- because they gathered every three years. The convention voted to support the Judsons in their work. Later the Triennial Convention was reorganized into the Northern Baptist Convention, which was renamed the American Baptist Churches USA in 1972. That’s right—this is where our denomination came from!  We’ll tell more of that story another time. 

The issue of financial support was being handled, but the hardships and spiritual warfare that so often accompany missions work were still a reality for the Judsons. The British East India Company made it extremely difficult for the Judsons to minister in India, which caused their relocation to Rangoon, Burma. They truly had to start from scratch; they had no training in the Burmese language and no written text to help them learn. Much of their early work had to focus on slowly mastering the language. Their firstborn son died tragically in 1816.  

Adoniram's time with his family was cut short when, in 1824, war erupted between Burma and Britain. The Burmese government became paranoid that western powers had agents in the country "spying" on them. They rounded up all white males in their country and imprisoned them.  Adoniram spent two years away from his family, enduring torture at the hands of his captors. Ann's actions at this time were heroic. She visited her husband in prison often, bringing food.  When she wasn't there, she relentlessly lobbied the government for his freedom, hardly giving the officials a moment's rest.  When Britain gained victory and Adoniram was released, it wasn't long until Ann died from exhaustion and the stress of persecution they had experienced; she contracted cerebral meningitis which she had no strength to fight. While still grieving his wife, Judson was further struck low by the death of their daughter in 1827. All this took place in the context of very meager results from his Gospel labors. Less than two dozen Burmese professed faith in Christ during this time.  For those of us who haven't been on the foreign mission field, it's hard to appreciate the spiritual and emotional stress that come against the Lord's servants.

It is a difficult, but wondrous paradox to learn that in the midst of what looks like crushing defeat, the Lord can work more powerfully than we could have imagined. When the Apostle Paul pled with God to take away his “thorn in the flesh,” God responded that it was in His greater purpose for the thorn to stay.  He reassured Paul that His strength was made perfect in Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  When Job lost everything, yet kept His faith in God, the Lord vindicated his faith by blessing him more abundantly than before.  So it was with the Judsons; in spite of loss and apparent failure, the Lord made their ministry exceedingly fruitful over time. God blessed Adoniram with more missionary colleagues to support and strengthen him. The Burmese might have been hard-hearted toward the Gospel, with few converts.  Still, there was the Karen people, a tribe who had been brutally oppressed by the majority Burmans—so much so that they lived in hiding among the hills and forests.  But when Adoniram’s new colleague, George Boardman, preached the Gospel to the Karens, that tribe readily came to Christ in great numbers.  The first day, 34 of them were baptized by Boardman and his colleague, a Mr. Mason. By then, only 22 Burmans had become Christians in more than a decade of Judson’s ministry.  By 1890, however, about 1,200 Burmese had converted to Christianity and 30,000 Karens professed faith and were baptized.  The rapid growth of the church brought about the foundation of the Karen College and Theological Seminary in Rangoon (1872). And since then, a thriving Baptist community of Karen, Burman, and other tribespeople has arisen, numbering over 500,000.

Before their troubles began in 1824, Ann was a powerful missionary force in her own right.  She was passionate about evangelism, and she and Adoniram adopted orphan girls in terrible poverty as their own. To lift little girls out of extreme poverty, she started a girls' school. She was quite a scholar herself: in 1819, she translated the Gospel of Matthew into Thai. She also helped her husband in his Bible translation work by doing the translations of Daniel and Jonah into Burmese. For the benefit of prospective supporters back home, she also wrote A Particular Relation of the American Baptist Mission to the Burman Empire in 1823. This was a powerful call to action. This, and many letters sent back to the States, brought a sense of reality and urgency for the continuing support of missions. Many biographies written about her, and she is considered the most influential woman missionary in American History.

Though his soul-winning work was slow, and he languished in prison far too long, Adoniram’s work to translate the Bible into the Burmese language (completed 1834) was crucial to all that followed. He composed a Burmese-English dictionary which remains the standard text today. After Ann’s death, he and his colleagues established a church and Christian School at the city of Moulmein (Mawlamyine, present-day Myanmar). God gave him two more wives to be his companions in ministry: Sarah Hall Boardman (widow of George Boardman), who died in 1845, and Emily Chubbock, who married him in 1846 and was his wife until his own death in 1849. 

