The Life of Thomas Wesley Brents
The life of Thomas Wesley Brents began on February 10, 1823 in a dirt-floored shack alongside Richmond Creek. It was in a cabin of a poor farming couple who were engaged in the same process as were most all of the neighbors; clearing the land and preparing to plant a crop in hopes of feeding the family through the next, harsh winter. The woods are now gone, replaced by the broad, fertile fields, headed by beautiful homes. Who was it that made these changes? It was the pioneer families such as the Brents’ and all of the other families of the rich valley who labored to make farms and homes out of the rustic wilderness.
Of all of the laborers who struggled to bring forth a settlement out of the wilderness, Brents’ job was the hardest, yet most vital. His job was as a blacksmith. Everyone labored to clear land but there was only one blacksmith. Every single iron thing was made by hand and that thing required strength and skill. This hard effort-built arms of steel and muscles of iron. This was to augment the ever-developing mind and body.
Early Attempts at Education.
Brents did have the privilege of attending school at the local “one-room schoolhouse” like so many other children did in those early days. It is said though, that his real education began after his marriage at age 21 when he received an English grammar. His young wife, Angilena Scott, had received as good an education as his had been bad. She began to “prime the pump” of knowledge that never ceased to flow all the days of his life. This thirst for knowledge was in perfect accord with his choice of blacksmith as he was able to make the two work together perfectly. He would begin his work on the forge and would look at his lesson while waiting for the piece to heat up. By doing this he could cover a great deal of study material. His thirst for knowledge enabled him to learn a great deal of whatever subject he was studying. It was in this fashion that he taught himself perfect Victorian English, Latin as well as Greek, to name just a few subjects. The only thing that limited his search for knowledge was what study materials that he could locate, borrow and study. It was in this fashion that he became an English scholar, as well as scholar of various different subjects. English was not the language of scholarship in those days.
First Occupation-Medicine
When his hunger for medicine arose, he had to become fluent in both Greek and Latin which were the medium of communication in those days. He says absolutely nothing about how he managed to educate himself in a medium that he knew nothing about. Dr. Brents was known throughout his life as both a physical and a mental giant. The blacksmithing was responsible for his physic, and apparently, he was endowed with the mental powers from birth.
There was only one medical school of standing in those days. It was located in Macon, Georgia. It was through this avenue of learning that he set his sights upon. The amazing thing about this whole situation was that he, a self-educated man, actually taught himself Latin and Greek and passed the entrance exam to gain admittance to the top medical school in the nation. Imagine that! He came to the school thoroughly equipped for study and actually graduated early due to his preparation! Then, to top that, he was asked by the school to become a professor of anatomy and surgery on the faculty of the school. He was eventually elected as head of the school where he stayed from 1841 up until the Civil War. At that point he resigned and moved his family to Spencer, Tenn. where he enrolled his children at Burritt College.
Second Occupation-Education
Burritt College was a small religious school, run by members of the church. While there, Brents became head of the school and maintained that up until his children graduated which was when he resigned and moved back home to middle Tennessee. This was the end of his second career. It was here that his third, and most important career began. He now becomes a gospel preacher and continued in that occupation until he was called home by the Lord. Notwithstanding, Dr. Brents’ studies and work in medicine and education were apparently not satisfying. He had drained two professions, medicine and education. From Burritt he moved to Marshall County where he purchased a country home near to Richmond and there built a large house.
Third Occupation-Religion
It is pretty well a given that Dr. Brents had been studying religion along with his other studies. By the time he was an adult, the restoration movement was well underway. Although we have no precise statements as to where and when he obeyed the gospel, he does make a statement in one of his books that he had been obedient to the gospel for over fifty years, which would place his conversion at an earlier date.
He had labored as a blacksmith earlier in life as well as a physician and an educator but these were only seen as a means to an end. When he began to be a gospel preacher, he had at last reached that end. It was as this persona that he was to continue to work until death.
His Religion
The key to everything in his life was his religion. He had reasons for what he did but under all of these reasons was his religion. It was the backing to everything that he did. The first part of his life was seen as sane and successful. When he left Burritt, it seemed to some that he had parted from his sanity in departing from the norm. He had gone to great time and expense in pursuit of these occupations…but now what to do? Holding gospel meetings while waiting upon the whims of the groups he spoke for? To some it seemed like he had left his senses behind. It is a hazardous thing to change professions at any age but especially between the age of forty and fifty. He had changed twice and was now proposing a third. He must have been a great enigma to his friends and family. After conferring with no one, he acted like he had no doubt to friends and family. The only possible explanation that could be drawn was faith. He was walking by faith to kith and kin. What other explanation could there be?
