In fact, Stone believed that followers of Christ should go by no other name than Christian. In Pennsylvania and what is now West Virginia, father and son Thomas Campbell (1763-1854) and Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) championed the idea of one Church of Christ upon earth. They, too, believed that followers of Christ should not be identified by sectarian names and asked that only Disciples be used. This became a heated issue amongDisciples in the twentieth century, contributing to division. It is almost like a genie in the bottle. Website of the North American Christian Convention. The Reformation of the Nineteenth Century: Most common designation for the movement at its beginning, along with the current reformation.. This exchange shows how extreme some Restorationists can be on the topic of the Lords Supper. So Alexander Campbell eventually came to realize the problem and accepted a standard hermeneutic approach called necessary inference as legitimate in some cases. 5:9, 14:2-3, and 15:2-3, harps are used in deep and sincere worship of God. Campbellites display their myopic vision of Scripture by saying that these passages are confined to periods outside of the New Testament Church, as if God didnt repeatedly say that He changes not. In any case, by whatever name, the churches of the Restoration Movement are guilty of teaching heretical doctrine in several areas. Those not wishing to be identified with that denomination are often called Independents and usually refer to themselves as Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. A necessary inference is a deduction based on historical-grammatical and scripture-interpreting-scripture approaches, which is a valid method if used properly. Though inaccessible for most of the first hundred years of the movement it sparked, it was reissued for the 1909 Pittsburgh Centennial Celebration. He was soon joined by his son, Alexander, who quickly became a fruitful itinerant preacher in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.5, Both Campbells had been influenced significantly by the rational inductive epistemological methodology of Francis Bacon and John Locke. Even the churches in the Restoration Movement admitted the ICOC was cultic.

In fact, they held the same view on most points of belief and practice. In North America today, Stone-Campbell churches are found mainly in three groups (or streams):Churches of Christ,Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, and theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ). There was never a monolithic structure for these churches. He and a few dozen like-minded individuals established the Christian Association of Washington, Pennsylvania to foster evangelical Christianity. The major development of this movement occurred between 1823 and the deaths of its founders (Barton Stone, 1844; Walter Scott, 1861; and Alexander Campbell, 1866). Because the pattern of theological identity is tied to an individual preachers New Testament interpretation and not a time tested, agreed upon formal creed, there have been numerous splinter groups or off-shoots. Regarding the Person of the Holy Spirit, Stone wrote the following heretical statement: I understand the Spirit of a person is not the person himself. Of course, the Stone-Campbell-Scott Movement is not entirely monolithic. Glenn Thomas Carson Nashville: Chalice Press, 2005, Edited by James P. Wind, James W. Lewis, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994, Clark M Williamson, St. Louis: Christian Board of Publication, 1987 The pioneer spirit and distrust \ of Old World religious traditions gave rise to a challenge to traditional orthodoxies. Related to baptism, their view is often referred to as baptismal regeneration., Alexander Campbells view of the meaning and effect of baptism noticeably shifted during the decade of 1820-1830. In 1803 he withdrew from the Presbytery and later accepted baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins.4 He led a group of Presbyterians out of their denomination to pursue the ideal of being Christians only. This idea appealed to many in other churches and a movement began. In 1993 the Boston Church of Christ broke association with the mainline Church of Christ, and changed its name to the International Church of Christ (ICOC). This movement began at the Crossroads Church of Christ in Gainesville, Florida, in 1967. One of the divisive issues, then and now, was the meaning, mode, and subjects of baptism. The American frontier of the early 19th century was brimming with religious fervor. He was significantly moved by the emotion and fervor of the participants, and what he interpreted as a free will response to the gospel. Join the Historical Society Donate to the Historical Society, Register for an Event. This group of churches was, and to some extent still are, the central core of what is called the Restoration Movement. Christian Movement, Christian Church: Many movements in early America that sought to recover the simplicity of the early church used the generic name Christian instead of denominational names they believed to be unscriptural and divisive. Ironically, the Campbellite creed, which is to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent, led to more factions over non-essential doctrines or practices which came to be seen by various individuals and groups as essentials. In summary, the Stone-Campbell-Scott Movement began with an idealistic motive: to eliminate man-made divisions among Christian churches or denominations. Born December 24, 1772 in Charles county, Maryland. He went from baptism (immersion) being emblematic of salvation already received, to believing that real or actual forgiveness came only by the shed blood of Christ through faith in Him, but the formal remission of sins came in baptism, the current heretical view. The Church: Used by insiders before the various divisions to refer to all the churches of the Stone-Campbell Movement. 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14). Campbell, also tired of denominational squabbles and isolation, began to preach for and cooperate with Christians. We find God instructing His church in the New Testament to worship in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col. 3:16; Eph. NACC: North American Christian Convention, the largest annual gathering of members of Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. But even those who do acknowledge the role of their founders also claim that the restoration that ensued was a reestablishing of the New Testament church. By Craig Branch Most people are aware of churches which contain the name Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ, but most people, including many in those churches, are not aware of the early history of these churches and their founders. 2 Two of the early and smaller dissident groups were those led by James OKelly, who had separated from the Methodist Episcopal Church around 1792; and Abner Jones and Elias Smith who came out of the Baptist tradition in 1801 (See Reid, Linder, Shelley, and Stout), eds., Dictionary of Christianity in America [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1990], 1005). The Campbells met and discussed doctrine with Barton Stone in 1824. 11:33-34).18, The most visible issue and distinguishing mark of the conservative Churches of Christ, is their doctrine of the meaning and purpose of baptism. Repentance is surrender also and therefore repentance and faith alone are passive. Another major division came about with the influence of a liberal theological movement called higher criticism which eventually led to the denial of the inerrancy of the Bible. In baptism we are passive in everything but giving our consent.20, Campbell and the resulting churches of Christ are wrong.

