1 A Critical Analysis of the Restoration Movement and its Impact on the Modern Church In Fulfilment of The Requirements for Master of Arts in Theology (Church History and Polity) 2015-2016 Under Supervision of: Prof. J. Pillay [email protected] By: Machiel Greyling 2016 © University of Pretoria 2 Acknowledgements This work could not be a completed project within its timeframe if my wife Alfrieda Greyling did not demonstrate the support and time allowance to do so. Without the oversight, expert input and clear directives of my overseer Professor Jerry Pillay this wouldn’t be a finished project either. Central to my research topic stands the Restoration Movement which does not have much source support in South African Libraries. A big thank you therefore goes out to Oscar and Sheldon De Vries who purchased and shipped the necessary sources from the USA which enabled me to complete my research objectives. The editing of my literary structures and vocabulary was done by Annelise Jones who went to bed late a few times. Her work was invaluable. The constant motivation and inspiration from my family in Christ made this project sail smoothly. I note especially Jaun Theunissen who made his PC available to me to write the total thesis. To my two baby boys who sat many evenings without their daddy, I say in advance; thank you for your sacrifice. Above all I thank our God for giving me the opportunity and ability to participate in such an academic project. Dedication I dedicate this work firstly to the contemporary and future Church, especially in the church of Christ segment of His Kingdom. Secondly do I dedicate this research to my family; my wife Alfrieda, and my two sons Micah and Neo. May this thesis and its consequences be a blessing to His Church and our family for years to come. © University of Pretoria 3 Summary In 19th Century America a movement arose that grew exponentially in line with the rapid growth of a new nation. Amidst the diversity of Christian groups present at the time a group of Christian leaders sought the need to create a unified church based only on the ideal of the 1st Century Church. These leaders believed that if the churches simply restored the Early Church in their time there would be unity between all Christians and denominationalism would cease. This movement became known as the Restoration Movement. The Idea was noble. In fact every church generation should always calibrate its contemporary ecclesiology with that of the 1st Century Church. But it is easier said than done. In hindsight, the Restoration Movement became schismatic, sectarian and fractured. Nevertheless, there are numerous lessons to be drawn from the movement that can benefit the quest of the Modern Church. Not only does the developmental and progression issues of the movement add insight to modern ecclesiology and missiology, but the principles projected by the Restoration Movement are also invaluable. To make the study relevant to the contemporary ecclesial situation it is also necessary to explore the Modern Church. Three particular movements grab the attention of this research. Firstly, there is the Emerging Church movement taking root from the West. Secondly, there is Fresh Expressions flowering from Anglicanism in Europe. And thirdly there is the House Church Movement taking shape globally. The correlation between these three movements reveal contemporary trends shaped primarily by postmodernism. These trends, curiously enough, seem to progress by default into a direction of “restorationism”. What we find therefore is a movement in early America seeking to consciously restore early Christianity, and a global ecclesial trend in the early 21st Century unconsciously restoring early Christianity. It is within this reality that we ask the “so what” question and extract lessons from the American Restoration Movement that can add value to the current quest of the Modern Church. In this way the restoration of the Early Church in the 21st Century might just be more successful as it heeds mistakes previously made on a similar quest. © University of Pretoria 4 Contents Chapter 1: Research Introduction 1 1. Research Problem 1 2. Importance of Study 8 3. Review of Literature 8 4. Research Methodology 10 5. Chapter Outline 15 6. Delimiting Research Scope 16 7. Defining Terms 17 8. Abbreviations 18 Chapter 2: The Witness and Theology of Apostolic Ecclesiology 19 1. Early Church Effectiveness 21 2. Ekklesia 24 3. Images of the Church 29 4. Early Church as Community 32 4.1. The Theology of Community 33 4.2. Community as Family 35 5. Corporate Worship 40 5.1. Theology of New Testament Worship 40 5.2. Corporate Worship of the Early Church 42 6. Sacraments 49 6.1. Eucharist 49 6.2. Baptism 51 7. Early Church Organization and Leadership 53 7.1. Local Church Autonomy 53 7.2. Leadership