The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT4, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta, CoPilot, GenSpark, and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.
1) Several of my ancestors were Christian ministers and I have always wondered what the church services were like in their time and place.
My prompt to several of the free AI Tools was: "My 3rd great-grandfather, Jonathan Oatley (1790-1872) was a Baptist minister in the 1830s and 1840s in South Kingstown RI and East Killingly CT. What did Baptist religious practices and services in RI and this time frame entail? What types of sermons did Jonathan likely preach?"
Jonathan Oatley’s role as a Baptist minister in the 1830s–1840s in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and East Killingly, Connecticut, placed him within a vibrant and evolving religious landscape. During this time, Baptist religious practices and preaching were deeply shaped by both local tradition and the national context of the Second Great Awakening (circa 1790–1840).Baptist Practices in Rhode Island and Connecticut (1830s–1840s)
1. Core Beliefs and Worship:
- Biblical Authority: Baptists emphasized sola scriptura—the Bible as the ultimate authority.
- Believer’s Baptism by Immersion: A hallmark of the denomination, baptism was reserved for those old enough to profess their faith consciously.
- Congregational Autonomy: Each church governed itself without a central authority, making local preachers like Jonathan Oatley highly influential in shaping their congregation’s tone and focus.
- Communion: Often practiced monthly or quarterly, with a strong focus on introspection and the gathered community of believers.
2. Worship Services:
- Services were simple and scripture-centered, often held in plain meetinghouses.
- Hymn singing, often from Isaac Watts or other early hymnals, was important.
- Exhortation—a passionate, urgent sermon with emotional appeals—was common, particularly under revivalist influences.
3. Revival Influence:
- The Second Great Awakening influenced New England Baptists to become more evangelical and emotionally expressive.
- Camp meetings and protracted meetings (extended revival services) were sometimes embraced, especially in Connecticut.
- Ministers encouraged conversion experiences and personal commitment to Christ, often calling people forward to profess faith.
Sermons Jonathan Oatley Likely Preached
Though we don’t have his actual sermons, we can infer their themes based on the era, geography, and denominational doctrine:1. Evangelistic and Conversion-Focused Messages:
- Emphasizing personal sin, repentance, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
- Likely included calls to be “born again,” reflecting revivalist themes.
- Use of testimonies and illustrations to move hearts toward conversion.
2. Moral and Social Themes:
- Baptist ministers often preached on temperance, Sabbath observance, honesty, and humility.
- Given the rise of the temperance movement, he may have spoken out against alcohol use.
- He might also have touched on anti-slavery, depending on his views; Rhode Island Baptists were divided on this issue, but by the 1830s, anti-slavery sentiment was growing.
3. Biblical Exposition:
- Verse-by-verse preaching from the New Testament (especially the Gospels and Paul’s letters).
- Emphasis on sanctification—growing in grace and holiness after salvation.
4. Warnings and Exhortation:
- Sermons could include warnings of divine judgment for the unrepentant.
- Strong exhortations to walk in obedience and participate in the life of the church.
Contextual Notes:
- South Kingstown, RI, was part of a long Baptist tradition—Rhode Island was founded as a haven for religious dissenters.
- East Killingly, CT, was more rural and revivalist-friendly. It may have hosted camp meetings or extended revival services.
Would you like help locating church records, minutes, or potential published sermons or references to Jonathan Oatley’s ministry in local Baptist associations or state convention proceedings?
2) I couldn't resist asking for a typical sermon that Jonathan might have preached in his church. My prompt was: "Please create a typical sermon that Jonathan might have preached about temperance in this time and place?"
ChatGPT4 provided this answer after being asked to expand the content:
Below is an expanded version of the temperance sermon your 3rd great-grandfather, Rev. Jonathan Oatley (1790–1872), might have preached in South Kingstown, Rhode Island or East Killingly, Connecticut, in the 1830s–1840s. It includes more biblical exposition, moral reflection, revivalist urgency, and historical resonance with the temperance movement and Baptist traditions of the time.
“Be Not Drunk with Wine”
A Sermon on Temperance by Rev. Jonathan Oatley
Text: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” – Ephesians 5:18
[Opening Prayer]
Almighty God, grant us Thy light and Thy truth this hour. May Thy Word pierce our hearts as a two-edged sword. Let the Holy Spirit convict, comfort, and change us. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Amen.
[Introduction: A Time for Soberness]
Beloved brethren and sisters, we live in perilous times—not from invading armies or deadly plagues, but from something far more insidious. The greatest threat to our homes, our churches, and the very soul of this nation comes not from without, but from within—from the bottle, the cask, the distillery. It is the slow, silent destroyer: strong drink.
I have witnessed, with my own eyes, godly men fall into shame; I have heard the weeping of wives at midnight; I have seen children hungry, not for bread alone, but for a sober, righteous father. This plague of intemperance is no small evil—it is a mighty flood sweeping away decency, virtue, and faith.
What shall we do? Shall we preach moderation? Shall we whisper when we ought to cry aloud? God forbid. We must proclaim from the housetops what the Word of God declares: “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
[I. The Scriptural Witness Against Strong Drink]
The Scriptures are not silent on this matter. From Genesis to Revelation, the Word warns against the folly and ruin of drunkenness:
Noah, the righteous preacher, became the object of shame when he drank of the wine he had made (Genesis 9:20–21).
