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95-581: The Crenshaw Christian Center is a non-denominational megachurch based in Los Angeles , California . It has around 28,000 members. The church was founded in 1973 by Frederick K. C. Price in Inglewood, California . In 1981, the church bought the old Pepperdine University campus in South Los Angeles . After the purchase, Price oversaw construction of a new sanctuary, called the "FaithDome", which at

190-578: A plurality of elders in each congregation, weekly communion and immersion for the remission of sins." Among practices he rejected as non-essential were "the holy kiss, deaconesses, communal living, footwashing and charismatic exercises." Several Baptist associations began disassociating congregations that refused to subscribe to the Philadelphia Confession . The Mahoning Association came under attack. In 1830, The Mahoning Baptist Association disbanded. The younger Campbell ceased publication of

285-627: A "primitive" form of Christianity grew in popularity in the U.S. after the American Revolution . This desire to restore a purer form of Christianity played a role in the development of many groups during this period, known as the Second Great Awakening . These included the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Baptists and Shakers . The Restoration Movement began during, and was greatly influenced by, this Second Awakening. While

380-622: A broader network of congregations. Many nondenominational churches can nevertheless be positioned in existing movements, such as Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism , even though they are autonomous and have no formal labels. Nondenominational churches are particularly visible in the megachurches . The neo-charismatic churches often use the term nondenominational to define themselves. Some non-denominational churches identify solely with Christianity. Most "other Christians" in America belong to nondenominational churches. Citing data from

475-503: A defamation suit after the ABC television network aired a segment of their 20/20 investigative journalism program about certain of the largest, well-known Christian ministries in the U.S. Titled "Enough!", it was about how these ministries appeared to be misspending their congregants' tithes and offerings. It illustrated that Price was one of the ministers who had become overly wealthy as a result of misusing his congregants' monies. To this end,

570-511: A form of evangelical Christianity . Nondenominational Christianity first arose in the 18th century through the Stone–Campbell Restoration Movement , with followers organizing themselves simply as " Christians " and " Disciples of Christ ". Congregations in this tradition of nondenominational Christianity often refer to themselves as Churches of Christ . Independent nondenominational churches continued to appear in

665-649: A friendly rivalry and kept the dialog going within the movement. The Gospel Advocate was founded by the Nashville -area preacher Tolbert Fanning in 1855. Fanning's student William Lipscomb served as co-editor until the American Civil War forced them to suspend publication in 1861. After the end of the Civil War, publication resumed in 1866 under the editorship of Fanning and Lipscomb's younger brother David Lipscomb ; Fanning soon retired, and David Lipscomb became

760-522: A handshake between Stone and "Raccoon" John Smith . Smith had been chosen by attendees as spokesman for the followers of the Campbells. A preliminary meeting of the two groups had been held in late December 1831, culminating with the merger on January 1, 1832. Two representatives of the assembly were appointed to carry the news of the union to all the churches: John Rogers for the Christians and Smith for

855-541: A millennial age through human progress. Rather, he believed that it depended on the power of God, and that while waiting for God to establish His kingdom, one should live as if the rule of God were already fully established. For the Stone movement, this millennial emphasis had less to do with eschatological theories and more about a countercultural commitment to live as if the kingdom of God were already established on earth. This apocalyptic perspective or world view led many in

950-427: A more humble and an older designation. As a result, both names were used, and the confusion over names has continued ever since. After 1832, use of the term "Reformation" became frequent among leaders of the movement. The Campbells had designated themselves as "Reformers," and other early leaders also saw themselves as reformers seeking Christian unity and restoring apostolic Christianity. The movement's language at

1045-556: A primitive Christianity based on the Bible. While restoring primitive Christianity was central to the Stone movement, they believed that restoring the lifestyle of members of the early church is essential. During the early years, they "focused more... on holy and righteous living than on the forms and structures of the early church. The group also worked to restore the primitive church. Concerned that emphasizing particular practices could undermine Christian freedom, this effort tended to take

