Joab Houghton
Joab Houghton was in the Hopewell (New Jersey) Baptist Meeting House
at worship when he received the first information regarding the
battles at Lexington and Concord. His great-grandson gives the
following eloquent description of the way he treated the tidings:
“Mounting the great stone block in front of the meeting-house, he
beckoned the people to stop. Men and women paused to hear, curious to
know what so unusual a sequel to the service of the day could mean. At
the first, words a silence, stern as death, fell over all. The Sabbath
quiet of the hour and of the place was deepened into a terrible
solemnity.
"He told them all the story of the cowardly murder at
Lexington by the royal troops; the heroic vengeance following hard
upon it; the retreat of Percy; the gathering of the children of the
Pilgrims round the beleaguered hills of Boston; then pausing, and
looking over the silent throng, he said slowly, ‘Men of New Jersey,
the red coats are murdering our brethren of New England! Who follows
me to Boston?’ And every man in that audience stepped out of line,
and answered, ‘I!’ There was not a coward or a traitor in old
Hopewell Baptist Meeting-House that day.” (Cathcart, William.
Baptists and the American Revolution. Philadelphia: S.A. George, 1876,
rev. 1976. Print.)
Jonas Clark
Jonas Clark was pastor of the church in Lexington, Massachusetts, on
April 19, 1775, the day that British troops marched on Concord with
orders to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock, and to seize a cache of
firearms. What most historians fail to acknowledge, is that it was
Pastor Clark’s male congregants who were the first ones to face-off
against the British troops as they marched through Lexington. When you
hear the story of the “Minutemen” at the Battle of Lexington,
remember those Minutemen were Pastor Jonas Clark and the men of his
congregation. Yes, it was Pastor Jonas Clark and his men who fired
that “shot heard ’round the world.”
On the One Year Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, Clark
preached a sermon based upon his eyewitness testimony of the event. He
called his sermon, “The Fate of Blood-Thirsty Oppressors and God’s
Tender Care of His Distressed People.” His sermon has been
republished by Nordskog Publishing (www.NordskogPublishing.com) under
the title, “The Battle of Lexington, A Sermon and Eyewitness
Narrative, Jonas Clark, Pastor, Church of Lexington.”
Of course, these four brave preachers were not the only ones to
participate in America’s fight for independence. There were
Episcopalian ministers such as Dr. Samuel Provost of New York, Dr.
John Croes of New Jersey, and Robert Smith of South Carolina.
Presbyterian ministers such as Adam Boyd of North Carolina and James
Armstrong of Maryland, along with many others, also took part.
So many Baptist preachers participated in America’s War for
Independence that, at the conclusion of the war, President George
Washington wrote a personal letter to the Baptist people saying, “I
recollect with satisfaction that the religious societies of which you
are a member have been, throughout America, uniformly and almost
unanimously, the firm friends to civil liberty, and the preserving
promoters of our glorious Revolution.” It also explains how Thomas
Jefferson could write to a Baptist congregation and say, “We have
acted together from the origin to the end of a memorable
Revolution.” (McDaniel, George White. The People Called Baptists.
The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1918.
Print.)
And although not every pastor was able to actively participate in our
fight for independence, so many pastors throughout colonial America
preached the principles of liberty and independence from their pulpits
that the Crown created a moniker for them: The Black Regiment
(referring to the long, black robes that so many colonial clergymen
wore in the pulpit). Without question, the courageous preaching and
example of colonial America’s patriot-pastors provided the colonists
with the inspiration and resolve to resist the tyranny of the Crown
and win America’s freedom and independence.
I invite readers to visit my Black Regiment web page to learn more
about my attempt to resurrect America’s Black-Robed Regiment. Go to:
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=23
This is the fighting heritage of America’s pastors and preachers.
So, what has happened? What has happened to that fighting spirit that
once existed, almost universally, throughout America’s Christian
denominations? How have preachers become so timid, so shy, and so
cowardly that they will stand apathetic and mute as America faces the
destruction of its liberties? Where are the preachers to explain,
expound, and extrapolate the principles of liberty from Holy Writ?
Where are the pastors to preach the truth about Romans chapter 13?
I invite readers to watch or download my message series on “The
True Meaning of Romans 13.” I brought three messages on this subject
so far. The fourth and final message will be delivered this Sunday,
February 20, at 2:30pm (MST). To watch the first three messages on
Romans 13, which are archived online, go to:
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?cat=16
To watch the fourth and final message on “The True Meaning of
Romans 13” broadcasted live this Sunday, February 20, 2011, at 2:30
pm (MST) go to:
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=17
The sermons Americans frequently hear today deal with prosperity
theology, entertainment evangelism, feelgoodism, emotionalism, and
Aren’t-I-Wonderful ear tickling! This milquetoast preaching makes it
hard to find Christian men who even have control of their children,
much less the courage and resolve to stand against the onslaught of
socialism, corporatism, and, yes, fascism that is swallowing America
whole.
America cut its spiritual teeth on the powerful preaching and
exemplary examples of men such as James Caldwell, Jonas Clark, Joab
Houghton, and John Peter Muhlenberg. We need them as much now as we
did then.
*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be
made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:
http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=19
Chuck Baldwin
