Publication of An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty - Timeline Event
Founder
Isaac Backus
Time Period
1773
Description
In 1773, Backus published a collection of his sermons as An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty. In the pamphlet, Backus recounts the special taxes and fines levied against Baptist ministers simply because they were not apart of the "established," or official, church of each colony. Backus believed that Christians had forgotten a central tenet of the faith and so posed this question for proponents of established churches: "Now who can hear Christ declare, that his kingdom is, not of this world, and yet believe that this blending of church and state together can be pleasing to him?"
Backus' call for disestablishment is a legacy of the Baptist emphasis on individual soul liberty that goes back to Roger Williams and the founding of Rhode Island. It also anticipates Thomas Jefferson's famous statement about erecting a "wall of separation" by nearly three decades.
Backus' call for disestablishment is a legacy of the Baptist emphasis on individual soul liberty that goes back to Roger Williams and the founding of Rhode Island. It also anticipates Thomas Jefferson's famous statement about erecting a "wall of separation" by nearly three decades.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: Anglicanism FamilyAnglicanism Family: Other ARDA Links
Anglicanism Family: Religious Family Tree
Baptist Family: Other ARDA Links
Baptist Family: Religious Family Tree
Biographies
Backus, IsaacMovements
The First Great AwakeningPhotographs
An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty, title page- Internet Archive
Isaac Backus portrait- Internet Archive- from Early History of Brown University by Reuben Aldridge Guild
Web Source(s)
https://classicliberal.tripod.com/misc/appeal.htmllThe full text of the sermon is available online.
Web Page Contributor
Paul MatzkoAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in History
