Pastor and Evangelist
Founder of the Baptist Purity Church in Salem, Florida
8 August 1888-7 September 1979), a Holiness Baptist evangelist based in Salem, FL, founded the Baptist Purity Association which is still based in Salem to this day. Luther Turner, born near Abbeville, GA, was actually a colorful person and a dynamic preacher who had convictions over the Holiness Baptists using wine or grape juice in Communion - Turner had the conviction that only cold water should be used to represent the Blood of Christ, and he actually became pretty dogmatic on the issue, which became a defining principle of the Baptist Purity Association and its churches later. Turner's daughter by his first marriage, Ida Gutierrez, self-published an excellent and heart-felt biography of her father and his ministry entitled Sawdust Trail several years back that is well worth the read - it is a hard book to find, and I was thankful that her brother-in-law and current moderator of the Baptist Purity Association, Rev. Bobby Joe Hires, provided me a copy of it as well as with some other valuable materials for this research.
The Baptist Purity Church in Salem, FL - headquarters church for the Association.
The teachings that Luther Turner communicated through his abundant sermon material (Rev. Hires provided me with 2 books of his sermons for this research) can be summarized as follows:
1. Water in communion instead of wine or juice.
2. Eschewing consumption of alcohol, tobacco, soft drinks, tea, coffee, chocolate, and chewing gum.
3. No movies or sports.
4. Given the Missionary/Southern Baptist roots of both the Baptist Purity Association and its parent body, the Holiness Baptists, Turner also taught the eternal security of the believer in Christ.
5. Divine healing was highly emphasized, and the use of doctors and conventional medicine was not forbidden but was strongly discouraged.
6. A Holiness emphasis on sinless perfection, similar to that of other old-time Holiness/Pentecostal groups.
7. Conservative dress - also along lines of similar Pentecostal/Holiness groups.
8. Tongues taught as initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as alluded in Acts 2- same as other classical Pentecostals.
The Baptist Purity Church is mildly Calvinistic, strictly Holiness, fully Pentecostal, and also premillenialist in eschatology, although premillenial in this case definitely is not synonymous with dispensationalist (many similarly-minded old-time Pentecostals were actually post-tribulational, and this seems to be what I understand as well the position of the Baptist Purity teachings on this). That being said, the Baptist Purity Association, like the Holiness Baptists, is definitely both clearly Baptist and clearly Pentecostal. And, that was one of the reasons I chose it as part of my project.
The Baptist Purity Association is still very active today, although it is small in number. It is primarily centered in north-central Florida, although there are two congregations in Georgia as well. The stats I have from their 2007 Annual Report have them at 8 churches - 6 in Florida and two in Georgia - but no membership statistics as none are reported in their minutes, although I would estimate that they possibly have an estimated 2000 members total in all their congregations. They are headquartered still in Salem, FL, where they have an annual camp meeting and quarterly association meetings. They do even have a church fairly close to us, in Plant City, FL (Sharon Baptist Purity Church) which is pastored by their Association secretary, Rev. Richard Joyner. Overall, they are actually a pretty fascinating group, and are definitely worth more consideration and study.
SOURCES:
http://sacramentalpresenttruths.blogspot.com/2012/03/highways-and-hedges-project-part-i.html
MY NEW LIFE by Jack Ray Griffin & Robert Silas Griffin
RIP
Silas Griffin
Griffin Research
Founder of the Baptist Purity Church in Salem, Florida
8 August 1888-7 September 1979), a Holiness Baptist evangelist based in Salem, FL, founded the Baptist Purity Association which is still based in Salem to this day. Luther Turner, born near Abbeville, GA, was actually a colorful person and a dynamic preacher who had convictions over the Holiness Baptists using wine or grape juice in Communion - Turner had the conviction that only cold water should be used to represent the Blood of Christ, and he actually became pretty dogmatic on the issue, which became a defining principle of the Baptist Purity Association and its churches later. Turner's daughter by his first marriage, Ida Gutierrez, self-published an excellent and heart-felt biography of her father and his ministry entitled Sawdust Trail several years back that is well worth the read - it is a hard book to find, and I was thankful that her brother-in-law and current moderator of the Baptist Purity Association, Rev. Bobby Joe Hires, provided me a copy of it as well as with some other valuable materials for this research.
The Baptist Purity Church in Salem, FL - headquarters church for the Association.