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1140-433: A progressive strand in his thinking. The Campbell movement was characterized by a "systematic and rational reconstruction" of the early church, in contrast to the Stone movement which was characterized by radical freedom and lack of dogma. Despite their differences, the two movements agreed on several critical issues. Both saw restoring apostolic Christianity as a means of hastening the millennium. Both also saw restoring

1235-425: A rational faith that was formulated and defended based on facts derived from the Bible. Campbell's solution to achieve Christian unity combined forsaking the creeds and traditions, which he believed had divided Christians, and recovering the primitive Christianity, found in scripture, that was common for all Christians. Alexander Campbell's millennialism was more optimistic than Stone's. He had more confidence in

1330-562: A reliable basis for Christian unity. Thomas Campbell combined the Enlightenment approach to unity with the Reformed and Puritan traditions of restoration. The Enlightenment affected the Campbell movement in two ways. First, it provided the idea that Christian unity could be achieved by finding a set of essentials that all reasonable people could agree on. Second, it also provided the concept of

1425-420: A reliance on facts provides the basis for agreement among scientists, Alexander believed that if Christians limited themselves to the facts found in the Bible they would necessarily come to agreement. He believed that those facts, approached in a rational and scientific manner, provided a blueprint or constitution for the church. Alexander was attracted to this scientific approach to the Bible because it offered

1520-514: A set of essentials upon which all reasonable persons might agree." The essentials he identified were those practices for which the Bible provided: "a 'Thus saith the Lord,' either in express terms or by approved precedent." Unlike Locke, who considered the earlier efforts by Puritans to be inherently divisive, Thomas argued for "a complete restoration of apostolic Christianity." Thomas believed that creeds served to divide Christians. He also believed that

1615-637: A systematic restoration of the early church. One of the basic goals of the English Puritans was to restore a pure, "primitive" church that would be a true apostolic community. This conception was a critical influence in the development of the Puritans in Colonial America . It has been described as the "oldest ecumenical movement in America": Both the great founding documents of the movement are authentically ecumenical. In The Last Will and Testament of

1710-525: A variety of places with different leaders, there is no consistent nomenclature for the movement as a whole. The term "Restoration Movement" became popular during the 19th century; this appears to be the influence of Alexander Campbell's essays on "A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things" in the Christian Baptist . The term "Stone-Campbell Movement" emerged towards the end of the 19th century as

1805-406: A way to avoid the difficulties associated with some of the other names that have been used and to maintain a sense of the collective history of the movement. The Restoration Movement has been characterized by several key principles: Thus, the church "should stress only what all Christians hold in common and should suppress all divisive doctrines and practices". Several slogans have been used in

1900-760: The American Christian Missionary Society (ACMS). By the end of the century, the Foreign Christian Missionary Society and the Christian Woman's Board of Missions were also engaged in missionary activities. Forming the ACMS did not reflect a consensus of the entire movement, and these para-church organizations became a divisive issue. While there was no disagreement over the need for evangelism, many believed that missionary societies were not authorized by scripture and would compromise

1995-660: The Christian Baptist . In January 1831, he began publication of the Millennial Harbinger . The Age of Enlightenment had a significant influence on the Campbell movement. Thomas Campbell was a student of the Enlightenment philosopher John Locke . While he did not explicitly use the term "essentials" in the Declaration and Address , Thomas proposed the same solution to religious division as had been advanced earlier by Locke and Edward Herbert : "[R]educe religion to

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2090-875: The Churches of Christ , the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , and the independent Christian Church/Church of Christ congregations. Additionally, there are the International Churches of Christ , the International Christian Church , the Churches of Christ in Europe , and the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada , and the Churches of Christ in Australia . Some characterize the divisions in

2185-484: The Cooperative Congressional Election Study and General Social Survey , political scientist and statistician Ryan Burge noted that nondenominational Christians are very similar to Southern Baptists , but with some caveats. Burge writes, "Nondenominational churches are typically younger and more racially diverse than Southern Baptist churches. On religious matters, both groups attend church at

2280-630: The First Great Awakening , a movement developed among those Baptists known as Separate Baptists . Two themes of this movement were the rejection of creeds and "freedom in the Spirit ." The Separate Baptists saw Scripture as the "perfect rule" for the church. However, while they turned to the Bible for a structural pattern for the church, they did not insist on complete agreement on the details of that pattern. This group originated in New England but

