Disciples of Christ Historical Society Digital Commons @ Disciples History Discipliana - Archival Issues 1953 Discipliana Vol-13-Nos-1-7-April-1953-December-1953 Claude E. Spencer Disciples of Christ Historical Society, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.discipleshistory.org/discipliana Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, History of Religion Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Spencer, Claude E., "Discipliana Vol-13-Nos-1-7-April-1953-December-1953" (1953). Discipliana - Archival Issues. 11. https://digitalcommons.discipleshistory.org/discipliana/11 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Disciples History. It has been accepted for inclusion in Discipliana - Archival Issues by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Disciples History. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Published quarterly by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Nashville, Tennessee VOL. 13 APRIL, 1953 NO. STATE CONVENTIONS ENDORSE DCHS Society Maintains Exhibits -------------FAMILY FOUNDATION at Spring Meetings TAKES Resolutions endorsing the program of the CONTRIBUTING MEMBERSHIP Disciples of Christ Histori~al ~ociety a~ter The Disciples of Christ Historical Society one year of full-time operation 10 NashvIlle reports the receipts of a ~500 contribu~ing have been adopted by nine (9~ state co~v~n- membership from the Irw1O-Sweeney-Ml11er tions of Disciples of Chnst (Chnstran Foundation of Columbus, Indiana. The Churches). The J:.esolutions called attention Foundation represents the interests of Mr. to the work of the Society in collecting and and Mrs. Irwin Miller, Mrs. Nettie S. Miller, making available for use the historical mate- Miss Elsie I. Sweeney, and Mrs. Robert rials of the brotherhood, and urged churches, Tangeman. ". institutions and individuals to consider mem- On receiving the membershIp contnbutlOn bership in the Society as a means of sharing from the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation, in the support of the national service agency Claude E. Spencer, Curator of the Historical of the brotherhood. Among the states en- Society, stated: "Such generous support en- dorsing the Society program were: Missouri, courages us in the belief that individuals and Arkansas Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Colo- institutions throughout our great Brother- rado, Io~a, Indiana, and Wyoming. While hood are becoming aware of the unique con- the DCHS resolution was presented to all tribution of the Disciples of Christ Histori~ Spring conventions, no reports have been re- cal Society and are taking advantage of the ceived from Mississippi, Florida, Montana, opportunity to share in its support." I.ouisiana, and the Capital Area. The Foundation wntributing membership Historical exhibits illustrating the materials has been gratefully acknowledged, along with being assembled at the Nashville Archives a number of other recent memberships re- and Library were maintained by staff mem- ceived by the Society, listed in detail on bers at seven conventions during April and page 14. The DCHS membership list is May. Jim McKi~ll1ey, executive di.rect~r, growing daily as individuals and groups represented the Society at state conventions In throughout the brotherhood join in preserv- Missouri (Hannibal, April 14-16), Texas ing the heritage of our movement. (Lubbock, April 20-23), Oklahoma (Tulsa, April 27-30), Iowa (Des Moines, May 3-6), and Indiana (Huntington, May 10-12). REMINDER Claude E. Spencer, curator, supervised exhi- Are you a dues-paying member of bits at the Tennessee convention (Nashville, DCHS? 1953 dues are past payable. April 21-23), and at the North ~merica.n The service program of your Histori- Christian Convention in Canton, OhIO (Aprtl cal Society is dependent entirely on 22-26). dues paid to the Society by individual In addition to directing the historical ex- and local congregat'('l1'l1 memb~rs. hibits, the Society representatives also made Have you paid your DCHS dues for many contacts for the Society in the states 1953? (Continued on page 15) 111- 74.u 14tUte: Robert H. Forrester: Minister. Educator. Editor. Publi5her. Lawyer and Disciple. by John W. Neth Jr., page 4-Editorial: Two Significant Anniversaries. by Ronald E. Osborn. page 3-They Say. what brotherhood leaders think of DCHS, page 8. A Bethany Visitor, page 7 New Members, page 14 Jim's Journeys, page 6 Theses Completed, page 5 Presidents and Disciples, page 2 Wants. page 13 Dates and Data, page 7 What's New in Our Library, page 10 2 DISCIPLIANA, APRIL, 1953 PRESIDENTS AND DISCIPLES: Garfield-Lincoln-Johnson James A. Garfield, His Religion and Edtt- Christianity (Board of Church Extension cation, by Woodrow W. Wasson, a recent periodical) for October-November 1895, that book published by the Tennessee Book Com- documents