I wish I could share much more about the lives of this remarkable man, and about his first wife, but we must close for this month. There are also many more facets to our identity as Baptists, but I want to discuss one more before I close out our series: the Associational Principle. As I’ve already mentioned, associations were formed to pool resources and send out missionaries. They were also formed for fellowship and for the training and credentialing of approved ministers. Next month we’ll turn our lens to examine the formation and growth of associations to close out our survey of Baptist identity.

Sources: 

Armitage, Thomas, History of the Baptists, Traced According to their Vital Principles. New York: Bryan, Taylor & Co., 1890. (Kindle edition)

Boston University School of Theology, "Judson, Adoniram (1788-1850): Pioneer American Baptist Missionary in Burma."  Internet Article (https://www.bu.edu/missiology/missionary-biography/i-k/judson-adoniram-1788-1850/)

Boston University School of Theology, "Judson, Ann Haseltine (1789-1826): Pioneer Baptist Missionary to Burma (Myanmar)." Internet Article (https://www.bu.edu/missiology/missionary-biography/i-k/judson-ann-hasseltine-1789-1826/)

Chute, Anthony L., Finn, Nathan A. and Haykin, Michael A.G. The Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2015. (Kindle edition)

Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Adoniram Judson: American Missionary." Internet Article (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adoniram-Judson)

Baptist Bites: William Carey, Father of Modern Missions

     To understand who Baptists are, it's essential to figure in missions as a major part of our spiritual DNA. I would dare to say that it is the biggest piece of what motivates us to form voluntary associations between congregations; we hold each church to be an autonomous ecclesiastical unit, but we also understand that it takes churches working together to support a vigorous mission program around the world. The missions mandate is a central part of our doctrine as well; when Jesus commanded us to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Mt. 28:19), we take that literally. As we learned last month, however, that wasn't always the case. In the days when predestination was more strongly emphasized for salvation, it wasn't apparent to many Christian leaders that worldwide evangelism was necessary. That's where the passionate teaching of Andrew Fuller figured in.  With his book, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, he laid out the powerful argument that it was our Christian duty to proclaim the Gospel and command people everywhere to repent of sin and follow Christ.

        Fuller went beyond merely thinking and writing about missions; he personally invested much time and energy into missions advocacy. He was a leader in the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792, serving as its secretary until his death in 1815. He traveled extensively throughout Britain and Ireland to speak, raising both enthusiasm and funds. This private effort was needed because, at the time, there was little wider support for missionary efforts. Corporate interests, such as the British East India Company, worked to bar missionaries from the countries in which they had commercial interests. They feared that missionaries' work would be harmful to their economic prospects. Political leaders weren't terribly interested in supporting missionaries, nor were the leaders of denominational organizations. It was necessary for people like Fuller to go directly to the people. If their speeches won over the support of their audiences, they would become members of the Society who would pay dues to support missionaries.

        The most famous missionary sent by the Baptist Missionary Society was William Carey, widely regarded as the father of modern missions.  He was also a dear, personal friend of Fuller's.  Carey was a brilliant man, largely self-educated after his formal schooling ended in his early teen years. He was apprenticed as a cobbler, but he certainly had the mind of a scholar. His curiosity and learning was impressive in many areas; he had a particular talent for languages. He mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian and Dutch before he ever departed for Asia, where he learned many more languages.

        Carey was ordained as a Particular Baptist minister in 1787 and became one of the twelve co-founders of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792. When the Society began its work, they searched for a missionary they could send out.  They faced some discouragement in that no one stepped forward right away, but in time, Carey felt that God was calling him to take the Gospel to India. In 1793 he departed for the field along with his wife and children. The Society pledged their full support for the endeavor, and in particular his friends Andrew Fuller, John Sutcliff and John Ryland (other co-founders of the Society).  They envisioned sending Carey to India as if they were lowering him into a deep gold mine, and they promised to "hold the ropes" so long as Carey lived and ministered.

        Heroes don't earn the label without facing great difficulty, however, and Carey certainly faced his own. From the outset, the British East India Company was determined to stand in his way.  This money-making venture was so powerful as to essentially rule the nation of India for many years. It wasn't until 1858 that the British Parliament stripped the company of political power and placed India under direct control of the Crown. They held all the power when Carey arrived, and they forbade him from settling in Calcutta. They didn't want his preaching to limit their ability to exploit India's resources and people. He had to migrate up-river and establish operations in Serampore. 

