Historical Documents Advocating Christian Union

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Historical Documents Advocating Christian Union Historical Documents Advocating Christian Union DEFINITIVE WRITINGS OF THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT Epoch-Making Statements by Leaders among the Disciples of Christ for the Restoration of the Christianity of the New Testament — its Doctrines, its Ordinances, and its Fruits Historical Introductions by Charles Alexander Young Preface by John Allen Hudson Explanatory footnotes by Bradley S. Cobb Cobb Publishing 2 0 1 7 Historical Documents Advocating Christian Unity (2017 edition) is copyright © 2017, Bradley S. Cobb. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted without the written approval of the publisher, except for the use of quotations for review, re- search writings, or other writings which are given away at no cost (church bulletins, Facebook posts, blog posts, etc.) This book is available as a FREE digital download from the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary, located at our website. www.TheCobbSix.com/Jimmie-Beller-Memorial-eLibrary/ Published in the United States by Cobb Publishing. (479) 747-8372 [email protected] www.TheCobbSix.com ISBN-13: 978-1541277915 ISBN-10: 1541277910 PREFACE .......................................................................................................... 6 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 9 INTRODUCTION TO THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THE SPRINGFIELD PRESBYTERY .................................................................................................. 12 THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THE SPRINGFIELD PRESBYTERY ............. 17 THE WITNESSES’ ADDRESS. ........................................................................... 19 INTRODUCTION TO THE DECLARATION AND ADDRESS .................................. 21 AN ANALYSIS OF THE DECLARATION AND ADDRESS ...................................... 24 PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN UNION ................................................................. 25 PLAN OF CHRISTIAN UNION .......................................................................... 32 PRESUPPOSITIONS ........................................................................................ 37 THE DECLARATION AND ADDRESS ................................................................. 43 DECLARATION ............................................................................................... 43 ADDRESS, ETC. ................................................................................................ 47 APPENDIX ...................................................................................................... 71 INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON ON THE LAW ........................................... 111 SERMON ON THE LAW ................................................................................. 115 THE SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON, .................................................................. 117 PREFACE ...................................................................................................... 117 IDEAS ATTACHED TO ‘THE LAW’ .......................................................................... 119 THOSE THINGS WHICH THE LAW COULD NOT ACCOMPLISH ..................................... 124 THE REASON WHY THE LAW COULD NOT ACCOMPLISH THESE THINGS ....................... 126 THE MEANS BY WHICH GOD HAS REMEDIED THE RELATIVE DEFECTS OF THE LAW ........ 127 NECESSARY CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................. 132 ISAAC ERRETT .............................................................................................. 149 OUR POSITION ............................................................................................. 153 CHAPTER ONE.............................................................................................. 153 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................. 156 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................... 161 CHAPTER FOUR............................................................................................ 164 CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................. 169 JAMES HARVEY GARRISON .......................................................................... 174 THE WORLD’S NEED OF OUR PLEA ............................................................... 177 WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED ............................................................... 183 A PROGRESSIVE REFORMATION. ................................................................. 185 The author of the Analysis of the Declaration and Address ob- serves that “the principle of liberty, the right to grow with the growth of truth, needs perpetual emphasis and incessant utterance.” There should be a clear distinction between what is truth on the one hand and the conception and implementation of it on the other, but truth itself, divine and revealed truth, is not progressive in character, subject to the thinking of uninspired men of a later day. “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Jesus told the apostles that the Holy Spirit should guide them into all truth; that is, all revealed truth. The great body of natural truth apart from reve- lation is subject to the explorations of mankind, but not so revealed truth. The author of the definitive sections of this book, Historical Documents Advocating Christian Union, does represent, in life and in experience, the liberal interpretation of the Restoration move- ment, even sometimes to the point of higher criticism and modern- ism. Such an attempt at union that mitigates the force of divine revelation in seeking for amity among men makes too much con- cession. Yet on the whole, this writer prefers to present