the Power story. pany, has drawn attention again to the fact F. D. Power, minister of the Vermont that not only a Disciple, but a Disciple Avenue Christian Church, Washington, D. C,. preacher, was president of the United States. and reputable Disciple historian, in an arti- Perhaps two other presidents were Disci- cle "Church building history in the Capitol" ples. For more than fifty years there have wrote: been published divergent stories about Abra- "In 1868 Henry T. Anderson came from ham Lincoln having been surreptitiously Harrodsburg, Ky., and served the church baptized by John O. Kane, a Disciple preach- for one year as pastor. He was a gifted, er. Perhaps the latest mention is "Was scholarly, and conseerated [sid man. He Lincoln a Christian?" by Jflmes DeForest passed away in Washington, September 19 Murch in United Evangelical Action for Feb- 1872. ' ruary 1, 1953. Edgar DeWitt Jones, in Lin- ."An incident related to me by Judge [Jere- coln and the Preachers, dismisses these stories mIah Sol Black of this period illustrates ... as being entirely discredited, as does Louis ~he s~ru~gles of the fathers to plant our cause A. Warren in Lincoln Lore, March 16, 1942. 111 t~IS.city.. It was during Andrew Johnson's However, Lincoln did have a Disciple back- adm11llstratlOn. The church found itself un- ground, for his father, Thomas Lincoln, was equal to the task of raising the small salary a member of the Christian Church. agreed upon, and applied to Judge Black and About fifteen years ago there was con- Genera~ G:arfield to assist them by securing a siderable discussion published about the cl~r~shlp 111 one of the Departments for the church membership of Andrew Johnson. This m11llster, such as would furnish him a sup- was started by the question "Are you aware port and enable him to remain and serve the that-Andrew Johnson who succeeded Lin- congregation. coln as President was at one time a member "These gentlemen waited upon the Presi- of the Christian Church, according to a re- dent and sought an appointment through him cent report we have received?" in the Just He had formerly been a member of the sam~ Among Disciples column of the March 23, 1939, issue of The Christian-Evangelist. c<:>mmunio?,~nd Judge Black appealed to 111mto aId 111establishing their cause in In the issues of April 6, April 20, and Washington. August 10, 1939, there were further notes, including a statement from O. P. Spiegel "The president acknowledged that he had that David Lipscomb had told him Johnson been a member of the church, but a very poor was a member of the Christian Church. one. The judge said that he should remem- ber to do good to all men, but especially to In an editorial, "Was Andrew Johnson a them of the household of faith, and seeing member of the Church?", the Gospel Advo- that Satan was taking good care of his own ctlte for September 14, 1939, reprinted the in Washington, he, the President, should notes from The Christian-Evangelist and also hav~ s?me concern for the good work of his an article written by David Lipscomb in the Chrtstlan brethren. Garfield said little. Gospel Advocate of September 26, 1883, in Johnson agreed to do what he could, and which Lipscomb denied that Johnson was subse<:Iu~ntlymade the appointment, though ever a member, but said he had been a close the mtlllster [Anderson] would not accept it." friend of Tolbert Fanning and Jesse B. 17er- guson. Lipscomb attributed the story of All the reference books we consulted in- Johnson's membership to F. D. Power of cluding This Nation Under God by Eibert Washington, D. C, who "has certainly fallen Thomas, and The Presidents: Men of Faith in error", he said. by Bliss Ise1y, said that Johnson was never The Christian-Evangelist, Septembel' 28 and a member of any church but worshipped with October 5, 1939, printed Lipscomb's article the Methodists along with his wife. and called attention to the fact that all state- . Is this just another apocryphal story, or is ments made were from secondary source ma- It based on fact? Did Judge Black or Presi- terial and hoped tbat eventually some pri- dent Garfield ever relate in print this visit mary material might be discovered. to Johnson? Is Johnson's name on the mem- Now comes Charles C Ware, Curator of bership list of some local church in East the North Carolina Discipliana Collection, Tennessee? We still need primarv docu- Wilson, N. C, with a copy of Business in 01entation. DISCIPLIANA, APRIL, 1953 3 PI~CIPl~ANA,. pu~lished January, April, July, and October by the Disciples of Christ Historical OCten:, .JOt!'t Untvers~ty Ltbrary, 419 - 21st Avenue, South, Nashville, Tennessee. Founded by the MlOlStertal Assoctauon of Culver-Stockton College volume 1 number 1 was issued March 1941 Volumes 1-3 w.ere mimeographed. With volume' 6 the Disciples of' Christ Historical' Society' assumed publlcatlOn.