Isaac Newton Penick


1859 -

I. N. Penick was born 9 Oct 1859 in Carroll Co., TN. He is buried in the City Cemetery in Martin, Weakley Co., TN. His father was Elijah Warren Penick (1826-1880) and his mother was Mary J. Roland (1837-1888). He was a Baptist preacher who debated many of the preachers of churches of Christ. He debated Hardeman seven times. One of the buildings at Union University is named in his or his son's honor.

Dr. Isaac Newton Penick was a Baptist minister, founder and professor at Hall Moody, and dean of theology at Union University, Jackson, Tennessee. He taught Bible at Union University from 1920 until 1937.

Isaac Newton Penick

Dr. Isaac Newton Penick was a Baptist minister, founder and professor at Hall Moody, and dean of theology at Union University, Jackson, Tennessee. He taught Bible at Union University from 1920 until 1937. His son, John Penick, was an attorney in New York City. When he died in 1967 his $600,000 estate went to Union University, Jackson, Tennessee.

N. B. Hardeman met I. N. Penick in seven debates.

Penick-Hardeman Debate


[N. B. Hardeman's] very first debate was held when he was twenty-five years old. He had been preaching only two years. This was November 1-4, inclusive, 1899. His opponent was I. N. Penick, long-time teacher and professor in Hall-Moody Institute in Martin, Tennessee, and later in Union University, Jackson, Tennessee. This debate, which drew large, enthusiastic crowds, was held in the small town of Pinson, six miles north of Henderson. The propositions debated were as follows:

"The Bible teaches that baptism to a penitent believer is for, in order to, the remission of sins".
Affirmative, N. B. Hardeman
Negative, I. N. Penick.

"The Bible teaches that the believer has salvation, or remission of sins before baptism."
Affirmative, I. N. Penick
Negative, N. B. Hardeman.

(NBH 198).

Hardeman noted in his ledger that the brethren paid him $42 for the debate. It seems that the persistent Penick could not preach without having something ugly to say about the "Campbellites", as a member of whom he classed Hardeman. Young Hardeman decided to have it out with Penick on the polemic platform. Consequently, the two men agreed to debate the issues that separated them in every community in the area. Three debates were held in February and March of 1907, in Right, Martin, and Henderson, Tennessee. In the Gospel Advocate of April 18, 1907, the tenth anniversary of Hardeman's first sermon, W. T. Boaz, of Hazel, Kentucky, wrote: "N. B. Hardeman, of Henderson, Tenn., and I. N. Penick, of Martin, Tenn., have held three debates at Oak Grove Baptist Church, about four miles south of Martin; on Monday after the third Lord's day in February, they began in Martin; on March 11, they began in Henderson. They had debated twice before these debates. All these debates lasted six days each. The propositions debated were the establishment of the church, the design of baptism, apostasy, and the direct work of the Spirit in conversion. These debates were well attended, and many were shown the truth as never before.

"Penick is about fifty years of age, and I suppose, has had about sixty debates. He is considered their best since the death of J. N. Hall. His power is not in fluency of speech or logic, but in quibbling and mis-stating his opponent. He is the greatest man I ever heard in debate to plead his own goodness and to try to make it appear to an audience that he would not misrepresent or mis-state his opponent or his people; but you may always look out when you hear him talk about his goodness. In all his debates with Brother Hardeman, he was met on every argument, misstatement, and misrepresentation, and exposed. Brother Hardeman is a young man, about thirty-two years of age, and has had six debates. He is well educated, is a fine speaker, and is clear in his statement of the truth and the position of the man he is meeting. He is able to meet any man of the Baptist Church, and the truth will never suffer in his hands.

"In the debate at Oak Grove, Brother Hardeman challenged Penick to repeat the debate in Martin. Penick accepted, and also challenged Brother Hardeman to meet him in Henderson. Brother Hardeman accepted.