After reading the first two verses he concluded that the bread and wine were part of communion representing His body and blood given for us. 2:8-10; Gal. More will be said about the heresy of baptismal regeneration as it relates to the Campbellites different gospel(Gal.

The subjects and means of baptism is not very controversial as they are basically the same as Baptists and other denominations who believe that baptism by immersion is to be performed on penitent believers. 13 See the article, 30 Years, the Boston Church of Christ/International Churches of Christ (accessed at www.Reveal.org).

The Stone-Campbell-Scott tradition does not stand up under informed scrutiny. His church began to grow significantly. 3 Foster, Dunnavant, Blowers, and Williams, eds., Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 706. It is important to understand the origin and beliefs of this movement in order to make \ a redemptive response to those deceived by it. It began in 1927 as a fellowship meeting for those who had reservations about the leadership of the Disciples. Elsewhere we find the designation church of God (Acts:20:28; Gal. They believe that there is no mention of instruments in the New Testament. Stone-Campbell Movement: New name proposed by historian Leroy Garrett in The Stone-Campbell Movement: An Anecdotal History of Three Churches (1981). The ideological framework of the early years of the American republic provided a greenhouse for the growth of new religious movements. 5:20-21). 16:1; Col. 4:16; I Thess. In Rev. But the Campbellite movement by and large believes that baptism is one of five or six steps one must take in order to be saved. 5:19). Vine, ed., Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, vol.3 (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming Revell Co., 1966), 229. Plan of Salvation: The five steps needed to receive Gods redemption: hear the gospel, believe in Christ, repent of ones sins, confess ones faith in Christ, be baptized by immersion. Their movement, known as the "Disciples of Christ", merged in 1832 with the similar movement led by Barton W. Stone to form what is now described as the American Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement). Disciples of Christ, disciples Movement: Widely used designation for the whole movement in the early twentieth century. These are the questions we will address in what follows. The Campbell wing of the movement was said to begin with his father Thomas Campbell's publication in 1809 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, of The Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington.

