Did Christ Preach in Hell Before His Resurrection? - I Peter 3.19

I asked the class tonight this question;"Where do we find this passage;

"(He) was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The third day he arose for the dead."?  

I had several answers; "Corinthians."  "Psalms."  A third person gave a 3rd book.  Granted I used the word "passage."  But...the passages is not from the Bible.  It simply is not there.  It sounds Bible.  But is it?  No..it is not.  It is not from the Bible and it is not a biblical statement.  The passage is found in "The Apostles Creed," a man made document.

Please find below a copy of our lesson sheet AND a copy of my answer sheet so you can share this info with either a class you, your elders or your gospel preacher can present to the congregation where you attend.

Did Christ Preach in Hell on Saturday?

Archdale church of Christ / Russ McCullough – 14 June 2017

I Peter 3.19 Question

1.      Where do we find this statement; “(He) was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The third day he arose from the dead.”?

2.      What was generally believed by people in Catholic Europe during the middle ages? 

3.      This L____________ dates back to the _______ century based upon a book known as P____________ Augustine who allegedly says in a sermon that the A___________ C___________ was given by the “inspiration of the Holy Spirit” to each of the 12 A_____________ who each wrote a 1/12 of the creed.  Augustine uses as a S_________ that this was asserted by St. A_____________ in the ________ century. 

4.      The CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA cites at least ________ versions of the creed.  There are 3 versions of the Old R_____________ Creed as supposedly quoted by Tertullian as well as _______ more “modern” versions.

5.      “What saith the Scriptures?”

6.      The traditional interpretation of I Peter 3.19 is that while in the tomb on S_______________ Christ went to H________ and preached to the OT S_________ so as to set them F_________.  This is generally held to be true by C_____________, most P_____________ and most members of the L_______ C__________ as well.

7.      This traditional approach is based on 2 passages: I Peter 3.18 – 20 & I Peter 4.4 – 6.

8.      There are two            questions we must ask of these texts: 1) Where does it say in the text that Christ went to hell?  2) “IF” He did, where does it say in the text that He went to Hell while in the Tomb?

9.      The context for I Peter 3.18 – 20 spans vs.13 – 21.  The focus of the overall text is not H_________, not those who are D_____________ but instead it is about B____________.  The portion of the text regarding the “spirits in prison” is A__________ and not P______________.

10.  The key to this auxiliary portion is found in vs. 3 as well as in vs. 1.10 – 11.

11.  Conclusion: Christ did not go to H__________ on S_____________.  He did not literally preach to anyone while in H_________ so that they might have a 2^nd C___________.  He did C_________________ to the dead but did so while they were A__________ by the same Spirit that raised Him from the D___________, a Spirit that was, is, and shall be O_________________.  We cannot interpret Scripture by way of medieval C______________ creeds and D_____________.

Public Domain Image Courtesy of Wikipdia.org

1.      Where do we find this statement; “(He) was crucified, died, and was buried.  He descended into hell.  The third day he arose from the dead.”?

2.      What was generally believed by people in Catholic Europe during the middle ages? 

3.      This LEGEND dates back to the SIXTH century based upon a book known as PSEUDO Augustine who allegedly says in a sermon that the APOSTLES CREED was given by the “inspiration of the Holy Spirit” to each of the 12 APOSTLES who each wrote a 1/12 of the creed.  Augustine uses as a SERMON that this was asserted by St. AMBROSE in the FOURTH century. 

4.      The CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA cites at least FIVE versions of the creed.  There are 3 versions of the Old ROMAN Creed as supposedly quoted by Tertullian as well as TWO more “modern” versions.

5.      “What saith the Scriptures?”

6.      The traditional interpretation of I Peter 3.19 is that while in the tomb on SATURDAY Christ went to HELL and preached to the OT SAINTS so as to set them FREE.  This is generally held to be true by CATHOLICS, most PROTESTANTS, and most members of the LORD’S CHURCH   as well.

7.      This traditional approach is based on 2 passages: I Peter 3.18 – 20 & I Peter 4.4 – 6.

8.      There are two questions we must ask of these texts: 1) Where does it say in the text that Christ went to hell?  2) “IF” He did, where does it say in the text that He went to Hell while in the Tomb?

