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Chaplaincy
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Richard
Furman
1755-1825
Richard Furman –- clergyman, educator and patriot
- was considered the most important Baptist leader before
the Civil War. He helped to organize the South Carolina Baptist
Convention to support missions and education, which led to
the founding of Furman University in 1826. The university
is named in his honor.
Converted in 1771 by the revivalistic Separate Baptists,
Furman began preaching at the age of 16. He served as pastor
of the High Hills of Santee Baptist Church in South Carolina
from 1774 to 1784 and of First Baptist Church in Charleston,
the most prominent Baptist church in the South, from 1787
until his death in 1825. Widely known for his eloquence,
Furman traveled throughout the state for 38 years, preaching
the gospel and assisting in the formation of many churches.
A prominent denominational statesman, Furman was the first
president of the Triennial Convention, the first national
body of Baptists in America. He was the first president of
the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the moderator of
the Charleston Baptist Association for more than 25 years.
The Southern Baptist Convention, founded in 1845 after his
death, was organized according to his concept of a centralized
convention. |
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ardent propagandist during the Revolutionary War, he won
many South Carolinians to the Colonial cause. When Charleston
surrendered to the British, General Cornwallis placed a price
of 1000 British Pounds on Furman's head, forcing him to flee
from the state and not return until after the war.
Although Furman had little formal schooling, he acquired
a broad knowledge of history, theology, metaphysics, mathematics,
languages, literature and medicine. A strong advocate of
education among Baptists, he persuaded the organizers of
the Triennial Convention to include education in the denomination's
program of work. His plan calling for a central theological
institution in Washington, D.C., and preparatory institutions
in the separate states was adopted by the convention and
led to the founding of Columbian College (now George Washington
University); Furman University; Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, which grew out of the theological department of
Furman; Mercer University; and other schools.
Richard Furman's son, James Clement Furman, served as the
first president of Furman University, and many of his descendants
have played an important role in the life of this institution. |
