A. E. Baten Sermon Collection

This is a collection of 179 sermons given by Dr. Anderson E. Baten. The collection consists of sermons handwritten in the early years, then typed beginning in 1903, and preached by Dr. Baten from 1885 to 1920 Baten was a preacher for several Texas churches, a traveling evangelist, a Bible Professor, and briefly the Acting President of Howard Payne College.

Anderson E. Baten was born October 5, 1856 in How Ridge, Alabama, and died November 8, 1924 in Cisco, Texas. A graduate of Baylor University, he led strong pastorates at First Baptist Church Brenham, Brenham, Texas; Broadway Baptist Church, Ft. Worth, Texas (1890-1893); and First Baptist Church Brownwood, Brownwood, Texas (1894-1901).

Baten was a professor of Bible at Howard Payne College from 1907 to 1911, became Acting President of HPC in 1915. He served in that capacity until the fall of 1917. Through Dr. Baten’s work at HPC, improvements were made in the laboratory and library equipment; the institution was admitted to membership in the Texas Association of Colleges and recognized as ”first-class” by the State Department of Education. In 1916, Baten’s administration was successful in obtaining teacher certification for HPC graduates.

Upon leaving HPC, he served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Cisco, Cisco, Texas, from 1917 through 1919. It was said that “He [Baten] had high ideals concerning civic righteousness, and as preacher and citizen did his utmost to promote the welfare of the people and orderly society. He stood against every practice that was wrong and every social evil, both as a preacher and citizen. His courage was like that of Washington of whom it was said, ‘he never realized the sense of fear’.” He did not waiver from what he knew was truth, and this character strength is evident in all his sermons.