Restoration History Series Brief introduction to Restoration History Barton W. Stone Alexander Campbell Leaders, Colleges, and Organizational Questions

Brief Introduction to Restoration History Lesson April 2014

Why Study Restoration History? Is often misunderstood Is even more often incorrectly defined Is more and more seen as a divergent view Is an inspiring study: men willing to confront and battle, men loyal to conviction

Original Purpose Restore original Christianity, primitive practice Two pillars: Scripture and unity –Return to Scripture, strong concept of inspiration (rationalism, human understanding) –Build unity, time when division was deplored Desire to increase morality Desire to be independent, without creed, without authoritative overseeing group

Questions—then and now Is it desirable and necessary? Can it be done? What means should be used to accomplish it? Who wants it? (we live in a different time)

Not new questions—how answer? Alexander Campbell answered with three principles –Distinguish faith and opinion Faith = acceptance of facts AND trust Opinion=cognition without sufficient evidence for faith, thus inconclusive; therefore, opinion should not be preached as dogma –The silence of Scripture –Importance of using proper biblical terminology

Pragmatic Questions Is the plea valid? What do you restore? –Not the externals, but the essence –What is the essence, what is incidental? –What is permanent, what is temporary? What are appropriate boundaries of fellowship? Who decides? What MUST one do/believe?

Pragmatic Questions How do you do it? –By rejecting human creeds and traditions, –Follow only the Bible Is first century Christianity monolithic enough to be restored?

What is substance of Reformers’ plea? Robert Richardson, Millennial Harbinger, 1854 –Proclaim the gospel –Emphasize morality –The Holy Spirit works in word and conversion –Bible is the source of faith

Frontier Issues (Frederick Turner Jackson) Fostered spirit of individualism Spirit of self-reliance Frontier was democratic, voice of the people Emotionalism Pugnacious

Frontier Issues (William Warren Sweet) Dominated by fear Gullible people, superstition Denigrated education and culture, ridiculed high theology Self-reliance (applied to religion) Promoted free will (Arminianism) “Lay” preachers Religion should be felt

Frontier Issues Frontier religion was less formal Preaching was more conversational There are was questioning, debating Emphasized the individual—you can respond to God Restoration Plea fit well in this situation

Frontier Issues Why Restoration Plea fit well –Message was strongly anti-clerical and anti- creedal –Debating was used, often to depend oneself –Conversational style of preaching –Simple organization

Frontier Issues Why Restoration Plea fit well –Strongly individualistic (revivalism) –Immediate action was preached –The democratic spirit revolted against creeds –When people obeyed, had strong sense of security

Barton W. Stone April 2014

Barton W. Stone Revivalism—Focusing the Hope for the Future

Cane Ridge

Barton W. Stone & Cane Ridge Revivalism in early 19 th century Presbyterian conflicts Converging interests

National Religious Development Early 1800s The Second Great Awakening Revivals: Baptists and Methodists Challenges to Calvinism Revolt against increasing church controls

Barton W. Stone--Early History Born Dec 24, 1772 Remembered Revolutionary War Stone was stirred; fervor wore off Began studies to become lawyer, enrolled in Dr. David Caldwell’s “Log School” Schools: classics and linguistics

Religious Milieu Liberal Presbyterian: not as Calvinistic, more emotional Calvinism: all credit to God Revivalism: human response Just thinking: where are we?

Personal Religious Development Stone’s Conversion –At Caldwell’s school a great religious excitement stirred at the preaching ofJames M’Gready. Sovereignty of God PLUS human response Revivalism: something done only by God (waiting) or is human involvement possible/necessary?

