Debt, Money, and Stewardship

The Confederate Chaplains

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Economics and Stewardship

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2003-03-16

Synopsis: John Weaver presents a historical overview of Confederate chaplains during the Civil War, drawing from Charles F. Pitts' book *Chaplains in Gray*. He highlights their dedication, sacrifice, and influence, noting that they preached, prayed, and fought for liberty, often facing hardship and opposition. Weaver contrasts their uncompromising commitment to truth with the perceived moral and spiritual decline in modern America, urging believers to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ and to stand for biblical truth without compromise.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles, if we would please, to Hebrews chapter 11 today, and let's begin reading it in verse 32. I'm going to be preaching an unusual message, one that I mentioned to you last week, and I'm going to do this for two basic reasons. Number one, I have to bring a study on this this week, and since I've studied it out and saw the importance of it, I certainly want to share it with you. And then, of course, number two, I believe there is a excellent application that can be made to our time today. So let's look in Hebrews chapter 11, beginning there with verse 32.

[John Weaver] The scripture says, And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah, David also and Samuel and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to fight the armies of the aliens.

[John Weaver] Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might receive a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourging, jailed over bonds and in prison. They were stoned, they were sewn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains, in dens and in caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

[John Weaver] Now, I call your attention to verse 32. After already having listed a number of the heroes of faith in this chapter, the author of the book of Hebrews says, And what shall I more say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and Jephthah, and David, and Samuel, and of the prophets. So what he's saying is there are a multitude of godly men that things could be said about that he did not have the time to write about. And certainly there is a great deal that we can learn from these godly men. Today I'm going to bring you a report of a book that I have read. In fact, most of the material that I give you is right out of this book. And I'm going to give you this because I want to encourage you, first of all, to buy your own personal copy of it.

[John Weaver] And I will supply the books at my cost if I can get them that way. But the book is entitled Chaplains in Gray. It was written by Charles F. Pitts. It's an excellent book, and it delineates many of the stories concerning the Confederate chaplains.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you why I would encourage you to buy your own copy. Years ago, I was spending some time in the home of R.J. Rushdoony. Now, Rushdoony's been dead now for several years. He was one of the finest Christian men and one of the finest scholars I've ever known. My wife and I have had the blessing and the privilege of being in his home on numerous occasions. Back when I first went out to see Rush Dooney, this was 30 years ago. Back then, he had over 50,000 books in his library and practically read every one of them, knew everything, just about was in every book. If you visited his home, you just about had difficulty sitting down. Because on the coffee table were stacks of books. On the floor were stacks of books. Around the sofas, the chairs, stacks of books. You go in the bathroom, not one book, not a magazine rack, but stacks of books. Wherever Rush Dooney sat down, he picked up a book he read. He had basically a photographic memory, and he just knew whatever he read.

[John Weaver] Well, I was out there visiting him. He said to me, John, He said, let me tell you about this excellent book. He said, it's now out of print. He said, you might could find a copy of it. He said it was a book by Stauffer entitled Christ and Caesar. He said, let me tell you about this book. And he went on. And for 20 minutes, he told me the theme of the book, the purpose of the book, the main emphasis of the book, the importance of the book. And when he finished, I looked at him and said, That sounds like a tremendous book. I've got to try to get a copy of it. And when I said that, it looked as if I had slapped him. And he looked at me and said, why should you buy a copy of it? He said, I just told you what was in it. And I looked at him and I said, brother, not everyone has your memory and not everyone has your mind.

[John Weaver] You may not remember a lot of things I say today, but if you have the book, then you can read it, and of course there's a lot more in the book that I'm not going to be able to give you today. So, let me begin by telling you about the chaplains in the Confederacy. Without any official uniform, and that may surprise you that the chaplains did not have any special uniform, and with insufficient pay, and I wish I had time to tell you how they were really denied pay over and over, But without any official uniform, insufficient pay, and very few recognizable insignia, the chaplains of the Confederacy were much like those in the Revolutionary War in that they preached, they prayed, and they fought for liberty.

[John Weaver] Now, many not only led in the spiritual sphere, but in the martial sphere as well. It has been said that there is nothing more ferocious than a band of brigands, led by vicious cutthroats, except it be a company of Scottish Presbyterians rising from their knees in prayer to do battle with the firm conviction that what they are about to do is the will of God. That was a direct quote.

[John Weaver] So they say the preachers were far worse. than the brigands led by a cutthroat because they knew that what they were about to do was the will of God. One Yankee critic said that he believed, here's the quote, the most unmitigated set of villains they have in the South are the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the Episcopalian preachers, all talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil.

[John Weaver] I thought that was interesting. Boy, those preachers Notice, talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil. Well, not all the condemnation of the Confederate chaplains came from Northern critics. Their preaching was not always appreciated by the unbelieving, nor did some understand the importance of the work of the chaplains. As one chaplain was exhorting the men to repent, Based upon the certain necessity of death and hell, one brigade commander, as he walked away, said in disgust, those confounded chaplains, they're the scourge of the army. Some commanders were so irreligious, they even refused to allow the office of chaplain to be filled. And other commanders believed that a wholesome view of death and hell might make cowards of the men in battle. Of course, as you study the Confederate chaplains, you're going to find that there were some initially who got in the army who claimed the title of chaplain who were not worthy of that title. And they brought reproach, not only to the name of chaplain, but also to the work of the Lord.

[John Weaver] However, these men were soon weeded out, not only because of a lack of respect for them by the soldiers, but also because of the hardships of the war. You've got to remember. Unless you were real and genuine, you were certainly not going to endure the hardships that those real, genuine chaplains endured. And it was the work of these godly chaplains, it was their dedication, their sacrifice, and their selfless service whose efforts were rewarded by the Lord, which evidenced the great benefit of chaplains to the army. And those who initially referred to the chaplains as the scourge of the army, soon arose to call the same men blessed indeed.

[John Weaver] Now, there were many pastors back then who enthusiastically supported what was then called the Righteous War for Southern Independence. They supported that war not only by preaching, but also by throwing themselves into the fray by shouldering arms. Some pastors organized companies from their congregations. Others joined volunteer companies. Episcopal Bishop Leonidas Polk, who, by the way, became General Leonidas Polk, but Episcopal Bishop Leonidas Polk of Louisiana stated that he was not laying aside the vestments of his office.

[John Weaver] He was merely buckling the sword over his gown. Do you realize, listen carefully now, that one of the first companies to arrive in Virginia in 1861 contained 50 members of a single church. Another regiment, which arrived the same year, counted in its ranks 600 men of the same denomination, while still another numbered 13 Baptist preachers among its soldiers. Now listen to this. The 9th Arkansas, organized at Pine Bluff on July 20, 1861, was popularly known as the Parsons Regiment. Why? Because it boasted 42 ordained ministers in its ranks. A newspaper account mentioned in Arkansas that there was a Preacher's Regiment on its way to the battlefield. It was commanded by a Methodist preacher, Colonel Bradley, also from Pine Bluff. The paper reported that one of the soldiers was a preacher over 70 years of age. So one regiment had 42 ordained pastors in its ranks.

[John Weaver] Now, many other military units were composed of preachers and or ministerial students. In Mississippi, Practically the entire student body enlisted with its faculty leaders in the Mississippi College Rifles. Now, Mississippi College was a Christian institution, and they marched away to the battlefield 104 strong. I want you to remember that because I'm going to come back to this figure when I begin to close the message. So 104 young ministerial students with their leaders. marched away in 1861. Georgia had one regiment with 12 missionary Baptist preachers, a primitive Baptist preacher, and a Methodist preacher in it.

[John Weaver] Now, there were notable pastors who fought for the South. Some of you have heard of General W.N. Pendleton. Now, Pendleton was an Episcopalian minister. He was chief of artillery. of the Army of Northern Virginia, whose cannon, his four cannon were named what? Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And he was a gracious man. Not only that, but there was Dr. Robert L. Dabney, who was not only a preacher and an author and a theologian, but he was also on Stonewall Jackson's staff. There was the renowned Baptist preacher, M.P. Lowry of Mississippi, who became a general, by the way.

[John Weaver] There's Lieutenant Colonel D.C. Kelly, who served on General Nathan Bedford Forrest's staff, who was a Methodist preacher. Time would fail me to name all of these preachers. There were so many of them. But the names of Captain Dabney Carr Harrison, Beverly Lacey Tucker, Moses Hogue, Benjamin Morgan Palmer, Dr. C.T. Quinter, all of these are well known. In fact, all of their service that they gave not only to the Lord, but to the Confederate Army as well. Now, of course, not every pastor entered into what you and I would call active military service, but still their sentiments were well known.

[John Weaver] They were much like the elderly lady, and this is supposedly a true story, an elderly lady who became famous during the siege of Vicksburg because when this city was about to fall, this elderly lady came to the front lines armed only with a broom. And when a chaplain saw her, he asked her, what in the world was she doing in such a dangerous place? And she replied, I'm here to fight the Yankees. But he answered, you can't do any damage with a broom. No, replied the old lady with fire in her eyes, but I can show them which side I'm on. So it was very obvious which side the southern pastors were on. It was said of one pastor who did indeed become a chaplain, and as he saw his men under heavy fire and withering fire, I might add, and needing all the help they could get during that heated battle, he took off his large clerical coat and his black hat, and he laid them to one side, and he said, as he pointed to them, now lay there, sanctification, until we finish whipping these Yankees.

[John Weaver] And of course, when he got through fighting then, he was going to pick his coat and his hat back up and go back to being a chaplain. One of the main desires of the chaplains during this time was to place the Word of God in the hands of the soldiers. When you and I think of this, we think placing the word of God in the hands of soldiers should not be such a big deal. Every one of us probably have four or five Bibles.

[John Weaver] I'm the exception, I know. I don't even know how many Bibles I have. I'm sure 20, 30, maybe even more than that. I've never even counted them. But when we think about Back in 1861, one of the main desires of those chaplains was to make sure the Word of God got in the hand of the southern soldiers. One would think that that would not be a problem, but let me tell you something, before the war, the South depended entirely upon the North for the printing of Bibles. By the help of northern friends who were known as copperheads, and you know why they were called copperheads?

[John Weaver] A rattlesnake does flock when you're near. He rattles. He signals. But a copperhead is just as poisonous as a rattlesnake, but he'll make a sound. He'll bite you before you ever know he's there. And so, northerners, who were southern sympathizers, were referred to by the North as copperheads because they thought they were extremely dangerous people. Well, through the help of these Southern sympathizers then, plates were smuggled into the South and preparation therefore was made to print the first Bibles. In 1861, the first Bibles rolled from the presses of the Southwestern Publishing Company at Nashville, Tennessee. And here is a press release in the Tennessee Baptist, and here's what it says, quote, the first set of plates for printing pocket Bibles and Testaments ever owned and worked in the South were laid upon the press of the Southwestern Publishing House last Wednesday, and it can now be said for the first time that the South is independent of the North, for the Word of God, Lincoln, no longer binds the Word of God. Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] The South did not even have the plates to print the Bible until 1861. After that, of course, the Confederate Bible Society came into existence and began the promotion and publication of scriptures. Of course, the American Bible Society soon stepped in and helped as well. But listen to this, even with the shortages of ink and paper, The denominational and private printing presses produced a record million pages of Christian literature per week. Per week. That is a phenomenal amount of printed material back in 1861. A million pages per week. But still, there were shortages of Bibles.

[John Weaver] I want to give you a quote, and by the way, I'm going to read this the way it was written, and you've got to understand that although a lot of people could read and write, their English and their spelling was not exactly up to par. But here's a letter from Joseph Cowan, who was a Confederate soldier, and he wrote to his cousin. And here's what he wrote. I'm a poor hearted sinner and got no chance to be no other way, for I ain't got no Bible. Yankees want us to lose our souls, S-O-L-E-S. Yankees want us to lose our souls, same as our lives.

[John Weaver] It's aggravation for breakfast, dinner and supper. Breakfast is B-R-E-X-F-U-S. He said, I'm a poor hearted sinner and I ain't got no chance to be no other way, for I ain't got no Bible. Yankees want us to lose our souls. Same as our lives, L-I-F-E-S. It is aggravation for breakfast, dinner, and supper. Dr. William Hogue, who was pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Wick, Richmond, Virginia, and a chaplain in the Confederate Army, defied the blockade. You remember Lincoln tried to block the South, all the ports, but he defied the blockade and he went to England and he brought back thousands of Bibles from England to distribute.

[John Weaver] and to give to the troops. The Bibles of fallen soldiers, which had been returned to their loved ones, oftentimes found their way back into the army and to the hands of new men who were going to the front lines. Not only were there large amounts of Bibles printed, another opportunity was the printing of gospel tracts. And these tracts were eagerly distributed by the chaplains. One chaplain from Atlanta reported that one morning before nine o'clock, he distributed 20,000 gospel tracts. Another chaplain from Lynchburg, Virginia said this, I have never had a proper tract refused or an inquiry on the subject of religion ungraciously received. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could find people today when you'd walk up and say, I'd like to give you a gospel tract, they would look at you and smile and take it, say, thank you.

[John Weaver] I want to learn about the word of God. Well, that's what these people were doing. But you've got to understand, it was indeed a time of war and they were expecting immediate death. And so here they were taking tracts and being witnessed to graciously. The story is told of General A.P. Hill, who came upon a chaplain passing out tracts to a group of hungry soldiers. And General Hill looked at the chaplain and said, John, don't you think the boys would prefer hard tack to tracts just now? The chaplain answered, I have no doubt that many of them would. But they crowd around and take the tracts as eagerly as they surround the commissary when he has anything to issue.

[John Weaver] And besides, other advantages, the tract certainly helped them to bear the lack of hardtack. General Hill replied, I have no doubt of it, and I'm glad you're able to supply the tracts more abundantly than we can supply the rations. So many times the men were hungry, but at least they had the word of God. Now, not only did the chaplains supply the Bibles and tracts, they preached many times. In fact, they preached numerous times a day, especially when the great awakening and the great revival was going on.

[John Weaver] That did not count the prayer time. That did not count the exhortation. That did not count the counseling that they did to the soldiers. Let me give you an excellent illustration of the difference between 1861 and 1865 to the conditions of today. Dr. J. William Jones, who was a confederate chaplain, who was also a pastor, and he wrote the book, Christ in the Camp, on the revivals in the confederate army. But Dr. J. William Jones kept the names and addresses of 410 men whom he had baptized. Now this is just one chaplain. He kept the names of 410 men whom he baptized. After the war was over, he followed up on all 410 names. Of course, some had been killed during the war. You understand that. But of the survivors, of those who lived through the war.

