The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement, rev. ed.

by Leroy Garrett

Publisher:

College Press

, 2002

Overview

The Stone-Campbell Movement was a nineteenth-century movement that sought to unify Christians under one body and return to apostolic Christianity. Its focus was to disassociate from denominationalism and restore primitive Christianity. Its two prominent leaders, Barton W. Stone and Thomas Campbell originally started the restoration movements independently, but united their vision in 1832. While the Restoration Movement has divided over the years, its history remains significant. This volume is possibly the best reference book ever written on the American Restoration Movement.

In the Logos edition, The Stone-Campbell Movement is completely searchable—Scripture passages appear on mouse-over and link to your original-language texts and English translations. This makes these volumes more powerful and easier to access than ever before. Search by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “unity” or “Matthew 22:37–40.”

Key Features

• Provides a history of the American Restoration Movement
• Illustrates the movement’s vision
• Analyzes obstacles the movement faced

Contents

• The Movement and the Church
• Philosophers and Theologians: European Influences on the Movement
• James O’Kelly and Rice Haggard: The American Prelude to the Movement
• Barton W. Stone: The Movement Begins
• Thomas Campbell and the Declaration and Address: The Movement’s Founding Document
• Alexander Campbell: The Movement in Design
• Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott among the Baptists: The Movement Is Forced Out
• John T. Johnson, Raccoon John Smith, and John Rogers: The Movement Unites
• Pioneers in the Frontier: The Movement Moves West and South
• Alexander Campbell in Afteryears: The Movement Matures
• Heretics and Defectors: The Movement Seeks a Norm
• David Staats Burnet: The Movement Learns to Cooperate
• The Editor Bishops: The Movement in Controversy
• The Editor Bishops: Slavery and the Civil War: The Movement at the Brink of Division
• Archibald McLean and Peter Ainslie: The Movement in Missionary and Ecumenical Outreach
• More Editor Bishops: Daniel Sommer and David Lipscomb: The Movement Divides
• Papers, Preachers, Professors: The Movement Divides Again
• The Movement with Three Faces: Churches of Christ
• The Movement with Three Faces: Christian Churches
• The Movement with Three Faces: Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
• The Three Churches of the Movement: Their Relation to Each Other
• The Movement Faces the Twenty-First Century

Top Highlights

“Restorationism (sometimes called primitivism) generally has these characteristics: (1) the true church apostatized and ceased to exist; (2) the various denominations that emerged are false churches; (3) the New Testament provides a blueprint or prescription for the exact character of the true church; (4) each restorationist sect believes it has ‘restored’ the true church in its pristine purity.” (Page 8)

“Another serious difference was the practice of open Communion, though they did not then call it that. Stone believed that Communion was for all believers, while Campbell, even though he professed a ‘We neither invite nor debar’ position, believed that only immersed believers should take the Lord’s Supper. While this issue was never resolved and has been a point of conflict throughout the Movement’s history, it too was practiced both ways in the early days.” (Page 83)

“The principle of unity, therefore, that has been prevalent from the beginning of the Stone-Campbell Movement, that nothing is to be made a test of communion that God has not made necessary to salvation, goes back to John Locke in 1689.” (Page 26)

“This ‘Common Sense’ view of Scripture convinced Campbell that people can understand the Bible alike on things that really matter, and these are the basic facts of the Bible. Concrete facts, not abstract deductions! The information that God has for us is in the Bible, and we can understand it like we understand anything else, by applying our minds to it!” (Page 31)

“That statement of Campbell’s intention goes far in identifying the genius of the Movement: a reformation for the union of Christians and for the conversion of the world.” (Page 10)

Praise for the Print Edition

No one can match Leroy Garrett’s intimate knowledge of our movement’s three major branches gained through years of study and personal experience. No one interested in our history and current status can afford to miss this important work.

—Douglas A. Foster, associate professor of church history, Abilene Christian University

This substantially revised edition of Leroy Garrett’s anecdotal history has bettered the first edition, which I would have thought difficult to do. This anecdotal history is written in an easy-to-read style and its vision of history is very well balanced. . . . This new edition is a marvelous contribution and a necessary addition to the body of knowledge about the heritage of the Stone-Campbell Movement.

—David McWhirter, director of library and archives, Disciples of Christ Historical Society

Leroy Garrett is a thoughtful and thought-provoking scholar. This book is a penetrating treatment of an increasingly complex development. Probably no one will agree with everything he has to say. But everyone can profit from his critiques, his challenges, and his insights.

—James North, professor of church history, Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary

Product Details

• Title: The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement
• Author: Leroy Garrett
• Edition: Revised
• Publisher: College Press
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: iv, 573

About Leroy Garrett

Leroy Garrett taught as a professor of philosophy, history, and religion at Bethany College, Texas Woman’s University, and Dallas Christian College. He was the editor of Restoration Review for 34 years and Bible Talk for six years.