This is a great talk. Watch it.
I won’t attempt to summarize; but a couple of interesting points have regional significance.
He speaks of the intense persecution faced by early Virginia Baptists that helped lead to religious liberty being incorporated into the Constitution; and to the eventual phasing out of established churches in the individual states. This persecution was perpetrated by the government-established church in Virginia– the Episcopal Church (or Anglican church)– and its supporters.
He also discusses Shubal Stearns and the major influence of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association. Its home base was in Liberty, North Carolina, in Randolph County just southeast of Greensboro.
This talk contains much history with which many Southern Baptists will be unfamiliar. There is also some great analysis and interpretation. Again, watch it:
Christianity and the Founding Session 5: The Baptists and the Founding of America – Dr. Sam Smith pic.twitter.com/3UCzDciRQd
— Truthscript (@Truth_Script) May 16, 2025
Baptists were part of the Great Awakening but a biblical prayer for religious populist nationalism.
This guy really demonstrated how the Baptists played such a critical role in early America that resulted in religious liberty for everyone. But he also understood the nature of the early Baptists– and what he described still holds true to a large extent.