[John Weaver] He found that only three of them were not continuing on with the Lord and serving Him as they should. Only three out of 410? You look at the average church today, they'll say, we had a thousand professions of faith last year. Then you ask them, How many of them did you baptize? And then you ask them, how many of them are with you today? Today, you can baptize 400 and you might find three that will keep going on with the Lord.

[John Weaver] But it was straight, truthful and Holy Ghost inspired preaching that brought revival to the Confederate Army. Each day was begun with prayer. And usually, the chaplain would conduct some type of religious service every other day, except with the fact that each day also ended with prayer and usually an evangelistic service. And oftentimes, when the revival did indeed break out, they normally had prayer more often, they had preaching more often, and their services continued for a longer period of time. Listen to what a Presbyterian chaplain from North Carolina said. He wrote that sometimes they felt as if they were in a camp meeting rather than an army expecting to face an enemy. I wonder what it would be like today for a chaplain to say that in our armed forces. I hope you know the chaplains in our armed forces, most of the time their hands are so tied they can't say anything or do anything lest they offend someone because it's so politically correct today. But here the chaplain wrote, we thought we were in a camp meeting rather than an army expecting to face an enemy.

[John Weaver] Now time will not permit me to give examples of all this preaching. But suffice it to say that not only did the Southern soldier boys benefit greatly from the preaching of the chaplains, but listen, the Yankees feared the preaching from these godly chaplains. The Yankees feared the preaching from these godly chaplains. When there was a demand that our Southern prisoners who were held in northern prisons and northern hospitals, be allowed a southern chaplain to visit them. Yankee Colonel W. Hoffman, commissary general of the prisoners, refused permission for a southern chaplain to visit the prisoners.

[John Weaver] And here's what he wrote. Listen carefully. Sir, your letter of the 27th addressed to the Secretary of War communicating an application from a chaplain of the rebel army to be permitted to attend the prisoners of war at the General Hospital on David's Island has been referred to this office. It has not felt advisable to associate officers and enlisted men, prisoners of war together, owing to the bad effect of their influence and example. And there's probably no class of officers whose influence is more powerful to keep up the spirits of the rebel than that of their chaplain.

[John Weaver] If they would confine themselves to their proper calling, there would not be the least objection to their presence among the sick and wounded. But if this is not possible, it would be very injurious policy to admit them into the hospitals where they would scarcely preach that our cause is righteous and that they have engaged in rebellion without a cause. Did you hear what he said? He said, we're not going to let them here.

[John Weaver] We don't want them here. Because when they get here, number one, they're going to boost the morale of the Southern prisoners. And number two, they're not going to say that our cause is just. They're going to say that their cause is just. And we don't want that happening. When Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon of the 42nd Mississippi Regiment was captured at Gettysburg, and by the way, Do you know how most of these chaplains got captured?

[John Weaver] Because they refused to leave the wounded in the dying. They would always stay behind to minister to the wounded in the dying. And the same with Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon. He was captured at Gettysburg because he would not abandon the field. He would not leave the wounded in the dying. But when he was captured, Yankee Colonel Fish ordered the chaplain to be thrown into a dark underground dungeon with drunken soldiers and deserters.

[John Weaver] When the order was given, the lieutenant protested. And he said to the colonel, but this man is a minister of the gospel. You won't send him there. Colonel Fish shot back, why not? The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them. I hope you understand and comprehend that they saw the influence of the chaplains upon not only the soldiers, but upon the people of the land. or more to blame for this war than any other. How could the preachers be the blame for that war?

[John Weaver] Now, remember, that's coming from a northern colonel. But what he is saying is it was the preachers who began talking about the biblical right of secession, that talked about liberty and freedom and independence. And so here he is blaming the preachers.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is, as you read through the book Chaplains and Gray, There are numerous illustrations of times of lightheartedness as well. And it's almost difficult to comprehend that in a time of war, when there is such immense suffering and such a vast amount of horror, that there could be real lighthearted moments. But yet, certainly there was. And let me give you two of those. A.C.

[John Weaver] Richardson, a soldier in the 3rd Texas Cavalry, relates a story about Chaplain Robert Rennick. Now, Robert Rennick was affectionately known as Uncle Bob by the men of Shelby's Division. And here's what A.C. Richardson reports. Now, listen carefully. He says, Uncle Bob was visiting a small field hospital near Jacksonport, Arkansas. In one bed lay a long hatchet-faced Missourian, suffering from a prolonged siege of dysentery. He was scarcely more than a skeleton. The chaplain took a seat beside his bed and asked, how are you today, my friend? No better. Worse and worse, the soldier replied. Ah, I'm afraid you don't pray, said the chaplain. The sick man shook his head and replied, no, I don't. Don't know how. Never learned that. Encouragingly, the chaplain said, well, well, you will get better. You must cheer up. You must have hope and wrestle with the Lord in prayer. The soldier looked surprised. Raising up on one elbow and throwing back his tattered blanket, he looked the chaplain full in the face and said, wrestle with the Lord, did you say?

[John Weaver] Wrestle with the Lord? With these here legs? Why, he had flipped me to hell on the very first pass. striving to contain his composure. Uncle Bob had to explain things to the old Missourian that wrestled with the Lord who was not physical but spiritual. Said he had fled him to hell on the very first pass. Dr. Robert L. Dabney, and if you've never read Dabney's book on the life of Stonewall Jackson, I would encourage you to do so.

[John Weaver] It's one of the finest books available. But Dabney has numerous books out. But Dr. Dabney was, of course, a major on Stonewall Jackson's staff. And remember now, he was a theologian, he was an author, he was a preacher, he was a chaplain. But Dr. Dabney was a Calvinist, he was a strict predestinarian, and he preached and he taught special providence. And he always encouraged the men to fearlessness and bravery, preaching what he termed special providence. Now listen to what he told the men. Here's what he said. Men, you need not be trying to dodge, shot or shell or mini, that is, mini ball. Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else.

[John Weaver] And you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken. Now, let me stop there just for a moment. Is that not true? What does the Bible say? The Bible says that He, God, holdeth our soul and life. David said in Psalm 31, my times are in the hand of the Lord. And Job 14 tells us, in Job 7, that there is an appointed time for man upon the earth. And that is true, folks. God has not only ordained the day of our birth, He's also ordained the day of our death.

[John Weaver] And what is Dabney preaching? He says, men, you need not be trying to dodge, shot, or shell, or many. Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else. And you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken. That's true. And that's what he was preaching. Well, Major Nelson, one of General Ewell's staff, came upon Major Dabney sitting on the ground, taking cover behind a thick oak gate post during a heavy artillery bombardment. Riding up to Dabney, Major Nelson rendered a snappy salute and said, Major Dabney, every shot and shell and many strikes just where the Lord permits. And you must excuse me, sir, for expressing my surprise that you're seeking to put an oak gate post between you and Special Providence. Dabney immediately rejoined with, why, Major, you do not understand the doctrine of Special Providence.

[John Weaver] I believe and teach you with all my heart. And I look upon this thick gate post as a very special providence just at this time. It was something to get behind. I would certainly count that gate post a very special providence as well. But regardless of all the dangers. Many of the chaplains believe that it was their place to be on the front lines with the men to whom they were ministering. Do you realize that that always put the chaplains in the place of capture and or of imminent death? Chaplain I.T.

[John Weaver] Kitchener of the 17th Alabama Regiment gave this report on the Battle of Shiloh. I remember the Battle of Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Here's what he said. During this engagement, we were under a crossfire on the left wing from three directions. Under it, the boys wavered. I had been wearied and was sitting down, but seeing them waver, I sprang to my feet, took off my hat, waved it over my head, walked up and down the line and said, And they say, preach them a sermon. I reminded them that it was Sunday, that at that hour, 1130, all their home folks were praying for them, that Tom Watts, governor and former regimental commander, had told us that he would listen with an eager ear to hear from the 17th, and shouting your name loud over the roar of the battle,

[John Weaver] I called upon them to stand there and die if need be for their country. The effect was evident. Every man stood to his post. Every eye flashed. Every heart beat with desperate resolve to conquer or die.

[John Weaver] Now, Chaplain Tichenor is writing this to Governor Tom Watts, who used to be the regimental commander. So he said, I preached him a sermon. I called your name. I reminded them that their people were praying for them. And he said, and every man stood to his post.

[John Weaver] Now, remember, they were receiving fire from three different directions. He said, every man stood to his post and every heart beat high with desperate resolve to conquer and die. Significantly, Chaplain Tischner added, after the battle was over, the regiment had 13 killed and 117 wounded or missing. But the enemy The dead in front of the Southern boys was 352. So they lost 13 men, but they killed 352.

[John Weaver] The chaplain did not add what appeared in the newspaper account that he himself fought with the coolness of a veteran killing with his own rifle a colonel, a major, and four private. The chaplains were fighters. Listen carefully. They were fighters for truth, they were fighters for righteousness, they were fighters for liberty. You know what we've lost today? We have lost the concept. That civil wickedness. Is just as evil as spiritual wickedness. What made these chaplains fight? Civil tyranny to them was just as bad, just as vile, just as wicked as spiritual tyranny. Just as men needed to be saved from their sins, they believed they needed to be saved from a tyrant who was oppressing them and would not give them the liberty that the Word of God demanded and taught.

[John Weaver] The Confederate chaplain in preaching the message of salvation to those soldiers was doing far more than preparing them to die. He was preparing them to live, to live in the land of liberty if God had given them victory, but to live in the land of defeat if God so willed it. He was preparing them for life as well as death. When I read the book Chaplains and Grain, the first thing I thought of was this. What a difference.

[John Weaver] Between the preachers of 150 years ago and the preachers of today. Do you realize as a country? We have lost our morality. We've lost our decency. We've lost our integrity. We've lost our character. We've lost our freedom. Why? Let me tell you why. Because we have lost men who are willing to sacrifice everything for truth. You look today at the average preacher. How he kowtows in the face of opposition. How he compromises the truth in the face of battle.

[John Weaver] How he refuses to preach the whole counsel of God, lest he offend someone or lose support or lose favor. Is it any wonder we're in such a bad state in America today? Let me just show you. Do you realize, not just during the Revolutionary War, but during the Second War for Independence, 1861-1865, our forefathers believed that debt was wrong, that people will stay out of debt, and especially the church. Now, what has happened in America? Here's what has happened. The church, instead of going on the basis of cash only, that is, if God wills us to have a building, He'll supply the need and we can buy it. We can sacrifice and we can raise it and we can buy it. Instead of going by that basis, they came up with what they called a faith plan. So what we're going to do is we're going to borrow a million dollars by faith.

[John Weaver] You know, I've never wondered, I've never figured this out. How is it that you can borrow a million dollars by faith and cannot exercise faith that God will give you the million dollars before you need it? Have you ever thought that one through? But we're going to do this. We're going to borrow a million dollars and build our building, our five million, whatever it is. And our sinking fund payment is only $1,500 a week, $6,000 a month. And what happens?

[John Weaver] The church gets in debt, and then the preacher starts preaching, and somebody starts getting upset, and some of the people either start leaving or stop giving. And what does he have to do in order to make those payments, he better trim his message if he wants to keep that money coming in or keep those people there. You follow what I'm talking about? We have changed in this country so greatly.

[John Weaver] There's a verse in Proverbs 23 and 23, and it says this, buy the truth and sell it not. You see, the difference between 150 years ago and today is this. Those men bought the truth and refused to sell it. Today, we have men who bought the truth, but it's for sale. It depends on what is involved. They're willing to negotiate, they're willing to compromise. They're willing to give in, they're willing to give up. The preachers 150 years ago were not willing to give in. They were not willing to give up. They were not willing to give out.

[John Weaver] You know, and I know I've told you this, but it still amazes me because people ask me this and they've even asked Alice this. I'll be away somewhere preaching and they'll come up and ask or either say, I bet you don't preach that way to your church. And I say I practice on them before I come here. But you understand what I'm saying? They can't believe that there's a group of people who just want truth and are willing to take whatever the Word of God says. We have become so politically correct in this country, but at the same time, we have become so religiously correct that you just don't say certain things and you just don't do certain things. The problem in our country and reality is with the preachers. If the preachers in this country ever came back to the Word of God and refused to compromise it, and stood for that Word in the face of all opposition, we'd see a change. Chaplain J.J.D.

[John Weaver] Renfro of the 10th Alabama Regiment expressed his understanding of the fact that Christians, real Christians, made the best soldiers. Now I'm going to give you his quote, and I'm going to show you scripture. But before I give you the quote and before I show you the scripture, I want to emphasize something. What this man says is true. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. Before I give you the quote, go ahead and turn in your Bibles.

[John Weaver] to 2 Timothy chapter 2. I want you to find that passage. I'll give you the verse in just a moment. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2.

[John Weaver] Now that you've found it, listen if you would to what Chaplain Renfrow said of the 10th Alabama Regiment. He said, I believe it was generally conclusive that religious men, that is Christian men, made the best soldiers. And I know that officers frequently express themselves as believing this. Religious or Christian soldiers complained less at army regulations, hard service, and short rations. They did their duty more generally and more willingly. Listen, and I never knew one of them to disgrace himself in battle.

[John Weaver] Many of them died at their posts. They straggled less on marches and committed fewer depredations on the rights of civilians."

[John Weaver] Now listen to what this chaplain said, that Christian men made better soldiers. They complained less of their regulations, of the hard service, and the short rations. They did their duty more generally and more willingly. And then he adds, and I never knew one of them to disgrace himself in battle. They died at their post if need be.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles at 2 Timothy 2 and verse 3. Look what the Lord tells us. Thou therefore endure what? Hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man but warth entangled himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who have chosen him to be a soldier. What the chaplain said physically is just as true spiritually. We're to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. And as we're good soldiers, we've got to learn to endure hardships, short rations from time to time, long marches from time to time, opposition very frequently, hotline action maybe occasionally, But one of the greatest problems is not just with the preachers, it's with the Christians who no longer want to endure hardships.

[John Weaver] Do you realize if the average church building lost its air conditioning and heating system, most people would not even attend? or if they didn't have their cushioned pews. Alice and I were in Indiana. We stayed in the home of a couple who had gone to Russia as missionaries, did some mission work over there. They showed us the photographs. During a hard Russian winter, they had broken the ice on the river so they could baptize people. Folks standing around in snow and ice and people going underwater in the broken ice to be obedient to Christ.