this book, whatever the leanings of a later writer may personally have been, as originally designed. Whatever observances he may have will be said later in separate works. There cannot be any doubt of the great writing ability of Isaac Errett and J.H. Garrison. But they were later commentators upon the great principles of the “big four,” Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Barton Warren Stone; and they do not belong in the same category of creative thought as these men. Other writers, closer to that day when the “big four” lived, such as Moses E. Lard and Benjamin Franklin could as well have been quoted. Yet it must be admitted that others made not quite the same point of an historical analysis of the restoring of the gospel plan of salvation by Scott, the Declaration and Address by Thomas Campbell, the Ser- mon on the Law by Alexander Campbell and the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery by Stone. Therefore, the objective of such an historical analysis on the part of Isaac Errett 6 and J.H. Garrison fits itself more admirably into the purpose of the book — not that these latter stand on a par with the others in the creativity of the movement. They have subscribed themselves as servants of the larger purpose of the “big four.” The book itself is too valuable to be confined to the earlier issue. Hence, after a proper search in the Library of Congress to determine the expiration of the original copyright, we present here another edition to a later audience; and to expand, in so far as is possible, the wider influence of the great documents of which it treats. The introduction to the Analysis of the Declaration and Address, to this writer, dealing as it does on supposed new discoveries of truth, confusing opinion and truth in the borderline clashes of hu- man experience, is entirely out of line with the analysis of the document which follows. It is a redundancy and without clarity. Again it is stated: “The practical question today is not whether there was general agreement in those principles in 1809, but whether there is general agreement in them in 1904. It may be con- fidently asserted that they do not precisely represent present-day Christian thought.” This statement practically amounts to a repudi- ation on the part of the later commentator of the principles of the Declaration and Address, which was very specific on the basis of union upon the word of God alone, drawing a distinction between faith and opinion. This writer still believes, as did the Campbells, Scott, and Stone, that unity is possible on the basis which they proposed, and none other. The trouble is that others have sought to modify that basis. Isaac Errett, who lived in the period between the launching of the Restoration movement and the later writing of Charles Alex- ander Young, seems clear enough in his belief of the complete suf- ficiency of divine revelation in his article, Our Position. He did not seem to believe in the growth of truth, but that truth had already been stated. He said: “But we do say, and wish to be emphatic in saying, that from the first day that this plea for a return to Primitive Christianity began, until this day, there has been no doubt and no controversy among its leading advocates, and none among the mass of its intelligent adherents, on the thirteen points we have named.” What J.H. Garrison meant in his article, The World Needs Our Plea, was not the progressive idea of truth so much as the adaptation of living and changing human conditions to be constantly aware of that truth, and not to stultify it in the traditions of an age or the set- ting of a creed. The background discussion of other attempts at reformation shows this to be his thought. On the other
Recommended publications
  • Toward a Confessional Theology Within the Churches of Christ
    Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ ATTENTION CATALOGING LIBRARIANS TREN ID# Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) MARC Record # Digital Object Identification DOI # Ministry Focus Paper Approval Sheet This ministry focus paper entitled WE CAN BEAR IT NO LONGER: TOWARD A CONFESSIONAL THEOLOGY WITHIN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST Written by PAUL A. SMITH and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: _____________________________________ John W. Drane _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: March 15, 2015 WE CAN BEAR IT NO LONGER: TOWARD A CONFESSIONAL THEOLOGY WITHIN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY PAUL A. SMITH MARCH 2015 ABSTRACT We Can Bear It No Longer: Toward a Confessional Theology within the Churches of Christ Paul A. Smith Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2014 The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the need for members of the Churches of Christ to restore confession in both private and communal worship practices. The major premise is that the men who inspired the movement that gave birth to the modern Churches of Christ either ignored or misunderstood the secular philosophies that influenced their work.
    [Show full text]
  • Enter Your Title Here in All Capital Letters