Solomon, the wisest of men, wrote: “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red... at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:31–32).
The prophet Isaiah warned: “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink.” (Isaiah 5:11).
And here in the New Testament, the apostle Paul gives the clearest charge: Do not be drunk with wine. It is not a suggestion. It is not advice. It is a divine command.
Drunkenness is listed among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:21—alongside fornication, idolatry, and murder—and Paul warns that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Let no man deceive himself. To be ruled by drink is to be ruled by sin, and the wages of sin is death.
[II. The Moral and Social Destruction of Intemperance]
Let us consider what drunkenness produces. It is not a private sin, confined to the drinker alone. It spreads like leaven through a home, a community, a nation.
The family suffers. How many wives must bear the burden of a husband’s absence at the tavern? How many mothers must stretch a meager loaf because the earnings were spent on rum? How many children grow up hard and bitter, having known only a drunken father’s anger?
The soul suffers. The drunkard dulls his conscience. He shuts out the still, small voice of the Spirit. He chooses the fleeting pleasure of the flesh over the everlasting joy of God.
The community suffers. Disorder, crime, poverty—how many of these stem from the bottle? Ask the magistrate how many men are brought before him for offenses committed in drunkenness. Ask the physician how many ailments stem from long abuse of drink.
Is it not time we say, “Enough”? Shall we continue to bless what God has cursed?
[III. The False Hope of “Moderation”]
Some among us say, “But pastor, is not wine a gift of God? Did not our Lord turn water into wine at Cana?” And I answer: yes, but not for drunkenness.
Moderation is often the enemy of righteousness, for it breeds complacency. The man who drinks a little today may drink much tomorrow. The fire that smolders in secret may soon burst into flame.
I have buried men who once boasted they could “hold their drink.” They held it, until it held them—and it dragged them to ruin.
Therefore, I say, as many in the churches now say: let us commit to total abstinence. Not out of fear, but out of faithfulness. Not because we must, but because we may—for the sake of others, and for the glory of God.
[IV. A Higher Calling: Filled with the Spirit]
The apostle does not merely warn against wine—he offers us something better: “Be filled with the Spirit.”
What joy is there in drink compared to the joy of the Lord? What power is there in liquor compared to the power of the Spirit?
The drunkard stumbles in the street, but the Spirit-filled man walks upright in holiness. The drunkard’s heart is full of riot, but the Spirit-filled heart overflows with love, joy, peace, and self-control.
Do you seek comfort in a bottle? I tell you: there is no comfort like the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Do you seek escape from sorrow? I tell you: there is no refuge like the mercy of Christ.
O that men would stop filling their cups and start filling their hearts—with Scripture, with prayer, with the Spirit of God!
[V. A Charge to the Church and the Nation]
Brothers and sisters, it is not enough to lament. We must act.
Let the church take a stand. Let no drink be sold or served at our gatherings. Let our members pledge themselves to sobriety, and let our pulpits proclaim the truth boldly.
Let fathers be examples. Do not teach your sons to drink, but to pray. Do not raise your cup at the table, but raise your voice in family worship.
Let mothers guard the home. Teach your daughters to prize sobriety in a husband. Protect your households from every influence that would entice toward excess.
Let us support the cause of temperance in the land. We must not be silent in town meetings or indifferent at the ballot box. The future of our communities depends upon the righteousness of our citizens.
Let the church lead the way, not follow. Let us be light in a dark generation.
[Conclusion: Come, All Who Labor]
I know that some hearing this today struggle with the very chains I have described. And to you I say: there is hope. There is forgiveness. There is freedom.
Jesus Christ came to set the captives free. No chain is so strong that His blood cannot break it. No past is so stained that His grace cannot cleanse it.
Come to the mercy seat. Come to the Savior who died for the drunkard as well as the deacon. Let Him make you whole.
And to all, I ask: will you stand with me? Will you stand with Christ? Will you raise a standard in your life, your home, and this church for temperance and holiness?
Let us rise now and sing hymn number 178, “Yield Not to Temptation.” May it be our prayer and our resolve.
May God give us strength to flee sin and be filled with His Spirit. Amen.
3) The ChatGPT4 response to the prompts was interesting and rings true to my ears. As a 20th century parishioner, I heard similar sermons in the 1950s in my local Presbyterian church by a "fire and brimstone" preacher, and I think Jonathan Oatley was that type of preacher. I asked the same questions of ChatGPT4, Claude, and Gemini and received similar responses, and different sermon examples.
4) This church still exists as The Old Union Baptist Church in East Killingly. It is located at 1369 Hartford Pike, an east-west road, at the foot of North Road and to the west of Bailey Hill Road. Here is an image of the church from Google Maps:
My Jonathan Oatley was one of the first pastors of this church in this location. I know that Jonathan Oatley resided on Bear Hill Road south of the church.
The history of this church, the story of the near-death of this church in 1997 and its rebirth are told in https://historicunionbaptistchurch.org/union-baptist-church-history/section-2/. Impressive. I wish I had stopped there in the mid-1990s when I visited the nearby cemetery and did research in the Killingly library.
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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.
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