9.      The context for I Peter 3.18 – 20 spans vs.13 – 21.  The focus of the overall text is not HELL, not those who are DEAD but instead it is about BAPTISM.  The portion of the text regarding the “spirits in prison” is AUXILLARY and not PRIMARY.

10.  The key to this auxiliary portion is found in vs. 3 as well as in vs. 1.10 – 11.

11.  Conclusion: Christ did not go to HELL on SATURDAY.  He did not literally preach to anyone while in HELL so that they might have a 2^nd  CHANCE.  He did COMMUNICATE to the dead but did so while they were ALIVE by the same Spirit that raised Him from the DEAD, a Spirit that was, is, and shall be  OMNIPRESENT.  We cannot interpret Scripture by way of medieval CATHOLIC creeds and DOGMAS .

Public Domain Image Courtesy of Wikipdia.org

Sources Consulted:

Primary: 

     I Peter 3, 4 - ESV (English Standard Version)

Secondary:

     THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA via wikipedia.org

     Piper, John ("Did Jesus Spend Saturday in Hell?" in the blog; DESIRING GOD, March 22,          2008

The Admiral and the Crow

“The Admiral and the Crow”

Sermon 2 in the Series – “Why I am a Member of the church of Christ”

“From Ulster Plantation to the Carolina’s with the Gospel!” *

Russell H. McCullough / Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210

www.archdale.org / gospelcall.blogspot.com - Date:  

Text: Matthew 16.16 - 20

Thesis: I am a member of the church of Christ “Because It was Founded on the Scriptural Foundation”

1           Introduction

A.   Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson “turned a blind eye” to Admiral Parkers signal to retreat at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.

B.   In the age of sail before the discovery of latitude and longitude coordination, at the top of the tallest mast on the ship was the “crow’s nest.”  So-called for it contained just that, a nest of crows in a cage.  When released the crow would immediately fly to land in the shortest and fastest route possible, thus the saying “as the crow flies.”

2          To What Does “Upon This Rock” Reflect?

A.   Petros – Peter

B.   PETRA – the CONFESSION

C.    “IF” there would have been the office of the pope then:

1.      Paul would have been pope for he was the one who chastised Peter in Galatians and not the other way around.

2.     Paul would have been pope since he was the “apostle to the gentiles.”

3.    Paul would have been pope since he was not married and Peter was.

3          I Corinthians 3.11

A.   No other foundation

4         Ephesians 2.20

A.   Christ is the chief cornerstone

1.      Psalms 118.22 – rejected corner

2.     Matthew 21.42 – Jesus applied this to Himself

3.    Acts 4.11 - Peter applied this to Christ

B.   The witnesses are one and the same as they are part of the foundation

a.    Acts 1

5          CONCLUSION: The one Singular Jesus Christ build his one and only singular church on the one singular foundation of which He is the only singular chief and cornerstone!

6         The Meaning of the Text in It’s Theological, Historical & Cultural Context:

A.   Jesus promised, built, and is head of only one church – HIS!

7          The Challenge of the Text for Christians Today

A.    We must continue to strive to “contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.”

8         “The Gospel Call”

·         My fifth great uncle was Hugh Gaston who was rector at the Ballywillan Presbyterian Church (pictured above left) in County Antrim, Ulster Plantation (Northern Ireland) and wrote the most dangerous book of his time; Gaston’s Collections.  It allowed “the ploughman to know more Bible than his clergyman.”  Hugh fled to South Carolina where he died prematurely of the measles.  He is buried just one hour south of Charlotte in Chester County, S.C. in “Burnt Meeting House Cemetery.”   Uncle Hugh continues to inspire my ministry to this very day.  You can read more about Uncle Hugh here: http://www.ballywillanpci.org/rev-hugh-gaston

Ruins photo courtesy of: ballywillanpci.org.

Just What Is Lipscomb's "Institute for Christian Spirituality?"

Gospel Call Media: (Charlotte, NC)   On June 25 - 27, Lord willing, this reporter will attend an event to be held at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.  The event is entitled, "InterGenerate Conference 2017."  It is a yoked effort by two organizations, the InterGenerate Task Force, and Lipscomb University's Institute for Christian Spirituality.

