Primitive Baptists
Primitive Baptists are a group of Baptists that have an historical connection to the missionary/anti-missionary controversy that divided Baptists of America in the early part of the 19th century. Those currently denominated Primitive Baptists consist of descendants of churches and ministers that opposed the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions (org. 1814), as well as other innovations such as seminaries and temperance societies. Other names by which Primitive Baptists are known are Predestinarian Baptists, Old School Baptists, Regular Baptists, Particular Baptists and Hardshells. The word "Primitive" is sometimes taken by outsiders to mean "backward", but in context of this division among Baptists, it means "original". These churches attempt to retain and/or restore primitive (or original) patterns of church life, such as unsalaried ministers, a capella singing and feetwashing.The Primitive Baptists can be sub-divided into four main groups: (1) Absolute Predestinarian; (2) Limited Predestinarian; (3) Progressive; and (4) Universalists. This last group is the smallest and consists of 5 or 6 small associations in Appalachia that adapted the theory of universal atonement to the doctrines of Primitive Baptists. The Limited Predestinarians (also called Old Line, Conditionalists, etc.) are the largest group with around 50,000 members in about 1500 churches. The Absolute Predestinarians are similar to the Limited Predestinarians, but hold to the absolute predestination of all things. They number about 350 churches. The Progressive Primitive Baptists separated from the main body around the turn of the 20th century, and have adopted such practices as Sunday School, instrumental music, homes for the aged, and various auxiliaries to the church. They have about 8000 members in over 100 churches. In addition to these predominantly white Primitive Baptist groups, there are at least two types of Colored Primitive Baptists - Old School & National Primitive Baptist Convention of the U.S.A. Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists and Old Regular Baptists departed from the Primitive Baptists in the latter part of the 19th century.
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