[John Weaver] I thought, oh Lord have mercy. Do you think anybody in this country would walk by themselves five and six and seven miles one way by a circuitous route, just to keep the other soldiers or keep soldiers from knowing where you're going, just so you can assemble at one point with believers and hear a message and then take several hours getting back home? No. We've lost the attitude of enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] There's no difference in the preacher. There's a difference in the people between 150 years ago and today. Chaplain C.H. Dodds of the 12th Mississippi Regiment remarked of this hardness and their willingness to fight to the death among the Christian men and listen to what he said. It is a little remarkable that very few of our church members survived the war. Perhaps the explanation is that they were more fearless. But it is true. You know, but few good or bad return home. But the proportion is quite remarkable. One company before the campaign numbered around 23 church members, six who were not church members. The number who returned home. Only about 10 of the church members returned home, five who were not believers of the six returned home. What's that tell you?

[John Weaver] There are more Christians killed than unbelievers. Why? Because the Christians were more fearless fighters. Chaplain Dodds goes ahead and says this, I only know of one company which had a greater number of non-professors killed. Only one company that had a greater number of unbelievers killed than believers.

[John Weaver] Now, you remember I told you at the beginning of this message that Mississippi College, the faculty and the students, 104 of them, marched off the battle. Christian ministerial students of the 104 who marched off the battle, only eight returned to their homes. You see, folks, God's people, once they see the truth. And once they're convicted of the truth. I'd rather die. Than yield the truth. I don't suppose.

[John Weaver] There could be any greater compliment to the men of the South. and that which was given by a Yankee chaplain in speaking to his regiment on the state of religion among Southern troops. Here's what he said. Remember, this is a Northern chaplain speaking to Northern troops about the state of religion among the Southern troops. Here's what he said. You may call this fanaticism, enthusiasm, or what you will, but remember, You're fighting an enemy that comes from the closet to the battlefield, that comes from its knees in prayer to engage in deadly strife, that comes in the belief that its battles are the battles of Jehovah, that is small is resting upon

[John Weaver] its banner and will ensure its success. What power to make every man a hero and every hero, if need be, a martyr. What did he tell these Northern troops. These southerners believe. And they believe what they're doing is biblical and right. And they're going to die rather than give it up. You remember, I'm going to close with this one story, but I've told you this before, but it's so impressive.

[John Weaver] The first battle of Manassas, Major Jackson at that time, Stonewall Jackson, received a painful wound in his hand. And yet he sat upon his horse and continued to direct his men and direct the battle. Bullets were whizzing everywhere. And after God gave the South a great victory that day, Afterwards, when Jackson's hand was being bandaged and was on the mend, Captain John Imbleton came up to him and said, Major, how is it that you could sit on your horse so calmly, so serenely, directing the battle while missiles of death whizzed about you on every hand and when you were in such great pain? Stonewall answered, Captain, my religion teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. The time of my death has been appointed by God.

[John Weaver] That's not for me to worry about, but to be always prepared to meet it when it does come. And then he added, Captain, If every man believed this, he would be equally brave. If we ever saw that we are in the hands of a sovereign God, and that we are immortal until our work is done, What courage. What fearlessness. It would give us. As we pray for our nation. We need to pray that God would not only give us men.

[John Weaver] Like those chaplains in the Confederate armies. But we need to pray that God would give us people who were willing to hear that Word and stand for that truth. And then you will see our country back where it ought to be, on its knees before God. Let's pray. Father, we ask that You would help us, teach us, build us up in the most holy faith, Give us grace, Lord, to serve Thee effectively with reverence and godly fear. Give us men in the pulpits and men in the pew. Give us men, Lord, who are willing to stand for Thy truth uncompromisingly. And, O God, give us people willing to hear that truth and receive it and then stand uncompromisingly. Awaken us. Call us back to Thyself. Give us repentance and faith. In thy name we pray. Amen.

The Confederate Chaplains

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	7903103017
Subject	Economics and Stewardship
Course	Debt, Money, and Stewardship
Genre	Sermon
Date	2003-03-16
Dictation Name
Book	Book 070: Debt, Money, and Stewardship — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	72

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Purpose

Weaver introduces his unusual message based on Hebrews 11:32, explaining he wants to share a study on Confederate chaplains and apply it to today.

Let's open our Bibles, if we would please, to Hebrews chapter 11 today, and let's begin reading it in verse 32. I'm going to be preaching an unusual message, one that I mentioned to you last week, and I'm going to do this for two basic reasons. Number one, I have to bring a study on this this week, and since I've studied it out and saw the importance of it, I certainly want to share it with you. And then, of course, number two, I believe there is an excellent application that can be made to our time today. So let's look in Hebrews chapter 11, beginning there with verse 32. The scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:32-40

"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah, David also and Samuel and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

The Book Chaplains in Gray

Weaver recommends Charles F. Pitts' book, recounting an anecdote about R.J. Rushdoony to emphasize the value of owning and reading the book personally.

And I will supply the books at my cost if I can get them that way. But the book is entitled *Chaplains in Gray*. It was written by Charles F. Pitts. It's an excellent book, and it delineates many of the stories concerning the Confederate chaplains.

Now, let me tell you why I would encourage you to buy your own copy. Years ago, I was spending some time in the home of R.J. Rushdoony. Now, Rushdoony's been dead now for several years. He was one of the finest Christian men and one of the finest scholars I've ever known. My wife and I have had the blessing and the privilege of being in his home on numerous occasions. Back when I first went out to see Rushdoony, this was 30 years ago. Back then, he had over 50,000 books in his library and practically read every one of them, knew everything just about was in every book. If you visited his home, you just about had difficulty sitting down. Because on the coffee table were stacks of books. On the floor were stacks of books. Around the sofas, the chairs, stacks of books. You go in the bathroom, not one book, not a magazine rack, but stacks of books. Wherever Rushdoony sat down, he picked up a book he read. He had basically a photographic memory, and he just knew whatever he read.

Well, I was out there visiting him. He said to me, "John," he said, "let me tell you about this excellent book." He said, "It's now out of print." He said, "You might could find a copy of it." He said it was a book by Stauffer entitled *Christ and Caesar*. He said, "Let me tell you about this book." And he went on. And for 20 minutes, he told me the theme of the book, the purpose of the book, the main emphasis of the book, the importance of the book. And when he finished, I looked at him and said, "That sounds like a tremendous book. I've got to try to get a copy of it." And when I said that, it looked as if I had slapped him. And he looked at me and said, "Why should you buy a copy of it?" He said, "I just told you what was in it." And I looked at him and I said, "Brother, not everyone has your memory and not everyone has your mind."

You may not remember a lot of things I say today, but if you have the book, then you can read it, and of course there's a lot more in the book that I'm not going to be able to give you today. So, let me begin by telling you about the chaplains in the Confederacy. Without any official uniform—and that may surprise you that the chaplains did not have any special uniform—and with insufficient pay—and I wish I had time to tell you how they were really denied pay over and over—but without any official uniform, insufficient pay, and very few recognizable insignia, the chaplains of the Confederacy were much like those in the Revolutionary War in that they preached, they prayed, and they fought for liberty.

Character and Reception of Confederate Chaplains

Chaplains lacked official uniforms and sufficient pay, yet they preached and fought for liberty. They faced criticism from both Northern critics and some Southern commanders, but genuine chaplains were eventually respected.

Now, many not only led in the spiritual sphere, but in the martial sphere as well. It has been said that there is nothing more ferocious than a band of brigands, led by vicious cutthroats, except it be a company of Scottish Presbyterians rising from their knees in prayer to do battle with the firm conviction that what they are about to do is the will of God. That was a direct quote. So they say the preachers were far worse than the brigands led by a cutthroat because they knew that what they were about to do was the will of God. One Yankee critic said that he believed—here's the quote—"the most unmitigated set of villains they have in the South are the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the Episcopalian preachers, all talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil."

I thought that was interesting. Boy, those preachers—notice, talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil. Well, not all the condemnation of the Confederate chaplains came from Northern critics. Their preaching was not always appreciated by the unbelieving, nor did some understand the importance of the work of the chaplains. As one chaplain was exhorting the men to repent, based upon the certain necessity of death and hell, one brigade commander, as he walked away, said in disgust, "Those confounded chaplains, they're the scourge of the army." Some commanders were so irreligious, they even refused to allow the office of chaplain to be filled. And other commanders believed that a wholesome view of death and hell might make cowards of the men in battle. Of course, as you study the Confederate chaplains, you're going to find that there were some initially who got in the army who claimed the title of chaplain who were not worthy of that title. And they brought reproach, not only to the name of chaplain, but also to the work of the Lord.

However, these men were soon weeded out, not only because of a lack of respect for them by the soldiers, but also because of the hardships of the war. You've got to remember, unless you were real and genuine, you were certainly not going to endure the hardships that those real, genuine chaplains endured. And it was the work of these godly chaplains, it was their dedication, their sacrifice, and their selfless service whose efforts were rewarded by the Lord, which evidenced the great benefit of chaplains to the army. And those who initially referred to the chaplains as the scourge of the army soon arose to call the same men blessed indeed.

Pastors as Soldiers and Leaders

Many pastors enthusiastically supported the war, some organizing companies or joining as soldiers. Notable examples include Bishop Leonidas Polk, the Parsons Regiment with 42 ministers, and Mississippi College Rifles.

Now, there were many pastors back then who enthusiastically supported what was then called the Righteous War for Southern Independence. They supported that war not only by preaching, but also by throwing themselves into the fray by shouldering arms. Some pastors organized companies from their congregations. Others joined volunteer companies. Episcopal Bishop Leonidas Polk, who, by the way, became General Leonidas Polk, but Episcopal Bishop Leonidas Polk of Louisiana stated that he was not laying aside the vestments of his office. He was merely buckling the sword over his gown. Do you realize—listen carefully now—that one of the first companies to arrive in Virginia in 1861 contained 50 members of a single church. Another regiment, which arrived the same year, counted in its ranks 600 men of the same denomination, while still another numbered 13 Baptist preachers among its soldiers. Now listen to this. The 9th Arkansas, organized at Pine Bluff on July 20, 1861, was popularly known as the Parsons Regiment. Why? Because it boasted 42 ordained ministers in its ranks. A newspaper account mentioned in Arkansas that there was a Preacher's Regiment on its way to the battlefield. It was commanded by a Methodist preacher, Colonel Bradley, also from Pine Bluff. The paper reported that one of the soldiers was a preacher over 70 years of age. So one regiment had 42 ordained pastors in its ranks.

Now, many other military units were composed of preachers and or ministerial students. In Mississippi, practically the entire student body enlisted with its faculty leaders in the Mississippi College Rifles. Now, Mississippi College was a Christian institution, and they marched away to the battlefield 104 strong. I want you to remember that because I'm going to come back to this figure when I begin to close the message. So 104 young ministerial students with their leaders marched away in 1861. Georgia had one regiment with 12 missionary Baptist preachers, a primitive Baptist preacher, and a Methodist preacher in it.

Distribution of Bibles and Tracts

Chaplains prioritized placing the Word of God in soldiers' hands. The South initially lacked Bible printing plates, but through smuggling and efforts, millions of pages of Christian literature were produced weekly.

And of course, when he got through fighting then, he was going to pick his coat and his hat back up and go back to being a chaplain. One of the main desires of the chaplains during this time was to place the Word of God in the hands of the soldiers. When you and I think of this, we think placing the Word of God in the hands of soldiers should not be such a big deal. Every one of us probably have four or five Bibles. I'm the exception, I know. I don't even know how many Bibles I have. I'm sure 20, 30, maybe even more than that. I've never even counted them. But when we think about back in 1861, one of the main desires of those chaplains was to make sure the Word of God got in the hand of the southern soldiers. One would think that that would not be a problem, but let me tell you something: before the war, the South depended entirely upon the North for the printing of Bibles. By the help of northern friends who were known as copperheads—and you know why they were called copperheads?

A rattlesnake does flock when you're near. He rattles. He signals. But a copperhead is just as poisonous as a rattlesnake, but he'll make no sound. He'll bite you before you ever know he's there. And so, northerners who were southern sympathizers were referred to by the North as copperheads because they thought they were extremely dangerous people. Well, through the help of these Southern sympathizers then, plates were smuggled into the South and preparation therefore was made to print the first Bibles. In 1861, the first Bibles rolled from the presses of the Southwestern Publishing Company at Nashville, Tennessee. And here is a press release in the *Tennessee Baptist*, and here's what it says, quote: "The first set of plates for printing pocket Bibles and Testaments ever owned and worked in the South were laid upon the press of the Southwestern Publishing House last Wednesday, and it can now be said for the first time that the South is independent of the North, for the Word of God. Lincoln no longer binds the Word of God." Isn't that amazing?

The South did not even have the plates to print the Bible until 1861. After that, of course, the Confederate Bible Society came into existence and began the promotion and publication of scriptures. Of course, the American Bible Society soon stepped in and helped as well. But listen to this: even with the shortages of ink and paper, the denominational and private printing presses produced a record million pages of Christian literature per week. Per week. That is a phenomenal amount of printed material back in 1861. A million pages per week. But still, there were shortages of Bibles.

Preaching and Revival in the Army

Chaplains preached frequently, leading to widespread revival. Dr. J. William Jones baptized 410 men, and only three survivors did not continue in the faith, contrasting with modern retention rates.

That did not count the prayer time. That did not count the exhortation. That did not count the counseling that they did to the soldiers. Let me give you an excellent illustration of the difference between 1861 and 1865 to the conditions of today. Dr. J. William Jones, who was a Confederate chaplain, who was also a pastor, and he wrote the book *Christ in the Camp*, on the revivals in the Confederate army. But Dr. J. William Jones kept the names and addresses of 410 men whom he had baptized. Now this is just one chaplain. He kept the names of 410 men whom he baptized. After the war was over, he followed up on all 410 names. Of course, some had been killed during the war. You understand that. But of the survivors, of those who lived through the war.

He found that only three of them were not continuing on with the Lord and serving Him as they should. Only three out of 410? You look at the average church today, they'll say, "We had a thousand professions of faith last year." Then you ask them, "How many of them did you baptize?" And then you ask them, "How many of them are with you today?" Today, you can baptize 400 and you might find three that will keep going on with the Lord.

Yankee Fear of Chaplains' Influence

Northern officers recognized the powerful influence of chaplains on Southern morale and refused them access to prisoners, blaming preachers for the war due to their teaching on secession and liberty.