To begin, he went back to Marshall County where he was born and raised. It is said that “a prophet is not without honor save in his own country.” This change took some raw guts-or great faith. The movement was 25-30 years old and had not made great progress in the south. Brents saw his work ahead of him and proceeded to move out into the deep where his wisdom was laid out ahead of him. Many churches were new and small in size. What Brents sought to do was to follow the evangelists and work at building up these new groups in the basics of the Christian faith. They somewhat knew the basics but someone had to build them up in the milk and meat. They needed to know the basics and be able to give an answer for the hope that was in them. Without these, it would be so easy to knock them off course. These churches needed the help that he could give. If you followed the churches in the Gospel Advocate, you would not see many converts listed but you would see the help he gave them. This type of service is not seen very often but without it the bodies are everywhere. False teachers are everywhere and babes are very prone to these beasts.
His religion is best seen on the background of religious conditions and tenets of that day. Unlike today, there were groups fighting each other in every way possible. The Campbells were tired out by the endless battling and warfare. They sought to devise a plan rejecting all the creeds and tenets of those groups. What was needed was fresh blood in the battle. This was Dr. Brents. He was locked and loaded for dealing with the denominations.
There is very little that we know of his younger years except that it was few and far between when it came to learning opportunities. The picture of the grease pencil and oil lamp show how hard the work was. Studies came at night and when it was most inconvenient for the student. He had no Apollos, Timothy and Mark-no helps of any kind. His work was religious study, interpretation and application of the Bible to pioneer people and conditions. There were enemies who arose from within and without and the movement had to be defended. It was here that the ‘fightin’ blood came to a boil and T.W. Brents went forth to fight on behalf of his Master’s cause.
His Work
It is important to remember that Dr. Brents did not have the privilege of a college education as many of those who struggled with the enemies of the restoration movement. It was early in the movement where there were very few colleges. We have mentioned Burritt College in Tennessee but he was on the faculty and not as a student. The Campbells were teaching and preaching through sermons and classes at Bethany College in what was then Virginia. Also, in the 1840s were when Tolbert Fanning began his labors at Franklin College very near to Nashville, Tennessee. It was here that the iconic David Lipscomb received his early education. (and discipline as well!) Dr. Brents was on the cutting edge of the churches and it was here that he met the opponents that the denominations raised up to crush the fledgling movement.
An early biographer of Dr. Brents[1] stated that he was a co-worker with Alexander Campbell, not being that he was working with him in evangelizing but that both of them were working on the foundation of the church. As in the working that John the Baptist did in a preparatory fashion, so did the Campbells and Dr. Brents in the infant restoration movement. In the case of the Disciples, they had to confront the contradictory system of salvation that was a basic tenet of Calvinism that was found in the denominations such as Presbyterianism and the various flavors of Methodism. The Methodists were to become the main opponents that Dr. Brents was to confront. The plan of salvation was basically new and very contradictory, inviting antagonism. Starting with the work of the reformers among the Baptists, the active plan of salvation, conceived by the Campbells and proclaimed by Walter Scott; was in opposition to the passive system of salvation that the denominations clung to. These two systems were in clear opposition to each other. It was this point at which Dr. Brents would cut like a battleax in the upcoming debates. They would start with him and spread to others. It was polemically a life and death struggle between the two opposing systems.
At this time and juncture Dr. Brents came on the scene prepared to do the necessary foundation work. His initial book, The Gospel Plan of Salvation and later, Gospel Sermons were used by those young in the faith to basically understand what the active plan of salvation entailed. The Gospel Plan of Salvation has been in print from the time it was written up to this present day. There are very few books that can make that claim. Brents’ two books are a complete refutation of the passive system that led to the final rejection of Calvinism. This was basically an accomplishment of Dr. Brents and was a great leap forward towards unity of the faith and led to broader fellowship based on the scriptures and not tales from men. Now, some reject the theology of Dr. Brents as well as the Campbells but even if you reject them, you have to admit that the system of religion was far beyond the tenets of Calvinism.
The very first work was to eliminate the passive system of salvation. This was what most of the denominations believed. One held to the fact that either man was or was not passively involved in his salvation. Another opponent to the truth was the great number of creeds that were held tightly by the various churches and para-church groups such as the American Bible Society. These creeds needed to be dug down to the roots and actively removed. This was another task that Dr. Brents was energetically involved in. It was a war of interpretations and explanation. It ended up being not so much an explanation but what did the scriptures say? When Dr. Brents got down to the task of dismantling these fortresses of error, things got serious and people got angry when they felt the ground slipping out from under their feet. If the passive system was correct, basically, the whole of the Bible needed to be seen in that light. When he came proving the passive system wrong, it was like a light was turned on in a formerly dark area. Suddenly, the scriptures made sense and previously confusing sections were crystal clear. The mourner’s bench, divine calls and other denominational sugar sticks made no sense and were found to be diametrically in opposition to what the scriptures actually said. Slowly, the foundations of the passive system gave way, preacher by preacher, church by church. Today, this is all “a straw man,” that has blown away in the hurricane of battle. Dr. Brents, when studied, can be clearly seen as a leader in the fight and much can be said on his behalf. The problem is that he left very little as far as writings-outside of his two books. Very little exists outside of the small book that has been mentioned earlier. It took access to the entire Gospel Advocate through his years of service to the Lord and his church. This period began in around 1841 up until his death in 1905. After searching each of the Advocate issues using computer search engines, everything that could be dug up and compiled was. A very compelling story developed that was put together in a biography.