The teachings that Luther Turner communicated through his abundant sermon material (Rev. Hires provided me with 2 books of his sermons for this research) can be summarized as follows:
1. Water in communion instead of wine or juice.
2. Eschewing consumption of alcohol, tobacco, soft drinks, tea, coffee, chocolate, and chewing gum.
3. No movies or sports.
4. Given the Missionary/Southern Baptist roots of both the Baptist Purity Association and its parent body, the Holiness Baptists, Turner also taught the eternal security of the believer in Christ.
5. Divine healing was highly emphasized, and the use of doctors and conventional medicine was not forbidden but was strongly discouraged.
6. A Holiness emphasis on sinless perfection, similar to that of other old-time Holiness/Pentecostal groups.
7. Conservative dress - also along lines of similar Pentecostal/Holiness groups.
8. Tongues taught as initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as alluded in Acts 2- same as other classical Pentecostals.
The Baptist Purity Church is mildly Calvinistic, strictly Holiness, fully Pentecostal, and also premillenialist in eschatology, although premillenial in this case definitely is not synonymous with dispensationalist (many similarly-minded old-time Pentecostals were actually post-tribulational, and this seems to be what I understand as well the position of the Baptist Purity teachings on this). That being said, the Baptist Purity Association, like the Holiness Baptists, is definitely both clearly Baptist and clearly Pentecostal. And, that was one of the reasons I chose it as part of my project.
The Baptist Purity Association is still very active today, although it is small in number. It is primarily centered in north-central Florida, although there are two congregations in Georgia as well. The stats I have from their 2007 Annual Report have them at 8 churches - 6 in Florida and two in Georgia - but no membership statistics as none are reported in their minutes, although I would estimate that they possibly have an estimated 2000 members total in all their congregations. They are headquartered still in Salem, FL, where they have an annual camp meeting and quarterly association meetings. They do even have a church fairly close to us, in Plant City, FL (Sharon Baptist Purity Church) which is pastored by their Association secretary, Rev. Richard Joyner. Overall, they are actually a pretty fascinating group, and are definitely worth more consideration and study.
SOURCES:
http://sacramentalpresenttruths.blogspot.com/2012/03/highways-and-hedges-project-part-i.html
MY NEW LIFE by Jack Ray Griffin & Robert Silas Griffin
RIP
Silas Griffin
Griffin Research
Pastor and Evangelist
Founder of the Baptist Purity Church in Salem, Florida
8 August 1888-7 September 1979), a Holiness Baptist evangelist based in Salem, FL, founded the Baptist Purity Association which is still based in Salem to this day. Luther Turner, born near Abbeville, GA, was actually a colorful person and a dynamic preacher who had convictions over the Holiness Baptists using wine or grape juice in Communion - Turner had the conviction that only cold water should be used to represent the Blood of Christ, and he actually became pretty dogmatic on the issue, which became a defining principle of the Baptist Purity Association and its churches later. Turner's daughter by his first marriage, Ida Gutierrez, self-published an excellent and heart-felt biography of her father and his ministry entitled Sawdust Trail several years back that is well worth the read - it is a hard book to find, and I was thankful that her brother-in-law and current moderator of the Baptist Purity Association, Rev. Bobby Joe Hires, provided me a copy of it as well as with some other valuable materials for this research.
The Baptist Purity Church in Salem, FL - headquarters church for the Association.
The teachings that Luther Turner communicated through his abundant sermon material (Rev. Hires provided me with 2 books of his sermons for this research) can be summarized as follows:
1. Water in communion instead of wine or juice.
2. Eschewing consumption of alcohol, tobacco, soft drinks, tea, coffee, chocolate, and chewing gum.
3. No movies or sports.
4. Given the Missionary/Southern Baptist roots of both the Baptist Purity Association and its parent body, the Holiness Baptists, Turner also taught the eternal security of the believer in Christ.
5. Divine healing was highly emphasized, and the use of doctors and conventional medicine was not forbidden but was strongly discouraged.
6. A Holiness emphasis on sinless perfection, similar to that of other old-time Holiness/Pentecostal groups.
7. Conservative dress - also along lines of similar Pentecostal/Holiness groups.
8. Tongues taught as initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as alluded in Acts 2- same as other classical Pentecostals.
The Baptist Purity Church is mildly Calvinistic, strictly Holiness, fully Pentecostal, and also premillenialist in eschatology, although premillenial in this case definitely is not synonymous with dispensationalist (many similarly-minded old-time Pentecostals were actually post-tribulational, and this seems to be what I understand as well the position of the Baptist Purity teachings on this). That being said, the Baptist Purity Association, like the Holiness Baptists, is definitely both clearly Baptist and clearly Pentecostal. And, that was one of the reasons I chose it as part of my project.