Personal Religious Development Stone attended services to hear M’Gready preach “After a long struggle, he at length obtained peace of mind in a retired wood, to which he had resorted with his Bible” (Richardson, Memoirs)

Call to Ministry Felt “great desire to preach gospel” but had no “divine call” to do so. 1793: left Caldwell’s school, went to Georgia to teach in school of Hope Hall 1796: Stone became a candidate for the ministry in the Orange Presbytery –Permission to preach, but not yet ordained Stone’s mother was Methodist now

Call to Ministry Stone went to Fort Nashboro John Anderson told him of Cane Ridge (KY) where Robert Findlay was leaving Stone went on preaching tour to Kentucky Cane Ridge, Bourbon County, KY So successful they asked him to stay. Opened school, trained several

Call to Ministry Needed to be ordained as licensing period was almost up Had to seek ordination in a new presbytery. –Agreement with Westminster Creed: –“As far as I see it consistent with the word of God.”

Cane Ridge

Early Ministry Stone was at Cane Ridge Went to raise money for Transylvania College in SC Went back to KY with B. F. Hall Hall had received a letter asking him to go to Logan County for a M’Gready revival

Cane Ridge Church The revivals in Kentucky were led by M’Gready –Spring of 1801 –Camp meetings in Logan County. “strange agitations...which had formerly occurred under the preaching of Whitefield and others” (as in First Great Awakening)

Cane Ridge

Cane Ridge Camp Meeting (1801) Cane Ridge church “protracted meeting” for August of that year (1801) More than 20,000 people attended, with some estimates as high as 30,000. Presbyterians, Methodist and Baptists, with all preachers witnessing the “agitations” as a result of their preaching More than 1,000 were “struck down” Some “struck down” were “infidels.”

Cane Ridge Camp Meeting (1801) People of all ages were “struck down as in battle, remaining for hours motionless, and then reviving in the agonies of remorse or in the ecstasies of spiritual joy.” Stone believed these were work of God. Similar things happened via his own preaching. Interest in religion permeating the area, which led to other religious groups coming to the region.

Conflicts with the Presbyterians In Lexington, the first synod was being formed Leadership did not agree with Liberal Presbyterian thought, especially as taught at Cane Ridge But the Cane Ridge group was in added to Washington Presbytery Transylvania Presbytery questioned this

Conflicts with the Presbyterians So the Kentucky Synod heard the case in 1803, but Stone and his friends wrote before the hearing that they were leaving the Presbyterian system Formed the Springfield Presbytery in fall 1803 Established 6 congregations immediately Had period conferences, evangelistic tool, did not settle much doctrinally

The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery That the Bible is a sure guide That the Bible is complete, authority, rule of faith and practice That the source of division is from men, not from God That human inventions and traditions can be laid aside That men should unite on the Bible That human creeds and inventions are unnecessary and harmful

Converging Interests Rice Haggard, Methodist circuit rider from VA Samuel Davies (d. 1761) of Princeton had been great orator Read sermon of Grosvenor (Anglican) from 1728 on the name “Christian” Davies preached similar sermon and printed it Rice Haggard read Davies’ sermon, adapted it and began preaching it Thus Rice Haggard suggested the name to O’Kelly in 1793

Converging Interests In New England, Elias Jones and Abner Smith were using the name Christian The “Christian Connection” was mostly a New England affair, although independent By the 1830s there were 900 preachers in the Christian connection in New England Did not see baptism as compulsory

A Continuing Story Rice Haggard visited KY in March 1804 Stone studied with Haggard and adopted the name “Christian” Stone and baptism: a long story 1810: Stone’s wife died, married a widow, moved to TN Moved back to KY in 1816 to be school teacher and preacher 1834: Illinois, Antioch church, common name

Joining Forces Stone and John T. Johnson Raccoon John Smith and Samuel Rodgers December 1832 AC was “unable to attend” Union made without consent of AC AC was unhappy about it –Too many differences –Forced to recognize it

Disciple vs. Christian 1833: joint hymnbook, edited by Stone, Walter Scott, Campbell, and D. P. Henderson Division over name of book, disciples vs. Christians AC, Millennial Harbinger, 1839: advocates use of “proper name”—Disciples of Christ –Has priority chronologically, used in gospel –Christian has connotation of Christian connection, then going to Unitarianism

Disciple vs. Christian Stone was hurt, wrote Campbell Almost divisive wedge, even Walter Scott was upset with Campbell But in Kentucky, Christian was retained with a lot of resentment against Campbell

Cane Ridge