In Psalm 71:2 God is praised with harp and lyre (also Ps. But they were wrong to not realize that the time-tested doctrines of the faith, summarized in the creeds, have great value in mitigating subjectivity of human interpretation. Restoration Movement: Common designation for the movement, reflecting the ideal of restoring beliefs and practices of the New Testament church perceived to have been lost, neglected, or corrupted. 10:32;I Tim. Thomas Campbell was a Presbyterian minister important in the Second Great Awakening of the United States. 1:30-31; Eph. He was first ordained a Presbyterian minister, then was expelled from the church after the Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival for his stated beliefs in faith as the sole prerequisite for salvation. Campbellites invariably begin to add obedience to the New Testament commands as the way of salvation. 1:1; I Cor. Campbell frequently focused on Jesus mediatory prayer that His followers may be one, in unity, so that the world would believe that Jesus was sent (John 17:20-23). In 1906 the U.S. Census Bureau listed three separate divisions within the Restoration Movement. The unity movement begun by Stone and the Campbells soon encountered division, Subscription to Christian History magazine is on a donation basis, Christian History Institute (CHI) is a non-profit Pennsylvania corporation founded in 1982. This section will detail their major doctrinal errors. No one has ever received pardon by faith only. The most recent division within the Stone-Campbell-Scott movement is the formation of the International Church of Christ. The first of the Stone-Campbell manifestos, Stone and five of his colleagues describe their decision to leave Presbyterianism. One group of churches agreed with the criticisms of former leaders and made strides to reform, including merging back into mainstream Churches of Christ. 13:1). He was assigned a pastorate in western Pennsylvania. Independent Christian Churches:Same as Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. So how did this movement begin and how \ did it develop? From August 6-12, as many as 20,000 people came to Cane Ridge, northeast of Lexington, for a sacramental meeting often remembered as Americas Pentecost. For over a year strange occurrences had been reported at revivals in southern and central Kentucky: jerks, barking, falling down and piercing shrieks accompanied fervent preaching and singing. Box D His attempts to bridge the divide between Presbyterian groups were met with censure from his presbytery and synod. This was a foundational goal of these movements. 5 William Baker, ed., Evangelicalism and the Stone-Campbell Movement (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002), 10. A third subgroup believed the others had gotten too soft and wanted to return to the aggressive pattern of evangelism, one-on-one discipleship accountability, and denouncing church autonomy. Being accused of Arianism (the denial of the divinity of Christ), he tried to clarify his earlier statements, but was not very successful. 2:16; Rom.

But about one-half of Stones Christians didnt agree with the Campbells emphasis on the necessity of baptism by immersion for salvation (baptismal regeneration), and did not unite.10The two merging groups adopted the Campbellite name, Disciples of Christ or the Stone preference, the Christian Church.. When the Bible is closed, the Holy Spirit returns to the Bible. Stones movement generally practiced open membership; Campbells did not. 2022 Apologetics Resource Center All Rights Reserved. 2:15; 1 Thess. Some resisted the name because they felt Campbell should be listed first; others thought it abandoned the Restoration Ideal. Still, it is currently the most widely used designation for a movement that embraces three distinct churches. We are all called to study to show ourselves approved and even to test all prophetic utterances and hold fast to those which are true (Acts 17:11; 2Tim. Included in these revivals were churches that now comprise the Stone-Campbell heritage. info@discipleshistory.org, A Brief History of the Stone-Campbell Tradition, American Congregations, Vol. When Thomas Campbell arrived in America in 1807 he discovered a rancor not unlike that which he fled in Ireland. 1:13; I Cor. When the Stone and Campbell camps eventually came together, both Christian and Disciples of Christ were retained as designators. This might be seen as their first mistake. In 1826 Scott attended a meeting of the Campbells association and became even more closely connected. Throughout the 1900s this liberal view infected a significant number of Disciples of Christ congregations that eventually separated, some of whom still call themselves Christian Churches, and others who formed the Disciples of Christ denomination in 1968.12. Their doctrines included baptism by immersion, the Lords Supper every Sunday, and foot washing. 15 W.E.

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But it is by grace and therefore cannot be any works of ours (Rom. I labor to see sectarianism abolished and all Christians of every name united upon the one foundation upon which the apostolic church was founded.1This is indeed an admirable goal. But there was much resistance to any application of necessary inference by many leaders in the movement. This weekly requirement is not explicit in Scripture, but could be inferred from the early churchs practice of breaking bread together (Acts 2:42), and is associated on several occasions with the Lords Day (Sunday service). 11 Evangelicalism & the Stone-Campbell Movement, 15. 1 See Biographical Sketch On the the Life of Alexander Campbell (internet article accessed at www.therestorationmovement.com/cmbla.htm. After its first ten years of existence, the Boston Church of Christ with its church plants and world missions programs numbered 25,000 members. This is because we also believe in the general perspicuity of the Bible (clarity of Scripture on important or essential teachings). Believing that their previous infant all baptism was in error, the Campbells were rebaptized by immersion in 1812 by Baptist pastor Matthias Luce. After the divisions, used to designate the specific stream of the speaker. Listing of Churches of Christ congregations with websites.

As mentioned earlier, Restoration leader Barton Stone was the first among them to have problems with the doctrine of the Trinity due to his rationalistic approach to interpreting the Bible. Impressed with his preaching, the next year the association asked Scott to be become their evangelist. The Greek word psalmos means a striking or twitching with the fingers on musical strings, a sacred song sung to musical accompaniment.15So, we do have a clear New Testament mandate to use musical instruments in worship. 11:6, 1 Cor. 1:6-9) elsewhere in the this issue.21.