2375-545: The Kentucky Synod and formed the Springfield Presbytery . The defining event of the Stone wing of the movement was the publication of Last Will and Testament of The Springfield Presbytery, at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1804. The brief document announces their withdrawal from Presbyterianism and their intention to be solely part of the body of Christ. The writers appeal for the unity of all who follow Jesus, suggest

2470-592: The Renaissance , intellectual roots become easier to discern. At the heart of the Reformation was an emphasis on the principle of "Scripture alone" ( sola scriptura ). This, along with the related insistence on the right of individuals to read the Bible and interpret it for themselves and a movement to reduce rituals in worship, formed part of the intellectual background of early Restoration Movement leaders. The branch of

2565-765: The Stone–Campbell Movement , and pejoratively as Campbellism ) is a Christian movement that began on the United States frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1840) of the early 19th century. The pioneers of this movement were seeking to reform the church from within and sought "the unification of all Christians in a single body patterned after the church of the New Testament." The Restoration Movement developed from several independent strands of religious revival that idealized early Christianity. Two groups which independently developed similar approaches to

2660-523: The United Church of Christ . The merger raised the question of what to call the new movement. Finding a biblical, non-sectarian name was important. Stone wanted to continue to use the name "Christians," while Alexander Campbell insisted upon "Disciples of Christ". Stone advocated using the name "Christians" based on its use in Acts 11:26 , while Campbell preferred the term "disciples" because he saw it as both

2755-519: The United States in the course of the 20th century. Nondenominational congregations experienced significant and continuous growth in the 21st century, particularly in the United States. In 2010, there were 35,496 nondenominational churches in the US with over 12 million congregants. If combined into a single group, nondenominational churches collectively represented the third-largest Christian grouping in

2850-492: The confessionalism or creedalism of other Christian communities by not formally aligning with a specific Christian denomination . In North America, nondenominational Christianity arose in the 18th century through the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement , with followers organizing themselves simply as " Christians " and " Disciples of Christ ". The nondenominational movement saw expansion during

2945-831: The 20th century Jesus movement era, which popularized contemporary Christian music and Christian media within global pop culture . Many nondenominational churches adhere to congregationalist polity , while others are governed by elders. Some nondenominational churches are independent, while others cooperate in loose associations such as the Churches of Christ ; in other cases, nondenominational churches are founded by individual pastors such Calvary Chapel Association established by Chuck Smith . Some non-denominational churches have grown quite recently within networks like Acts 29 . Certain nondenominational churches are associated with various movements in Christendom, such as evangelicalism or Charismatic Christianity , but many adhere to

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3040-530: The American Christian Missionary Society (ACMS) in a way that would be acceptable to more members of the Movement." The "Louisville Plan," as it came to be known, attempted to build on existing local and regional conventions and to "promote the harmonious cooperation of all the state and District Boards and Conventions." It established a General Christian Missionary Convention. Membership

3135-550: The Bible to supply a set of beliefs that all Christians could agree upon. The core teachings which he viewed as essential were the messiahship of Jesus and Jesus' direct commands. Christians could be devoutly committed to other Biblical teachings, but in Locke's view these were non-essentials over which Christians should never fight or try to coerce each other. Unlike the Puritans and the later Restoration Movement, Locke did not call for

3230-476: The Bible was clear enough that anyone could understand it and, thus, creeds were unnecessary. Alexander Campbell was also deeply influenced by Enlightenment thinking, in particular the Scottish School of Common Sense of Thomas Reid and Dugald Stewart . This group believed that the Bible related concrete facts rather than abstract truths, and advocated a scientific or " Baconian " approach to interpreting

3325-417: The Bible. It would begin with those facts, arrange the ones applicable to a given topic, and draw conclusions from them in a way that has been described as "nothing less than the scientific method applied to the Bible." Alexander reflected this Baconian approach when he repeatedly argued that "the Bible is a book of facts, not of opinions, theories, abstract generalities, nor of verbal definitions." Just as

