Democratic Religion: Freedom, Authority, and Church Discipline in the Baptist South, 1785-1900

by Gregory A. Wills

No American denomination identified itself more closely with the nation's democratic ideal than the Baptists. Most antebellum southern Baptist churches allowed women and slaves to vote on membership matters and preferred populists preachers who addressed their appeals to the common person. Paradoxically no denomination could wield religious authority as zealously as the Baptists. Between 1785 and 1860 they ritually excommunicated forty to fifty thousand church members in Georgia alone. Wills demonstrates how a denomination of freedom-loving individualists came to embrace an exclusivist spirituality--a spirituality that continues to shape Southern Baptist churches in contemporary conflicts between moderates who urge tolerance and conservatives who require belief in scriptural inerrancy. Wills's analysis advances our understanding of the interaction between democracy and religious authority, and will appeal to scholars of American religion, culture, and history, as well as to
Baptist observers.

Genres: History, Church History, Nonfiction, Ecclesiology, Theology, School, Christianity

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Dennis Thurman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Quite informative. It explains a lot of what has happened in Baptist life—some good and some bad. Of course it is good that churches changed in the south in dealing with racism and an extremes of discipline and Calvinism. But, the pendulum has swung way too far the other direction—where liberty has become license and outreach to the world has become contamination by the world.

[Cole Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful historical account of Baptist church life particularly related to church authority and discipline. It seems they disciplined members for just about anything in order to maintain a pure church. While the discipline was a bit extreme, it has gravitated to the opposite end of the spectrum now as discipline is a rarity in the majority of Baptist churches. The individualism of western culture has influenced SB churches in this way.
Also a sobering book for Southern Baptists. While Southern Baptists accomplished much for the Kingdom of God, we did many things wrong- ie: slavery. Virtually all white Southern Baptists raised themselves above African American members, limiting their freedoms in the church (voting, etc). Eventually, they split from white churches to start their own where they would still be governed under whites. Deplorable acts by Southern Baptist for so many years.
Overall, this was a very cool read that brought me inside the Baptist church in the 19-20th century.

[Kat Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because the author accomplished his purpose. Minus 1 star because this is the least fun book in the world. Unless you’re dying to know about how church discipline worked in the baptist church from 1785-1900.

Here’s all you need to know:
Early baptists were overzealous about church discipline and believed their primary goal was the “purify the church.”
After the civil war, immorality was more prevalent than ever (read: dancing. No I’m not joking. It was about dancing), and the began to sacrifice their value of purity, exchanging it for a value of programs and attendance. Thus, church discipline fell out of fashion.
Later church discipline became a little more popular again.

That’s the book. That’s it.

[Jake Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a 4.5 star book. There are places where it can be a little dry. Overall, Baptist pastors, lay members, and students need to read this book. One will find the Baptist disciplinary practices against dancing and other things excessive at times. However, it is to be commended the desire for the purity of the churches. We are missing this. Wills does an excellent job of showing how the individualistic spirit many Baptists have today is foreign to historic Baptist views of polity. Finally, it is a tragic legacy still with us today of how efficient management and organization replaced orthodoxy and purity in the churches.

[Jake Auton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book on a very niche topic, and one that I thought I would loathe. However, I became enthralled with Wills story-telling illustrations and enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. Very interesting to get an accurate account of Baptist life in the 1800s and how it shaped several of the characteristics I see today.

[Keith Skrdlant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is actually kind of interesting. Not in a fun way, mind you. But seeing what took place in Southern Baptist history gives me a lot of reflective insight.

In conclusion, great subtitle. The book definitely talks about those things.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is boring above all else. Felt like reading a dissertation. Really think a blog could’ve covered the same amount of info. Also pretty disheartening. I think the goal is to help see church discipline in a better light, but what sticks out is mostly how it’s always disproportionately hurt the marginalized and been lenient towards white men.

[Rex Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

I had no idea what to expect from this book, but what I found was:
-An informed picture of early Baptist church life in America
-Incredibly meticulous research
-A history of black-white relationships in the Baptist church that I never knew existed
-Scores of historical anecdotes from the period that give a very gritty, real-life feel to the book
-Enlightening information on the devolution of Southern Baptists--from confessional, doctrinally rich, thoroughly Calvinistic, discipline-practicing congregations to the total opposite of that by the mid-20th century.

I'm glad to see many churches (including my own) returning to those roots.

A great book if you're interested in Baptist history or the topic of church discipline.

[Philip Mcduffie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is fascinating to look at the history of certain topics. That holds true to looking at the history of freedom, authority, and church discipline in the Baptist South. I never knew the widespread acceptance of calvinistic doctrine within Southern Baptist life in the 1800s. I also was amazed to see how church discipline was carried out. I was also heart broken to see how the rise of individual freedom and self autonomy in the late 1800s and early 1900s did significant damage to Southern Baptist Churches. Modernity reaped destruction and we are still seeing its effects.

[David Rathel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An overview of the ecclesiastical practices of Southern Baptists during the 1800s. As the title indicates, Wills focuses his research on how early Southern Baptists practiced church discipline. This is actually an excellent and interesting read (no, really it is!).

[Allen Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read on the practice of church discipline in Baptist churches. If you enjoy Baptist history, you’ll enjoy this book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent historical overview of Baptist churches in Georgia from 1785-1900 tracing their views of congregational polity and robust views on church discipline and confessionalism that slowly declined by the end of the 20th century as individualism, rationalism, and autonomy took precedence and church discipline declined among churches.

