The Alabama Restoration Journal An Historical Perspective of Churches of Christ In Alabama Tolbert Fanning VOLUME 5 ISSUE 3 February 01, 2012 Earl Kimbrough’s Latest….. John Taylor-The Life & Times of A Backwoods Preacher The life of .John Taylor, one of the most beloved of the pioneer gospel preachers ever in Northwest Alabama, is a story that must be told. Who better to tell this story than Franklin County’s own, Earl Kimbrough. In writing this book, John Taylor, the Life and Times of a Backwoods Preacher, Earl comes home— home to the hill country of Franklin County, Alabama. Earl was born and raised in Russellville, the county seat of Franklin County. This is a story close to his heart. We are greatly indebted to Earl Kimbrough for telling this story of joys and sorrows of John and Polly Taylor, as they labored for the Lord until the time of their deaths. $24.95, 260 pages, cloth bound with dust jacket. + 3.50 Shipping ____________ Earl Kimbrough, who gave us The Warrior from Rock Creek: Life, Times, and Thoughts of F. B. Srygley (1859-1940) in 2008, has, out of his vast knowledge of Restoration history and superb writing talents, given us another Restoration classic, John Taylor: The Life and Times of a Backwoods Preacher (1807-1885). Taylor labored among the poor in the hills of Northwest Alabama. Reared under the prevailing religious influence of the day--Calvinism--he sought to "get religion." Having never heard of Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Walter Scott, or any of the other leaders of the Restoration Movement, Taylor, on his own study of the Bible, learned the way of truth. "While Taylor was unknown outside his field of labor, he was contemporary with Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. He was preaching the Bible alone and establishing New Testament churches [in Alabama] at the time of Walter Scott’s great Restoration evangelism on the Western Reserve of Ohio" (page 21). As Kimbrough states in the Introduction to the book, "The purpose of the work is to honor the memory of a man who pioneered, circulated, defended, and preserved New Testament Christianity, mostly among the poor people that inhabited the rugged hills and meandering hollows of Northwest Alabama in the nineteenth century." Any one who loves the church of our Lord and the plea for non-sectarian Christianity will thrill at reading this beautifully told story. --Hugh Fulford ORDER FROM Clay Publishing Company P.O. Box 398 Russellville, Alabama 35653 Pho. (256) 668-3135 Or Order thru PayPal STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE CONTENTS The object of The Alabama Restoration Journal is to preserve and disseminate an historical record of the Restoration 1. Letter To Scobey page 1 Movement primarily as it functioned in Alabama prior to World Mary Hundley War II. Brotherhood controversies as they unfolded in the years 2. News And Notes page 2 following this period are not included in this history, not because Larry Whitehead they lack historical validity, but because they do not fall within the frame of our primary time and area of coverage and because 3. In this Issue page 2 our interest is basically in our common roots. Larry Whitehead Some articles and items may extend beyond our borders of state and time period, when the editor deems them pertinent to 4. Tolbert Fanning page 3 the main objective, when they are reflective of, or connected Earl Kimbrough directly with, earlier history, or when they are purely of a human interest nature. 5. Incidents On A Trip To Memphis page 11 The Journal is not a “church paper” and is not designed Tolbert Fanning to teach doctrine as such. It will not promote any hobby, controversy, or theological point of view that does not fall within 6. A Community Of Influence page 13 the scope of the Restoration ideal within the time and area of Frank Richey primary interest. The editor and contributing editors are responsible for 7. Restoration Tidbits page 20 keeping the material they submit for publication, whether written Hugh Fulford by them or selected from other sources, in keeping with the objects of The Journal. 8. Gathering Home - A Special Lady page 21 The editor will retain the right to make the final Larry Whitehead determination of whether an article, or a portion thereof, fits the objective of The Journal. 9. David Greenhill Ligon page 23 No editing of material, other than routine editorial work, Kenneth Randolph will be made on any writer’s work without his prior knowledge and consent. 