DEBATES
Debates are a great way of taking the truth and boiling it down to its very basic essence. Debates were a very large part of our nation’s history and fiber. In our nation, debates were a large part of how policy was established and actions were decided upon. Men such as Webster, Jefferson, Clay and Calhoun were avid debaters. In our religious history-the restoration movement, debates were even more important to the life and health of the churches.
When people look at debates today, what do they see? Nine out of ten times it will be the debates between Alexander Campbell and his various opponents. Where would we be without them? What is not seen are the literally thousands of debates between the Disciples and their various antagonists. Our religious heritage is built upon the shoulders of our spiritual predecessors. Several history students have tried to get an actual number of how many debates were held in the heyday of debating. One survey taken in 1959 of 2,706 ministers in the Churches of Christ revealed that 215 preachers said that they had been in numerous debates. The figure came out to 4,400 debates with each lasting from a week to ten days. These had mostly been held in the south to lower Midwest. Having mentioned the “Debate Encyclopedia”, 9,000 debates were listed with 500 being held in the late nineteenth century, leaving an astonishing 8,500 held in the early twentieth century. These figures give an idea of just how important debating was. That was how truth was arrived at in those days. No television or radio, just men determined to prove what was the truth in religious matters. The reason for this was if you spoke in public and made a statement, more likely then not, someone, whether a Disciple, or more likely, a denominationalist, was going to call you out on it and sure as the sun rises in the morning, there would be a debate. Also, to a lesser extent, there was very little public entertainment and religion was much more a part of daily life than unfortunately it is now. The community would hear of the squabble and would gravitate to one side or the other in the dispute. So, if you had the gumption to make a statement, know that you would be answering for it. To give an idea of how important polemics were in our society, there were literally thousands of debates held in our nation up until around the 1960’s. That was about when debates lessened until today, few, if any public debates can be seen.
Dr. Brents was also a great debater. Above all else, it was work that he greatly enjoyed. Debating was one of his great talents and it was something that he was always watching for the opportunity to participate in. Everything else that he did was gauged to help him become a better debater. He worked in various jobs as a teacher and preacher of the gospel but when he was debating he really felt like he was about his Father’s business. He lived in a forensic age in which the syllogism was the pattern of thought. It seemed that logic and argumentation were intuitive with him. Also, among his talents, he had the innate ability to make polemics interesting and also understandable to the general public. He could speak in a way in which his argumentation was clear and plain to the average man on the street. That is a real talent when you consider that he was striving to topple the system of passive salvation and then to replace it with the active system where the average listener would realize his guilt before God and then how to come into compliance with the divine mandate. Today, there are very few who could do the same.
In Dr. Brents’ day, no one below the level of bishop, or informed specialist was called upon to debate. Brents was surely no “bishop” but he was surely an informed specialist. Dr. Brents ate and slept debating. It was widely thought in that day, that he was a superior debater to Mr. Campbell. He had a much later start than Campbell, but once he got started you could not stop him. He took to heart Ephesians 6:10-18 where we are told to put on the armor of God. He put it on and never took it off! Those years of study and preparation made him a very strong man indeed. He was ready to “Give an answer to everyone that asked a reason for the hope within him.” Most preachers were thus engaged in defending and propagating the faith in those early days. The two greatest debaters of that day were Dr. Brents and John S. Sweeney of Kentucky. They were very much alike in body, personality, mind and method. They shook the foundations when they rose to speak. Their greatest antagonist was Bishop Jacob Ditzler of the Southern Methodist Church. He ranked first among his people as a theologian and debater. Soon they (Brents and Ditzler) were recognized as the ablest church representatives. They were involved in a series of seven public debates held in different cities across the south. One debate, The Louisville Debate was published and I have moved heaven and earth but have been unable to find a copy of that debate. I have found three other debates which are in a second volume to his biography.
