BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN
1812 Born in Bellmont County,
Ohio.
1812 He was the eldest son in a
big family. His father was a
farmer, a miller, and a carpenter.
1813 Benjamin had to help his
father, and so had little
opportunity for schooling.
1832 His father moved into the
State of Indiana, and Benjamin
acquired 80 acres of land for
himself,
• 1833 Married on December 15. She
proved to be a faithful wife. Eleven
children which were born to them.
• Two sons of sons were named
Alexander Campbell Franklin and
Walter Scott Franklin
Benjamin Franklin's father and
mother influenced by Samuel
Rogers who moved to their
community.
They, as well as Benjamin
decided to obey the gospel.
1834. A week after his baptism
his wife followed him.
• Soon a, church of between thirty and
forty members was gathered, from
which came no less than five
preachers.
• About two months after his
conversion he wrote an article for a
paper called "The Heretic Detector.".
1837 Benjamin took his first
preaching appointment.
He believed the gospel with all his heart,
and felt impelled to preach it.
His education being so scanty. he made
many mistakes, he was often taken to task
by some of the older brethren.
This caused him to determine to acquire an
education
• In his life he baptized 8,000
people
• He spent most of his life in
meeting work.
1841 First public debate of
many took place.
Conducted 25-30 of which five
were published.
1845 Became editor of "The
Reformer."
1849 Supporter of Missionary
Society.
1850 Became Co-editor of
Christian Age.
Other editor was D. S. Burnet.
Benjamin
Franklin
was a
prolific
writer.
1856 First issue of American
Christian Review appears.
1866 Began opposition to the
society.
1869 Initially supported the
Louisville Plan but 2 years
later began to opposed it.
Opposed to instrumental music
in worship.
David Lipscomb thought that
Franklin did such a good job in his
paper that the Advocate needed
to say little about it.
Franklin said the society was
permissible:
1. Where a church has lost the spirit of
Christ
2. If a church has a preacher who has lost
or has never had the spirit of Christ
3. If a church only intends being a
fashionable society. . . abandoning the
idea of religion and worship
4. If a church has in a large number of
dishonest and corrupt men
5. If a church have given up all idea of
converting the world.
As an Author
• Wrote pamphlet, "Sincerity Seeking the
Way to Heaven." This was based on the
experiences of a young man in Cincinnati.
It has had the largest circulation of any
pamphlet
• Produced two volumes of sermons, The
Gospel Preacher First reprinted 60 times
and the second 30.
1878 Passed away suddenly,
Oct. 22, 1878.
• His last words were: "Mother, I
am sorry to have to leave you,"
“ He is worthy of imitation in his firm
adherence to the word of God and
its teaching,
in his confidence in the power of
the gospel, and in the boldness
with which he preached the truths
of the New Testament.”
OPPOSITION TO THE
SOCIETY
Objections came on three
grounds:
(1) Scripture did not authorize conventions.
(2) The organizations were dangerous and
could infringe on the rights of local
congregations.
(3) Inefficient: organization would always
need support.
(4) Money as requirement for membership.
The advocates of conventions
never produced one passage of
scripture, to countenance these
assemblies from the New
Testament.
Benjamin Franklin wrote:
• “We want more faith and less
machinery, more work and less talk,
more faith and less planning.
• The Lord has given us the plan...; but
instead of going to work with the tools
he has furnished, we spend all the
day in making new ones which in our
wisdom we think will work better.”
DAVID LIPSCOMB
• 1825, Granville Lipscomb, on a
visit to Hopkinsville, KY was
given a copy of the Christian
Baptist.
• He and brothers converted to
Restoration Movement
• Family expelled from Beans
Creek Baptist Church
• 1830 United with a Stone group at
Owl Hollow
• 1831 David born in Franklin County,
Tennessee.
• 1834 Old Salem church founded.
1846 David and his brother
William entered Franklin
College. David baptized.
• 1849 Graduated from Franklin
College.
• Spent next few years in various jobs,
teaching school and farming.
• 1856 Decided to preach, working
with churches in Middle Tennessee.
1857 He and William bought a
farm in Nashville area from
Tolbert Fanning for $16,000
• $335,000 in today’s money
• Included all farm
implements, as well as five
slaves.