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by K-State Research Exchange THE BATTLE CRY OF PEACE: THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST MOVEMENT DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865 by DARIN A.TUCK B. A., Washburn University, 2007 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of History College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2010 Approved by: Major Professor Robert D. Linder Copyright DARIN A. TUCK 2010 Abstract As the United States descended into war in 1861, the religious leaders of the nation were among the foremost advocates and recruiters for both the Confederate and Union forces. They exercised enormous influence over the laity, and used their sermons and periodicals to justify, promote, and condone the brutal fratricide. Although many historians have focused on the promoters of war, they have almost completely ignored the Disciples of Christ, a loosely organized religious movement based on anti-sectarianism and primitive Christianity, who used their pulpits and periodicals as a platform for peace. This study attempts to merge the remarkable story of the Disciples peace message into a narrative of the Civil War. Their plea for nonviolence was not an isolated event, but a component of a committed, biblically-based response to the outbreak of war from many of the most prominent leaders of the movement. Immersed in the patriotic calls for war, their stance was extremely unpopular and even viewed as traitorous in their communities and congregations. This study adds to the current Disciples historiography, which states that the issue of slavery and the Civil War divided the movement North and South, by arguing that the peace message professed by its major leaders divided the movement also within the sections.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Unity in Stone-Campbell Movement
    M. Horvatek: New Testament Paradigm of the Unity of Christians Christian Unity in Stone-Campbell Movement Douglas A. FOSTER Abilene Christian University, USA UDK: 261.8 Original scientific paper Received: February 15, 2008. Accepted: March 15, 2008. Abstract Author offers review of the backgrounds to Stone-Campbell concepts of Christian unity, insides on the early unity impulse in the Stone-Camp- bell Movement, as well as the development of the idea of unity in the Post-Bellum Period. A valuable explanation is offered on the twentieth- century understandings of unity in the Three Streams, and on the efforts at internal unity in the Stone-Campbell Movement. Introduction In the western church the divisions resulting from the Protestant Reformation became a source of deep concern for some leaders. Lutheran Philipp Melanch- thon proposed compromise in the area of adiaphora, indifferent or non-essential matters, if it would maintain the church’s visible unity. George Calixtus suggested that only heresy, defined as denial of an essential truth of Christianity believed by the church in the first five centuries, could be the basis for breaking fellow- ship. Calvin and other Reformed theologians insisted that the true church was invisible, ultimately known only to God, thus lessening the severity of the visible divisions. I. Backgrounds to Stone-Campbell Concepts of Christian Unity The transplanting of European Christianity to America exacerbated its divisions as religious freedom led to schism in existing bodies and the creation of new ones. For many Americans the developing system of denominationalism appeared to be the desired and normal condition of the church.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Heritage of Unity and Fellowship
    OUR HERITAGE OF UNITY AND FELLOWSHIP Writings of Leroy Garrett and W. Carl Ketcherside Edited and Published by Cecil Hook Order From: Cecil Hook (Mira Prince) 905 Forest Canyon Cove Round Rock TX 78664 (512) 716-3066 Table of Contents DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................i Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 1. It Began In Scotland.................................................................................................................8 2. Thomas Campbell Writes His Declaration of Independence ................................................13 3. The Spirit of the “Declaration and Address” ........................................................................17 4. Principles of the Document ....................................................................................................23 5. Historic Notes on Our First Church .......................................................................................27 6. “Let Christian Unity be Our Polar Star” ................................................................................29 7. The Noblest Act in Barton Stone’s Life.................................................................................34 8. Learning from a Backwoods Preacher ...................................................................................40 9. Christians in Babylon.............................................................................................................43
    [Show full text]
  • John W. Welch, “'All Their Creeds Were an Abomination':A Brief Look at Creeds As Part of the Apostasy,”
    John W. Welch, “‘All Their Creeds Were an Abomination’:A Brief Look at Creeds as Part of the Apostasy,” in Prelude to the Restoration: From Apostasy to the Restored Church (Provo, UT and Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University and Deseret Book, 2004), 228–249. “All Their Creeds Were an Abomination”: A Brief Look at Creeds as Part of the Apostasy John W. Welch John W. Welch is a professor of law at Brigham Young University and editor-in-chief of BYU Studies. On October 15, 1843, the Prophet Joseph Smith commented, “I cannot believe in any of the creeds of the different denominations, because they all have some things in them I cannot subscribe to, though all of them have some truth. I want to come up into the presence of God, and learn all things: but the creeds set up stakes, and say, ‘Hitherto [1] shalt thou come, and no further’; which I cannot subscribe to.” While Latter-day Saints gladly and gratefully recognize that all religious creeds contain some truth, the problem is that those formulations of doctrine also contain errors or impose limits that are “incompatible with the gospel’s inclusive commitment to truth and continual [2] revelation.” Such mixing of truth and error is reminiscent of the parable of the wheat and the tares, the Lord’s most [3] salient teaching on the nature of the Apostasy (Matthew 13:24–30, 37–43; JST Matthew 13; D&C 86:1–11). Thus, the creeds themselves, as vessels of mixed qualities, become metaphors or manifestations of the Apostasy itself.
    [Show full text]
  • What Kind of Church Is This?
