dc.contributor.author	Holt, Michael	en_US
dc.coverage.spatial	Georgia	en_US
dc.coverage.temporal	1842-2007	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2009-11-16T14:15:36Z	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2011-03-02T17:28:59Z
dc.date.available	2009-11-16T14:15:36Z	en_US
dc.date.available	2011-03-02T17:28:59Z
dc.date.issued	2009-11-16T14:15:36Z	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10428/430	en_US
dc.description.abstract	The study of Primitive Baptists to date has focused primarily on the origins of the denomination in the 1830s. However, few works trace the subsequent development of the group. The object of this study was to examine the origins and development of a single Primitive Baptist Association and interpret their meaning in relation to the Primitive Baptists of the Wiregrass Region of Georgia as a whole. A single association was chosen because of the highly decentralized nature of the Primitive Baptists, which makes overarching studies difficult. Also, the personalities behind the developments in Primitive Baptist Doctrine are most clear in the study of an individual association. The Crawford Faction of the Alabaha River Primitive Baptist Association is an excellent choice for this study because of their unique qualities among Primitive Baptists. Whereas other Primitive associations have changed aspects of their doctrine in the course of their development, the Alabaha Association has remained essentially unchanged since its founding in 1842. The findings of this study suggest that the Alabaha Association has remained unchanged for a number of reasons including isolation from other Primitive Baptist associations, relatively stable membership, and a strong conservative faction that has survived numerous splits since the Alabaha was founded. Their unchanged status among Primitive Baptists makes them a valuable reference point or "gold standard" for understanding the faith and practice of an often misunderstood denomination. Understanding the origins and development of the Crawford Faction of the Alabaha is critical to understanding who the Primitive Baptists are and how their practices have evolved over the course of the denomination's history.	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	Introduction: 1 Chapter I-Baptist Beginnings in Georgia and The Rise of the Anti-Mission Movement 1733-1842: 4 Chapter II-Baptist Expansions in the Wiregrass Region of Georgia, 1815-1842: 15 Chapter III-The Early Years of the Alabaha Association, 1842-1869: 26 Chapter IV- Reconstruction and the Rise of the Crawfordites, 1869-1889: 37 Chapter V-A Turn to Isolation in the Era of the Progressive Primitive Baptists, 1890-1930: 49 Chapter VI-Discord and Division, 1931-1968: 62 Chapter VII-Present Day Primitives and the Sacred Harp Controversy, 1969-2007: 74 Bibliography: 89	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	Valdosta State University	en_US
dc.rights	Copyright protected. Unauthorized reproduction or use beyond the exceptions granted by the Fair Use clause of U.S. Copyright law may violate federal law.	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Primitive Baptists	en_US
dc.title	The "Gold Standard" of the Wiregrass Primitive Baptists of Georgia: A History of the Crawford Faction of the Alabaha River Primitive Baptist Association, 1842-2007	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US
dc.contributor.department	History	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Crowley, John	en_US
dc.description.committee	Byrd, Melanie	en_US
dc.description.committee	Dunn, John	en_US
dc.description.committee	Stoltzfus, Michael	en_US
dc.description.degree	M.A.	en_US
dc.description.major	History	en_US