Richmond planet., 1898-03-26
THE VITAL QUESTION.
Thea. NJ. E. Church and its Record
1.-The Unknown" Gives Facts.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH ANTEDATEs THE nETH-
ODIST CHURCH.
A TIMELY REPLY-OUR DENOMINATIONAN AND IT'S
WEAKNESS WILL THE LEADERS TAKE AD-
VANTAGE OF ITS RESOURCES.

Mr.. Editor The Virgins Baptist, I
that: I'VE shall pay our respects to
one Planetarian IN our next issue.
when read the notice. knowing the /
editor TO be q distinguished scholar,
educator and divine, MoBeslike st the /
burning bush, / trembled. His ire
spects" appears in his issue of the 18th /
/ inst. read and re-read his respects"
with glasses, and 1 find nothing there |
in disproviDg your assertion concern
ing the a. n E. Church being the
Igrandest Negro religious organization
in the world.
TOOK UP TIE oUD0xL-
He says that took him to task in
the Richmond Planet of February
| 20th, / did not call she name of the
IVirginia Baptist. / wrote some cSl-
ored Baptist chief and sub-editors are
seudeavoring because of said assertion
TO write YOU out of the pale6 OF the
Baptist denomination. Why should he
take it TO himself, for he says in his is
Isue of the 18th inst. Brother Mitch
!ell is Baptist" 1 am glad you are
yet member of the great Baptist
family.
one half of the sum of money that the
colored Baptists owe on the Virginia
seminary, and yet want to become
overwhelmed in DE- bt.
TIE SCRIPTURES DO NOT PRovE 1T,
have read the passa ages of scripture
Icited. Not one Of them disproves your
. | assertion. What did Paul know about
y the A NJ r. Church2 1t came inta ex-
Q istence 1850 years after Paul's martyr
dom. One passage OF scripture quoted
sSphesians 4: % says "Endeayorlng TO
keep the unity of the spirit in the
Q bonds of peace The editor OF the
PittsYlvania Department Of the Vir-
5 ginia Baptist, in the issue o. March
y I2eh inst, says There is great lack OF
Iunity among the clergy. especially
d among the Baptist brotherhood 1t
r NAV be denied but still it remains 9
IstubLorn fact that the truth OF which
y. we are forced to admit. when we have
: carefully investigated the relations ex.
~ listing Pertaining to the same, in said
issue, the Baptist says Our prayer II
4 that the scenes of the Boston meeting
- may never be repeated in our day o.
~ any great Baptist meeting"
TX THAT NILLSoN AND A HALF MEMBERS.
We have a million and a half o
members and large following among
III the Negroes who are out of the-chuIch
~ ct am told that the Baptist consist i
. the churches, and not the church
ss According to the American Baptis
"a Year Book, no man on Harth can te
o. the number of colored Baptist minis
ters and laity There is so muc
on church independence and sovereiRnit
ia that many will not give figures, sayini
ais sit is none of your business" :,
The Baptists remained with tn
It white people until 1865" Some dit
a and some did not, that is the histoI
on of the case. There we're colored Bal
tist Churches, associations, convei
at tions and papers long before the wa
TX called ante-bellum days. The A !
ev- E. Church was organized In Philade
tly phia, Pa, in 1915 In the same cit
an African Baptist Church was Iorm'
June 1909. The Abyssinian or Afric'
ere Church in New York city was form'
}. in 1909. An African Baptist Chur
vaa was formed in Boston, Mass in l8(
inc The Harrison Street Baptist Church
Petersburg, Va, was organized IN IL
the Gilfiald Baptist Church same ci
in 1905. A colored Baptist Church
Georeia, recently celebrated its lie
.. Anniversary, having been orga nized
ion 1887.
ear DIsPosEs OF THE POINT MADE AGAIf
THRM.
exi- Thus. we have knowledge of sew
ing Icolored Baptist Churches older th
the A. M. e. Church. No doubt th'
are many more, We have an accol
Sso' OF over fifty colored Baptist Churcl
Inc organized since 1917 and prior to lS
IN The first, or Old Church. the Ebenez
est the Second Church of Richmo
re- churches in Norfolk, Lynchburg {
. lu Manchester were organized years
MA, MA, fore the Civil War.
laAe The Old Church in Richmond was
Is panized in 1872; Bank Street ChuI
ese- Norfolk, 1S4O. According to the d.
DC sion OF the courts, by rights. the b
Seri Street Church was organized in IL
the Butte Street Church in 1849.
ze- soaRTHINe ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION
form
and For thirty years and more, prior
5 at 1886. there were colored Bsptist A
bout Citations independents of white,
a the though a coIored Baptist historian
iouse saws that the Union Norfolk Asso
was tion OF Virginia is the oldest Bal
Iugle Association in the United States.
die know a colored Baptist preacher,
ldren was ordained at a colored Baptist
sociation in 1857. 1t will not
say that the coIored Baptists were
sey. IN churches to themselves until 1S
ck 9. The American Baptist Mssio
mem Convention that was consolidated
nmis- the Northern and Southern Ba
casey Conventions in the Ebenezer Ba
out Church, Richmond, Va , in August
lth- was organized in l84O. 1t is one o
wrecks, stranded by jealousy.
NO WRECK NOTED.
The religious department Of the
United States Census tells US thai
at Q A. NJ. Z. Zion Church came out
cid At the Methodist Episcopal Churc
tn 1st New York City, that they might
Il. L. an opportunity to exercise their q
re and ual gifts among themselves, and {
.tures. by be more useful to one anot
breach Such was no wreck. A wreck,
will be remains of anything ruined
eninQ. weeds and grass. the ruins OF q
,stroV- Ruin, that which is fallen down
,ellent become worthless from injury, {
ection cay, as the remains of destroy
re- cor. desolated house, as the ruins OF I
q, Ell, A new Theology, new def'