While there I will verify in person the veracity of what is taught as being biblical, or not. 

In this current report we examine the history, philosophy and the outreaches of the "churches of Christ affiliated" Institute for Christian Spirituality (ICS).

David Lipscomb (1831 - 1917)  (pictured right) was a pioneering 19th century gospel preacher who along with James A. Harding  founded Nashville Bible School in 1891 which was renamed David Lipscomb Junior College after Lipscomb's death.  In 1948 after graduating it's first senior class the school then became known as David Lipscomb College. In 1988 it became known as David Lipscomb University after adding post graduate studies.  In 2005 the school dropped "David" from it's name and is now known as Lipscomb University.  In it's storied past the school has produced a number of great men of God including H. Leo Boles, Batsell Baxter, Batsell Barrett Baxter, Athens Clay Pullias, and G. Willard Collins among many others.  The university established the Institute for Christian Spirituality in 2010.

The ICS has a dedicated page on the Lipscomb website.  There we find a mission statement:  "In March 2010, Lipscomb opened the Institute for Christian Spirituality, bringing together several seasoned spiritual formation programs with added programming for nurturing intentional personal spirituality and discipleship through study, seminars and conferences. The institute’s goal is to help students and the greater community understand, enrich and share their experience with God." (1)

On the heading for the institute we read this:  "The Institute for Christian Spirituality nurtures the the discipleship of Christ's followers by cultivating a deeper awareness of and participation in the Holy Spirit's redemptive activity among us, within us, and in the world.  We pursue this mission by exploring spiritually forming practices and facilitating the journey with others. Through spiritual friendships and spiritual direction." (2) (3)

In an open letter the director of ICS, Leonard Allen, says this about its mission: "ICS wants to partner with your church and provide resources that will positively affect the life of your congregation. Five offerings do this in different ways. We’ll share tools that help revitalize your sense of mission, manage conflicts that arise, renew your hunger for God’s Word, better attend to the spiritual life of your children, and introduce new practices (emphasis RM) that enrich a daily walk with God."  The ICS has an ambitious outreach to all congregations of the churches of Christ with a number of tools such as Special Programs, the Nurture Conference and the Children's Spirituality Conference.(4)  "You’ll also see ICS’s commitment to church leaders. Retreats for refreshment and equipping, a certificate programs focused on pastoral care, and an intensive program for those in senior leadership roles all minister to those who serve our congregations." (5)

SPECIAL PROGRAMS: The designated contact for "Special Programs" is Kris Miller.  He states this regarding the purpose for the ICS Special Programs:  "The institute has several offerings that will positively affect the life of your congregation.  Through them we share a range of tools that can revitalize your sense of mission, manage conflicts that arise, renew your hunger for God's Word, better attend to the spiritual life of your children, and introduce new practices (emphasis RM) that enrich a daily walk with God".  (6) These "Special Programs" include Healthy Churches, The Ministry of Reconciliation, Enter the Story, Pilgrims Together, The Ministry of Spiritual Direction, and Senior Minister's Sabbath.  With the exception of the last two, these are all "road show" programs designed to held at the client's congregation.  The latter two are held only on the Lipscomb campus.(7)

NURTURE CONFERENCE: This years "Nurture Conference" was held April 4, 2017.  Here's the description: "The Nurture Conference, sponsored by Lipscomb University’s Institute for Christian Spirituality, brings nationally recognized leaders in Christian spirituality to a special event featuring keynote addresses, workshops, and a luncheon. Previous speakers include Randy Harris, Gordon T. Smith, Glandion Carney, Gary Moon, Chris Webb, John Ortberg, and Terry Wardle." (8) (9)  This years speakers are John Mark Hicks and Chris Altrock.  Hicks will speak on the neo-pagan fiction book and movie The Shack (c) entitled; "Meeting God at the Shack."  The website describes the address as; "...how this well-known story impacted his (Hicks) own spiritual recovery, answering the question: how do wounded people come to believe that God is “especially fond of them”?  (10)  Altrock will speak on "Walking Down the Aisle with God." The website describes the address as; "...how a spirituality centered on what we believe about God only magnifies misery(emphasis RM), while a spirituality centered on what God believes about us hastens healing." (11)