The Baptist Purity Association is still very active today, although it is small in number. It is primarily centered in north-central Florida, although there are two congregations in Georgia as well. The stats I have from their 2007 Annual Report have them at 8 churches - 6 in Florida and two in Georgia - but no membership statistics as none are reported in their minutes, although I would estimate that they possibly have an estimated 2000 members total in all their congregations. They are headquartered still in Salem, FL, where they have an annual camp meeting and quarterly association meetings. They do even have a church fairly close to us, in Plant City, FL (Sharon Baptist Purity Church) which is pastored by their Association secretary, Rev. Richard Joyner. Overall, they are actually a pretty fascinating group, and are definitely worth more consideration and study.
SOURCES:
http://sacramentalpresenttruths.blogspot.com/2012/03/highways-and-hedges-project-part-i.html
MY NEW LIFE by Jack Ray Griffin & Robert Silas Griffin
RIP
Silas Griffin
Griffin Research
Founder of the Baptist Purity Church in Salem, Florida
8 August 1888-7 September 1979), a Holiness Baptist evangelist based in Salem, FL, founded the Baptist Purity Association which is still based in Salem to this day. Luther Turner, born near Abbeville, GA, was actually a colorful person and a dynamic preacher who had convictions over the Holiness Baptists using wine or grape juice in Communion - Turner had the conviction that only cold water should be used to represent the Blood of Christ, and he actually became pretty dogmatic on the issue, which became a defining principle of the Baptist Purity Association and its churches later. Turner's daughter by his first marriage, Ida Gutierrez, self-published an excellent and heart-felt biography of her father and his ministry entitled Sawdust Trail several years back that is well worth the read - it is a hard book to find, and I was thankful that her brother-in-law and current moderator of the Baptist Purity Association, Rev. Bobby Joe Hires, provided me a copy of it as well as with some other valuable materials for this research.
The Baptist Purity Church in Salem, FL - headquarters church for the Association.
The teachings that Luther Turner communicated through his abundant sermon material (Rev. Hires provided me with 2 books of his sermons for this research) can be summarized as follows:
1. Water in communion instead of wine or juice.
2. Eschewing consumption of alcohol, tobacco, soft drinks, tea, coffee, chocolate, and chewing gum.
3. No movies or sports.
4. Given the Missionary/Southern Baptist roots of both the Baptist Purity Association and its parent body, the Holiness Baptists, Turner also taught the eternal security of the believer in Christ.
5. Divine healing was highly emphasized, and the use of doctors and conventional medicine was not forbidden but was strongly discouraged.
6. A Holiness emphasis on sinless perfection, similar to that of other old-time Holiness/Pentecostal groups.
7. Conservative dress - also along lines of similar Pentecostal/Holiness groups.
8. Tongues taught as initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as alluded in Acts 2- same as other classical Pentecostals.
The Baptist Purity Church is mildly Calvinistic, strictly Holiness, fully Pentecostal, and also premillenialist in eschatology, although premillenial in this case definitely is not synonymous with dispensationalist (many similarly-minded old-time Pentecostals were actually post-tribulational, and this seems to be what I understand as well the position of the Baptist Purity teachings on this). That being said, the Baptist Purity Association, like the Holiness Baptists, is definitely both clearly Baptist and clearly Pentecostal. And, that was one of the reasons I chose it as part of my project.
The Baptist Purity Association is still very active today, although it is small in number. It is primarily centered in north-central Florida, although there are two congregations in Georgia as well. The stats I have from their 2007 Annual Report have them at 8 churches - 6 in Florida and two in Georgia - but no membership statistics as none are reported in their minutes, although I would estimate that they possibly have an estimated 2000 members total in all their congregations. They are headquartered still in Salem, FL, where they have an annual camp meeting and quarterly association meetings. They do even have a church fairly close to us, in Plant City, FL (Sharon Baptist Purity Church) which is pastored by their Association secretary, Rev. Richard Joyner. Overall, they are actually a pretty fascinating group, and are definitely worth more consideration and study.
SOURCES:
http://sacramentalpresenttruths.blogspot.com/2012/03/highways-and-hedges-project-part-i.html
MY NEW LIFE by Jack Ray Griffin & Robert Silas Griffin
RIP
Silas Griffin
Griffin Research
