(Hamlin Lake – near Ludington, Michigan)
The Immutable Kingdom – Part 63 By Scott A. Klaft
“Raccoon” John Smith – continued
Smith continued to be certain there was something wrong with his Calvinist teachings, but as he continued to read every issue of the Christian Baptist, he still retained a healthy skepticism of whether Alexander Campbell was right. By 1825, he was convinced that creeds were wrong, and he implored churches to reject them.
Soon he was certain that Calvinism was a plague on the Kentucky Baptists. He urged people to become Christians by believing that Jesus is the Messiah and obeying Him in baptism. In turning so directly against his earlier teachings, he had to face a dejected and aged mother’s influence, and to refuse the pressures of a great host of his friends. It was, however, a matter of conscience to Smith. He could not preach something he believed to be wrong, and he could not abstain from standing in the way of something that endangered the salvation of numerous souls. There was no doubt in his mind that the Calvinism of the Baptists was doing just that. By 1826, he had joined the preachers of Kentucky in the plea to return to the ancient order of Christianity.
The opposition of the Baptist Association was not unexpected. When the North District Association had their annual meeting in 1827, Smith went fully expecting them to take action against him. A letter was read, not calling him by name, but rather referred to “certain ones,” charging guilt of the following three “heresies”: 1) Reading from Campbell’s translation of the Bible rather than the King James Version; 2) Saying, “I immerse you” instead of “I baptize you” when administering baptism; 3) Allowing the participants to break their own bread when observing the Lord’s Supper rather than having the preacher do it for them in advance. When Smith heard these charges, he promptly leapt to his feet and bellowed, “I plead guilty to them all!” After considerable conflict, Smith’s answers to each charge gained him sympathy with the people, but disdain from the clergy. In spite of the threat to their power, a non-decision was made: any action would be postponed until the following year.
It should be noted that, though there was overwhelming opposition, Smith did not stand alone. He was blessed with such company as Jacob Creath Sr., Jacob Creath Jr., and John T. Johnson as they, in their turn, joined the host who pled for a return to the ancient order. They stood by one another as they each received their anathema from the Elkhorn, Franklin, and North District Associations. Together, they counted it a joy to suffer for the cause of truth. They planted the seed of the kingdom all over Kentucky and saw hundreds, perhaps thousands, scripturally immersed into Christ, and each lent their efforts to the establishment of many congregations throughout the state.
As a gospel preacher, Smith had a style all his own, often employing his rapier wit to illustrate his points. He was reputed to never be without an answer, no matter the unexpected occasion. Once when he had immersed several members of a family, he came face to face with the father, who was not at all pleased, though having once been a close personal friend. Smith simply greeted him: “Good morning, my brother.”
The older man trained upon him a look of scorn, and replied, “I would rather claim kin with the devil himself.”
“Go, then,” said Smith, “and honor thy father!”
In his preaching, he was very hard on the false doctrines, particularly Calvinism; even to the point that his wife occasionally let him know, gently, that she thought he might be a little too severe and should let up a little. On one such occasion, Smith held up his glass of water and said, “Nancy, can I fill this tumbler with wine till I have first emptied it of water? Neither can I get the truth in the minds and hearts of the people… till I have disabused them of their error.”
It is just that sort of illustration that showed the natural turn of Smith’s mind. He was fearless, positive, often humorous, and always uncompromising with the truth and its presentation.
(Next week: Raccoon’s Sermon Conclusion & Moses Lard)
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