Now time will not permit me to give examples of all this preaching. But suffice it to say that not only did the Southern soldier boys benefit greatly from the preaching of the chaplains, but listen, the Yankees feared the preaching from these godly chaplains. The Yankees feared the preaching from these godly chaplains. When there was a demand that our Southern prisoners who were held in northern prisons and northern hospitals be allowed a southern chaplain to visit them, Yankee Colonel W. Hoffman, commissary general of the prisoners, refused permission for a southern chaplain to visit the prisoners. And here's what he wrote. Listen carefully. "Sir, your letter of the 27th addressed to the Secretary of War communicating an application from a chaplain of the rebel army to be permitted to attend the prisoners of war at the General Hospital on David's Island has been referred to this office. It has not felt advisable to associate officers and enlisted men, prisoners of war together, owing to the bad effect of their influence and example. And there's probably no class of officers whose influence is more powerful to keep up the spirits of the rebel than that of their chaplain."

"If they would confine themselves to their proper calling, there would not be the least objection to their presence among the sick and wounded. But if this is not possible, it would be very injurious policy to admit them into the hospitals where they would scarcely preach that our cause is righteous and that they have engaged in rebellion without a cause." Did you hear what he said? He said, "We're not going to let them here." We don't want them here. Because when they get here, number one, they're going to boost the morale of the Southern prisoners. And number two, they're not going to say that our cause is just. They're going to say that their cause is just. And we don't want that happening. When Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon of the 42nd Mississippi Regiment was captured at Gettysburg—and by the way, do you know how most of these chaplains got captured?

Because they refused to leave the wounded and the dying. They would always stay behind to minister to the wounded and the dying. And the same with Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon. He was captured at Gettysburg because he would not abandon the field. He would not leave the wounded and the dying. But when he was captured, Yankee Colonel Fish ordered the chaplain to be thrown into a dark underground dungeon with drunken soldiers and deserters.

When the order was given, the lieutenant protested. And he said to the colonel, "But this man is a minister of the gospel. You won't send him there." Colonel Fish shot back, "Why not? The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them." I hope you understand and comprehend that they saw the influence of the chaplains upon not only the soldiers, but upon the people of the land. "More to blame for this war than any other." How could the preachers be the blame for that war?

Now, remember, that's coming from a northern colonel. But what he is saying is it was the preachers who began talking about the biblical right of secession, that talked about liberty and freedom and independence. And so here he is blaming the preachers.

Lighthearted Moments and Special Providence

Despite war's horrors, humorous incidents occurred, such as Chaplain Rennick's encounter with a soldier misunderstanding 'wrestling with the Lord,' and Dabney's use of a gate post as 'special providence.'

Richardson, a soldier in the 3rd Texas Cavalry, relates a story about Chaplain Robert Rennick. Now, Robert Rennick was affectionately known as Uncle Bob by the men of Shelby's Division. And here's what A.C. Richardson reports. Now, listen carefully. He says, "Uncle Bob was visiting a small field hospital near Jacksonport, Arkansas. In one bed lay a long hatchet-faced Missourian, suffering from a prolonged siege of dysentery. He was scarcely more than a skeleton. The chaplain took a seat beside his bed and asked, 'How are you today, my friend?' 'No better. Worse and worse,' the soldier replied. 'Ah, I'm afraid you don't pray,' said the chaplain. The sick man shook his head and replied, 'No, I don't. Don't know how. Never learned that.' Encouragingly, the chaplain said, 'Well, well, you will get better. You must cheer up. You must have hope and wrestle with the Lord in prayer.' The soldier looked surprised. Raising up on one elbow and throwing back his tattered blanket, he looked the chaplain full in the face and said, 'Wrestle with the Lord, did you say?'

"Wrestle with the Lord? With these here legs? Why, he'd have flipped me to hell on the very first pass." Striving to contain his composure, Uncle Bob had to explain things to the old Missourian that wrestling with the Lord was not physical but spiritual. Said he'd have flipped him to hell on the very first pass. Dr. Robert L. Dabney—and if you've never read Dabney's book on the life of Stonewall Jackson, I would encourage you to do so.

It's one of the finest books available. But Dabney has numerous books out. But Dr. Dabney was, of course, a major on Stonewall Jackson's staff. And remember now, he was a theologian, he was an author, he was a preacher, he was a chaplain. But Dr. Dabney was a Calvinist, he was a strict predestinarian, and he preached and he taught special providence. And he always encouraged the men to fearlessness and bravery, preaching what he termed special providence. Now listen to what he told the men. Here's what he said: "Men, you need not be trying to dodge shot or shell or minié—that is, minié ball. Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else."

"And you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken." Now, let me stop there just for a moment. Is that not true? What does the Bible say? The Bible says that He, God, holdeth our soul and life. David said in Psalm 31, "My times are in the hand of the Lord." And Job 14 tells us, in Job 7, that there is an appointed time for man upon the earth. And that is true, folks. God has not only ordained the day of our birth, He's also ordained the day of our death.

And what is Dabney preaching? He says, "Men, you need not be trying to dodge shot, or shell, or minié. Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else. And you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken." That's true. And that's what he was preaching. Well, Major Nelson, one of General Ewell's staff, came upon Major Dabney sitting on the ground, taking cover behind a thick oak gate post during a heavy artillery bombardment. Riding up to Dabney, Major Nelson rendered a snappy salute and said, "Major Dabney, every shot and shell and minié strikes just where the Lord permits. And you must excuse me, sir, for expressing my surprise that you're seeking to put an oak gate post between you and Special Providence." Dabney immediately rejoined with, "Why, Major, you do not understand the doctrine of Special Providence."

"I believe and teach it with all my heart. And I look upon this thick gate post as a very special providence just at this time." It was something to get behind. I would certainly count that gate post a very special providence as well. But regardless of all the dangers, many of the chaplains believed that it was their place to be on the front lines with the men to whom they were ministering. Do you realize that that always put the chaplains in the place of capture and or of imminent death? Chaplain I.T.

Chaplains on the Front Lines

Chaplains often stayed with the wounded and dying, leading to capture. Chaplain Tichenor rallied wavering troops at Shiloh by reminding them of home prayers, resulting in a decisive stand.

Tichenor of the 17th Alabama Regiment gave this report on the Battle of Shiloh. I remember the Battle of Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Here's what he said: "During this engagement, we were under a crossfire on the left wing from three directions. Under it, the boys wavered. I had been wearied and was sitting down, but seeing them waver, I sprang to my feet, took off my hat, waved it over my head, walked up and down the line and said—and they say, 'Preach them a sermon.' I reminded them that it was Sunday, that at that hour, 11:30, all their home folks were praying for them, that Tom Watts, governor and former regimental commander, had told us that he would listen with an eager ear to hear from the 17th, and shouting your name loud over the roar of the battle,

I called upon them to stand there and die if need be for their country. The effect was evident. Every man stood to his post. Every eye flashed. Every heart beat with desperate resolve to conquer or die."

Now, Chaplain Tichenor is writing this to Governor Tom Watts, who used to be the regimental commander. So he said, "I preached him a sermon. I called your name. I reminded them that their people were praying for them." And he said, "And every man stood to his post."

Now, remember, they were receiving fire from three different directions. He said, "Every man stood to his post and every heart beat high with desperate resolve to conquer and die." Significantly, Chaplain Tichenor added, "After the battle was over, the regiment had 13 killed and 117 wounded or missing. But the enemy dead in front of the Southern boys was 352." So they lost 13 men, but they killed 352. The chaplain did not add what appeared in the newspaper account that he himself fought with the coolness of a veteran, killing with his own rifle a colonel, a major, and four privates. The chaplains were fighters. Listen carefully. They were fighters for truth, they were fighters for righteousness, they were fighters for liberty. You know what we've lost today? We have lost the concept that civil wickedness is just as evil as spiritual wickedness. What made these chaplains fight? Civil tyranny to them was just as bad, just as vile, just as wicked as spiritual tyranny. Just as men needed to be saved from their sins, they believed they needed to be saved from a tyrant who was oppressing them and would not give them the liberty that the Word of God demanded and taught.

Contrast with Modern Preachers and Christians

Weaver laments the loss of uncompromising preachers and enduring Christians today, citing debt, comfort, and political correctness as evidence of decline, and calls for a return to biblical truth.

Between the preachers of 150 years ago and the preachers of today. Do you realize as a country we have lost our morality? We've lost our decency. We've lost our integrity. We've lost our character. We've lost our freedom. Why? Let me tell you why. Because we have lost men who are willing to sacrifice everything for truth. You look today at the average preacher. How he kowtows in the face of opposition. How he compromises the truth in the face of battle.

How he refuses to preach the whole counsel of God, lest he offend someone or lose support or lose favor. Is it any wonder we're in such a bad state in America today? Let me just show you. Do you realize, not just during the Revolutionary War, but during the Second War for Independence, 1861–1865, our forefathers believed that debt was wrong, that people should stay out of debt, and especially the church. Now, what has happened in America? Here's what has happened. The church, instead of going on the basis of cash only—that is, if God wills us to have a building, He'll supply the need and we can buy it. We can sacrifice and we can raise it and we can buy it. Instead of going by that basis, they came up with what they called a faith plan. So what we're going to do is we're going to borrow a million dollars by faith.

You know, I've never wondered, I've never figured this out. How is it that you can borrow a million dollars by faith and cannot exercise faith that God will give you the million dollars before you need it? Have you ever thought that one through? But we're going to do this. We're going to borrow a million dollars and build our building, or five million, whatever it is. And our sinking fund payment is only $1,500 a week, $6,000 a month. And what happens?

The church gets in debt, and then the preacher starts preaching, and somebody starts getting upset, and some of the people either start leaving or stop giving. And what does he have to do in order to make those payments? He better trim his message if he wants to keep that money coming in or keep those people there. You follow what I'm talking about? We have changed in this country so greatly. There's a verse in Proverbs 23:23, and it says this:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 23:23

"Buy the truth, and sell it not."

You see, the difference between 150 years ago and today is this. Those men bought the truth and refused to sell it. Today, we have men who bought the truth, but it's for sale. It depends on what is involved. They're willing to negotiate, they're willing to compromise. They're willing to give in, they're willing to give up. The preachers 150 years ago were not willing to give in. They were not willing to give up. They were not willing to give out.

You know, and I know I've told you this, but it still amazes me because people ask me this and they've even asked Alice this. I'll be away somewhere preaching and they'll come up and ask or either say, "I bet you don't preach that way to your church." And I say, "I practice on them before I come here." But you understand what I'm saying? They can't believe that there's a group of people who just want truth and are willing to take whatever the Word of God says. We have become so politically correct in this country, but at the same time, we have become so religiously correct that you just don't say certain things and you just don't do certain things. The problem in our country in reality is with the preachers. If the preachers in this country ever came back to the Word of God and refused to compromise it, and stood for that Word in the face of all opposition, we'd see a change. Chaplain J.J.D.

Christian Soldiers and Enduring Hardship

Chaplain Renfro observed that Christian men made the best soldiers, complaining less and fighting more fearlessly. Weaver connects this to 2 Timothy 2:3, urging believers to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ.

Renfro of the 10th Alabama Regiment expressed his understanding of the fact that Christians, real Christians, made the best soldiers. Now I'm going to give you his quote, and I'm going to show you scripture. But before I give you the quote and before I show you the scripture, I want to emphasize something. What this man says is true. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. Before I give you the quote, go ahead and turn in your Bibles. to 2 Timothy chapter 2. I want you to find that passage. I'll give you the verse in just a moment. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2.

Now that you've found it, listen if you would to what Chaplain Renfro said of the 10th Alabama Regiment. He said, "I believe it was generally conclusive that religious men, that is Christian men, made the best soldiers. And I know that officers frequently express themselves as believing this. Religious or Christian soldiers complained less at army regulations, hard service, and short rations. They did their duty more generally and more willingly. Listen, and I never knew one of them to disgrace himself in battle." "Many of them died at their posts. They straggled less on marches and committed fewer depredations on the rights of civilians."

Now listen to what this chaplain said, that Christian men made better soldiers. They complained less of their regulations, of the hard service, and the short rations. They did their duty more generally and more willingly. And then he adds, "And I never knew one of them to disgrace himself in battle. They died at their post if need be."

Now look in your Bibles at 2 Timothy 2 and verse 3. Look what the Lord tells us.

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:3

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

What the chaplain said physically is just as true spiritually. We're to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. And as we're good soldiers, we've got to learn to endure hardships, short rations from time to time, long marches from time to time, opposition very frequently, hotline action maybe occasionally. But one of the greatest problems is not just with the preachers, it's with the Christians who no longer want to endure hardships.

Do you realize if the average church building lost its air conditioning and heating system, most people would not even attend? Or if they didn't have their cushioned pews. Alice and I were in Indiana. We stayed in the home of a couple who had gone to Russia as missionaries, did some mission work over there. They showed us the photographs. During a hard Russian winter, they had broken the ice on the river so they could baptize people. Folks standing around in snow and ice and people going underwater in the broken ice to be obedient to Christ.

I thought, "Oh Lord, have mercy." Do you think anybody in this country would walk by themselves five and six and seven miles one way by a circuitous route, just to keep the other soldiers or keep soldiers from knowing where you're going, just so you can assemble at one point with believers and hear a message and then take several hours getting back home? No. We've lost the attitude of enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: The Need for Courageous Faith

Weaver closes with Stonewall Jackson's testimony of feeling safe in battle due to God's sovereignty, and prays for God to raise up uncompromising preachers and people to restore the nation.

The first battle of Manassas, Major Jackson at that time, Stonewall Jackson, received a painful wound in his hand. And yet he sat upon his horse and continued to direct his men and direct the battle. Bullets were whizzing everywhere. And after God gave the South a great victory that day, afterwards, when Jackson's hand was being bandaged and was on the mend, Captain John Imboden came up to him and said, "Major, how is it that you could sit on your horse so calmly, so serenely, directing the battle while missiles of death whizzed about you on every hand and when you were in such great pain?" Stonewall answered, "Captain, my religion teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. The time of my death has been appointed by God."