10. Cyrus White & The Whiteites page 25 All historical material submitted for publication must be Larry Whitehead verifiable by documentation. Any opinions or conclusions based in part or whole upon supposition, while valid, will be given as 11. Methodist Opposition page 27 such and not as historical facts. Bobby Graham Simple documentation may be supplied within the articles published, but it will be our purpose generally to omit 12. Restoration Ramblings page 31 footnotes. Earl Kimbrough The editors may not agree on all aspects of New Testament Christianity as currently practiced, but they have a 13. The Movement – 1820 – 1860 page 32 common interest in Restoration history that transcends other Larry Whitehead differences, hold one another as brethren in Christ, and consider each other as committed to and capable of representing the 14. Uncle Isaac Sez page 36 Restoration ideal of speaking where the Bible Speaks and being . silent where Bible is silent. The writing of a particular story or the recording a 15. The Final Say page 37 particular event should be understood as reflecting the editor and Larry Whitehead associate editors perception of history and not necessarily as reflective of their own personal view. Every effort will be made by the editor and writers to Our Cover record history as it is and not to rewrite it as they might like for it to be. Historical revisionism is not the object of The Journal Earl has done his usual superb job on the cover for and will be excluded to the extent or our ability. this issue. The back cover is a copy of an old print of Source information for all articles will be available for those who request same. the campus of Franklin College.…..LEW The Editors *************** The Alabama Restoration Journal An Historical Perspective of churches of Christ in Alabama "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,” Jer 6:16 Editor Larry Whitehead Contributing Editors Earl Kimbrough C. Wayne Kilpatrick Frank Richey Scott Harp Bennie Johns Bobby Graham Kenneth Randolph Hugh Fulford Administration Hilda Logan Lavaga Logan Volume No. 5 Issue No. 3 Date February 01, 2012 Letter—Mrs. Mary E. Hundley. HUNTSVILLE, ALA. did enjoy that day at the reunion meeting with some old-time DEAR BROTHER SCOBEY: It is a source of pleasure to me to friends as I have seldom, if ever, done before. learn that there is to be a book published giving historical The Fanning Orphan School now goes on—a worthy, sketches of Franklin and Minerva Colleges, together with Christian enterprise; and my heart's prayer is for the welfare of biographical sketches of the men and women who were active the girls and for the success of Brother David Lipscomb, Jr., in establishing them and carrying forward their grand work in and his dear wife, who watch over them. May this benefaction the world. be a blessing to the age, and may the Master be glorified in its I was a student at Minerva College in the days of my work. girlhood. Well do I remember the pleasures and joys of those days, as well as some hard work we had to do. I shall never MARY E. HUNDLEY. forget Mr. and Mrs. Jones—their kindness and consideration for the comfort and welfare of their pupils. Minerva College was a great and good school. My school days there were delightfully spent. I remember how every Sunday morning we went to the Franklin College chapel to attend church. How often I have heard that grand man, Tolbert Fanning, preach there! It was my happy privilege last May to be present at the reunion of the old students of the schools at the closing exercises of the Fanning Orphan School. As the memory of my school days will never fade away, so the memory of that day will remain with me. There I saw the old Minerva College building standing alone in its glory, unoccupied and going to Editor’s Note: Most students of restoration history concede that decay. Hard by a beautiful, much larger building has been Tolbert Fanning was the most influential person in the movement provided for the accommodation of the Fanning Orphan in the Southland during his lifetime and for many years thereafter. School. As I walked around upon those grounds, hallowed by a He was a gospel preacher, an excellent debater, an educator, thousand sweet memories of school days long past, I thought having founded Franklin College and founding editor of the Gospel of our beloved president, Sandy E. Jones, and his queenly Advocate, the journal that became the journal of record among wife, and numerous and lovely schoolmates we had at one Christians , not only in the south, but across the country. After his death, his influence continued through his many students. Such time under that roof. There we had not only learned something men as David Lipscomb, E.G. Sewell and T.B. Larimore were from the books we daily had in our hands, but our kind students of his.