By Robert E. Picirilli [1]  Many seem to think that the Free Will Baptists of the North—the Randall movement—consistently used “Freewill Baptist,” while those in the South—the Palmer movement—usually used “Free Will Baptist.” The facts tell a different story.    The Randall Movement    The Northern denomination began with the planting of a church in New Durham, New Hampshire, by Benjamin Randall in 1780. “They organized simply as a Baptist church.” [2] That was the only name used for more than twenty years. Freewill, a Derogatory Name Finally Accepted Long before 1780, believers of Arminian persuasion were mocked as “free willers.”  Historians of the Northern movement agree that this was first a term of derision, accepted only gradually and with some reluctance.  Frederick L. Wiley observes that the name, “though a contemptuous nickname, was eventually accepted by the majority of our people.” [3] In 1804, the Legislature of New Hampshire, in response to a request from the Randallites, passed the following resolution: Resolved, That the people in this State, commonly known by the name of Freewill Antipedo Baptist church and society, shall be considered as a distinct religious sect or denomination, with all the privileges, as such, agreeable to the Constitution. [4] That, minus the “Antipedo,” [5] … Continue reading Free Will Baptists: What’s in a Name?