"That's not for me to worry about, but to be always prepared to meet it when it does come." And then he added, "Captain, if every man believed this, he would be equally brave." If we ever saw that we are in the hands of a sovereign God, and that we are immortal until our work is done, what courage, what fearlessness it would give us. As we pray for our nation, we need to pray that God would not only give us men like those chaplains in the Confederate armies, but we need to pray that God would give us people who were willing to hear that Word and stand for that truth. And then you will see our country back where it ought to be, on its knees before God. Let's pray. Father, we ask that You would help us, teach us, build us up in the most holy faith. Give us grace, Lord, to serve Thee effectively with reverence and godly fear. Give us men in the pulpits and men in the pew. Give us men, Lord, who are willing to stand for Thy truth uncompromisingly. And, O God, give us people willing to hear that truth and receive it and then stand uncompromisingly. Awaken us. Call us back to Thyself. Give us repentance and faith. In Thy name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Uncompromising Commitment to Truth

Summary: Confederate chaplains refused to compromise their beliefs despite opposition, hardship, and danger, serving as models of steadfastness.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Those men bought the truth and refused to sell it. Today, we have men who bought the truth, but it's for sale.'

The Influence of Godly Chaplains

Summary: Chaplains had a profound spiritual and moral impact on soldiers, boosting morale and fostering revival, which even the enemy recognized and feared.

Evidence: A Yankee colonel wrote that 'there's probably no class of officers whose influence is more powerful to keep up the spirits of the rebel than that of their chaplain.'

Sacrifice and Endurance in Service

Summary: Chaplains endured insufficient pay, lack of uniforms, and frontline dangers, often staying with the wounded and dying, exemplifying selfless service.

Evidence: Chaplain Tichenor was captured at Gettysburg 'because he would not abandon the field. He would not leave the wounded and the dying.'

The Sovereignty of God in Life and Death

Summary: Belief in God's sovereign control over life and death gave chaplains and soldiers courage in battle, as seen in Dabney's teaching on special providence and Jackson's testimony.

Evidence: Dabney taught, 'Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else.'

Contrast Between Past and Present Christianity

Summary: Weaver contrasts the dedication of 19th-century chaplains and soldiers with modern comfort-seeking, compromising Christianity, calling for a return to biblical fidelity.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We have lost men who are willing to sacrifice everything for truth... How he compromises the truth in the face of battle.'

Christian Character Produces Better Soldiers

Summary: Chaplains observed that genuine Christians made the best soldiers, being more dutiful, less complaining, and more fearless in battle.

Evidence: Chaplain Renfro said, 'I believe it was generally conclusive that religious men, that is Christian men, made the best soldiers.'

Key Arguments

Preachers were central to the Southern cause and were blamed by the North for the war.

Summary: Northern critics saw Southern preachers as instigators of secession and rebellion, making them targets of particular animosity.

Evidence: Yankee Colonel Fish said, 'The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them.'

The scarcity of Bibles in the South was overcome by determined efforts.

Summary: The South initially depended on the North for Bible printing, but through smuggling and local production, they achieved independence in printing the Word of God.

Evidence: A press release stated, 'it can now be said for the first time that the South is independent of the North, for the Word of God.'

Revival in the Confederate Army produced lasting conversions.

Summary: The high retention rate of converts under Chaplain J. William Jones (407 out of 410 survivors) demonstrates the depth and genuineness of the revival.

Evidence: He found that only three of them were not continuing on with the Lord and serving Him as they should.

Chaplains actively participated in combat when necessary.

Summary: Many chaplains not only provided spiritual leadership but also fought alongside soldiers, believing civil tyranny was as evil as spiritual tyranny.

Evidence: Chaplain Tichenor 'fought with the coolness of a veteran, killing with his own rifle a colonel, a major, and four privates.'

Modern Christianity has lost its willingness to endure hardship.

Summary: Weaver argues that contemporary believers prioritize comfort and avoid sacrifice, unlike the Confederate soldiers and chaplains who endured severe conditions.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Do you think anybody in this country would walk by themselves five and six and seven miles one way... just so you can assemble at one point with believers and hear a message?'

Financial debt compromises the church's message.

Summary: Weaver contends that church debt forces preachers to soften their message to retain giving, contrasting with the cash-based, faith-dependent approach of earlier generations.

Evidence: He says, 'He better trim his message if he wants to keep that money coming in or keep those people there.'

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-40

Context: Weaver reads this passage as the foundation for his message, noting that the author mentions many heroes of faith he lacks time to detail, paralleling the many unheralded Confederate chaplains.

Psalm 31:15

Context: Weaver references David's statement 'My times are in the hand of the Lord' to support the doctrine of God's sovereignty over life and death.

Job 14:5 (implied Job 7:1)

Context: Weaver cites Job to affirm that there is an appointed time for man upon the earth, reinforcing the idea that God ordains both birth and death.

Proverbs 23:23

Context: Weaver quotes 'Buy the truth, and sell it not' to contrast the Confederate chaplains' unwavering commitment with modern preachers' willingness to compromise.

2 Timothy 2:3

Context: Weaver uses this verse to exhort believers to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, drawing a parallel to the physical endurance of Confederate Christian soldiers.

Historical References

R.J. Rushdoony

Context: Weaver recounts visiting Rushdoony, a Christian scholar with a vast library, who once summarized a book so thoroughly that he questioned why Weaver would need to buy it, illustrating the value of personal study.

Charles F. Pitts, Chaplains in Gray

Context: The primary source for Weaver's message, this book details the stories of Confederate chaplains and is recommended for personal reading.

Bishop Leonidas Polk

Context: Episcopal Bishop who became a Confederate general, stating he was 'merely buckling the sword over his gown,' exemplifying the dual role of pastor and soldier.

The Parsons Regiment (9th Arkansas)

Context: A regiment organized at Pine Bluff on July 20, 1861, containing 42 ordained ministers, highlighting the extent of pastoral involvement in the military.

Mississippi College Rifles

Context: A company of 104 ministerial students and faculty from Mississippi College who enlisted, with only eight returning home, illustrating the heavy sacrifice of Christian soldiers.

General W.N. Pendleton

Context: Episcopalian minister and chief of artillery for the Army of Northern Virginia, who named his four cannons Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Dr. Robert L. Dabney

Context: Theologian, author, and chaplain on Stonewall Jackson's staff, known for his Calvinist teaching on special providence and his book on Jackson's life.

Dr. J. William Jones

Context: Confederate chaplain and author of *Christ in the Camp*, who baptized 410 men and followed up after the war, finding only three who did not continue in faith.

Battle of Shiloh

Context: Chaplain Tichenor rallied the 17th Alabama Regiment under crossfire by reminding them of home prayers, resulting in a stand where they killed 352 enemies while losing 13.

Stonewall Jackson at First Manassas

Context: Jackson, wounded, remained calm in battle, later explaining that his religion taught him to feel as safe in battle as in bed because God appoints the time of death.

Important Quotes

there is nothing more ferocious than a band of brigands, led by vicious cutthroats, except it be a company of Scottish Presbyterians rising from their knees in prayer to do battle with the firm conviction that what they are about to do is the will of God.

Significance: This quote emphasizes the formidable courage and conviction of chaplains and Christian soldiers who believed their cause was divinely sanctioned.

the most unmitigated set of villains they have in the South are the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the Episcopalian preachers, all talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil.

Significance: A Northern critic's statement showing the intense animosity toward Southern preachers, whom they saw as the driving force behind the rebellion.

Now lay there, sanctification, until we finish whipping these Yankees.

Significance: Illustrates the dual role of chaplains who would set aside their clerical identity to fight and then resume their spiritual duties.

Lincoln no longer binds the Word of God.

Significance: A press release celebrating the South's independence from the North in printing Bibles, highlighting the perceived spiritual dimension of the conflict.

there's probably no class of officers whose influence is more powerful to keep up the spirits of the rebel than that of their chaplain.

Significance: A Yankee colonel's admission of the chaplains' powerful influence on Southern morale, explaining why they were barred from Northern prisons.

The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them.

Significance: Colonel Fish's statement revealing the North's view that preachers were the primary instigators of the war due to their teaching on secession and liberty.

I believe it was generally conclusive that religious men, that is Christian men, made the best soldiers.

Significance: Chaplain Renfro's observation that Christian faith produced better soldiers, a key argument for the practical value of genuine piety.

Discussion Questions

In what ways did the Confederate chaplains demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to truth, and how can we apply that example today?

Context: Weaver contrasts the chaplains' refusal to sell the truth with modern preachers' compromises.

How did the belief in God's sovereignty over life and death affect the courage of chaplains and soldiers, and how should this doctrine influence our own fears?

Context: Dabney's teaching on special providence and Jackson's testimony are highlighted.

What can we learn from the high retention rate of converts during the Confederate army revival compared to modern evangelism?

Context: Chaplain Jones baptized 410 men, and only three survivors did not continue in faith.

Why did Northern officers fear the influence of Southern chaplains, and what does this reveal about the power of gospel preaching?

Context: Yankee Colonel Hoffman refused chaplains access to prisoners due to their powerful influence.

How does the example of chaplains who fought alongside soldiers challenge or inform our understanding of the relationship between spiritual and civil duties?

Context: Weaver states that civil tyranny was seen as just as evil as spiritual tyranny.

In what ways has the modern church's reliance on debt and comfort compromised its witness, and how can we return to a faith-based approach?

Context: Weaver critiques church debt and cushioned pews as signs of lost endurance.

What does it mean to 'endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' in our current cultural context?

Context: Weaver applies 2 Timothy 2:3 to the need for modern believers to accept hardship.

How can we cultivate the kind of fearlessness and resolve seen in Stonewall Jackson, who felt 'as safe in battle as in bed'?

Context: Jackson's testimony is given as an example of faith in God's appointed time.

Applications

Stand Uncompromisingly for Biblical Truth

Summary: Believers should refuse to compromise God's Word, even in the face of opposition or loss of support, following the example of the Confederate chaplains.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Those men bought the truth and refused to sell it. Today, we have men who bought the truth, but it's for sale.'

Trust in God's Sovereignty Over Life and Death

Summary: Christians should live with courage and fearlessness, knowing that God has appointed the time of their death and that they are immortal until their work is done.

Evidence: Dabney taught, 'you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken.'

Endure Hardship as a Good Soldier of Christ

Summary: Believers must be willing to endure discomfort, inconvenience, and sacrifice for the sake of the gospel, rather than prioritizing comfort and convenience.

Evidence: Weaver applies 2 Timothy 2:3 and contrasts modern reluctance to endure with the sacrifices of Confederate soldiers.

Prioritize the Word of God and Its Distribution

Summary: Like the chaplains who risked much to get Bibles to soldiers, Christians should value and disseminate Scripture, recognizing its power to save and sustain.

Evidence: The South's effort to print Bibles independently and the soldier's letter expressing desperate need for a Bible.

Avoid Financial Debt That Compromises Ministry

Summary: Churches and individuals should avoid debt that pressures them to soften their message or compromise their principles, instead trusting God to provide.

Evidence: Weaver warns that debt forces preachers to 'trim his message if he wants to keep that money coming in.'

Pray for Uncompromising Leaders and Receptive People

Summary: Weaver concludes by urging prayer for God to raise up preachers and congregations who will stand for truth without compromise, leading to national repentance.

Evidence: Weaver prays, 'Give us men in the pulpits and men in the pew... who are willing to stand for Thy truth uncompromisingly.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:37:52Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T05:19:39Z