In all these debates our brethren were in attendance; but when we went to Henderson, the Baptists did not turn out. In fact, two of the leading Baptists of the town did not attend. There are only four or five male members of the Baptist Church in Henderson. One of these came all he could. Two-thirds of the audience at Henderson were members of the church. Brother Hardeman had calls from several different places to repeat the debate and he called on Elder Penick publicly to meet him in Dickson, and Ripley, Tennessee, Booneville, Mississippi, and other places. Penick said that if he could not go, others could, and that was all he would say about future debates. The fact is, N. B. Hardeman is entirely too much for I. N. Penick in debate.

"After the Martin debate, from three to five Baptist preachers had to take up Hardeman's arguments and make an effort to meet them in the Baptist Banner."

Then came T. F. Moore with the statement that 'it had gone out from Martin that Hardeman defeated Penick and that Penick confessed it'. We feel sure that the report went out that way-that he was defeated, and it was reported by those who were not members of the church; and when people saw that M. B. Moody and others had to come to his rescue in his paper, almost all were made to believe that the whole Baptist Church was about to confess it.

"I attended all three of the debates and moderated for Brother Hardeman, and I am sure that much good was done in all the debates toward planting truth and defeating error. I wish a debate like these could be held in every community." During the Henderson sessions, Penick was making a great effort to curry favor and sympathy from the Methodists and other denominations, along with his own brethren.

He was succeeding until Hardeman punctured the bubble by reading to the audience from a pamphlet written by J. R. Graves, one of the renowned Baptists of the period, to the effect that anyone not married by an ordained Baptist preacher was living in adultery. That ended the "honeymoon" with the Methodists in the community.

Concerning the Henderson discussion, A. O. Colley writes in the March 7, 1907, issue of the Gospel Advocate that "the brethren are delighted with Brother Hardeman's defense of the truth. He is an able man and can meet successfully any Baptist."

--- NBH 199-201

Once I was debating with Penick in the Baptist meeting-house here, and he had that silly argument that repentance comes first because mentioned first. I said something about what he was teaching, and he said, 'If Hardeman would show me where I'm wrong (belief), I'd change (repent).' So he slipped into the very point I was arguing. One thing Penick taught me-on 'whatsoever is not of faith is sin'. He argued that faith cometh by hearing, hearing comes before faith, therefore without faith. 'Therefore', said he, 'it is a sin to hear Hardeman preach.' "

--- NBH 261

Penick is buried in the Martin, Weakley Co., TN City Cemetery.

CROCKETT COUNTY SENTINEL
BELLS, TENNESSEE
THURSDAY MARCH 9, 1950

DEATH... Mrs. Sarah AVERY PENICK of Alamo passed away on Wednesday, March 8th. Services were held in the Alamo Baptist Church on March 10th, burial in Alamo Cemetery. Mrs. PENICK, better known to her friends as "Miss Sallie" or "Mammy" was 81 years of age, having been born at Gadsden, Crockett County on December 13, 1868, the daughter of John Bimmery SMITH and Julia ROSEMOND SMITH. She was married to Troy H. AVERY in 1911. After being a widow for 21 years, she married Dr. Isaac Newton PENICK, Dean of Theology at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

She leaves three children, J. B. AVERY SR., Attorney;and Harry S. AVERY, Special Investigator of Alamo; and Mrs. Rosemond GLOSUP, teacher of Music of Houston, Texas, together with T. H. AVERY and E. T. AVERY, children of her deceased son, T. H. AVERY. She also leaves her sister, Mrs. Nannie DILLON of Memphis; and five grandchildren, Mrs. Blanche AVERY TUCKER of Dallas, Texas, Mrs. Lellie PENICK CARLTON of Orlando, Fla., Kay PENICK of Winchester, Ky., John PENICK of New York City, Warren PENICK of Atlanta, Ga., and the children of deceased step-son, J. H. AVERY of Marston, Mo. Besides the above named grandsons, she leaves 7 others, J. B. AVERY JR. of Alamo, Mrs. Sara AVERY EMISON of Alamo, Dr. James Kelley AVERY of Norfilk, Va., Harry S. AVERY, JR., Bruce AVERY and Steve AVERY of Alamo and Mrs. Betty Sue SLAUGHTER of Johnson City, Tenn., together with eight great-grandchildren.