A Social History of the Disciples of Christ

In 1966, David Edwin Harrell, Jr. published Volume One of his social history of the Disciples of Christ. Entitled Quest For a Christian America: The Disciples of Christ and American Society to 1866. Looking at factors that would lead eventually to the rending of the Stone-Campbell Movement into Disciples of Christ and Churches of Christ, Harrell shows how economic issues, slavery, and sectionalism led to church schism. Harrell argues convincingly that the division was "basically a North-South division (although rural-urban and other factors are important." (p. 132)

From Harrell's view and against many Disciple historians before him, the Civil War played a major role in the rupture of the fellowship. The church in the North (Disciples) following the war "committed to a more denominational and socially active concept of Christianity." The church in the South (Churches of Christ) emerged from the war "more strongly than ever committed to the extreme sectarian emphasis in Disciples thought." (p. 173)

1973 saw the publication of Volume 2, The Social Sources of Division in the Disciples of Christ, 1865 - 1900. Both volumes provide a wealth of information and illuminating insights into our heritage. Members of the Stone-Campbell tradition still have much to learn from Harrell's work.

The Sectional Origins of the Churches of Christ

I want you to know the name David Edwin Harrell, Jr. He is arguably the premier historian of the Stone-Campbell Movement. His work focuses on what Disciples thought and did on social subjects, unlike most Disciple histories which examine our theological convictions. In 1964, his article, The Sectional Origins of the Churches of Christ, appeared in The Journal of Southern History. An abridged version of the articles was subsequently published in Mission Journal in 1980. Here's how the latter begins:

One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Churches of Christ from their beginning has been the marked sectional distribution of the membership. According to the 1906 religious census, 101,734 of the churches 159,658 members lived in the eleven former states of the Confederacy. Another 30,206 lived in the four border states of Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The only state north of the Ohio River to have a membership of over 5,000 was Indiana. . . .

These statistics are even more striking when compared with the membership distribution of the more liberal wing of the movement, that listed in the 1906 census as the Disciples of Christ. Only 138,703 of the total Disciples' membership of nearly a million lived in the eleven southern states. Excluding Virginia and North Carolina, where the liberal Disciples won virtually all of the churches, the group had a total membership of only 99,233 in the remaining nine states. . . .

The sectional bifurcation of the Disciples of Christ - using the name to refer to the whole movement - is one of the most vivid American examples of the bending of the Christian ethos to fit the presuppositions of the community. All of the complex antagonisms in nineteenth-century America society - North and South, East and West, urban and rural, affluent and dispossessed - left their marks on the theology and institutional development of the group. Schism was a result of differences far more complex than doctrinal disagreement - far more than the simple statement that "the 'Christian Churches'. . . took their instruments and their missionary society and walked a new course.". . . The obvious fact that the Churches of Christ are sectional (and, for that matter, so is the Northern-oriented Disciples church) leads to the obvious question: What are the sectional origins of the group?

If denominational identity matters, Harrell's question is well worth pondering. We'll do that in our next post.

Note: A copy of Harrell's complete article can be obtained from JSTOR.

Declaration and Address

2009 marks the bicentennial of the publication of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address, one of the foundational documents of the Stone-Campbell movement. Here is his opening proposition:

That 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.

Believing division among Christians "a horrid evil," Campbell's vision of unity continues to influence present-day Disciples.

To read from the Declaration, click here.

The ICC Online

All of the older volumes of The International Critical Commentary (ICC) series are now online. If you're doing research on a difficult passage, one of these classics might provides some valuable insights.

Phoebe

At the SBL Forum, Elizabeth McCabe reexamines the titles given to Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) and looks at the inaccuracies of some of our English translations.

The Second Pentecost

The concluding verses of Acts 10 provides the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a Gentile household. It is a dual conversion story. The non-Jew, Cornelius, becomes a follower of Jesus, and the evangelist, Peter, is "converted" to the reality that God accepts Gentiles into the people of God.

Below is a list of study questions you can use in personal reflection or a group inductive bible study.

1. What is the destination of Peter’s trip? (v. 24)

2. Who does Peter visit? How is he received by his host? (v. 25)

3. What is the problem associated with Peter’s visit? Why did Peter make the visit without an objection? (v. 28 -29)

4. According to the host, why did he send for Peter? (v. 30-33)

5. What does Peter believe about prophecy? (v. 43)

6. What happens while Peter is speaking? Why are the traveling companions astonished? (v. 44-45)

7. What order does Peter issue? (v. 47-48)

8. How is this event like the Pentecost event? How is it different? (Acts 2)

2009 General Assembly

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly is fast approaching. Dates are July 29 - August 2 in Indianapolis. Here is a brief promotional video for the event hosted by Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President.