Clean Transcript

The Confederate Chaplains

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bibles, if we would please, to Hebrews chapter 11 today, and let's begin reading it in verse 32. I'm going to be preaching an unusual message, one that I mentioned to you last week, and I'm going to do this for two basic reasons. Number one, I have to bring a study on this this week, and since I've studied it out and saw the importance of it, I certainly want to share it with you. And then, of course, number two, I believe there is an excellent application that can be made to our time today. So let's look in Hebrews chapter 11, beginning there with verse 32.
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The scripture says, "And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah, David also and Samuel and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."
#2 | 0:43 to 1:12 | cleaned
"Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might receive a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
#3 | 1:13 to 1:53 | cleaned
Now, I call your attention to verse 32. After already having listed a number of the heroes of faith in this chapter, the author of the book of Hebrews says, "And what shall I more say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and Jephthah, and David, and Samuel, and of the prophets." So what he's saying is there are a multitude of godly men that things could be said about that he did not have the time to write about. And certainly there is a great deal that we can learn from these godly men. Today I'm going to bring you a report of a book that I have read. In fact, most of the material that I give you is right out of this book. And I'm going to give you this because I want to encourage you, first of all, to buy your own personal copy of it.
#4 | 1:53 to 2:50 | cleaned
And I will supply the books at my cost if I can get them that way. But the book is entitled *Chaplains in Gray*. It was written by Charles F. Pitts. It's an excellent book, and it delineates many of the stories concerning the Confederate chaplains.
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Now, let me tell you why I would encourage you to buy your own copy. Years ago, I was spending some time in the home of R.J. Rushdoony. Now, Rushdoony's been dead now for several years. He was one of the finest Christian men and one of the finest scholars I've ever known. My wife and I have had the blessing and the privilege of being in his home on numerous occasions. Back when I first went out to see Rushdoony, this was 30 years ago. Back then, he had over 50,000 books in his library and practically read every one of them, knew everything just about was in every book. If you visited his home, you just about had difficulty sitting down. Because on the coffee table were stacks of books. On the floor were stacks of books. Around the sofas, the chairs, stacks of books. You go in the bathroom, not one book, not a magazine rack, but stacks of books. Wherever Rushdoony sat down, he picked up a book he read. He had basically a photographic memory, and he just knew whatever he read.
#6 | 3:09 to 4:20 | cleaned
Well, I was out there visiting him. He said to me, "John," he said, "let me tell you about this excellent book." He said, "It's now out of print." He said, "You might could find a copy of it." He said it was a book by Stauffer entitled *Christ and Caesar*. He said, "Let me tell you about this book." And he went on. And for 20 minutes, he told me the theme of the book, the purpose of the book, the main emphasis of the book, the importance of the book. And when he finished, I looked at him and said, "That sounds like a tremendous book. I've got to try to get a copy of it." And when I said that, it looked as if I had slapped him. And he looked at me and said, "Why should you buy a copy of it?" He said, "I just told you what was in it." And I looked at him and I said, "Brother, not everyone has your memory and not everyone has your mind."
#7 | 4:20 to 5:20 | cleaned
You may not remember a lot of things I say today, but if you have the book, then you can read it, and of course there's a lot more in the book that I'm not going to be able to give you today. So, let me begin by telling you about the chaplains in the Confederacy. Without any official uniform—and that may surprise you that the chaplains did not have any special uniform—and with insufficient pay—and I wish I had time to tell you how they were really denied pay over and over—but without any official uniform, insufficient pay, and very few recognizable insignia, the chaplains of the Confederacy were much like those in the Revolutionary War in that they preached, they prayed, and they fought for liberty.
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Now, many not only led in the spiritual sphere, but in the martial sphere as well. It has been said that there is nothing more ferocious than a band of brigands, led by vicious cutthroats, except it be a company of Scottish Presbyterians rising from their knees in prayer to do battle with the firm conviction that what they are about to do is the will of God. That was a direct quote.
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So they say the preachers were far worse than the brigands led by a cutthroat because they knew that what they were about to do was the will of God. One Yankee critic said that he believed—here's the quote—"the most unmitigated set of villains they have in the South are the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the Episcopalian preachers, all talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil."
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I thought that was interesting. Boy, those preachers—notice, talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil. Well, not all the condemnation of the Confederate chaplains came from Northern critics. Their preaching was not always appreciated by the unbelieving, nor did some understand the importance of the work of the chaplains. As one chaplain was exhorting the men to repent, based upon the certain necessity of death and hell, one brigade commander, as he walked away, said in disgust, "Those confounded chaplains, they're the scourge of the army." Some commanders were so irreligious, they even refused to allow the office of chaplain to be filled. And other commanders believed that a wholesome view of death and hell might make cowards of the men in battle. Of course, as you study the Confederate chaplains, you're going to find that there were some initially who got in the army who claimed the title of chaplain who were not worthy of that title. And they brought reproach, not only to the name of chaplain, but also to the work of the Lord.
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However, these men were soon weeded out, not only because of a lack of respect for them by the soldiers, but also because of the hardships of the war. You've got to remember, unless you were real and genuine, you were certainly not going to endure the hardships that those real, genuine chaplains endured. And it was the work of these godly chaplains, it was their dedication, their sacrifice, and their selfless service whose efforts were rewarded by the Lord, which evidenced the great benefit of chaplains to the army. And those who initially referred to the chaplains as the scourge of the army soon arose to call the same men blessed indeed.
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Now, there were many pastors back then who enthusiastically supported what was then called the Righteous War for Southern Independence. They supported that war not only by preaching, but also by throwing themselves into the fray by shouldering arms. Some pastors organized companies from their congregations. Others joined volunteer companies. Episcopal Bishop Leonidas Polk, who, by the way, became General Leonidas Polk, but Episcopal Bishop Leonidas Polk of Louisiana stated that he was not laying aside the vestments of his office.
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He was merely buckling the sword over his gown. Do you realize—listen carefully now—that one of the first companies to arrive in Virginia in 1861 contained 50 members of a single church. Another regiment, which arrived the same year, counted in its ranks 600 men of the same denomination, while still another numbered 13 Baptist preachers among its soldiers. Now listen to this. The 9th Arkansas, organized at Pine Bluff on July 20, 1861, was popularly known as the Parsons Regiment. Why? Because it boasted 42 ordained ministers in its ranks. A newspaper account mentioned in Arkansas that there was a Preacher's Regiment on its way to the battlefield. It was commanded by a Methodist preacher, Colonel Bradley, also from Pine Bluff. The paper reported that one of the soldiers was a preacher over 70 years of age. So one regiment had 42 ordained pastors in its ranks.
#14 | 10:01 to 11:21 | cleaned
Now, many other military units were composed of preachers and or ministerial students. In Mississippi, practically the entire student body enlisted with its faculty leaders in the Mississippi College Rifles. Now, Mississippi College was a Christian institution, and they marched away to the battlefield 104 strong. I want you to remember that because I'm going to come back to this figure when I begin to close the message. So 104 young ministerial students with their leaders marched away in 1861. Georgia had one regiment with 12 missionary Baptist preachers, a primitive Baptist preacher, and a Methodist preacher in it.
#15 | 11:21 to 12:09 | cleaned
Now, there were notable pastors who fought for the South. Some of you have heard of General W.N. Pendleton. Now, Pendleton was an Episcopalian minister. He was chief of artillery of the Army of Northern Virginia, whose cannon—his four cannon—were named what? Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And he was a gracious man. Not only that, but there was Dr. Robert L. Dabney, who was not only a preacher and an author and a theologian, but he was also on Stonewall Jackson's staff. There was the renowned Baptist preacher, M.P. Lowry of Mississippi, who became a general, by the way.
#16 | 12:09 to 12:56 | cleaned
There's Lieutenant Colonel D.C. Kelly, who served on General Nathan Bedford Forrest's staff, who was a Methodist preacher. Time would fail me to name all of these preachers. There were so many of them. But the names of Captain Dabney Carr Harrison, Beverly Lacey Tucker, Moses Hogue, Benjamin Morgan Palmer, Dr. C.T. Quinter—all of these are well known. In fact, all of their service that they gave not only to the Lord, but to the Confederate Army as well. Now, of course, not every pastor entered into what you and I would call active military service, but still their sentiments were well known.
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They were much like the elderly lady—and this is supposedly a true story—an elderly lady who became famous during the siege of Vicksburg because when this city was about to fall, this elderly lady came to the front lines armed only with a broom. And when a chaplain saw her, he asked her what in the world she was doing in such a dangerous place. And she replied, "I'm here to fight the Yankees." But he answered, "You can't do any damage with a broom." "No," replied the old lady with fire in her eyes, "but I can show them which side I'm on." So it was very obvious which side the southern pastors were on. It was said of one pastor who did indeed become a chaplain, and as he saw his men under heavy fire and withering fire, I might add, and needing all the help they could get during that heated battle, he took off his large clerical coat and his black hat, and he laid them to one side, and he said, as he pointed to them, "Now lay there, sanctification, until we finish whipping these Yankees."
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And of course, when he got through fighting then, he was going to pick his coat and his hat back up and go back to being a chaplain. One of the main desires of the chaplains during this time was to place the Word of God in the hands of the soldiers. When you and I think of this, we think placing the Word of God in the hands of soldiers should not be such a big deal. Every one of us probably have four or five Bibles.
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I'm the exception, I know. I don't even know how many Bibles I have. I'm sure 20, 30, maybe even more than that. I've never even counted them. But when we think about back in 1861, one of the main desires of those chaplains was to make sure the Word of God got in the hand of the southern soldiers. One would think that that would not be a problem, but let me tell you something: before the war, the South depended entirely upon the North for the printing of Bibles. By the help of northern friends who were known as copperheads—and you know why they were called copperheads?
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A rattlesnake does flock when you're near. He rattles. He signals. But a copperhead is just as poisonous as a rattlesnake, but he'll make no sound. He'll bite you before you ever know he's there. And so, northerners who were southern sympathizers were referred to by the North as copperheads because they thought they were extremely dangerous people. Well, through the help of these Southern sympathizers then, plates were smuggled into the South and preparation therefore was made to print the first Bibles. In 1861, the first Bibles rolled from the presses of the Southwestern Publishing Company at Nashville, Tennessee. And here is a press release in the *Tennessee Baptist*, and here's what it says, quote: "The first set of plates for printing pocket Bibles and Testaments ever owned and worked in the South were laid upon the press of the Southwestern Publishing House last Wednesday, and it can now be said for the first time that the South is independent of the North, for the Word of God. Lincoln no longer binds the Word of God." Isn't that amazing?
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The South did not even have the plates to print the Bible until 1861. After that, of course, the Confederate Bible Society came into existence and began the promotion and publication of scriptures. Of course, the American Bible Society soon stepped in and helped as well. But listen to this: even with the shortages of ink and paper, the denominational and private printing presses produced a record million pages of Christian literature per week. Per week. That is a phenomenal amount of printed material back in 1861. A million pages per week. But still, there were shortages of Bibles.
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I want to give you a quote, and by the way, I'm going to read this the way it was written, and you've got to understand that although a lot of people could read and write, their English and their spelling was not exactly up to par. But here's a letter from Joseph Cowan, who was a Confederate soldier, and he wrote to his cousin. And here's what he wrote: "I'm a poor hearted sinner and got no chance to be no other way, for I ain't got no Bible. Yankees want us to lose our souls, S-O-L-E-S. Yankees want us to lose our souls, same as our lives."
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"It's aggravation for breakfast, dinner and supper." Breakfast is B-R-E-X-F-U-S. He said, "I'm a poor hearted sinner and I ain't got no chance to be no other way, for I ain't got no Bible. Yankees want us to lose our souls, same as our lives, L-I-F-E-S. It is aggravation for breakfast, dinner, and supper." Dr. William Hogue, who was pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Wick, Richmond, Virginia, and a chaplain in the Confederate Army, defied the blockade. You remember Lincoln tried to block the South, all the ports, but he defied the blockade and he went to England and he brought back thousands of Bibles from England to distribute.
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and to give to the troops. The Bibles of fallen soldiers, which had been returned to their loved ones, oftentimes found their way back into the army and to the hands of new men who were going to the front lines. Not only were there large amounts of Bibles printed, another opportunity was the printing of gospel tracts. And these tracts were eagerly distributed by the chaplains. One chaplain from Atlanta reported that one morning before nine o'clock, he distributed 20,000 gospel tracts. Another chaplain from Lynchburg, Virginia said this: "I have never had a proper tract refused or an inquiry on the subject of religion ungraciously received." Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could find people today when you'd walk up and say, "I'd like to give you a gospel tract," they would look at you and smile and take it, say, "Thank you."
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"I want to learn about the Word of God." Well, that's what these people were doing. But you've got to understand, it was indeed a time of war and they were expecting immediate death. And so here they were taking tracts and being witnessed to graciously. The story is told of General A.P. Hill, who came upon a chaplain passing out tracts to a group of hungry soldiers. And General Hill looked at the chaplain and said, "John, don't you think the boys would prefer hardtack to tracts just now?" The chaplain answered, "I have no doubt that many of them would. But they crowd around and take the tracts as eagerly as they surround the commissary when he has anything to issue."
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"And besides, other advantages, the tract certainly helped them to bear the lack of hardtack." General Hill replied, "I have no doubt of it, and I'm glad you're able to supply the tracts more abundantly than we can supply the rations." So many times the men were hungry, but at least they had the Word of God. Now, not only did the chaplains supply the Bibles and tracts, they preached many times. In fact, they preached numerous times a day, especially when the great awakening and the great revival was going on.
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That did not count the prayer time. That did not count the exhortation. That did not count the counseling that they did to the soldiers. Let me give you an excellent illustration of the difference between 1861 and 1865 to the conditions of today. Dr. J. William Jones, who was a Confederate chaplain, who was also a pastor, and he wrote the book *Christ in the Camp*, on the revivals in the Confederate army. But Dr. J. William Jones kept the names and addresses of 410 men whom he had baptized. Now this is just one chaplain. He kept the names of 410 men whom he baptized. After the war was over, he followed up on all 410 names. Of course, some had been killed during the war. You understand that. But of the survivors, of those who lived through the war.
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He found that only three of them were not continuing on with the Lord and serving Him as they should. Only three out of 410? You look at the average church today, they'll say, "We had a thousand professions of faith last year." Then you ask them, "How many of them did you baptize?" And then you ask them, "How many of them are with you today?" Today, you can baptize 400 and you might find three that will keep going on with the Lord.
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But it was straight, truthful, and Holy Ghost inspired preaching that brought revival to the Confederate Army. Each day was begun with prayer. And usually, the chaplain would conduct some type of religious service every other day, except with the fact that each day also ended with prayer and usually an evangelistic service. And oftentimes, when the revival did indeed break out, they normally had prayer more often, they had preaching more often, and their services continued for a longer period of time. Listen to what a Presbyterian chaplain from North Carolina said. He wrote that sometimes they felt as if they were in a camp meeting rather than an army expecting to face an enemy. I wonder what it would be like today for a chaplain to say that in our armed forces. I hope you know the chaplains in our armed forces, most of the time their hands are so tied they can't say anything or do anything lest they offend someone because it's so politically correct today. But here the chaplain wrote, "We thought we were in a camp meeting rather than an army expecting to face an enemy."
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Now time will not permit me to give examples of all this preaching. But suffice it to say that not only did the Southern soldier boys benefit greatly from the preaching of the chaplains, but listen, the Yankees feared the preaching from these godly chaplains. The Yankees feared the preaching from these godly chaplains. When there was a demand that our Southern prisoners who were held in northern prisons and northern hospitals be allowed a southern chaplain to visit them, Yankee Colonel W. Hoffman, commissary general of the prisoners, refused permission for a southern chaplain to visit the prisoners.
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And here's what he wrote. Listen carefully. "Sir, your letter of the 27th addressed to the Secretary of War communicating an application from a chaplain of the rebel army to be permitted to attend the prisoners of war at the General Hospital on David's Island has been referred to this office. It has not felt advisable to associate officers and enlisted men, prisoners of war together, owing to the bad effect of their influence and example. And there's probably no class of officers whose influence is more powerful to keep up the spirits of the rebel than that of their chaplain."
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"If they would confine themselves to their proper calling, there would not be the least objection to their presence among the sick and wounded. But if this is not possible, it would be very injurious policy to admit them into the hospitals where they would scarcely preach that our cause is righteous and that they have engaged in rebellion without a cause." Did you hear what he said? He said, "We're not going to let them here."