Structure 55 8. Concluding Summary 62 Chapter 3: A Historiography and Theology of the Restoration Movement 64 1. The Birth of the Restoration Movement in Context 64 2. Restoration Beginnings: A Movement Emerges 71 3. Key Restoration Leaders: Stone & Campbell 74 © University of Pretoria 5 3.1. Barton W. Stone 75 3.2. Thomas and Alexander Campbell 78 4. Stone & Campbell Merge 85 5. Restoration Movement History: Then to Now 87 6. Restoration Movement Principles 92 7. Concluding Summary 98 Chapter 4: Origins, Principles and Objectives of the Modern Church 100 1. The Emerging Church 100 1.1. Originating Factors 101 1.2. The Essence of Emergence 105 1.3. A Summary of the “Great Emergence” 115 2. Fresh Expressions 116 2.1. Pre-Mission-Shaped Church Report 116 2.2. The Mission-Shaped Church Report 119 2.3. Fresh Expressions of Church Defined 121 2.4. The Essence of Fresh Expressions 121 2.5. Final Observations 126 3. The House Church Movement 128 3.1. The Origin of House Churches 129 3.2. The House Church Movement Defined 132 3.3. The Essence of the House Church Trend 134 3.3.1. Biblical Support for the House Church Trend 134 3.3.2. Descriptive-Phrases Exemplifying the House Church Trend 136 3.4. Unique Positives of House Churches 140 4. The Modern Church Trends Encapsulated 142 Chapter 5: The Restoration Movement critiqued to provide insight for Modern Church struggles. 146 Section 1: Critical Analysis & Reflection on the Restoration Movement 147 1. Analysis of Restoration Principles & Objectives 147 1.1. Analysis of Restoration Movement Ecclesiology 156 Section 2: Significance of the Restoration Movement in light of the Modern Church 162 1. Three Movements Correlated to Extract Valuable Insights 162 © University of Pretoria 6 2. Five Suggestions to the Modern Church 165 3. Final Conclusion 173 Reference List 176 © University of Pretoria 7 Chapter 1: Research Introduction It is only appropriate to start this project with the research problem I wish to address. In a nutshell, it will be a descriptive query on how the Restoration Movement can add value to the Modern Church on its quest to transform irrelevant traditional churches. To strengthen the relevance of this study, I will briefly describe the importance of the study followed by a summary of the literature that will form the basis of my investigation. Most importantly, I will move on to point out step by step how I propose to achieve my research objective. In order to bring focus to the thesis statement I will show how I wish to tie the Early Church, the Restoration Movement and the Modern Church together into a coherent whole that will exemplify my research objective. A section on delimiting the research scope will then be provided to ensure the study remains within the relevant contours of the enquiry. This first chapter serves therefore as an introduction to my study. It explains the reasons for this endeavour and describes the process through which I desire to achieve my objective. 1. Research Problem The contemporary church is facing a predicament that is becoming increasingly difficult for the traditional churches to ignore. The problem can be encapsulated in one term: relevance. Traditional churches have become progressively more irrelevant with the rise of the new millennium. The evidence of this, among other factors, is seen primarily by the decrease in church membership numbers1. The problem has been lurking for decades, but over the last thirty years or more has become a topic of discussion and action that cannot be disregarded. Rick Warren, Pastor of the Mega Church Saddleback Church in Orange County California, stated that a church becomes irrelevant “when the speed of change in society/culture is faster than the speed of change in the church”. He also noted that everything is changing faster and therefore the tendency of the church to become irrelevant is faster (TEDx Talk, 2012). Before the advent of internet, information was doubling every 200 years. Today the amount of information doubles every 18 months. The consequences of such an information overload in society are seen in the fact that it provides more choices and creates a cynical society in general 1 Much research evidences this. One example is research done by the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development which found that membership in the church had dropped by 10% in the 1980’s, 12% in the 1990’s with some denominations reporting a 40% drop in membership during the same period. And the decline continues up to date. (© 2007 (research from 1998 to 2006) R. J. Krejcir Ph.D. Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org) © University of Pretoria 8 (Ford, 2008:25). Postmodern society questions everything. As Kevin Ford puts it: “In the rush of overwhelming information and new friends, old loyalties break down”.