Campbell & Pre-Faith Regeneration

Alexander Campbell, as I have shown in previous entries, "came out swinging" against Hyper Calvinism, Hardshellism, or the "pre-faith" view of "regeneration," after having spent a decade or so with the Baptists. I have intimated so far, in my writings on Campbell and Hardshellism, that Hyper Calvinism and the "pre-faith" view of "regeneration" helped to create Alexander Campbell. I doubt that there would have been an Alexander Campbell, after the manner we now know him, had there been no Hyperism in his day.

Campbell, in his early writings against Hyperism, generally referred to three men whom he thought were guilty of Hyperism. He mentions specifically "Bellamy, Hopkins, and Fuller."

Though not addressed in this present writing, I do plan to look at the positions of these three men in upcoming writings with the purpose of discovering what these three men said and whether it agrees with what Campbell says about them. It may be strange for some to hear that Andrew Fuller could be classed in the "Hyper Calvinist" camp, but in upcoming writings it will be seen that Campbell was not "off base" in his charges here. Also, it is ironic that those truly Hyper Calvinists consider Andrew Fuller an "Arminian"!

The following citation from "The Christian Baptist" of 1824 gives us some insights into the state of things among the Baptists and Presbyterian Calvinists of the early 19th century.

Campbell wrote:

"The popular belief of a regeneration previous to faith, or a knowledge of the gospel, is replete with mischief. Similar to this is a notion that obtains among many of a "law work," or some terrible process of terror and despair through which a person must pass, as through the pious Bunyan's slough of Despond, before he can believe the gospel. It is all equivalent to this; that a man must become a desponding, trembling infidel, before he can become a believer. Now, the gospel makes no provision for despondency, inasmuch as it assures all who believe and obey it, upon the veracity of God, that they are forgiven and accepted in the Beloved.

A devout preacher told me, not long since, that he was regenerated about three years before he believed in Christ. He considered himself "as born again by a physical energy of the Holy Spirit, as a dead man would be raised to life by the mighty power of the Eternal Spirit." Upon his own hypothesis, (metaphysical, it is true,) he was three years a "godly unbeliever." He was pleasing and acceptable to God "without faith;" and if he had died during the three years, he would have been saved, though he believed not the gospel. Such is the effect of metaphysical theology." (MARCH 1, 1824 - "Address to the readers of the Christian Baptist")

I certainly am in agreement with Campbell here, as were many of our ablest Baptist leaders in Campbell's day. They too rejected the "pre-faith" view of "regeneration."

I also agree with Campbell that "conviction" is not a "law work," per se, and that the use of the law was not a necessary means or instrument in regeneration. Our ablest Baptist forefathers also believed with Campbell that men, with or without any convictions of the law, are nevertheless commanded to repent and believe and be saved. The gospel is able to bring about conviction of sin, as Campbell pointed out, and does not depend upon the preaching of the law as a necessary pre-regeneration work.

Yes, it is also ironic that Campbell would later himself come up with a strange creature, one as weird as the "regenerated unbeliever," whom we call a "unregenerated believer"!

Notice that Campbell speaks of the "pre-faith" view of "regeneration" as being "popular" at the time. How "popular" was it? That is the big question today for Baptist historians, hey?

This is contrary to what Dr. Jeter said (see in my previous entries in the series on Campbell and Hardshellism) who seemed to think that the Hyperism or Hardshellism, in Campbell's day, was only held by a very small group.

More to come.