CHILDREN'S SPIRITUALITY CONFERENCE: The website says little about this conference except: "Every three years hundreds of spiritual formation leaders, children's ministers, developmental psychologists, Christian educators, sociologists, and theologians from a broad spectrum of Christian traditions gather around the children's spirituality table to discuss child theology, best practices, sociological research, and ministry implications for nurturing the spiritual formation of children." (12)

To hear and see for yourself past material presented by the ICS, go to this link: http://www.lipscomb.edu/ics/online-resources

For more information on the direction, philosophy, and theology of the ICS director, Leonard Allen, you can watch three videos of his presentation at last years Pepperdine Lectureship.  The first 8 minutes of video 3 are especially instructive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUlT5bBWedU&t=1439s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezw3hUDMng8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAat43c2900

NOTES:
(1) www.lipscomb.edu/ics
(2) Ibid.
(3) These two statements are very precise and purposeful using both words and phrases that are full of ambiguity and self definition cast in post-modern, post-Christian, and post-Restoration molds in the neo-Gnostic tradition set forth by Brian McLaren who has a continuing and  profound influence on DLU. (RM)
(4) www.lipscomb.edu/ics
(5) Ibid.
(6) Ibid.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Ibid.
(9) Who are these people?  Randy Harris appears to be the only one of this group with any connection whatsoever with the church of Christ.  All the rest do not. Gordon T. Smith is a Nazarene, Gladion Carney is associate rector at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham, AL and goes by the title "reverened," Gary W. Moon is an interdenominationalist affiliated with Westmont College of Santa Barbara whose faculty according to their website, "...who participate in many different churches..," Chris Webb is a Benedictine Anglican Priest, John Oltberg is an ECO Presbyterian minister, and Terry Wardle is affiliated with the Church of the Brethren and founder of the Risen King Community Church in Redding, CA that adheres to a "repentance and faith only" salvational scheme.
(10) www.lipscomb.edu/ics
(11) Ibid.
(12) Ibid.
Images courtesy of: Wikipedia Commons

Jesus and the Outlaws!

Image Courtesy of: Ballywillin Presbyterian Church PCI, County Antrim, Ireland

"From Ulster Plantation to the Carolina’s with the Gospel!” *

Russell H. McCullough / Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210

www.archdale.org / gospelcall.blogspot.com - Date: 17 April 2016

https://youtu.be/zlKDJpIZmS0 

Text: Mark 7.1 - 8

Thesis: Tradition is a False Guide, a “strong delusion,” making one an OUTLAW!

The Reenactment of the OK Coral!

1          Introduction

A. “The Talmud is the heart of Rabbinic Judaism; after the Bible, the Talmud is the book most studied by religious Jews and the Hebrew Bible is read and interpreted in light of the Talmud.” – Joe Carter in “Gospel Coalition” August 2014

B. We reviewed the theological approach of the Pharisees last week, essentially…what was important to the Pharisees was not the Bible but what the rabbis SAID ABOUT the Bible!

C. As forgiveness and salvation were not considered due to their “favored status” with God, they were most concerned with “Works of righteousness” that elevated them above other men in the sight of God.

D. The Pharisees and the Scribes saw Jesus not only as a heretic but as a threat to their hold on the people.  

E. This scene is full of high drama, much like a showdown in the “wild west.”

F. The consequences of this showdown are far more urgent than the consequences of every conflict in every time…rolled into one.