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We don't want them here. Because when they get here, number one, they're going to boost the morale of the Southern prisoners. And number two, they're not going to say that our cause is just. They're going to say that their cause is just. And we don't want that happening. When Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon of the 42nd Mississippi Regiment was captured at Gettysburg—and by the way, do you know how most of these chaplains got captured?
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Because they refused to leave the wounded and the dying. They would always stay behind to minister to the wounded and the dying. And the same with Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon. He was captured at Gettysburg because he would not abandon the field. He would not leave the wounded and the dying. But when he was captured, Yankee Colonel Fish ordered the chaplain to be thrown into a dark underground dungeon with drunken soldiers and deserters.
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When the order was given, the lieutenant protested. And he said to the colonel, "But this man is a minister of the gospel. You won't send him there." Colonel Fish shot back, "Why not? The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them." I hope you understand and comprehend that they saw the influence of the chaplains upon not only the soldiers, but upon the people of the land. "More to blame for this war than any other." How could the preachers be the blame for that war?
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Now, remember, that's coming from a northern colonel. But what he is saying is it was the preachers who began talking about the biblical right of secession, that talked about liberty and freedom and independence. And so here he is blaming the preachers.
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Now, the interesting thing is, as you read through the book *Chaplains in Gray*, there are numerous illustrations of times of lightheartedness as well. And it's almost difficult to comprehend that in a time of war, when there is such immense suffering and such a vast amount of horror, that there could be real lighthearted moments. But yet, certainly there was. And let me give you two of those. A.C.
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Richardson, a soldier in the 3rd Texas Cavalry, relates a story about Chaplain Robert Rennick. Now, Robert Rennick was affectionately known as Uncle Bob by the men of Shelby's Division. And here's what A.C. Richardson reports. Now, listen carefully. He says, "Uncle Bob was visiting a small field hospital near Jacksonport, Arkansas. In one bed lay a long hatchet-faced Missourian, suffering from a prolonged siege of dysentery. He was scarcely more than a skeleton. The chaplain took a seat beside his bed and asked, 'How are you today, my friend?' 'No better. Worse and worse,' the soldier replied. 'Ah, I'm afraid you don't pray,' said the chaplain. The sick man shook his head and replied, 'No, I don't. Don't know how. Never learned that.' Encouragingly, the chaplain said, 'Well, well, you will get better. You must cheer up. You must have hope and wrestle with the Lord in prayer.' The soldier looked surprised. Raising up on one elbow and throwing back his tattered blanket, he looked the chaplain full in the face and said, 'Wrestle with the Lord, did you say?'
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"Wrestle with the Lord? With these here legs? Why, he'd have flipped me to hell on the very first pass." Striving to contain his composure, Uncle Bob had to explain things to the old Missourian that wrestling with the Lord was not physical but spiritual. Said he'd have flipped him to hell on the very first pass. Dr. Robert L. Dabney—and if you've never read Dabney's book on the life of Stonewall Jackson, I would encourage you to do so.
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It's one of the finest books available. But Dabney has numerous books out. But Dr. Dabney was, of course, a major on Stonewall Jackson's staff. And remember now, he was a theologian, he was an author, he was a preacher, he was a chaplain. But Dr. Dabney was a Calvinist, he was a strict predestinarian, and he preached and he taught special providence. And he always encouraged the men to fearlessness and bravery, preaching what he termed special providence. Now listen to what he told the men. Here's what he said: "Men, you need not be trying to dodge shot or shell or minié—that is, minié ball. Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else."
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"And you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken." Now, let me stop there just for a moment. Is that not true? What does the Bible say? The Bible says that He, God, holdeth our soul and life. David said in Psalm 31, "My times are in the hand of the Lord." And Job 14 tells us, in Job 7, that there is an appointed time for man upon the earth. And that is true, folks. God has not only ordained the day of our birth, He's also ordained the day of our death.
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And what is Dabney preaching? He says, "Men, you need not be trying to dodge shot, or shell, or minié. Every one of these strikes just where the Lord permits it to strike and nowhere else. And you're perfectly safe where the missiles of death fly thickest until Jehovah permits you to be stricken." That's true. And that's what he was preaching. Well, Major Nelson, one of General Ewell's staff, came upon Major Dabney sitting on the ground, taking cover behind a thick oak gate post during a heavy artillery bombardment. Riding up to Dabney, Major Nelson rendered a snappy salute and said, "Major Dabney, every shot and shell and minié strikes just where the Lord permits. And you must excuse me, sir, for expressing my surprise that you're seeking to put an oak gate post between you and Special Providence." Dabney immediately rejoined with, "Why, Major, you do not understand the doctrine of Special Providence."
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"I believe and teach it with all my heart. And I look upon this thick gate post as a very special providence just at this time." It was something to get behind. I would certainly count that gate post a very special providence as well. But regardless of all the dangers, many of the chaplains believed that it was their place to be on the front lines with the men to whom they were ministering. Do you realize that that always put the chaplains in the place of capture and or of imminent death? Chaplain I.T.
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Tichenor of the 17th Alabama Regiment gave this report on the Battle of Shiloh. I remember the Battle of Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Here's what he said: "During this engagement, we were under a crossfire on the left wing from three directions. Under it, the boys wavered. I had been wearied and was sitting down, but seeing them waver, I sprang to my feet, took off my hat, waved it over my head, walked up and down the line and said—and they say, 'Preach them a sermon.' I reminded them that it was Sunday, that at that hour, 11:30, all their home folks were praying for them, that Tom Watts, governor and former regimental commander, had told us that he would listen with an eager ear to hear from the 17th, and shouting your name loud over the roar of the battle,
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I called upon them to stand there and die if need be for their country. The effect was evident. Every man stood to his post. Every eye flashed. Every heart beat with desperate resolve to conquer or die."
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Now, Chaplain Tichenor is writing this to Governor Tom Watts, who used to be the regimental commander. So he said, "I preached him a sermon. I called your name. I reminded them that their people were praying for them." And he said, "And every man stood to his post."
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Now, remember, they were receiving fire from three different directions. He said, "Every man stood to his post and every heart beat high with desperate resolve to conquer and die." Significantly, Chaplain Tichenor added, "After the battle was over, the regiment had 13 killed and 117 wounded or missing. But the enemy dead in front of the Southern boys was 352." So they lost 13 men, but they killed 352.
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The chaplain did not add what appeared in the newspaper account that he himself fought with the coolness of a veteran, killing with his own rifle a colonel, a major, and four privates. The chaplains were fighters. Listen carefully. They were fighters for truth, they were fighters for righteousness, they were fighters for liberty. You know what we've lost today? We have lost the concept that civil wickedness is just as evil as spiritual wickedness. What made these chaplains fight? Civil tyranny to them was just as bad, just as vile, just as wicked as spiritual tyranny. Just as men needed to be saved from their sins, they believed they needed to be saved from a tyrant who was oppressing them and would not give them the liberty that the Word of God demanded and taught.
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The Confederate chaplain in preaching the message of salvation to those soldiers was doing far more than preparing them to die. He was preparing them to live, to live in the land of liberty if God had given them victory, but to live in the land of defeat if God so willed it. He was preparing them for life as well as death. When I read the book *Chaplains in Gray*, the first thing I thought of was this: What a difference.
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Between the preachers of 150 years ago and the preachers of today. Do you realize as a country we have lost our morality? We've lost our decency. We've lost our integrity. We've lost our character. We've lost our freedom. Why? Let me tell you why. Because we have lost men who are willing to sacrifice everything for truth. You look today at the average preacher. How he kowtows in the face of opposition. How he compromises the truth in the face of battle.
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How he refuses to preach the whole counsel of God, lest he offend someone or lose support or lose favor. Is it any wonder we're in such a bad state in America today? Let me just show you. Do you realize, not just during the Revolutionary War, but during the Second War for Independence, 1861–1865, our forefathers believed that debt was wrong, that people should stay out of debt, and especially the church. Now, what has happened in America? Here's what has happened. The church, instead of going on the basis of cash only—that is, if God wills us to have a building, He'll supply the need and we can buy it. We can sacrifice and we can raise it and we can buy it. Instead of going by that basis, they came up with what they called a faith plan. So what we're going to do is we're going to borrow a million dollars by faith.
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You know, I've never wondered, I've never figured this out. How is it that you can borrow a million dollars by faith and cannot exercise faith that God will give you the million dollars before you need it? Have you ever thought that one through? But we're going to do this. We're going to borrow a million dollars and build our building, or five million, whatever it is. And our sinking fund payment is only $1,500 a week, $6,000 a month. And what happens?
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The church gets in debt, and then the preacher starts preaching, and somebody starts getting upset, and some of the people either start leaving or stop giving. And what does he have to do in order to make those payments? He better trim his message if he wants to keep that money coming in or keep those people there. You follow what I'm talking about? We have changed in this country so greatly.
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There's a verse in Proverbs 23:23, and it says this: "Buy the truth, and sell it not." You see, the difference between 150 years ago and today is this. Those men bought the truth and refused to sell it. Today, we have men who bought the truth, but it's for sale. It depends on what is involved. They're willing to negotiate, they're willing to compromise. They're willing to give in, they're willing to give up. The preachers 150 years ago were not willing to give in. They were not willing to give up. They were not willing to give out.
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You know, and I know I've told you this, but it still amazes me because people ask me this and they've even asked Alice this. I'll be away somewhere preaching and they'll come up and ask or either say, "I bet you don't preach that way to your church." And I say, "I practice on them before I come here." But you understand what I'm saying? They can't believe that there's a group of people who just want truth and are willing to take whatever the Word of God says. We have become so politically correct in this country, but at the same time, we have become so religiously correct that you just don't say certain things and you just don't do certain things. The problem in our country in reality is with the preachers. If the preachers in this country ever came back to the Word of God and refused to compromise it, and stood for that Word in the face of all opposition, we'd see a change. Chaplain J.J.D.
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Renfro of the 10th Alabama Regiment expressed his understanding of the fact that Christians, real Christians, made the best soldiers. Now I'm going to give you his quote, and I'm going to show you scripture. But before I give you the quote and before I show you the scripture, I want to emphasize something. What this man says is true. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. Before I give you the quote, go ahead and turn in your Bibles.
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to 2 Timothy chapter 2. I want you to find that passage. I'll give you the verse in just a moment. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2.
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Now that you've found it, listen if you would to what Chaplain Renfro said of the 10th Alabama Regiment. He said, "I believe it was generally conclusive that religious men, that is Christian men, made the best soldiers. And I know that officers frequently express themselves as believing this. Religious or Christian soldiers complained less at army regulations, hard service, and short rations. They did their duty more generally and more willingly. Listen, and I never knew one of them to disgrace himself in battle."
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"Many of them died at their posts. They straggled less on marches and committed fewer depredations on the rights of civilians."
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Now listen to what this chaplain said, that Christian men made better soldiers. They complained less of their regulations, of the hard service, and the short rations. They did their duty more generally and more willingly. And then he adds, "And I never knew one of them to disgrace himself in battle. They died at their post if need be."
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Now look in your Bibles at 2 Timothy 2 and verse 3. Look what the Lord tells us. "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." What the chaplain said physically is just as true spiritually. We're to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. And as we're good soldiers, we've got to learn to endure hardships, short rations from time to time, long marches from time to time, opposition very frequently, hotline action maybe occasionally. But one of the greatest problems is not just with the preachers, it's with the Christians who no longer want to endure hardships.
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Do you realize if the average church building lost its air conditioning and heating system, most people would not even attend? Or if they didn't have their cushioned pews. Alice and I were in Indiana. We stayed in the home of a couple who had gone to Russia as missionaries, did some mission work over there. They showed us the photographs. During a hard Russian winter, they had broken the ice on the river so they could baptize people. Folks standing around in snow and ice and people going underwater in the broken ice to be obedient to Christ.
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I thought, "Oh Lord, have mercy." Do you think anybody in this country would walk by themselves five and six and seven miles one way by a circuitous route, just to keep the other soldiers or keep soldiers from knowing where you're going, just so you can assemble at one point with believers and hear a message and then take several hours getting back home? No. We've lost the attitude of enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
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There's no difference in the preacher. There's a difference in the people between 150 years ago and today. Chaplain C.H. Dodds of the 12th Mississippi Regiment remarked of this hardness and their willingness to fight to the death among the Christian men and listen to what he said. "It is a little remarkable that very few of our church members survived the war. Perhaps the explanation is that they were more fearless. But it is true. You know, but few good or bad return home. But the proportion is quite remarkable. One company before the campaign numbered around 23 church members, six who were not church members. The number who returned home: only about 10 of the church members returned home, five who were not believers of the six returned home." What's that tell you?
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There are more Christians killed than unbelievers. Why? Because the Christians were more fearless fighters. Chaplain Dodds goes ahead and says this: "I only know of one company which had a greater number of non-professors killed." Only one company that had a greater number of unbelievers killed than believers.
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Now, you remember I told you at the beginning of this message that Mississippi College, the faculty and the students, 104 of them, marched off to battle. Christian ministerial students of the 104 who marched off to battle, only eight returned to their homes. You see, folks, God's people, once they see the truth and once they're convicted of the truth, I'd rather die than yield the truth. I don't suppose.
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There could be any greater compliment to the men of the South than that which was given by a Yankee chaplain in speaking to his regiment on the state of religion among Southern troops. Here's what he said. Remember, this is a Northern chaplain speaking to Northern troops about the state of religion among the Southern troops. Here's what he said: "You may call this fanaticism, enthusiasm, or what you will, but remember, you're fighting an enemy that comes from the closet to the battlefield, that comes from its knees in prayer to engage in deadly strife, that comes in the belief that its battles are the battles of Jehovah, that His smile is resting upon
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its banner and will ensure its success. What power to make every man a hero and every hero, if need be, a martyr." What did he tell these Northern troops? These Southerners believe. And they believe what they're doing is biblical and right. And they're going to die rather than give it up. You remember—I'm going to close with this one story, but I've told you this before, but it's so impressive.
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The first battle of Manassas, Major Jackson at that time, Stonewall Jackson, received a painful wound in his hand. And yet he sat upon his horse and continued to direct his men and direct the battle. Bullets were whizzing everywhere. And after God gave the South a great victory that day, afterwards, when Jackson's hand was being bandaged and was on the mend, Captain John Imboden came up to him and said, "Major, how is it that you could sit on your horse so calmly, so serenely, directing the battle while missiles of death whizzed about you on every hand and when you were in such great pain?" Stonewall answered, "Captain, my religion teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. The time of my death has been appointed by God."
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"That's not for me to worry about, but to be always prepared to meet it when it does come." And then he added, "Captain, if every man believed this, he would be equally brave." If we ever saw that we are in the hands of a sovereign God, and that we are immortal until our work is done, what courage, what fearlessness it would give us. As we pray for our nation, we need to pray that God would not only give us men
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like those chaplains in the Confederate armies, but we need to pray that God would give us people who were willing to hear that Word and stand for that truth. And then you will see our country back where it ought to be, on its knees before God. Let's pray. Father, we ask that You would help us, teach us, build us up in the most holy faith. Give us grace, Lord, to serve Thee effectively with reverence and godly fear. Give us men in the pulpits and men in the pew. Give us men, Lord, who are willing to stand for Thy truth uncompromisingly. And, O God, give us people willing to hear that truth and receive it and then stand uncompromisingly. Awaken us. Call us back to Thyself. Give us repentance and faith. In Thy name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:37:52Z