3420-691: The Campbells resisted what they saw as the spiritual manipulation of the camp meetings , the Southern phase of the awakening "was an important matrix of Barton Stone's reform movement" and shaped the evangelistic techniques used by both Stone and the Campbells. In 1801, the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky planted the seed for a movement in Kentucky and the Ohio River valley to disassociate from denominationalism . In 1803 Barton W. Stone and others withdrew from

3515-660: The Christian church based on visible patterns set forth in the New Testament , and both believed that creeds kept Christianity divided. In 1832 they joined in fellowship with a handshake. Among other things, they were united in the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; that Christians should celebrate the Lord's Supper on the first day of each week ; and that baptism of adult believers

3610-458: The Christian faith were particularly important. The first, led by Barton W. Stone , began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky , and identified as " Christians ". The second began in western Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia) and was led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell , both educated in Scotland; they eventually used the name " Disciples of Christ ". Both groups sought to restore

3705-680: The Disciples about the same time as Thomas, but split with Thomas in 1863 over disagreements about eschatology, forming the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith. During the American Civil War his followers also sought to register as conscientious objectors . Some congregations were unable to register this name because of local regulations and chose an alternative name, Church of the Blessed Hope; but

3800-748: The Disciples movement were not required to be baptised again. Thomas, on the other hand, insisted that a baptism based on a different understanding of the gospel to that held in the Disciples movement was not a valid baptism, and he called for rebaptism in his periodical, the Apostolic Advocate . Campbell viewed this as sectarianism, which cut across the fundamental commitment of the Disciples movement to "the union of all Christians," and rejected " anabaptism ." The two men became estranged. Thomas began to refuse to share prayer, worship, or communion with those he considered not to be validly baptised Christians. His theological views also continued to develop. By 1837 he

3895-465: The New Testament led the reformers to begin to practice baptism by immersion , the nearby Redstone Baptist Association invited Brush Run Church to join with them for the purpose of fellowship. The reformers agreed, provided that they would be "allowed to preach and to teach whatever they learned from the Scriptures." Thomas' son Alexander came to the U.S. to join him in 1809. Before long, he assumed

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3990-515: The Reformation movement which was represented by Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin contributed an emphasis on "restoring biblical forms and patterns." The rationalism of John Locke provided another influence. Reacting to the deism of Lord Herbert , Locke sought a way to address religious divisions and persecution without abandoning Scripture. To do this, Locke argued against the right of government to enforce religious orthodoxy and turned to

4085-478: The Restoration Movement, which are intended to express some of the distinctive themes of the movement: During the late Middle Ages , dissenters such as John Wycliffe and John Huss called for a restoration of a primitive form of Christianity, but they were driven underground. As a result, it is difficult to find any direct links between such early dissenters and the restoration movement. Beginning with

4180-617: The Restoration Movement. The membership of both the Stone and Campbell groups drew heavily from the ranks of the Separate Baptists. Separate Baptist restorationism also contributed to the development of the Landmark Baptists in the same region as the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement and at about the same time. Under the leadership of James Robinson Graves , this group wanted to define a precise blueprint for

4275-637: The Scriptures, lowering the overall religious literacy while increasing the potential for inter-religious misunderstandings and conflict. Steven R. Harmon, a Baptist theologian who supports ecumenism , argues that "there's really no such thing" as a nondenominational church, because "as soon as a supposedly non-denominational church has made decisions about what happens in worship, whom and how they will baptize, how and with what understanding they will celebrate holy communion , what they will teach, who their ministers will be and how they will be ordered, or how they relate to those churches, these decisions have placed

4370-649: The Springfield Presbytery (1804), Barton Stone and his fellow revivalists dissolved their exclusive presbyterial relationship, desiring to "sink into union with the Body of Christ at large." Five years later Thomas Campbell wrote in The Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington [PA] (1809) "The church of Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally and constitutionally one." During

4465-729: The Stone and Campbell group: an emphasis on conversion experience, quarterly observance of communion, and nontrinitarianism . Those who did not unite with Campbell (the Christian Connection ) merged with the Congregational Churches in 1931 to form the Congregational Christian Churches . In 1957, the Congregational Christian Church merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to become