    WHY I BELONG T O T HE C HRISTIA N C HURC H I STAYI NG C ONNE CT ED I B EYON D S LOG ANS ® RESOURCING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES SPECIAL EDITION What kind of church is this? www.christianstandard.com What kind of church is this? BY LEROY LAWSON One thing is certain—there is no shortage of churches. You can take your pick among the hundreds of different kinds, from the proud old denominations like the Episcopalian and Presbyterian to the newer, more energetic Assembly of God or Seventh Day Adventists, to say nothing of those amazingly numerous and various cults that keep springing up. In the midst of such diversity, what is special about our church? What kind of a church is it, anyway? A Paradox and a Challenge Our Roots We answer paradoxically. !e distinc- Christian churches and churches of tive about this Christian church is that it Christ trace their modern origins to the has no distinctives. In fact we deliberately early 19th-century American frontier, a seek not to be di#erent, because our goal period of militancy among denominations. Barton W. Stone, some Presbyterian leaders is unity, not division. Christianity has America’s pioneers brought their deeply in Kentucky published e Last Will and su#ered long enough from deep divi- rooted religious convictions to the new Testament of the Spring#eld Presbytery , sions separating denomination from de- land and perpetuated their old animosities. putting to death their denominational nomination, Christian from Christian. Presbyterian squared o# against Anglican connections. !ey said, “We will, that When Jesus prayed “that all of them may who defended himself against Baptist who this body die, be dissolved, and sink into be one, Father, just as you are in me and I had no toleration for Lutheran.
    [Show full text]
  • Journalism's Deep Roots in the Stone-Campbell Movement
    Journal of Discipliana Volume 74 Issue 1 Journal of Discipliana Volume 74 Article 2 2021 Journalism’s Deep Roots in the Stone-Campbell Movement John M. Imbler Phillips Theological Seminary, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.discipleshistory.org/journalofdiscipliana Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, History of Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Imbler, John M. (2021) "Journalism’s Deep Roots in the Stone-Campbell Movement," Journal of Discipliana: Vol. 74 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.discipleshistory.org/journalofdiscipliana/vol74/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Disciples History. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Discipliana by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Disciples History. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Imbler: Journalism’s Deep Roots in the Stone-Campbell Movement Journalism’s Deep Roots in the Stone-Campbell Movement John M. Imbler As the recently constituted nation was expanding beyond the settled northeast, in- formation on a variety of subjects was carried by an increasing number of newly estab- lished local presses. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin observes, “With few public entertainments in rural America (c. 1850s), villages and farmers regarded the spo- ken word and political debates as riveting spectator sports.” She continues, “Following such debates, the dueling remarks were regularly printed in their entirety in newspapers then reprinted in pamphlet form…where they provoked discourse over a wide space and prolonged time.”1 While her analysis refers to the general population, it also reflects the character of the Stone-Campbell people who were heavily invested in publications.
    [Show full text]
  • Stone-Campbell Biography Edwin R. Errett: Martyr to a Lost Cause
    Leaven Volume 7 Issue 1 Missions and the Church Article 21 1-1-1999 Stone-Campbell Biography Edwin R. Errett: Martyr to a Lost Cause Henry Webb Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Webb, Henry (1999) "Stone-Campbell Biography Edwin R. Errett: Martyr to a Lost Cause," Leaven: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 21. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol7/iss1/21 This Biography is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Webb: Stone-Campbell Biography Edwin R. Errett: Martyr to a Lost Cause 48 Leaven, Winter, 1999 Stone-Campbell Biography EDWIN R. ERRETT: Martyr to a Lost Cause Henry Webb Edwin R. Errett, editor of the writer of Bible school materials, and a conservative institution for ministe- Christian Standard from 1929 until his in the latter year he was made editor- rial education, the Cincinnati Bible death in 1944, is known primarily for in-chief of all Bible school publica- Institute. When that school was merged the leadership he provided to Christian tions. In 1929 he was named editor of with McGarvey Bible Institute in 1924 Churches/Churches of Christ during a the Christian Standard. For the next to form Cincinnati Bible Seminary, critical period in their history.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson 65 Young Disciples Curriculum Online
    Lesson 65 Young Disciples Curriculum Online Purpose - To learn about how The Disciples of Christ started - To learn about the Campbells - To learn about “Raccoon” Smith and Walter Scott - To learn about Barton Stone Materials - Handouts - Bibles Background Information Starting today we will learn the history of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and how it all began. Our church really had two beginnings. One led by Thomas and Alexander Campbell and the other by Barton Stone. We will study each and then find out how they merged and fit it all together. THE CAMPBELLS Thomas Campbell was a Presbyterian minister and schoolteacher in Ireland. The Presbyterian Church was kind of divided into five groups. Thomas Campbell was part of the Evangelical, New Light, Anti-Burgher, Secedar Presbyterians. (How would you like to tell that to people every time they asked you what church you go to.) That group was liberal and evangelical in comparison to the others that were very rigid in what they believed. In 1807 Thomas Campbell immigrated to American to establish a home so that his family could join him later. He brought with him his authority to be a minister in the Presbyterian Church, his Bible, and possibly a few books and personal belongings. For two years he was a circuit minister. This meant that he traveled around on horseback and gave communion to the people who lived in rural Pennsylvania. According to the rules of his church in Ireland he was only allowed to give the Lord’s Supper to those who were a part of the New Light, Anti-Burgher, Secedar Presbyterian church.
