Benjamin Randall Organizes the Free Will Baptists - Timeline Event
Founder
Benjamin Randall
Time Period
06-30-1780
Description
Benjamin Randall was raised in the Congregational church, but struggled with certainty about his salvation until hearing English evangelist George Whitefield on his last preaching tour of the colonies in 1770. Randall left Congregationalism over the issue of infant baptism and founded a Baptist church in New Durham, New Hampshire in 1780. Local Calvinistic Baptists questioned Randall on his view of the doctrine of election, the traditional Reformed belief that God elects only certain people for salvation. Randall struggled again with doubts, but then reported a heavenly vision that confirmed his belief in Christ's universal atonement. The name "Free Will Baptists" pointed to their belief that each person had a will that was free to choose or reject salvation. Randall's churches were not the first non-Calvinistic Baptists in America (see Paul Palmer's Free Will Baptists), but it was the largest such group in the 19th century.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Baptist Family: Other ARDA LinksBaptist Family: Religious Family Tree
Biographies
Randall, BenjaminWhitefield, George
Movements
The First Great AwakeningRelated Dictionary Terms
Atonement, Baptism, Baptist, Belief in God, Measure of, Belief in Heaven, Measures of, Christianity, Congregationalism, Doctrine, Evangelist, God/Goddess, Heaven (Christianity), Preacher, Salvation, Whitefield, George (1714-1770)Photographs
First Free Will Baptist Church, New Durham- Hathi Trust- from Centenial Souvenir of the New Hapshire Yearly Meeting of Free Baptists
Benjamin Randall portrait- Internet Archive- from Life and Influence of the Rev. Benjamin Randall by Frederick L. Wiley
Benjamin Randall's New Durham house- Hathi Trust- from Centenial Souvenir of the New Hapshire Yearly Meeting of Free Baptists
Web Source(s)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_RandallWeb Page Contributor
Paul MatzkoAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in History