4560-510: The Stone movement to adopt pacifism , avoid participating in civil government, and reject violence, militarism, greed, materialism and slavery. The Campbell wing of the movement was launched when Thomas Campbell published the Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington in 1809. The Presbyterian Synod had suspended his ministerial credentials. In The Declaration and Address, he set forth some of his convictions about

4655-774: The United States in 2010, after the Roman Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention . In Asia, especially in Singapore and Malaysia , these churches are also more numerous, since the 1990s. Nondenominational churches are by definition not affiliated with any specific denominational stream of Christianity, whether by choice from their foundation or because they separated from their denomination of origin at some point in their history. Like denominational congregations, nondenominational congregations vary in size, worship, and other characteristics. Although independent, many nondenominational congregations choose to affiliate with

4750-559: The United States. Thomas was a strong supporter of Alexander Campbell and the principles of the Disciples movement, and he quickly became a well-known leader and teacher. In 1834, however, Thomas took a contrary position to Campbell on the significance of baptism which led to a sharp conflict between the two men. While Campbell believed baptism by immersion to be very important, he recognised as Christians all who believed Jesus of Nazareth to be Messiah and Lord, and recognised any prior baptism. For this reason, members of Baptist churches who joined

4845-512: The autonomy of local congregations. The ACMS was not as successful as proponents had hoped. It was opposed by those who believed any extra-congregational organizations were inappropriate; hostility grew when the ACMS took a stand in 1863 favoring the Union side during the Civil War. A convention held in Louisville, Kentucky , in 1869 adopted a plan intended to address "a perceived need to reorganize

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4940-465: The basis of expediency and Christian liberty . Affluent urban congregations were more likely to adopt musical instruments, while poorer and more rural congregations tended to see them as "an accommodation to the ways of the world." The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement notes that Restoration Movement historians have tended to interpret the controversy over the use of musical instruments in worship in ways that "reflect their own attitudes on

5035-460: The church of Jesus Christ. He organized the Christian Association of Washington in Washington County, Pennsylvania on the western frontier of the state, not as a church but as an association of persons seeking to grow in faith. On May 4, 1811, the Christian Association reconstituted itself as a congregationally governed church. With the building it constructed at Brush Run, Pennsylvania, it became known as Brush Run Church . When their study of

5130-655: The church within the stream of a specific type of denominational tradition". Harmon argues that the cause of Christian unity is best served through denominational traditions, since each "has historical connections to the church's catholicity ... and we make progress toward unity when the denominations share their distinctive patterns of catholicity with one another". Presbyterian dogmatic theologian Amy Plantinga Pauw writes that Protestant nondenominational congregations "often seem to lack any acknowledgement of their debts and ties to larger church traditions" and argues that "for now, these non-denominational churches are living off

5225-407: The combined movement had a membership of approximately 20,000. This loose fellowship of churches was called by the names "Christian Connection/Connexion" or "Christian Church." The cornerstone for the Stone movement was Christian freedom. This ideal of freedom led them to reject all the historical creeds, traditions and theological systems that had developed over time and to focus instead on

5320-522: The congregations formed by Scott and heard him preach. Campbell believed that Scott was bringing an important new dimension to the movement with his approach to evangelism. Alexander used The Christian Baptist to address what he saw as the key issue of reconstructing the apostolic Christian community in a systematic and rational manner. He wanted to clearly distinguish between essential and non-essential aspects of primitive Christianity. Among what he identified as essential were "congregational autonomy,

5415-430: The contributions of persons whose positions differed radically from their own. Following Campbell's death in 1866, the journals were used to keep the discussions going. Between 1870 and 1900, two journals emerged as the most prominent. The Christian Standard was edited and published by Isaac Errett of Cincinnati . The Christian Evangelist was edited and published by JH Garrison from St. Louis . The two men enjoyed

5510-442: The differences intolerable when Alexander Campbell began publishing a journal, The Christian Baptist , which promoted reform. Campbell anticipated the conflict and moved his membership to a congregation of the Mahoning Baptist Association in 1824. In 1827, the Mahoning Association appointed Walter Scott as an evangelist . Through Scott's efforts, the Mahoning Association grew rapidly. In 1828, Thomas Campbell visited several of

