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Universl^ M icrailm s International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 8503296 Collins, Johnnie Andrew PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST; 1866-1945 Middle Tennessee State University D.A. 1984 University Microfilms I nternc lti O nQ I 300 N. zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MM8106 Copyright 1985 by Collins, Johnnie Andrew All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945 Johnnie Andrew Collins A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctorate of Arts December, 1984 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST: 1866-1945 APPROVED: Graduate Committee: Fr-^Q Major Professor Committee Member Cofhmittee Member 0-- Head of the Department of History ^ of/ tlthe Graduate School Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © 1985 JOHNNIE ANDREW COLLINS All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST; 1866-1945 by Johnnie Andrew Collins This dissertation is a study of the influence of pacifism in the Churches of Christ from 1866 to 1945. The twentieth century Churches of Christ are the spiritual descendants of the indigenous American Restoration Movement of the nineteenth century. Many first generation leaders of the Churches of Christ were adamantly opposed both to war and political involvement. By 1945, a majority of leaders of this church accepted a "just war" position and the beliefs of conservative religious nationalism. The purpose of this study is to determine the common position of pacifism in the Churches of Christ. The primary sources of data for this study are the religious periodicals of the Churches of Christ. The strict autonomy of each congregation of the Churches of Christ precludes any formal statement of belief for the membership as a whole. The position of the church's leadership on pacifism is revealed primarily through Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Johnnie Andrew Collins published writings of individual leaders. In addition, other traditional avenues of research were used. The findings of this research show that pacifism always exerted a slighter influence on the general membership of the Churches of Christ than on its leaders. Moreover, pacifist influence waned during the superpatriotism of World War I. During World War II, the acceptance of the "just war" position and freedom of choice for the individual ended any major pacifist influence. The growth of the Churches of Christ numerically and economically is another explanation of the moderation of the sectarian anti-government pacifist stand of the pioneer generation of leaders. Also, the influence of religious nationalism was a factor in the decline of separatist and pacifist beliefs. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have helped in the writing of this paper. I am grateful for the guidance and suggestions of my committee, Dr. Fred Rolater, Dr. Fred Colvin, and Dr. Wallace Maples of Middle Tennessee State University, Mrs. Jane Miller, head librarian, and the library staff of Freed-Hardeman College graciously assisted me in many ways during the research for this paper. The library staff of Harding Graduate School of Religion also provided valuable assistance. The advice of Dr. Fred Bailey of Abilene Christian University was very helpful in defining the topic and beginning the research. Mrs. Arnelle Adcock's many suggestions on style were appreciated very much. Special thanks go to my wife, Mary, who spent many long hours typing and retyping the paper. Without her help, the paper would probably never have been written. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE............................................................vi Chapter 1 THE ORIGINS OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST.............. • . 1 The Restoration Movement ............................ 1 Schisms in the Restoration Movement................ 9 Application: The Significance of Religious Studies...................................................23 2 THE PACIFIST TRADITION OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST TO 1865 ....................................................... 26 The Response of the Disciples to the Mexican War . 34 The Disciples of Christ and the Civil War............. 38 Application: The Divisive Effects of the Civil War.................................................... 5 8 3 PACIFISM IN THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST (1866-1890).... 61 The Southern Disciples in 1866 ..................... 61 The Views of David Lipscomb. ................... 68 Other Pacifist Views in the South......................79 Other Pacifist V i e w s .................................... 82 Conclusion................................................ 87 Application: The Lost Cause and Southern Religion................................................ 88 4 PACIFISM UNDER PRESSURE (1866-1900)..................... 92 The Religious Situation (1866-1900)................ 92 Pacifist Reaction to Political Events................. 95 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Peace Move m e n t...................................... 96 The Election of 1880 ................................. 99 Pacifism in Militant Times .......................... 108 The Spanish-American W a r .............................. 112 Imperialism...............................................119 Conclusion...............................................123 Application: Religion and Society ................. 124 5 THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST AND WORLD WAR I .................. 126 The Religious Situation (1900-1914)................ 126 The Coming of World War 1..............................127 The Churches of Christ and the Coming of the War . 132 Advocates for Peace..................................... 134 The Churches of Christ in World War 1................ 139 The Conscientious Objectors............................142 War Time Service of the Churches of Christ .... 157 Conclusion............................................... 162 Application: Dissent and Government .............. 165 6 PACIFISM IN THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST (1919-1945) .... 167 The Religious Situation (1919-1941)................ 167 The Churches of Christ: Post World War 1............170 The Churches of Christ and the League of Nations . 172 The War Question: 1920s-1930s....................... 174 Non-Pacifists in the Churches of Christ..............177 The Coming of World War I I .................. 179 The Churches of Christ in World War I I ..............180 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Churches of Christ and Conscientious Objectors............................................... 187 Opposition to the