William Parkinson was the first Baptist chosen as a chaplain of the House of Representatives. He was elected in 1801 and served for three consecutive terms, but in 1804, he rejected the offer of a fourth term to become pastor of First Baptist Church in New York City.

Parkinson was born in Frederick, Maryland, November 8, 1774. His parents were godly Episcopalians, especially his mother who taught young William the scriptures even before he could read. Although the Parkinsons were devout members of the Episcopal Church, a visit in their home by a traveling Baptist preacher convinced them they had not been scripturally baptized. Not willing to neglect what they believed was a command of Christ, they rode horseback 30 miles to be immersed. All of these events made a profound impact upon young William. However, in his late teens, he temporarily forsook his godly heritage in pursuit of worldly pleasure. But, the world soon lost its attractiveness and he was converted in his 20th year.

Parkinson was baptized and licensed to preach at the age of 21. He was a naturally gifted orator and many people said he had a "voice like Whitefield." His dream was to be an itinerant evangelist, but God had other plans for his life. In 1804, he was chosen as pastor of First Baptist Church in New York City. He minister there for the next 35 years during which the church experienced unprecedented growth under his ministry and became one of the largest and most influential churches in the city.

Parkinson was recognized as one of the most accomplished scholars of his day, though surprisingly he never spent a day in a regular school. His academic excellence came from his mother's instructions and his own desire for learning. He published numerous sermons and two books A Treatise of the Ministry of the Word and Sermons on the Thirty-Third Chapter of Deuteronomy, in two volumes. Parkinson's death took place after a lingering illness on March 9, 1848. An event that occurred during Parkinson's term as a chaplain of the House demonstrates our Founding Fathers' attitude about the separation of church and state. Parkinson, writing to a friend, stated, "I preach on Lord's Day Morning in the Capitol — Afternoon in the Treasury. The members of Congress attend abundantly better than I expected. I have moreover the pleasure of saying that the President has never yet missed but one of my meetings at the Capitol." That President was Thomas Jefferson.

It is ironic that the man whom the enemies of the church rely upon in their attempt to exclude God from the public arena was a consistent attendee at a Baptist meeting in the Capitol. No one knows if Jefferson was a true believer. But this much we do know — Jefferson, who was an Episcopalian, chose to ignore his church and attend services conducted by a Baptist minister. Another obvious fact is he saw nothing wrong with religious services being conducted on government property.

When Jefferson penned his famous and often quoted line including the words, "wall of separation," it is obvious he did not mean the Christian faith was to be excluded from the life of the nation. He believed what Baptists have always believed, that there should not be a state church supported by government funds. Nor should the church be able to use the government to support or enforce its doctrines. Jefferson believed we were one nation under God and that the Christian faith was essential to the moral development of the nation. I wonder what would happen in this day of open hostility to anything Christian if a Bible-believing Baptist preacher began to conduct Sunday services in the Capitol.