G. Leaving the Commandments of God for the Traditions of men is a false guide, “a strong delusion.”

H. II Thes. 2.7 – 12 – Literally “without law”

             1. I Corinthians 9.21 – “without law” - --- OUTLAW

I. JESUS IS STARING DOWN THE OUTLAWS OF JUDEA!

2        Of Hands, Cups and Couches – Mark 7.1 -  5

A. The tradition of Hand Washing

B. The tradition of Cup Washing

C. The tradition of Couch Washing

D. The Awkward Question

3        The Explosive Answer – Mark 7.6 - 7

A. Isaiah’s prophesy names you of hypocrisy for your embrace of tradition!

B. The embrace of tradition shows that the lips and the heart are not in sync, they are in opposition

C. Traditional worship is vain worship

D. The doctrine of men is NOT the Doctrine of God!

4        The Line in the Sand – Mark 7.8

A. When one leaves the commandment of God, he embraces the tradition of men.

B. When one embraces the traditions of men, he leaves the commandment of God.

5        The Meaning of the Text

A. “Argumentum ad antiqitatem” or Appeal to Traditon

B. Will we embrace tradition or will be embrace Christ?

C. The appeal to tradition is the same as leaving the commandment of God.

D. The embrace of tradition is a “false guide” and a “strong delusion.”

E. Tradition is a spiritual narcotic. 

1. Tradition numbs the mind

2. Tradition erases both guilt and duty towards a Holy God. 

3. Tradition will lull one into a deep spiritual sleep that will ultimately result in a fatal overdose.

       F. To embrace tradition is to become an OUTLAW

 G. To embrace tradition is to embrace death itself.

6        The Challenge of the Text

A.   Clearly understand the origination of all modern religious traditions can be traced to the Council of Trent in 1545 that declared that Tradition, Canon Law and Scripture are equal legs  that must all stand together equally. Roman Catholicism also declares the "Laws of the Church" to be of equal authority with Scripture.  Canon  252 Sec. 3 claims sacred tradition is the basis for dogmatic theology.

1.      "We confess that the Pope has the power of altering Scripture, or increasing and diminishing it, according to his will." --Article I, "Confessio Romani-Catholica - 1838 Tom. 2, p. 343

2.     "We confess that whatsoever new thing the Pope of Rome may have instituted whether it be in Scripture, or out of Scripture, its true, divine, and salvific; and, therefore, ought to be regarded as of higher value by lay people than the precepts of the living God." --Article IV,"Confessio Romani-Catholica - 1838 Tom. 2, p. 343

3.    "We confess that Holy Scripture is imperfect and a dead letter, until it is explained by the Supreme Pontiff and permitted by him to be read by lay people." --Article XXI, "Confessio Romani-Catholica, 1838 Tom. 2, p. 343

SOURCE: http://www.dianedew.com/traditn.htm

B. Clearly understand that the Council of Trent and the “Tradition of the Elders” are both cut from the same block of wood.

C. Clearly understand that the appeal to tradition among churches of Christ regarding the instrument, female leadership and changing the meaning of baptism stems directly from Satan via the Tradition of the Elders and the Council of Trent.

7         “The Gospel Call”

·         My fifth great uncle was Hugh Gaston who was rector at the Ballywillan Presbyterian Church (pictured above left) in County Antrim, Ulster Plantation (Northern Ireland) and wrote the most dangerous book of his time; Gaston’s Collections.  It allowed “the ploughman to know more Bible than his clergyman.”  Hugh fled to South Carolina where he died prematurely of the measles.  He is buried just one hour south of Charlotte in Chester County, S.C. in “Burnt Meeting House Cemetery.”   Uncle Hugh continues to inspire my ministry to this very day.  You can read more about Uncle Hugh here: http://www.ballywillanpci.org/rev-hugh-gaston

Ruins photo courtesy of: ballywillanpci.org.

Christ or "Christ's Mass?"

 

Image Courtesy of: http://commons.wikipedia.org Courtesy U.S. Navy Public Domain Photo

 

Sermon Outline and Video Sermon

 

https://lnkd.in/bBmyV-K

 

1.       Christmas is a transliteration of “Christ’s Mass”

2.       The “Christ’s Mass” is NOT:

a.       A Celebration of Christ’s birth

b.       A Memorial of His birth

c.       A Remembrance of His birth

3.       What then, IS Christmas?

4.       It is a Trifold celebration of the MASS on a day arbitrarily called Christ’s birthday

5.       Any celebration of the birth of Christ

a.       Is extra-biblical and an addition to the Holy Writ

b.       The date is never mentioned in the Bible

c.       It was never commanded by Christ

d.       It was never observed by the Apostles

e.       It was never practiced by anyone for centuries after the Incarnation

1.       Irenaeus (ca. 130 – 200) - No mention whatsoever

2.       Tertullian (ca. 160 – 225) - No mention whatsoever

3.       Origen (ca. 185 – 264)

a)       Even the chief allegorist of the church mocks Roman birth anniversaries as pagan

4.       Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150 – 215) does speculate on the date of Christ’s birth BUT he dates it, not December 25, but either one of three spring dates; April 20, April 21 or May 20

5.       By the fourth century, the western (Roman) church recognizes the December 25 date while the eastern (Byzantine) church recognizes the January 6 date, the day of the Feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the Magi’s.  the intervening days became known as the “12 days of Xmas.”