        The work itself was anything but easy. For the first seven years, Carey saw no converts. It would have taken some time to learn the Bengali language well enough to communicate, to be sure. But even still, imagine teaching and preaching with all your heart, only to see the Gospel falling upon apparently deaf ears. To support his family, Carey also had to take a job as manager at an indigo factory. Missions work is some of the most intense spiritual warfare one can encounter, and discouragement is one of the Enemy's chief weapons.  To discouragement was added grief when his son, Peter, died of dysentery. Carey was devastated, but his wife, Dorothy, suffered a nervous breakdown. She never recovered and eventually lost all touch with reality. We can only imagine the blow this would have been to Carey, his life companion now taken from him as well. He wrote in his diary, "This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me...O what would I give for a kind sympathetic friend such as I had in England to whom I might open my heart."  Dorothy tragically died in 1807. She had never felt called to the mission field from the start, and she was quite abusive to her husband after her mental break. But say whatever you will, she sacrificed both sanity and life for the Gospel.

        As was the case with Job, however, God restored much to William Carey's life to reward him for his faithfulness through so much difficulty. To join him on the mission field, the Baptist Missionary Society dispatched William Ward and Joshua Marshman. They were just the balm Carey needed for his soul, and the three of them became excellent partners in Gospel ministry. They were more like brothers than friends, working so harmoniously that visitors were amazed by the synergy between the "Serampore Trio," as they were dubbed. Their work was prolific.  For example, as William Ward was also a printer by trade, the three of them set up a press and began to translate Scripture into no less than 44 regional languages. Carey translated the Bible into Sanskrit himself.  They built a paper mill and a steam engine to amplify the work. They also produced grammars and dictionaries to further the inhabitants' literacy in their own language.

        Their work went beyond translating and distributing the Bible. They noticed a lack of news sources in the Bengali language, so they started a newspaper. Carey conducted extensive agricultural experiments, helping to found the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India in 1820. The "Serampore Trio" founded 26 churches and 126 schools, including the first girls' school. The combined enrollment of these was 10,000.  They also set up a seminary for training local ministers, a savings bank, and India's first medical mission. This is significant, because of a man named Krishna Pal, a Hindu carpenter.  Though he'd heard the Gospel previously from some Moravian missionaries, he hadn't yet given his life to Christ. But one day in 1800, he was bathing in the river, where he fell and injured his shoulder. The mission at Serampore was close by; they nurtured him back to health and both shared and displayed the love of Christ to him. Krishna Pal embraced Christ as Savior and was baptized. He went on to become one of the most powerful preachers at the mission (he was why they started a seminary). William Carey described him as "fluent, perspicacious and affectionate, in a very high degree."  Pal and Carey worked together to challenge some of the social problems in India; Carey campaigned against the practice of suttee (burning a widow on her husband's funeral pyre), and Pal publicly challenged the caste system that kept people in such terrible bondage.

        It did take a very long time for the Gospel to catch fire and spread in India, and we admire the faithful, longsuffering nature of William Carey, who doggedly believed in the motto, "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." He and his colleagues provided the inspirational example whose stories propelled thousands of others to enter the mission field. The work of the "Serampore Trio" was so beneficial to Indian society that when the British East India Company's charter came up for renewal in 1813, Parliament put in a clause that forbade the Company from interfering from missionaries' work; they were to be granted free access. This opened the door for more missionaries to work.  New Missionary Societies sprung up throughout Europe and America. This includes the London Missionary Society, the Netherlands Missionary Society, as well as others formed in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and France.

        One American who was greatly inspired by the work of William Carey and his friends was named Adoniram Judson. Reading of the great things God did in India, Judson felt called by God to bring the Gospel to Burma. Though he started out as a Congregationalist missionary, he developed Baptist convictions during his voyage. This prompted stateside Baptists to found a new missions agency, the American Baptist Missionary Union, in 1814.  That joint effort among Baptist churches in America went on to be the founding of...us! More of Judson's story next month.

Your Brother and Servant,

Pastor Scott

Note: My sources for this article include The Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement, by Anthony L. Chute, Nathan A. Finn and Michael A.G. Haykin. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2015; Who's Who in Christian History by J.D. Douglas, Philip W. Comfort, and Donald Mitchell, ed. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992; and The Story of Christianity: Volume 2, The Reformation to the Present Day by Justo L. González. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1985.