Austin McGary
Encyclopedia
Austin McGary was an American Restoration Movement
evangelist
and publisher of a periodical entitled Firm Foundation
, which was first published on September 1, 1884.
Born in Huntsville, Texas
, to Isaac and Elizabeth (Visier) McGary, McGary's father was said to have fought at the Battle of San Jacinto
and to have guarded the recently-captured Antonio López de Santa Anna
. McGary's mother died while McGary was a child.
of Madison County, Texas, a post he held for two years before resigning to work for the state of Texas
in transporting prisoners
to penitentiaries
. This work took place near the United States-Mexico border.
debate of 1829. He was said to have been educated in part by Church of Christ ministers including Benton, Thomas, and Basil Sweeney.
McGary was converted to the Church of Christ
and baptised by Harry Hamilton
after hearing sermons by the latter in Madisonville, Texas
. The baptism took place on December 24, 1881.
He began publication of the Firm Foundation in 1884, in his own words:
, editor of the rival publication Gospel Advocate
, McGary advanced positions regarding the relationship between baptism
and salvation
, some of which were already seminal in the formation of the group of Christian
churches known as the Churches of Christ, others of which would become the basis for continuing disagreement among members of that body.
The substance of McGary's argument was based on the notion, generally accepted by members of the Churches of Christ, that the state of human salvation begins at the moment of that individual's submersive baptism
. McGary, however, further asserted that another condition of salvation lay in the believer's knowledge and acceptance of this idea (of baptism securing the remission of sins) at the moment of baptism, concluding that baptisms occurring outside of this condition were invalid, and did not bring about the salvation of those baptised in the absence of that state of belief. Lipscomb took the opposite position: that baptism for any scriptural reason qualified as scriptural baptism, independent of the candidate's full knowledge and acceptance of that concept. McGary's position was often dubbed "The Texas Heresy" by its detractors.
The extent of the re-baptism controversy and McGary's role in it are evident in various essays in David W. Fletcher's edited 432-page collection of essays Baptism and the remission of sins: A historical perspective published in 1990. In their 2006 study Kingdom come: Embracing the spiritual legacy of David Lipscomb
and James Harding
, John Mark Hicks and Bobby Valentine aver that by the late 1930s the McGary position came to dominate American Churches of Christ in all but Middle Tennessee
(the area most under Lipscomb's continued influence) but has since receded as the Lipscomb view has become more pervasive in the fellowship nationally.
and then in Oregon
before returning to live in Texas.
Other later periodicals published by McGary included The Lookout and The Open Arena.
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and publisher of a periodical entitled Firm Foundation
Firm Foundation
The Firm Foundation was a religious magazine published monthly in Houston, Texas for members of the Churches of Christ. It was established in 1884 by Austin McGary...
, which was first published on September 1, 1884.
Born in Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, to Isaac and Elizabeth (Visier) McGary, McGary's father was said to have fought at the Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
and to have guarded the recently-captured Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
. McGary's mother died while McGary was a child.
Texas lawman
Before becoming an evangelist, McGary was elected sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Madison County, Texas, a post he held for two years before resigning to work for the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in transporting prisoners
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
to penitentiaries
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. This work took place near the United States-Mexico border.
Personal life
McGary was married three times—to Narcissus Jenkins in 1866 (two children) until her death in 1872, Lucy Bettie Kittrell in 1875 (nine children) until her death in 1897, and finally to Lillian Otey.Evangelist, publisher, debater
McGary became interested in religion and studied the Alexander Campbell - Robert OwenRobert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
debate of 1829. He was said to have been educated in part by Church of Christ ministers including Benton, Thomas, and Basil Sweeney.
McGary was converted to the Church of Christ
Church of Christ
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...
and baptised by Harry Hamilton
Harry Hamilton
Harry Hamilton is a former professional American football player. He was an Academic All-American safety at Penn State University in 1982 and 1983. He played 8 seasons as a safety in the National Football League. He attended John S. Fine High school in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania...
after hearing sermons by the latter in Madisonville, Texas
Madisonville, Texas
Madisonville is a city in Madison County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,159 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County. Both the City of Madisonville and the County of Madison were named for U.S...
. The baptism took place on December 24, 1881.
He began publication of the Firm Foundation in 1884, in his own words:
- "to oppose everything in the work and worship of the church, for which there was not a command or an apostolic example or a necessary scriptural inference."
Rebaptism controversy
In debates with David LipscombDavid Lipscomb
Lipscomb's beliefs on government can be classified as a radical theory of religious freedom, classical liberalism, even potentially consistent with fundamental positions of Anarcho-primitivism. Lipscomb believed in creating a peaceful, cooperative, decentralized communion in which freedom,...
, editor of the rival publication Gospel Advocate
Gospel Advocate
The Gospel Advocate is a religious magazine published monthly in Nashville, Tennessee for members of the Churches of Christ. The Advocate has enjoyed uninterrupted publication since 1866....
, McGary advanced positions regarding the relationship between baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
, some of which were already seminal in the formation of the group of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
churches known as the Churches of Christ, others of which would become the basis for continuing disagreement among members of that body.
The substance of McGary's argument was based on the notion, generally accepted by members of the Churches of Christ, that the state of human salvation begins at the moment of that individual's submersive baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
. McGary, however, further asserted that another condition of salvation lay in the believer's knowledge and acceptance of this idea (of baptism securing the remission of sins) at the moment of baptism, concluding that baptisms occurring outside of this condition were invalid, and did not bring about the salvation of those baptised in the absence of that state of belief. Lipscomb took the opposite position: that baptism for any scriptural reason qualified as scriptural baptism, independent of the candidate's full knowledge and acceptance of that concept. McGary's position was often dubbed "The Texas Heresy" by its detractors.
The extent of the re-baptism controversy and McGary's role in it are evident in various essays in David W. Fletcher's edited 432-page collection of essays Baptism and the remission of sins: A historical perspective published in 1990. In their 2006 study Kingdom come: Embracing the spiritual legacy of David Lipscomb
David Lipscomb
Lipscomb's beliefs on government can be classified as a radical theory of religious freedom, classical liberalism, even potentially consistent with fundamental positions of Anarcho-primitivism. Lipscomb believed in creating a peaceful, cooperative, decentralized communion in which freedom,...
and James Harding
James Harding
James Harding was a pastoralist and explorer in colonial Western Australia. While exploring in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1864, he was murdered by Australian Aborigines....
, John Mark Hicks and Bobby Valentine aver that by the late 1930s the McGary position came to dominate American Churches of Christ in all but Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
(the area most under Lipscomb's continued influence) but has since receded as the Lipscomb view has become more pervasive in the fellowship nationally.
Later life
After resigning the editorship of the Firm Foundation in 1902, McGary lived in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and then in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
before returning to live in Texas.
Other later periodicals published by McGary included The Lookout and The Open Arena.