6.       The jump between spring to winter took place primarily due to the influence of Augustine of Hippo’s extreme allegory.

1)      Ca. 200, Tertullian calculated the date of the crucifixion was on the 14^th of Nisan, March 25 in the Roman calendar.

2)      A contemporary anonymous author published a work entitled ON SOLSITICES AND EQUINOXES which says; “Therefore our Lord was conceived on (March 25) which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of His conception.  For on that day he was conceived on the same He suffered.”

3)      Augustine not only allegorized Scripture, he allegorized history!  This is what he says in ON THE TRINITY (ca. 399 – 419): “For Jesus is believed have been conceived on the 25^th of March, which day He also suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which He was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which He was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before Him or since.  But He was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25^th.”

6) Before we can understand Xmas, we must first understand the MASS.

                a. “Ite missa es” – To send out – The final “blessing”

7) Before we can understand the Mass, we must understand the most twisted doctrine ever associated with Xianity – TRANSUBSTANTIATION

                a. The Catholic Church allegorizes the literal and literalizes the metaphorical

                                1. John 6.47ff - The literal eisegesis of this passages is the foundational sand          

                                  of the doctrine of "transubstantiation." 

 

                b. Mark 16.6

                                1. He was crucified, He was dead, He was here, He was laid BUT now He’s Alive

                                2. RCC – He’s still crucified, He’s still dead, He’s still in the grave, He’s not risen.

                c. The Mass re-sacrifices Christ on the cross

                d. The Mass disembodies the Body of Christ

                e. The Priest cannibalizes the remains

                f. The Lord’s Supper – The Living Presence of a Risen Savior - as taught in the Bible

                g. The Mass – a re-sacrifice of the mutilated remains of a dead savior - Per Rome

                h. How?

                                1. The Essence of the bread and wine miraculously change into the literal

                                     body and blood of Christ.

                                2. The Accidents of the literal body and blood of Christ change back

                                     miraculously to appear as bread and wine.

                                3. Words change essence the bread and the wine to the body and blood

                                4. The same words immediately change the accidents of the body and blood into                                      what, by all appearances, is bread and wine.

Bible: I Corinthians 5.7 -8; Hebrews 9.23 - 28 Teach that re-sacrifice of Christ is impossible

Conclusion: Christmas is “Christ’s Mass”  “Christ’s Mass” is a twisted re-sacrifice of Christ, a Christ who is ever dead.   Mark 16.6 proclaims that Christ WAS crucified, dead, and laid in a grave BUT has RISEN and is very much ALIVE!    The "Christ Mass" has no place in the worship of Christ's church!

Sources consulted:

THE HOLY BIBLE

McGowan, Andrew, "How December 25 Became Christmas" in BIBLE REVIEW, December, 2002

Sproul, R. C., "The Mass and Christology" - Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals (on line) at Ligoneir.org. 





1766 - 2015 "From Passion to Passivity"

Ruins of Ballywallin Presbyterian Church, County Antrim, Ulster Plantation, ca. 1748 – Image Courtesy Ballywallin Presbyterian Church

 

Five generations ago, Hugh Gaston risked it all…and paid it all.  He fled home, hearth, church and family risking everything for the freedom of reading, teaching and living the precepts of the Holy Scriptures.  After attending an annual conference of ministers in 1766 he disappeared for nearly four months.  Suddenly he reappeared in South Carolina, sought out his brother, John “Justice” Gaston of Chester County and set out for the back country to begin a new ministry.  He preached just one or two sermons, then falling ill with the measles.  He was dead within a month of his arrival.  He is buried next to his brother and sister in law in Burnt Meeting House Cemetery just an hour’s drive south of Charlotte, NC.  John wrote a letter home to his widow, Mary Gaston, and children telling of Hugh’s tragic demise.  Hugh’s family stayed in Ulster and never came to America.

