Summary: | This is the story of how one man, Samuel Augustus Hayden, almost destroyed the newly organized Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) before it could take root. After a failed takeover attempt of the BGCT in the late nineteenth century, Hayden was expelled from the state body. In turn, he created a rival organization, the Baptist Missionary Association (BMA), which continued to fight perceived oppression by the BGCT. Baptists in Texas were forced to take sides in the struggle, which came to a dramatic conclusion on a train bound for the Southern Baptist Convention, when Hayden and his rival scuffled over a pistol.
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