1861 Outbreak of War.
Lipscomb joined others in
successfully petitioning both
Union and Confederate
governments for exemptions of
Christians from draft.
• 1862 Nashville fell to Union
forces.
Married Margaret Zellner.
• Gave up farming and moved back
to Franklin county. Taught school
in Lincoln County.
• 1864 Lipscomb’s only child
died.
1865 Tolbert Fanning and David
Lipscomb revived the Gospel
Advocate which had ceased
publication during war. Within
three years Lipscomb was sole
editor.
Wrote long series of articles on
Christians relationship to civil
government.
• Continued editor of Advocate for
45 years.
• 1866-67 Raised over $100,000
for destitute Southern Christians
• About $1.26 million in 2005
dollars.
1867 Written debate with
Thomas Munnell on missionary
societies.
• Munnell Corresponding Secretary
of Kentucky State Missionary
Society.
• Later, helped in forming Foreign
Christian Missionary Society.
1873 Cholera epidemic in Nashville
• "Every individual, white or black, that
dies from the neglect and want of
proper food and nursing is a reproach
to the professors of the Christian
religion in the vicinity of Nashville."
• W.K. Bowling of the medical school in
Nashville, praised Lipscomb and the
group of young Christians for their
work among the poor during the
cholera scourge
1882 Ladies at Woodland Street
church asked to form an
auxiliary of Christian Women’s
Board of Missions.
• E. G. Sewell successfully
opposed this idea.
• 1883 Sewell dismissed as
preacher.
• Auxiliary formed in 1887
Lipscomb gave his home to the
Bible School for a dormitory.
• 1884 Fanning Orphan School
established.
• Served on board of directors as
long as he lived.
Fanning
Orphan School
for Girls
1887 South Nashville church
established. Lipscomb served
as an elder for many years
• 1889 Lipscomb’s articles on civil
government in Advocate put in book
form.
Woodland Street Church hired
A. I. Myhr as evangelist.
• Lipscomb opposed. Said money for
support raised wrong way, Myhr
would only work with a society.
• Myhr stated he was coming to
Nashville to establish a state society.
• Less than 100 members out of 2500
in Nashville favored the society.
1890 State convention in
Chattanooga.
• Only five congregations attended.
• Lipscomb attended and spoke.
• Showed Nashville churches
already supporting three
missionaries.
1892 National convention of
Missionary Society in Nashville.
• Lipscomb and others presented a
paper on their opposition.
• McGarvey, as chairman, sent it to a
committee for study.
• “The Bible as popular as last year’s
almanac”.
1891 Nashville Bible School
established.
• Teachers: David and William
Lipscomb and James A. Harding.
James A. Harding
• “I have found more satisfaction
in teaching the Bible to young
men and women at school
than in any work of my life.”
• 1897 Lipscomb wrote
commentary on Acts
Gospel Advocate Commentary Series.
All but Matthew, Acts, James, John
and Peter, Hebrews and Revelation
written from notes of David Lipscomb
1903 Lipscomb donated his
farm to Nashville Bible School.
1906 U. S. Census Bureau
recognizes difference in
Christian Church and Church of
Christ
• Gospel Advocate and J. W. Shepherd
collected statistics.
• 1912 Lipscomb sold interest in Advocate
to E. A. Elam, M. C. Kurfees and A. B.
Lipscomb.
• 1917 Died November 11 at age eighty-six.
1918 Name of Nashville Bible
School changed to David
Lipscomb College
“I don’t think I have known a
man more faithful to the
Christian life, to the teachings of
the Bible, to the precious words
of eternal life.
“While David Lipscomb has not
cooperated with us in our
organized missionary work, he
had, for many years, been one
of our great men. . .
“The Gospel Advocate with which
we have not been in of perfect
accord, has been a balance wheel
of the Restoration Movement
Christian Standard” Isaac Errett
Reflections
• He had an implicit trust in the Bible as the
Word of God
• He was unwavering to his convictions.
• He was plain spoken
• He was deeply concerned for the sick and
suffering
• He was patient with those who disagreed
with him.
• Few enjoyed the respect in which he was
held.
• Over 50-75 congregations in Middle
Tennessee trace their origin to
influence of David Lipscomb.
• 1976 For the Bi-centennial
celebration, a list of the one hundred
most influential people in Tennessee
history was compiled
• . David Lipscomb was 17th.