A Handful of Corn traces the lineage of the true Baptist Church from Christ to the Missionary Baptist Churches of Middle Tennessee. David E. Stafford, a Missionary Baptist minister and educator, skillfully leads the reader through a voyage from the time of Christ to the frontier settlements of Middle Tennessee and the South. The great persecutions of the true believers of Christ by the Catholic Church is detailed in reader friendly descriptions, and the passage of time through the Donatist, Paulicians, Novatians, Bogomils, Anabaptist, English Baptists, Welsh Baptists, and the early Baptists in America is carefully and skillfully surveyed with historical accuracy and approachability.
The doctrines, customs, and identifiers of the early church are examined and used as supports to trace the lineage of Baptist Churches throughout history. The history of the development of the Baptists in the South is traced from John Clarke through Shubal Stearns and the spread of the Church into Middle Tennessee. The great divisions of the Baptists are explored and expounded. The Primitive Baptist movement, the Restoration Movement, and the development of the Southern Baptist Convention are illustrated, and their effects on the true Church are brought to light. This beneficial work concludes with a brief, but adequate, guide to Baptist practice and order.