5605-460: The early church as a route to Christian freedom. And both believed that unity among Christians could be achieved by using apostolic Christianity as a model. The commitment of both movements to restoring the early church and to uniting Christians was enough to motivate a union between many in the two movements. The Stone and Campbell movements merged in 1832. This was formalized at the Hill Street Meeting House in Lexington, Kentucky , with

5700-424: The form of rejecting tradition rather than an explicit program of reconstructing New Testament practices. The emphasis on freedom was so strong that the movement avoided developing any ecclesiastical traditions; it was "largely without dogma, form, or structure." What held "the movement together was a commitment to primitive Christianity." Another theme was that of hastening the millennium . Many Americans of

5795-447: The fundamental theological and spiritual issues that initially drove the division of Christianity into denominations behind a veneer of "Christian unity". He argues that nondenominationalism encourages a descent of Christianity—and indeed, all religions—into comfortable "general moralism" rather than being a focus for facing the complexities of churchgoers' culture and spirituality. Prothero further argues that it also encourages ignorance of

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5890-415: The inerrancy of the Bible. According to the Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement Pinkerton is "sometimes labeled the first 'liberal' of the Stone-Campbell Movement." In addition to rejecting the plenary inspiration of the Bible and supporting the use of instruments in worship, Pinkerton also supported "open membership" (recognizing as members individuals who have not been baptized by immersion) and

5985-467: The issue." Examples are given of historians from different branches of the movement interpreting it in relation to the statements of early Restoration Movement leaders, in terms of social and cultural factors, differing approaches to interpreting scripture, differing approaches to the authority of scripture, and "ecumenical progressivism" versus "sectarian primitivism." The early 19th-century Restoration Movement encompassed very different views concerning

6080-407: The leading role in the movement. The Campbells worked within the Redstone Baptist Association during the period 1815 through 1824. While both the Campbells and the Baptists shared practices of baptism by immersion and congregational polity , it quickly became clear the Campbells and their associates were not traditional Baptists. Within the Redstone Association, some of the Baptist leaders considered

6175-475: The margins of the movement. Thomas continued to have supporters among the Disciples but moved further from Christian orthodoxy. In 1846 he published a "Confession and Abjuration" of the faith he held at his baptism, and he arranged to be baptised again. Despite this, when he toured the United Kingdom to give prophetic lectures in 1848–1850 he played down his separation from the Disciples movement, in an endeavour to access congregations in Britain. But his true position

6270-413: The movement as the result of the tension between the goals of restoration and ecumenism : the Churches of Christ and unaffiliated Christian Church/Church of Christ congregations resolved the tension by stressing restoration, while the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) resolved the tension by stressing ecumenism. Because the Restoration Movement lacks any centralized structure, having originated in

6365-423: The oligarchy. They all have a stake in it, and none of them have personal incentives other than principled theological convictions to actually hold their friends accountable, so that the incentives all push in the direction of abuse and cover-up rather than in the direction of accountability and exposure.” Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or

6460-499: The period believed that the millennium was near and based their hopes for the millennium on their new nation, the United States . Members of the Stone movement believed that only a unified Christianity based on the apostolic church, rather than a country or any of the existing denominations, could lead to the coming of the millennium. Stone's millennialism has been described as more " apocalyptic " than that of Alexander Campbell , in that he believed people were too flawed to usher in

6555-540: The period from 1832 to 1906. According to the 1906 U.S. Religious Census the combined membership of the movement made it the 6th largest Christian group in the country at that time. The Disciples do not have bishops; they have editors From the beginning of the movement, the free exchange of ideas among the people was fostered by the journals published by its leaders. Alexander Campbell published The Christian Baptist and The Millennial Harbinger . Stone published The Christian Messenger . Both men routinely published