The Confederate Chaplains

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver presents a historical overview of Confederate chaplains during the Civil War, drawing from Charles F. Pitts' book *Chaplains in Gray*. He highlights their dedication, sacrifice, and influence, noting that they preached, prayed, and fought for liberty, often facing hardship and opposition. Weaver contrasts their uncompromising commitment to truth with the perceived moral and spiritual decline in modern America, urging believers to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ and to stand for biblical truth without compromise.

Introduction and Purpose

Weaver introduces his unusual message based on Hebrews 11:32, explaining he wants to share a study on Confederate chaplains and apply it to today.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:32-40

"And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah, David also and Samuel and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

The Book Chaplains in Gray

Weaver recommends Charles F. Pitts' book, recounting an anecdote about R.J. Rushdoony to emphasize the value of owning and reading the book personally.

Character and Reception of Confederate Chaplains

Pastors as Soldiers and Leaders

Distribution of Bibles and Tracts

Preaching and Revival in the Army

Chaplains preached frequently, leading to widespread revival. Dr. J. William Jones baptized 410 men, and only three survivors did not continue in the faith, contrasting with modern retention rates.

Yankee Fear of Chaplains' Influence

Northern officers recognized the powerful influence of chaplains on Southern morale and refused them access to prisoners, blaming preachers for the war due to their teaching on secession and liberty.

Lighthearted Moments and Special Providence

Chaplains on the Front Lines

Chaplains often stayed with the wounded and dying, leading to capture. Chaplain Tichenor rallied wavering troops at Shiloh by reminding them of home prayers, resulting in a decisive stand.

Contrast with Modern Preachers and Christians

Weaver laments the loss of uncompromising preachers and enduring Christians today, citing debt, comfort, and political correctness as evidence of decline, and calls for a return to biblical truth.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 23:23

"Buy the truth, and sell it not."

Christian Soldiers and Enduring Hardship

Now look in your Bibles at 2 Timothy 2 and verse 3. Look what the Lord tells us.

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:3

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

Conclusion: The Need for Courageous Faith

Weaver closes with Stonewall Jackson's testimony of feeling safe in battle due to God's sovereignty, and prays for God to raise up uncompromising preachers and people to restore the nation.

The Confederate Chaplains

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	7903103017
Subject	Economics and Stewardship
Course	Debt, Money, and Stewardship
Genre	Sermon
Date	2003-03-16
Dictation Name
Book	Book 070: Debt, Money, and Stewardship — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	72

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Purpose: Weaver introduces his unusual message based on Hebrews 11:32, explaining he wants to share a study on Confederate chaplains and apply it to today.
The Book *Chaplains in Gray*: Weaver recommends Charles F. Pitts' book, recounting an anecdote about R.J. Rushdoony to emphasize the value of owning and reading the book personally.
Character and Reception of Confederate Chaplains: Chaplains lacked official uniforms and sufficient pay, yet they preached and fought for liberty. They faced criticism from both Northern critics and some Southern commanders, but genuine chaplains were eventually respected.
Pastors as Soldiers and Leaders: Many pastors enthusiastically supported the war, some organizing companies or joining as soldiers. Notable examples include Bishop Leonidas Polk, the Parsons Regiment with 42 ministers, and Mississippi College Rifles.
Distribution of Bibles and Tracts: Chaplains prioritized placing the Word of God in soldiers' hands. The South initially lacked Bible printing plates, but through smuggling and efforts, millions of pages of Christian literature were produced weekly.
Preaching and Revival in the Army: Chaplains preached frequently, leading to widespread revival. Dr. J. William Jones baptized 410 men, and only three survivors did not continue in the faith, contrasting with modern retention rates.
Yankee Fear of Chaplains' Influence: Northern officers recognized the powerful influence of chaplains on Southern morale and refused them access to prisoners, blaming preachers for the war due to their teaching on secession and liberty.
Lighthearted Moments and Special Providence: Despite war's horrors, humorous incidents occurred, such as Chaplain Rennick's encounter with a soldier misunderstanding 'wrestling with the Lord,' and Dabney's use of a gate post as 'special providence.'
Chaplains on the Front Lines: Chaplains often stayed with the wounded and dying, leading to capture. Chaplain Tichenor rallied wavering troops at Shiloh by reminding them of home prayers, resulting in a decisive stand.
Contrast with Modern Preachers and Christians: Weaver laments the loss of uncompromising preachers and enduring Christians today, citing debt, comfort, and political correctness as evidence of decline, and calls for a return to biblical truth.
Christian Soldiers and Enduring Hardship: Chaplain Renfro observed that Christian men made the best soldiers, complaining less and fighting more fearlessly. Weaver connects this to 2 Timothy 2:3, urging believers to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ.
Conclusion: The Need for Courageous Faith: Weaver closes with Stonewall Jackson's testimony of feeling safe in battle due to God's sovereignty, and prays for God to raise up uncompromising preachers and people to restore the nation.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Preachers were central to the Southern cause and were blamed by the North for the war.

Northern critics saw Southern preachers as instigators of secession and rebellion, making them targets of particular animosity.

Yankee Colonel Fish said, 'The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them.'

The scarcity of Bibles in the South was overcome by determined efforts.

The South initially depended on the North for Bible printing, but through smuggling and local production, they achieved independence in printing the Word of God.

A press release stated, 'it can now be said for the first time that the South is independent of the North, for the Word of God.'

Revival in the Confederate Army produced lasting conversions.

The high retention rate of converts under Chaplain J. William Jones (407 out of 410 survivors) demonstrates the depth and genuineness of the revival.

He found that only three of them were not continuing on with the Lord and serving Him as they should.

Chaplains actively participated in combat when necessary.

Many chaplains not only provided spiritual leadership but also fought alongside soldiers, believing civil tyranny was as evil as spiritual tyranny.

Chaplain Tichenor 'fought with the coolness of a veteran, killing with his own rifle a colonel, a major, and four privates.'

Modern Christianity has lost its willingness to endure hardship.

Weaver argues that contemporary believers prioritize comfort and avoid sacrifice, unlike the Confederate soldiers and chaplains who endured severe conditions.

Weaver asks, 'Do you think anybody in this country would walk by themselves five and six and seven miles one way... just so you can assemble at one point with believers and hear a message?'

Financial debt compromises the church's message.

Weaver contends that church debt forces preachers to soften their message to retain giving, contrasting with the cash-based, faith-dependent approach of earlier generations.

He says, 'He better trim his message if he wants to keep that money coming in or keep those people there.'

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-40: Weaver reads this passage as the foundation for his message, noting that the author mentions many heroes of faith he lacks time to detail, paralleling the many unheralded Confederate chaplains.
Psalm 31:15: Weaver references David's statement 'My times are in the hand of the Lord' to support the doctrine of God's sovereignty over life and death.
Job 14:5 (implied Job 7:1): Weaver cites Job to affirm that there is an appointed time for man upon the earth, reinforcing the idea that God ordains both birth and death.
Proverbs 23:23: Weaver quotes 'Buy the truth, and sell it not' to contrast the Confederate chaplains' unwavering commitment with modern preachers' willingness to compromise.
2 Timothy 2:3: Weaver uses this verse to exhort believers to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, drawing a parallel to the physical endurance of Confederate Christian soldiers.

Historical References

R.J. Rushdoony: Weaver recounts visiting Rushdoony, a Christian scholar with a vast library, who once summarized a book so thoroughly that he questioned why Weaver would need to buy it, illustrating the value of personal study.
Charles F. Pitts, *Chaplains in Gray*: The primary source for Weaver's message, this book details the stories of Confederate chaplains and is recommended for personal reading.
Bishop Leonidas Polk: Episcopal Bishop who became a Confederate general, stating he was 'merely buckling the sword over his gown,' exemplifying the dual role of pastor and soldier.
The Parsons Regiment (9th Arkansas): A regiment organized at Pine Bluff on July 20, 1861, containing 42 ordained ministers, highlighting the extent of pastoral involvement in the military.
Mississippi College Rifles: A company of 104 ministerial students and faculty from Mississippi College who enlisted, with only eight returning home, illustrating the heavy sacrifice of Christian soldiers.
General W.N. Pendleton: Episcopalian minister and chief of artillery for the Army of Northern Virginia, who named his four cannons Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Dr. Robert L. Dabney: Theologian, author, and chaplain on Stonewall Jackson's staff, known for his Calvinist teaching on special providence and his book on Jackson's life.
Dr. J. William Jones: Confederate chaplain and author of *Christ in the Camp*, who baptized 410 men and followed up after the war, finding only three who did not continue in faith.
Battle of Shiloh: Chaplain Tichenor rallied the 17th Alabama Regiment under crossfire by reminding them of home prayers, resulting in a stand where they killed 352 enemies while losing 13.
Stonewall Jackson at First Manassas: Jackson, wounded, remained calm in battle, later explaining that his religion taught him to feel as safe in battle as in bed because God appoints the time of death.

Important Quotes

there is nothing more ferocious than a band of brigands, led by vicious cutthroats, except it be a company of Scottish Presbyterians rising from their knees in prayer to do battle with the firm conviction that what they are about to do is the will of God.

This quote emphasizes the formidable courage and conviction of chaplains and Christian soldiers who believed their cause was divinely sanctioned.

the most unmitigated set of villains they have in the South are the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the Episcopalian preachers, all talking secession, drinking mean liquor, and advocating the cause of Jeff Davis and the devil.

A Northern critic's statement showing the intense animosity toward Southern preachers, whom they saw as the driving force behind the rebellion.

Now lay there, sanctification, until we finish whipping these Yankees.

Illustrates the dual role of chaplains who would set aside their clerical identity to fight and then resume their spiritual duties.

Lincoln no longer binds the Word of God.

A press release celebrating the South's independence from the North in printing Bibles, highlighting the perceived spiritual dimension of the conflict.

there's probably no class of officers whose influence is more powerful to keep up the spirits of the rebel than that of their chaplain.

A Yankee colonel's admission of the chaplains' powerful influence on Southern morale, explaining why they were barred from Northern prisons.

The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them when we capture them.

Colonel Fish's statement revealing the North's view that preachers were the primary instigators of the war due to their teaching on secession and liberty.

I believe it was generally conclusive that religious men, that is Christian men, made the best soldiers.

Chaplain Renfro's observation that Christian faith produced better soldiers, a key argument for the practical value of genuine piety.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways did the Confederate chaplains demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to truth, and how can we apply that example today?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts the chaplains' refusal to sell the truth with modern preachers' compromises.

[Question]

How did the belief in God's sovereignty over life and death affect the courage of chaplains and soldiers, and how should this doctrine influence our own fears?

[Context]

Dabney's teaching on special providence and Jackson's testimony are highlighted.

[Question]

What can we learn from the high retention rate of converts during the Confederate army revival compared to modern evangelism?

[Context]

Chaplain Jones baptized 410 men, and only three survivors did not continue in faith.

[Question]

Why did Northern officers fear the influence of Southern chaplains, and what does this reveal about the power of gospel preaching?

[Context]

Yankee Colonel Hoffman refused chaplains access to prisoners due to their powerful influence.

[Question]

How does the example of chaplains who fought alongside soldiers challenge or inform our understanding of the relationship between spiritual and civil duties?

[Context]

Weaver states that civil tyranny was seen as just as evil as spiritual tyranny.

[Question]

In what ways has the modern church's reliance on debt and comfort compromised its witness, and how can we return to a faith-based approach?

[Context]

Weaver critiques church debt and cushioned pews as signs of lost endurance.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' in our current cultural context?

[Context]

Weaver applies 2 Timothy 2:3 to the need for modern believers to accept hardship.

[Question]

How can we cultivate the kind of fearlessness and resolve seen in Stonewall Jackson, who felt 'as safe in battle as in bed'?

[Context]

Jackson's testimony is given as an example of faith in God's appointed time.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T05:19:39Z

The Confederate Chaplains

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Purpose

The Book *Chaplains in Gray*

Character and Reception of Confederate Chaplains

Pastors as Soldiers and Leaders

Distribution of Bibles and Tracts

Preaching and Revival in the Army

Yankee Fear of Chaplains' Influence

Lighthearted Moments and Special Providence

Chaplains on the Front Lines

Contrast with Modern Preachers and Christians

Christian Soldiers and Enduring Hardship

Conclusion: The Need for Courageous Faith

Study Guide

Major Themes

Uncompromising Commitment to Truth

The Influence of Godly Chaplains

Sacrifice and Endurance in Service

The Sovereignty of God in Life and Death

Contrast Between Past and Present Christianity

Christian Character Produces Better Soldiers

Key Arguments

Preachers were central to the Southern cause and were blamed by the North for the war.

The scarcity of Bibles in the South was overcome by determined efforts.

Revival in the Confederate Army produced lasting conversions.

Chaplains actively participated in combat when necessary.

Modern Christianity has lost its willingness to endure hardship.

Financial debt compromises the church's message.

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-40

Psalm 31:15

Job 14:5 (implied Job 7:1)

Proverbs 23:23

2 Timothy 2:3

Historical References

R.J. Rushdoony

Charles F. Pitts, *Chaplains in Gray*

Bishop Leonidas Polk

The Parsons Regiment (9th Arkansas)

Mississippi College Rifles

General W.N. Pendleton

Dr. Robert L. Dabney

Dr. J. William Jones

Battle of Shiloh

Stonewall Jackson at First Manassas

Important Quotes

Discussion Questions

In what ways did the Confederate chaplains demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to truth, and how can we apply that example today?

How did the belief in God's sovereignty over life and death affect the courage of chaplains and soldiers, and how should this doctrine influence our own fears?

What can we learn from the high retention rate of converts during the Confederate army revival compared to modern evangelism?

Why did Northern officers fear the influence of Southern chaplains, and what does this reveal about the power of gospel preaching?

How does the example of chaplains who fought alongside soldiers challenge or inform our understanding of the relationship between spiritual and civil duties?

In what ways has the modern church's reliance on debt and comfort compromised its witness, and how can we return to a faith-based approach?

What does it mean to 'endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' in our current cultural context?

How can we cultivate the kind of fearlessness and resolve seen in Stonewall Jackson, who felt 'as safe in battle as in bed'?

Applications

Stand Uncompromisingly for Biblical Truth

Trust in God's Sovereignty Over Life and Death

Endure Hardship as a Good Soldier of Christ

Prioritize the Word of God and Its Distribution

Avoid Financial Debt That Compromises Ministry

Pray for Uncompromising Leaders and Receptive People

Introduction and Purpose

The Book *Chaplains in Gray*

Character and Reception of Confederate Chaplains

Pastors as Soldiers and Leaders

Distribution of Bibles and Tracts

Preaching and Revival in the Army

Yankee Fear of Chaplains' Influence

Lighthearted Moments and Special Providence

Chaplains on the Front Lines

Contrast with Modern Preachers and Christians

Christian Soldiers and Enduring Hardship

Conclusion: The Need for Courageous Faith

Lecture Guide

Outline

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Preachers were central to the Southern cause and were blamed by the North for the war.

The Book Chaplains in Gray

Charles F. Pitts, Chaplains in Gray

The Book Chaplains in Gray