Samuel Robert Cassius Archives - Plain Bible Teaching

Cassius’ Weapons of Choice

Samuel Robert Cassius (1853-1931) was born into slavery in Virginia and lived in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. As an adult, he moved to Indiana, where he heard the “Restoration plea” and obeyed the gospel. He spent most of his life living, working, and preaching in Oklahoma.

In the book To Save My Race from Abuse, Cassius’ biographer described his preparation for a debate with a Primitive Baptist in which Cassius was to affirm “that the Church of Christ, of which I am member, is apostolic in faith, doctrine and practice” (To Save My Race from Abuse, p. 41). Unfortunately, his opponent backed out, and the debate never happened. In the following quote, Cassius adapted the imagery of the armor of God (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17) to describe his readiness to defend the truth in debate.

“I carried two large solid rocks—one in each hand. In my right hand I had the four Gospels, in my left the Acts of the Apostles, and belted about my waist I had all of the pistols of Paul, James and Peter, and between my teeth I carried the sword of the Spirit.” (ibid. p. 41)

Samuel Robert Cassius: “I Had Rather Preach the Gospel for What I Can Eat”

Samuel Robert Cassius (1853-1931) was an African-American preacher and part of what is known as the Restoration Movement. He spent most of his years preaching in Oklahoma. During this time, he often struggled to support his family and, of necessity, engaged in other work than just preaching to provide for them. The following excerpt from the book, To Save My Race from Abuse, contains an appeal he made for others to support his work.

“In 1907, Cassius disclosed a plan to wipe out his monetary debts so that he could ‘devote all my time to the ministry’ the following year. ‘This is my earnest desire. Not that I am not willing to work, but because I love to preach.’ Giving his most articulate expression about his passion for preaching, he continued, ‘I had rather preach the gospel for what I can eat, than to live in plenty at anything else. God has raised me up for this very work, and I am not happy or contented at anything else’” (To Save My Race From Abuse, p. 86).