No Compromise "No Empty Words, No White Lies, No Token Prayers…"

A Brief Biography of J.P. Boyce

INTRODUCTION

There are very few people in history that have made the type of impact that J.P. Boyce made on the people of the Southern Baptist Heritage. It is as though his entire life was shaped and used by God to provide the foundational structure for all Baptist theological institutions that would be birthed from the Southern Baptist movement. His impact is undeniable, yet the details of his life are often unknown. This short biographical sketch was written to provide a simple overview of the life of the man, affectionately called, “Jim Peter.”

EARLY LIFE

James Petigru Boyce was born in Charleston, South Carolina on January 11, 1827 to Mr. and Mrs. Ker Boyce. Ker Boyce was a wealthy banker in the Charleston area that married Amanda Jane Caroline Johnston who had descended from a family of lawyers, judges, and statesmen of strict Presbyterian stock. James’ birth into the wealthy Boyce family afforded him with a vast amount of opportunities for educational and cultural experiences that would shape him into both a gentleman and a scholar. Boyce was blessed not only to have wealth, but also to have a Godly mother who was converted under the ministry of Basil Manly Sr. in 1830. From very early on, He was consistently exposed to the exposition of Holy Scripture by Manly, whose influence in James’ life was tremendous. Dr. Tom Nettles notes, “Boyce recalled an abundance of occasions when Manly had the right word, whether in the present of joy and mirth or sorrow or lament.” Nettles goes on to list a quote by Boyce regarding Manly Sr., “Would that I could venture to speak more at large about his life in this respect or to state personal recollections which crowd upon me as to that part his ministry.” Manly’s early influence on Boyce is unmistakable and becomes much clearer later on in his theological writings and practices.

EDUCATION AND CONVERSION

After completing Charleston High School, Boyce enrolled in Charleston College, where he would continue to sharpen his mind for work that God had in store for him. While attending Charleston College, Boyce excelled academically and made lifelong friendships with many of his classmates. It was during these times that great turmoil was facing the Baptist church. The northern Baptist and the southern Baptist were engaged in serious conflict over the matters of missionary support and slavery. The result would be a split between the two groups and the official birth of the Southern Baptist as a distinct entity from the northern Baptist. It was during this turmoil that Ker Boyce made the decision that James should transfer to Brown University to finish his education. It was at Brown that Boyce came under the influence of Francis Wayland. “Wayland was a renowned Baptist statesman and educator and one of the formative leaders of the Triennial Convention.” Broadus said that Wayland “made a more potent impression upon the character, opinions, and usefulness of James Boyce than any other person with whom he came in contact.” But more important that anything, Boyce was converted to Christ under the ministry of Francis Wayland. During the spring of 1846, the students of Brown University were gathering together for “college fast” to pray earnestly for the souls of the “impenitent.” During this time, several of the professors led times of Bible study and prayer on the campus. Boyce was deeply interested and attended many of these meetings prior to the spring vacation. While traveling home to Charleston, Boyce came under great conviction of sin while reading his Bible. Broadus comments saying, “He felt himself a ruined sinner, and, like the rest, had to look to the merits of Christ alone for salvation.” After spring vacation was over, Boyce returned to Brown and immediately began to serve the Lord as a new Christian. His service was spurred on by the spiritual renewal that was taking place at Brown in 1847. Boyce resolved to continue serving Christ “until not a soul can be found who has not felt and known the pardoning grace of God.” The outgrowth of this service would eventually manifest itself in the form of a formal call to the ministry.

PRINCETON, A PASTORATE, AND FURMAN

Just months before entering seminary, Boyce married Lizzie Ficklen on December 20, 1848. James had met Lizze at the marriage of his college friend, Milton Robert. James quickly became enamored with Lizzie and sought her hand in marriage in an immediate fashion. Lizzie initial refused, but through perseverance, James eventually won her heart. After marriage to Lizzie and further confirmation of the call to ministry, Boyce went on to Princeton Theological Seminary, where he studied from 1849 to 1851. It was at Princeton where he came under the influences of men like Archibald Alexander and Charles Hodge. Timothy George notes that, “By the mid-nineteenth century, Princeton had become the theological center of Calvinist orthodoxy in America.” Though Boyce had been exposed to Calvinistic theology very early on from the ministry of Basil Manly Sr., it was during his time at Princeton that he “drank deeply from the wells of his great Reformed teachers.” Boyce completed his studies at Princeton without taking the exit examinations that were required for those entering the Presbyterian ministry. After spending time with his family, he was contacted by the First Baptist Church of Columbia, South Carolina to take on the role of pastor as of October 1. In late November, Boyce was ordained to the gospel ministry. He served in Columbia for two years before being elected to teach theology at Furman University. While teaching at Furman, Boyce delivered his famous inaugural address, entitled “Three Changes in Theological Institutions.” Dr. Albert Mohler notes, “The address set forth a bold, innovative, and thoroughly comprehensive vision for a central theological institution to serve the needs of Baptist in the south.” In summary, the address contained three ideals with explanation: openness, excellence, and confessional identity. Openness meant that Boyce desired to see everyone have an opportunity to receive a seminary education. He believed strongly in an education pastorate. Secondly, Boyce desired to see theological excellence that was “on par” with the other schools of the day. George writes, Boyce envisioned, as he put it, “a band of scholars,” trained for the original research and committed to accurate scholarship, which would go out from the seminary to contribute significantly to the life of the church by their teaching and writing as well as by their preaching and witness in the world. The last ideal that Boyce mentioned was that of “confessional identity.” Boyce believed in the doctrinal purity of theological institutions and he was convinced that by maintaining a confession of faith, that purity of the institution would be preserved. Mohler notes that, “The address must have stirred those who heard the young theology professor speak both from the clarity of his mind and the passion of his heart. In any event, his message set in motion and accelerated the move toward a centralized theological institution for the Southern Baptist Convention.”

THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Through the efforts of faithful Baptist men, Southern Seminary was founded in 1859. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary fully embraced Boyce’s vision of openness, excellence, and confessional identity. In regards to openness, the seminary provided theological education to all men from many different walks of life. As for excellence, the seminary employed some of the greatest theological minds that the Baptist heritage has ever known. As for confessional identity, the seminary adopted the Abstract of Principles as drafted by Boyce’s early childhood pastor’s son, Basil Manly Jr. Boyce’s dream was realized, but it was not without opposition and discouragement. Shortly after the founding of the seminary, the American Civil War broke into the plans of the seminary and caused the school to disband in 1862. Boyce was opposed to succession, but supported his regiment nonetheless. The dream of a centralized southern Baptist seminary seemed to be drifting away with each month of war, but Boyce did not lose heart. After the war, Boyce called the four professors together at Greenville to see if they could keep the seminary alive. Though the seminary had practically nothing, God preserved the men as they worked to see the seminary revitalized. Through patience and providence, God was pleased to preserve the work and Boyce’s dream continues till this day in the beautiful landscapes of Louisville, Kentucky.

THE LEGACY OF J.P. BOYCE

In the December 1888, James Petigru Boyce departed from this earthly life while visiting France. In the sixty-one years that he lived, Boyce lived his life to the fullest. Born into riches, he chose a life of faithfulness to Christ rather than a life of fleeting pleasures. His contributions to the Southern Baptist Heritage are simply incalculable. From the founding of Southern Seminary to his Abstract of Systematic Theology, J.P. Boyce serves the Baptist people as an example of vision, scholarship, perseverance, and piety. May the generations to come learn from the life and work of James Petigru Boyce!