6650-492: The poor quality of the congregation's singing. At first, the instrument was used for singing practices held on Saturday nights but was then incorporated into worship on Sundays. One of the elders of that assembly removed the first melodeon, but it was soon replaced by another. Both acceptance of instruments and discussion of the issue grew after the Civil War. Opponents argued that the New Testament provided no authorization for their use in worship, while supporters argued on

6745-410: The potential for human progress and believed that Christians could unite to transform the world and initiate a millennial age. Campbell's conceptions were postmillennial , as he anticipated that the progress of the church and society would lead to an age of peace and righteousness before the return of Christ . This optimistic approach meant that, in addition to his commitment to primitivism, he had

6840-534: The primitive church, believing that any deviation from that blueprint would prevent a person from being part of the true church. James O'Kelly was an early advocate of seeking unity through a return to New Testament Christianity. In 1792, dissatisfied with the role of bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church , he separated from that body. O'Kelly's movement, centering in Virginia and North Carolina ,

6935-468: The program broadcast a portion of a Sunday service at Crenshaw Christian Center in which Price, casting himself as a fictional character for the sake of illustration, made statements from his character's point of view about having great riches. 20/20 failed to state the context of those statements, thus allowing them to appear to be statements being made directly by Price himself. ABC later apologized on air and in writing. In 2009, Fred K. Price, Jr. became

7030-575: The reason for the increase in the number of evangelical churches claiming to be nondenominational Christianity. Ryan Burge argues that nondenominational churches are less equipped to monitor or report sexual abuse cases because they lack national organizations to do so. Because of nondenominational churches lack of organizational structure, accountability is minimal. In an article on evangelical clergy sex abuse in The New Republic by Elle Hardy, religious studies scholar Matthew D. Taylor argues that

7125-516: The reformers. Despite some challenges, the merger succeeded. Many believed the union held great promise for the future success of the combined movement and greeted the news enthusiastically. When the two movements united, only a minority of Christians participated. Those who did were from congregations west of the Appalachian Mountains that had come into contact with the Stone movement. The eastern members had several key differences with

7220-561: The relative lack of accountability in nondenominational churches attract pastors "who are more megalomaniacal and authoritarian in their personality”. Since nondenominational churches lack a hierarchy to answer to, pastors with authoritarian personalities are given more opportunities to exert power and control over their congregants. Nondenominational preachers claim to have oversight from their boards and mentorship from "spiritual parents", but these are usually people they know. Taylor argues, “They’re incentivized to protect their friends and protect

7315-435: The role of clergy: the Campbell branch was strongly anti-clergy, believing there was no justification for a clergy/lay distinction, while the Stone branch believed that only an ordained minister could officiate at communion. Early leaders of the movement had a high view of scripture and believed that it was both inspired and infallible . Dissenting views developed during the 19th century. As early as 1849, Pinkerton denied

7410-509: The same rate, yet nondenominationals are more likely to hold a moderate theological position on the Bible than SBC churchgoers. Finally, when it comes to politics it seems that Southern Baptists and nondenominational Christians are very similar. Nondenominational parishioners are slightly more supportive of same-sex marriage and slightly less supportive of abortion rights, but these differences are small." Boston University religion scholar Stephen Prothero argues that nondenominationalism hides

7505-670: The senior pastor. In June 2017, Fred K. Price, Jr. stepped down after eight years as leader of the church, apologizing for "serious personal misjudgments which have affected my life and my family". The church did not disclose the concrete nature of these missteps, and stated that Fred K. Price, Jr. would retake its leadership. He returned to his duties in July 2018. In 2018, the church had 28,000 members. Non-denominational Christianity Non-denominational Christianity (or nondenominational Christianity ) consists of churches , and individual Christians , which typically distance themselves from

7600-462: The sole editor. While Lipscomb was the editor, the focus was on seeking unity by following scripture exactly, and the Advocate' s editorial position was to reject anything that is not explicitly allowed by scripture. The Christian Oracle began publication in 1884. It was later known as The Christian Century and offered an interdenominational appeal. In 1914, Garrison's Christian Publishing company

7695-481: The theological capital of more established Christian communities, including those of denominational Protestantism". Pauw considers denominationalism to be a "unifying and conserving force in Christianity, nurturing and carrying forward distinctive theological traditions" (such as Wesleyanism being supported by Methodist denominations). In 2011, American evangelical professor Ed Stetzer attributed to individualism

