Thomas H. Olbricht, Hans Rollmann, eds.. The Quest for Christian Unity, Peace, and Purity in Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address: Text and Studies. Lanham, Md. and London: Scarecrow Press, 2000. xxi + 489 pp. $78.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-8108-3842-0.

Reviewed by William Atto

Published on H-AmRel (October, 2002)

Thomas Campbell and the Cause of Christian Campbell (hereafter Campbell) authored the Dec‐ Unity laration and Address that was the founding docu‐ The proliferation of popular denominations ment for the Campbellites and is the subject of in early nineteenth-century American Protes‐ The Quest for Christian Unity, Peace, and Purity in tantism is one of the most salient features of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address. American religious development in the antebel‐ Recent scholarship has drawn attention to the lum era. An incredible number of new churches impact of popular democracy in American reli‐ were formed, many of them ofshoots of Presbyte‐ gious life in the aftermath of the Revolution. The rianism and dedicated to the restoration of primi‐ present work expands our knowledge of that im‐ tive Christian practices and beliefs and the unre‐ pact by a thorough consideration of one of the stricted individual interpretation of Scripture. most infuential documents to emerge from the Their common objective was the establishment of period. What editors Thomas Ollbricht and Hans a scripturally based faith that rejected extra-bibli‐ Rollman provide is a critical edition and exhaus‐ cal practice as unnecessary, even immoral, accre‐ tive textual analysis of the Declaration and Ad‐ tions on the faith of the Apostles. These man- dress (hereafter D&A) combined with a whopping made traditions had to be purged before authen‐ twenty scholarly essays by seventeen diferent au‐ tic Christianity could be restored. Among these re‐ thors considering various aspects of the D&A. form movements were the "Christians," the The great strengths of this work are its logical Stonites, and the Campbellites (Disciples of organization, its development, and its comprehen‐ Christ). The Campbellites initially coalesced siveness. Beginning with a textual analysis and around the leadership of Thomas Campbell scripture index, the authors provide a valuable (1763-1854), a Scotch-Irish immigrant to the Unit‐ reference tool for future students of the D&A. ed States in 1807. Although overshadowed by his Next, two essays examining the historical back‐ son, Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), Thomas ground to, and intellectual infuence on, Camp‐ H-Net Reviews bell's work provide necessary context. This sec‐ great barriers to unity, even among the descen‐ tion is especially valuable as a link to the Refor‐ dants of the Stone-Campbell movement. His exam‐ mation and as a means of placing Campbell in his‐ ination of Kershner and Robinson's assessment of torical and theological context. Subsequent essays Campbell's search for a halfway house "between focus primarily upon Campbell's thought and in‐ the extremes of Protestantism and Catholicism" clude studies of his theology, eschatology, and so‐ (p. 370) was intriguing and the issue merits a clos‐ teriology as well as his use of scripture and bibli‐ er examination than it received, not only from the cal exegesis. The book concludes with four perspective of Kershner and Robinson, but from thought-provoking essays on the impact of Camp‐ that of Campbell as well. For, despite the original bell and an assessment of his enduring infuence intent to avoid increased denominationalism, the today, as well as a bibliography of primary Campbellite Movement spawned its own church-- sources that will aid future researchers of the the Disciples of Christ--and it would soon experi‐ Restorationist Movement, the D&A, and the Camp‐ ence its own fractiousness and additional splinter‐ bellites. ing, adding to the ever-increasing numbers of Taken collectively, the essays provide a lauda‐ Protestant denominations on the American fron‐ tory, though not altogether uncritical, evaluation tier. of Campbell's signifcance for the development of The editors have assembled an impressive ar‐ popular expressions of Christianity in antebellum ray of studies representing a variety of perspec‐ America. Several of the studies contribute much tives in order to assess the impact of Campbell's to our understanding of Campbell's motives and D&A on the elusive goal of Christian unity and its impact on the . Of particu‐ implications for the present. If not the fnal word lar importance is the late Hiram Lester's essay, on Campbell, it is unlikely we will see such a "The Form and Function of the Declaration and learned and comprehensive analysis of Camp‐ Address," which demonstrates the ambiguity be‐ bell's works anytime soon. This work will serve as tween the goals of the Christian Association of a basis for investigation into Campbell and the Washington, of which Campbell was a vital part, Disciples well into the future. Scholars interested and the D&A, which stated the principle means to in popular democracy and its efect on antebel‐ those goals (p.175). Ronald Grant Nutter's consid‐ lum religion as well as Christian will eration of the D&A from a postmodern perspec‐ fnd much of value in this collection. tive is among the most critical and thought-pro‐ voking of the collection. Among the more dubious of Campbell's assumptions, to which Nutter right‐ ly draws attention, is his exclusion of "any human interpretation" of scripture (p. 436). Scripture does not speak for itself but requires exegesis, however basic. Clearly Campbell understood as much and relied upon the authority of his own in‐ terpretations when necessary. That begs the ques‐ tion of legitimate authority and the unity of the Christian church, a topic taken up in Paul M. Blowers's essay. By examining the attempts of two Disciples, Frederick Doyle Kershner and William Robinson, to fnd a basis for Christian unity through Campbell's works, Blowers points up the

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Citation: William Atto. Review of Olbricht, Thomas H.; Rollmann, Hans, eds. The Quest for Christian Unity, Peace, and Purity in Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address: Text and Studies. H-AmRel, H- Net Reviews. October, 2002.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=6800

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