These freedoms that Hugh risked everything for had eluded the Gaston family for generations.  Long before Hugh was born the Gaston family searched for the truth of the gospel with the Huguenots of France.  Roman Catholicism was the state religion there in the 16^th century.  The Gaston’s, under persecution from Rome, fled France for Scotland where they associated themselves with the Reformed Presbyterianism of John Knox.  Here too, they faced persecution, not from Rome but from London.  The English, having subdued Scotland, were determined to force the Scots back into Romanism under Queen Mary and then into Anglicanism under Elizabeth I and James VI.   Scotland was under the boot of the tyrannical English, land was scarce and times were hard.  After several generations, the family sought a better life across the Irish Sea in what was then called Ulster Plantation, now known as Northern Ireland.  Here they found more, better and cheaper land. However, they did not find the religious freedom that they so desperately longed for.

Ulster Plantation was designed by the English as an enclave where both Scots and English would settle Irish Catholic lands and eventually cause the Irish to give up their resistance to English rule.  The plan backfired and the repercussions of this 400 year old plan are still resounding today in the streets of Northern Ireland.  The Gaston’s faced the hatred of the displaced Irish Catholics and the persecution of the English Anglicans.  It was literally a “stress sandwich.”  However, early in the 18^th century, these displaced Ulster Scots began immigrating to a new land that promised it all – freedom of religion, free land and unbridled prosperity in a land “flowing with milk and honey,” AMERICA.  John and Esther Waugh Gaston along with two small daughters came to Pennsylvania before 1740.  By 1754, the expanding family found their way south through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, through the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina, ending up in the rolling piedmont hills of upstate South Carolina.  John became the top law officer on the frontier, the so-called “Kings Justice.”  He also became the most successful surveyor of land in all the upstate.  Here they would prosper in freedom and liberty.  John and Esther would eventually have 13 children, all of which lived to adulthood, a blessing unheard of in that day and time.  The only thing they lacked in the upstate were trained preachers for all the Scot – Irish, as we are called here in America.  Hugh Gaston was not only a trained minister, he was the most brilliant Presbyterian scholar of his age.  No wonder John was so excited to greet his brother on his way to Chester from Charleston when he arrived in 1766.

Hugh Gaston was a dangerous man to the English, perhaps the most dangerous man in all of Scotland and Ireland.  Why?  Hugh had in 1763 published a book, a book that threatened every Catholic and every Anglican in Ulster.  It was book that, for the first time, provided the common man the tools needed for deep Bible study.  Now the Ulster ploughman could within a very short period of time, know more Bible than any Catholic or Anglican “clergyman.”  It was simple, yet brilliant.  The book was a combination systematic theology, concordance and topical Bible.  It became a bombshell!  The name of the book?  A Scripture Account of the Faith and Practice of Christians.   

The publication of this book apparently cost Hugh everything.  By 1766 he found himself broke and disgraced.  Because he so soon died upon arriving in the new world, he left no information as the exact circumstances of his sudden departure.  One thing is for sure.  This book cost Hugh everything.  He lost his family.  He lost his position.  He lost his wealth.  He lost his life.  He lost these things so that anyone could study the Bible for themselves.

Though Hugh Gaston, as far as we know, never discovered the complete truth of the gospel, he searched for it diligently and gave everything so that others could take that journey as well.  He was a man of great passion and love for the truth.

Now, one year shy of 250 years, the passion of Hugh Gaston has been replaced by passivity.  “Christians” today have grown passive, lazy and unconcerned with the study, the teaching and the living of the Scriptures.  Bibles sit unopened on the shelf or travel without use in the back seats of automobiles.  People today are passive towards the claims of Holy Scripture and are ashamed of what it says.  What Hugh Gaston died for in 1766, people in 2015 could not care less about.  How about you?  Are you passionate or passive?

Hugh Gaston is my great uncle, five times removed.  I have a reprinted copy of his book I can show you anytime.  John Gaston is my great grandfather five times removed.  He and Esther gave four sons in death during the War for Independence, their home, their possessions and their freedom.  All nine of their sons served the cause of liberty.  At 80 years of age, John Gaston died in his sleep, still being pursued by the English.  He had two loaded pistols under his pillow and a loaded musket at this bedside as he passed into eternity.

-          Russ McCullough