Although this survey is only a brief snapshot of history among Southern Baptist churches in Georgia, it reflects on many common issues for churches today such as church discipline, removal of pastors for immoral sins and doctrinal deviations from confessional standards. The emphasis is on church discipline, but Wils does an excellent job tying in other related issues such as the importance of a robust confessionalism for church discipline and how rationalism and individualism lead to the doctrine of soul liberty that "no one has a right to judge a servant of Christ. Each one must account for himself before God" (pg. 136), which undermines the authority of local churches to do church discipline. The offender simply claims he cannot be judged under the authority of the local congregation since only he can judge himself before God. This is sadly the view of many modern evangelical churches.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Democratic Religion follows the history of Southern Baptist from the early 1800s into the 20th century. This time was marked by individuality, church autonomy, and discipline. The South during this time was heavily influenced by the church, but in areas of racism and slavery it seems that the churches view did not make its way into the social fabric. This book does a good job of getting across the historical impact of democratic religion in the Southern Baptist church, but its reporting on documents is not well done. Quotes regarding the transcripts of conferences are not easily read and it’s easy to get lost the wordiness. I would recommend this to only those who are desperate to understand why Southern Baptists are the way they are today.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great analysis of the democratic nature in Baptist churches as seen through the use of church discipline. The book is worth reading just to understand the change explained in the final chapter.

“Once the vision of the efficient church replaced that of the pure church as the goal of Christian community, Baptist could no longer afford rigid exclusivism. Tolerance improved efficiency in cooperative evangelism and missions. The tolerance of the efficient church gave shade to varied theological opinions, so that once the denomination belatedly confronted modernism, serious differences emerged.”

[Andrew Ivester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wills does a good job of letting history speak for itself in Baptist life. He regularly quotes church leaders and conference meeting minutes to support and shape his arguments. The best aspect of the book was the drawing out of the general motivations of the typical Baptist congregant. In earlier days, the church members sacrificed their individual preferences and submitted to the authority of the collective regenerate body. Over time, the authority of the collective has submitted to the freedom of the individual. Fascinating read!

[Mary Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about American Baptist history from this book. I didn’t realize how serious Baptist churches were about ecclesiastical authority and church discipline in the 1800s! Or how strictly Calvinistic most Baptist churches were at that time. This book was helpful in understanding how issues of race and slavery related to Baptist life both before and after the Civil War. The brief overview of the 20th century at the end was also helpful for understanding how Baptists got to where they are today.

[Trevor Lynn Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging book on the history of church discipline in the early baptist churches. Church discipline is commanded in the scriptures and practiced in the early churches in Acts. This book will help you ground the significance of church discipline in the history of the church in America and give you a reality of the struggles you will face when you implement this practice in your church. Be encouraged, there are greater blessings when we practice church discipline well.

[Spencer R · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's researched well, but unless you're really interested in how white and black Southern Baptists in 1800s Georgia practiced church discipline, or unless you have this as a class, you probably won't read it. It's not very interesting, though it does give a good perspective of the time. It was good to see that many of the churches weren't really as racist as we may think.

[James Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Wills in this book shows the reader the democratic polity of early Baptist in the south. His study focuses primarily on Baptist in Georgia and shows how Baptist practiced local church autonomy, the whole church body was the final seat of authority, and that church discipline was a staple. For those interested in Baptist ecclesiology this is a good historical primer.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful survey of Baptist practices in the South (from 1785 to 1900), including their stalwart maintenance of Calvinism, their strict observance of church discipline, and their preservation of the tension between freedom and authority (both an autonomous local church and a unified biblical tradition maintained by the authority of church leadership and covenants).

[Mitchell Dorris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Baptist Heritage class. It was very thorough in it’s research. Wills deserves credit for that. However, at times the book seemed to drag on. Many of the chapters seemed repetitive. All and all, Wills deserves credit for the amount of research and statistics he prepared for this book.

[Dwain Minor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an eye-opening book concerning Baptists in the South from 1785-1900. From the widespread acceptance of Calvinism to the incredible amount of work that churches endured to keep themselves pure this book was very informative.

[Seth Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book accomplishes its purpose. However, it does so in a manner that is just frankly boring.

Don’t read unless you are dying to know more about church discipline in Baptist churches from the 18th, 19th and 20th century.

[Chloe Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important but uneven study. Wills convincingly shows how central church discipline was to antebellum Baptist life, often with vivid (and sometimes astonishing) examples that shed light on Baptist zeal for purity and order. His research highlights how congregational democracy shaped the church’s identity. At the same time, the book can feel narrow in focus and at points strangely detached from broader moral issues, most notably slavery, where the treatment feels muted. While historically valuable and at times even entertaining, the work left me wishing for a fuller theological and ethical engagement alongside the social history.

[Kayla]

I’m not sure what possessed me to take a Baptist history intensive over Christmas break… 🤯🫠 But I’ve never been so happy to finish a book. 😂

This was not a bad book, but it was one that I had absolutely no interest in reading, so I won’t rate it. 😅

[Eric Fults · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book. Interesting in regards to Southern Baptist history and church practice. Interesting and very honest (no corners cut to try to cover up sins or shameful activity).

[Logan Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I’m pretty surprised that I somewhat enjoyed this book. Who knew that Baptist democratic authority and church discipline in the 1800s could be a slightly interesting topic!

[Matthew Bandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most eye opening books on Baptist history and surprisingly page turning, at least for me!

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it has some good parts, the whole thing seems a bit unorganized and rambly.

[Liam Bomar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative, but boring.