There were several other opponents for Dr. Brents; Dr. Timothy Frogge, Presbyterian; Dr. J.B. Moody, Missionary Baptist; and many others that the pages of the Advocate missed. Bishop Ditzler was the most able of them all. He was a national personality who was not above tricks and downright falsehoods. He knew all the tricks of the most masterly debaters. Having read a great deal of Ditzler’s craft, this writer has very low regard of him. It is thought that he grew weary of the dogged pursuit of that pesky Campbellite who always had the facts and even worse: the scriptures that made him look bad!!
Books From Brents
Having spoken at relative length of his two books, I will give them a little more space. Dr. Brents wrote the Gospel Plan of Salvation to carry out a multitude of jobs. First, it was a wrecking ball. When read and clearly understood, it was a destroyer to the passive system of salvation a.k.a. Calvinism. Chapters such as Predestination, Election and Reprobation, Calvinistic Proofs Examined, Hereditary Depravity and others dug at the roots of Calvinism. They were hammer blows against the foundation as well.
The next section begins rebuilding the foundation-though in an active manner. It strives to show that our salvation is based upon our actively being involved in the process. It is able to do so because of the earlier destruction process. Chapters like The Establishment of the Church, Identity of the Church, and New Birth, give some idea of what the church should look like. Finally, the active process is unveiled. Chapters like Faith, Repentance, Confession, Baptism are the active building in progress. These chapters give the blueprint for salvation from the pen of a master theologian. The way is made clear.
In the year 1891, T.W. Brents finally relented and brought forth another book. These were a volume of his twenty-one favorite Gospel Sermons. They covered a wide range of subjects beginning with the Mission of John the Baptist, Sonship of Christ, the Commission, Freedom From Sin, Paul’s Charge to Timothy, The Millennium and a number of others. Although there appears to be little cohesion between these lessons once you get into the “meat” of them there is a method to his madness. Each lesson has both milk and meat. These sermons written in plain, clear English were designed to open the doors of the heart allowing the word of God access to them. Time spent in these two books cannot but help one grow in grace and knowledge of the word of God.
Closing Years
Dr. Brents, (as had been previously stated) got off to a late start in the kingdom. Subtle clues found in the Gospel Advocate does indicate that he had started much earlier than was first thought. In one of his writings he stated that he had served in the kingdom for nearly fifty years. That was in 1890, putting the date of his conversion sometime around 1840. That truly is a long period of service, much longer than some. As it approached the end of the 1880-90’s he began to slow down and preach less. He retired to his large house which had been purchased earlier and been remodeled. The only difference as the house was much larger due the fact that his children had grown up and “emptied the nest.” Having drained three professions, he entered his old age with an uncharacteristic vigor. Whereas most men were just plain tired, he, on the other hand was looking for more to do. He had a large family of nine children, four boys and five girls. He was married twice and apparently led a long happy marriage. While he had the usual infirmities of old age, he apparently dealt with them and carried on with his various hobbies and projects.
For many years in his “retirement” he managed his 650 acre cotton plantation. He could be seen on horseback or on the large front porch watching the progress of his workers. He held on to farming the longest as old age slowed him down. In fact, besides overseeing the farm, he did most of his reading and Bible study from this very porch.
Another of his late-life “hobbies” was as a bank president. He was the most well-known individual who knew the most of the people of Marshall County. This made him a natural for the job. He managed the bank for four years.
He wasn’t a perfect man by any means though. He had faults. Some of these came through Mr. Cowden’s book. Dr. Brents was egotistical. Having his talents, why not be? Unsympathetic, proud and cold, domineering, critical, exacting, a big eater, which was a common problem among preachers of that age. But, with praise for his virtues and charity for his faults we look at him through the lens of this article.
He lived up until the age of 82 and came to a natural end in 1905. He was born into a small world and came to his end in that same area. He was never to move very far.
It is at this point that this article ends. I hope and pray that I was not fulsome nor too critical in my appraisal. There is so much more that I would like to learn about him but it will be impossible to know because everyone involved is dead and left no further writings about him due to his desire for privacy. The book is as far as one can know about him.
He is buried at the local cemetery in Lewisburg, Tennessee under a glorious marker which holds the epitaph which says: “Here Lies a Great Healer of the Body, a Wise Trainer of the Mind, a Strong Preacher of the Gospel, A Powerful Defender of the Faith and Writer in Victorian English, Dr. Thomas Wesley Brents M.D, D.D.1823-1905”
Bibliography
They Called Him Superman, vol. 1 &2
Life of Dr. Brents by John Cowden
Marshall County, Tenn. Compilation
The Gospel Plan of Salvation T.W. Brents
Gospel Sermons T.W. Brents
Search For The Ancient Order Vol. 1 & 2 Earl West
The Gospel Advocate 1855-1905
[1] Life of Dr. Brents by John Cowden