(b. Norwich, Connecticut, Jan. 9, 1724; d. Nov. 20, 1806). Evangelist, historian, apostle of religious liberty. He came from a pure Congregational background which rejected the Saybrook Platform of 1708. The evangelism of the Great awakening at first offended him, but in 1741 he was converted. He refused to join the Norwich, Connecticut, church, for it contained unregenerate and undisciplined persons, and discountenanced “experimental religion.” A Separate or New-Light church was formed by converts of the revival, and Backus joined it. In 1746 he felt a call to preach; thereafter, he insisted that educational qualifications and ecclesiastical ordination are invalid without an internal call. After some experience as a lay preacher, he was called in 1748 as pastor of a Separate church in Middleboro, Connecticut, where he lived for 58 years. In 1749 he married Susannah Mason of Rehoboth; they had nine children. In 1749 two members of his church adopted believer’s baptism, and Backus inclined to the same position until several factors forced him to recant. In April 1751 he vowed to God to restore discipline, but by July, 1751, he came to see that a disciplined church is inconsistent with infant baptism; he remained with his church, but refused to baptize infants.
In 1756 he became a Baptist; several of his members formed a Baptist church and called him as pastor. For the next 50 years he served conspicuously as evangelist, historian, and advocate of religious freedom. He is especially distinguished as an apologist for liberty and as an historian. In 1772 Backus became the agent of the Warren Association, formed in 1767, in promoting religious liberty. In 1774 he presented Baptist grievances to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, which were denied by the Massachusetts delegates. For the next dozen years Backus engaged in a controversy over religious liberty, advocating his position in pamphlets, newspapers, sermons, and petitions. The point of chief difference was the power of the state to tax for the support or religion. Interestingly enough, Backus employed principles which American colonists used against England; (1) “it is essential to liberty that representation and taxation go together”; (2) causes must be tried by unbiased judges; and (3) “it is not the PENCE but the POWER” to impose the pence to which objection is made. Some Baptists were willing to conciliate the state by securing certificates, paying taxes, and then suing for their recovery, but Backus objected on two counts: (1) the concession implies that the state has power over religion; and (2) it weakens the purity of Baptist churches by encouraging “covetous men” to enlist as Baptists for partial tax exemption. His celebrated History of New England, designed to validate his plea for religious liberty, was begun around 1770 and published in parts after 1777. He continued his work of the history until after 1800, making extensive journeys, checking original sources, and engaging in a wide correspondence to insure accuracy. He also wrote on the nature of the church and on doctrinal matters. Religious freedom is the legacy of Backus to all Americans. Fortunately, Backus lived to see the First Amendment to the constitution adopted; but, unfortunately, he did not live to see the complete fall of the outstanding order in New England, even though he had laid his lethal ax to the root of that tree.
Biographical sources:
Deweese, Charles W., and A. Ronald Tonks. Baptists, Meet Your Past, 1975.
Nelson, Dan. Baptist Biographies and Happenings in American History, 2018.
Nettles, Tom. The Baptist: Key People Involved in Forming a Baptist Identity, 2005.
Archival sources in Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives:
Correspondence of Letters to Isaac Backus, 1749-1808. MF. 458-4/5.
Hovey, Alvah. Memoir of the Life and Times of Isaac Backus, 1859. MF. 878.
Isaac Backus Material: Diaries, Autobiography, Daybook, Sermons on Acts and the Psalms, Correspondence, and Letters from His Mother, 1723-1789. MF. 424.
Isaac Backus’s Diary. MF. 424-3.
Johnsen, Leigh, Editor. Papers of Isaac Backus, 1630-1806. MF. 7325.
