In the mid-eighteenth century, the relationship between Virginia and England was being reexamined. For example, the Anglican church in Virginia depended upon bishops in England. This dependence created problems because it was traditional for bishops to confirm members in the church. Without any bishops in Virginia, one could not be confirmed in the church unless he made the trip to England. This was totally impractical for most people who sensed that the church wasn't responsive to their needs nor was the church serious about it what it said. Bishops ordained pastors also. Without bishops in Virginia, it was difficult to obtain new ministers.
The Stamp Act (1762), widely opposed in the colonies, reignited questions about how much control was desired by Parliament. For some time, Virginia had been moving toward more self government, independent of England. So, as the new churches of the Presbyterians and the Baptists developed, some people felt that there was a need for Anglican bishops in Virginia to strengthen that church. But, bishops in Virginia would be under the control of the mother church in England. Politically, having Virginia bishops would be a move in the direction just opposite of what was desired. Therefore, the effort to establish Anglican bishops in Virginia was doomed, though the argument consumed time and effort.
Meanwhile, in the decade before the Revolution, the Baptist movement was gaining strength. Its preachers were defying legal restrictions. The movement spread from the western frontier regions toward the settled Tidewater and Piedmont regions. The dissent from the established church reached a peak with the first meeting of the Virginia Separate Baptist Association, at the Blue Run Church in Orange County, on May 11 to May 15 in 1771. A writer of the times estimated that four to five thousand people were in attendance on Sunday.
Defiance of authority was rife at the meeting. Many were in favor of censuring anyone who had obtained a license, as was required by law, to preach.
The movement aroused strong hostility in the traditional sections of the community which used legal actions and disruptive and riotous actions. These had started by 1765 when the Separate Baptists first were called in to preach in the Piedmont. As the movement spread into the Tidewater, the incidents became more frequent.
The Lutheran and Reformed Churches were not the objects of the scorn of the establishment, as these German churches were recognized as legitimate. On the contrary, the German churches were in the same position as the Anglican church, except that they did not have the power of the state behind them. The German churches, still dependent upon their European brethren, were sluggish and responded very slowly. Ministers were extremely difficult to obtain. It is not difficult to see why the Baptists made a headway even among the Germans.
Some of the readers probably have ancestors who were involved in this religious upheaval. If you have stories to relate, why not forward them to the list here.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.