    [Show full text]
  • Periodicals of the Disciples of Christ and Related Religious Groups
    Disciples of Christ Historical Society Digital Commons @ Disciples History Stone-Campbell Movement Periodical Indexes 1943 Periodicals of the Disciples of Christ and Related Religious Groups Claude E. Spencer Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.discipleshistory.org/all_periodical_indexes PERIODICALS OF The Disciples of Christ SPENCER " NORTH CAROLINA HRISTIAN MISSIONARY CONVENTION C.C.WARE WILSON.N.C. Jlvcnivist !1iW iPii^PHiii PERIODICALS of the DISCIPLES OF CHRIST and RELATED RELIGIOUS GROUPS compiled by Claude E. Spencer Disciples of Christ Historical Society- Canton,, Missouri 1943 DISCIPLIANA LIBRARY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE «5 ^3 jp ATLANTIC WILSON, N. C. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/periodicalsofdisOOclau DISCIPLES OF CHRIST HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS J, Edward Moseley President W, H. Hanna Vice-president A. T. DeGroot Secretary- treasurer Claude E. Spencer Curator EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Term Expiring 1943 Term Expiring 1944 Warner Muir W. H. Hanna Merl R. Eppse A. T. DeGroot Walter C. G-ibbs Edgar C. Riley Richard L. James W. E, Garrison George N. Mayhew Eva Jean Wrather Stephen J. England Claude E, Spencer James DeForest Murch J, Edward Moseley Term Expiring 1945 C. C. Ware Colby D. Hall Henry K. Shaw Enos E. Dowling Reuben Butchart Mrs. W. D. Barnhart Dwight E. Stevenson - li- FORWORD Periodicals of the Disciples of Christ and related reli gious groups, made possible through the cooperation of Culver- Stockton college with the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, is the first attempt at a comprehensive list of the periodicals of the Disciples of Christ, the Christian church, and the churches of Christ. In this work I have attempted to list the title of every periodical designed for more than individual church circulation.
    [Show full text]
  • Unity and Brush Run: the Declaration and Address
    Unity and Brush Run: The Declaration and Address By Douglas A. Foster Director, Center for Restoration Studies Professor of Church History Graduate School of Theology Abilene Christian University The church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else as none else can be truly and properly called Christians. hile not at the beginning of Thomas Campbell’s 1809 Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington, these words are at the heart of the Stone- W Campbell Movement’s reason for being. Deeply embedded in the soul of the churches of this global movement is the vision of this founding document, a vision for the visible unity of Christ’s church on earth. Born out of Campbell’s burden to end the fighting and division among professed followers of the Prince of Peace, the Declaration and Address (D&A) is a call and a rationale for Christians to live out the truth that “there is one body.” Thomas Campbell wrote the D&A as an explanation of the nature and purpose of the newly formed Christian Association in late summer 1809. The creation of the Association was in response to his expulsion from the Associate Synod of North America, the Presbyterian denomination he had served since arriving in the United States two years earlier.1 His dismissal was sparked by his violation of the rules of the Associate Synod to exclude from the Lord’s Supper anyone not part of their order.
    [Show full text]
  • Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in Early Oregon, 1842-1882 Jerry Rushford Pepperdine University
    Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Churches of Christ Heritage Center Jerry Rushford Center 1-1-1998 Christians on the Oregon Trail: Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in Early Oregon, 1842-1882 Jerry Rushford Pepperdine University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/heritage_center Part of the Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Rushford, Jerry, "Christians on the Oregon Trail: Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in Early Oregon, 1842-1882" (1998). Churches of Christ Heritage Center. Item 5. http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/heritage_center/5 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Jerry Rushford Center at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Churches of Christ Heritage Center by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHRISTIANS About the Author ON THE Jerry Rushford came to Malibu in April 1978 as the pulpit minister for the University OREGON TRAIL Church of Christ and as a professor of church history in Pepperdine’s Religion Division. In the fall of 1982, he assumed his current posi­ The Restoration Movement originated on tion as director of Church Relations for the American frontier in a period of religious Pepperdine University. He continues to teach half time at the University, focusing on church enthusiasm and ferment at the beginning of history and the ministry of preaching, as well the nineteenth century. The first leaders of the as required religion courses. movement deplored the numerous divisions in He received his education from Michigan the church and urged the unity of all Christian College, A.A.
    [Show full text]