7790-403: The time included phrases such as "religious reformation," the "present reformation," the "current reformation" and "the cause of reformation." The term "Restoration Movement" became popular by the late 19th century. It appears to have been inspired by Alexander Campbell's essays on "A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things" in the Christian Baptist. The combined movement grew rapidly over

7885-453: The time was the largest domed church in the United States. In 1989, the building is inaugurated with 10,145 seats. The church had greatly expanded from the time of its previous location at 9550 Crenshaw Boulevard in Inglewood, California , but still required three services for its growing congregation until the building of the FaithDome. In 2007, Frederick K.C. Price, who was then pastor, filed

7980-433: The two names referred to the same sect. The sect divided in 1921, and the Church of God (General Conference) was formed by the larger grouping. In 1849, the first national convention was held at Cincinnati, Ohio. Campbell had concerns that holding conventions would lead the movement into divisive denominationalism. He did not attend the gathering. Among its actions, the convention elected Campbell its president and created

8075-518: The value of congregational self-governance, and declare the Bible as the source for understanding the will of God. They denounced the "divisive" use of the Westminster Confession of Faith and adopted the name "Christian" to identify their group. By 1804 Elias Smith had heard of the Stone movement and the O'Kelly movement by 1808. Although not formally merged, the three groups were cooperating and fellowshiping by 1810. At that time

8170-573: Was a strong supporter of the temperance and abolition movements. As the 19th century progressed, the denial of the inerrancy of the Bible slowly spread. In 1883 the editor of the Christian Standard , Isaac Errett, said "Admitting the fact of inspiration, have we in the inspired Scriptures an infallible guide?... I do not see how we can answer this question affirmatively." Others, including JW McGarvey , fiercely opposed these liberal views. Nothing in life has given me more pain in heart than

8265-402: Was congregational rather than individual. Local congregations elected delegates to district meetings, which in turn elected delegates to state meetings. States were given two delegates, plus an additional delegate for every 5,000 members. The plan proved divisive and faced immediate opposition. Opponents continued to argue that any organizational structure above the local congregational level

8360-596: Was discovered by James Wallis and David King, and the movement closed ranks against him. In 1864 he coined the name "Christadelphian" for those who shared his views and sought to register as conscientious objectors to military service. The name was adopted by Robert Roberts , the Scottish protege of Thomas, for the periodical which he had just begun to publish in Birmingham ; and the sect began to grow rapidly. Benjamin Wilson left

8455-505: Was discussed in journal articles as early as 1849, but initial reactions were generally unfavorable. Some congregations, however, are documented as having used musical instruments in the 1850s and 1860s. An example is the church in Midway, Kentucky , which was using an instrument by 1860. A member of the congregation, L. L. Pinkerton, brought a melodeon into the church building. The minister had been distressed to his "breaking point" by

8550-446: Was especially strong in the South where the emphasis on a biblical pattern for the church grew stronger. In the last half of the 18th century, Separate Baptists became more numerous on the western frontier of Kentucky and Tennessee , where the Stone and Campbell movements would later take root. The development of the Separate Baptists in the southern frontier helped prepare the ground for

8645-521: Was necessarily by immersion in water . Because the founders wanted to abandon all denominational labels , they used the biblical names for the followers of Jesus. Both groups promoted a return to the purposes of the 1st-century churches as described in the New Testament. One historian of the movement has argued that it was primarily a unity movement, with the restoration motif playing a subordinate role. The Restoration Movement has since divided into multiple separate groups. The three main groups are:

8740-470: Was not authorized by scripture, and there was a general concern that the board had been given too much authority. By 1872 the Louisville Plan had effectively failed. Direct contributions from individuals were sought again in 1873, individual membership was reinstated in 1881, and the name was changed back to the American Christian Missionary Society in 1895. The use of musical instruments in worship

8835-452: Was originally called Republican Methodists. In 1794 they adopted the name Christian Church. During the same period, Elias Smith of Vermont and Abner Jones of New Hampshire led a movement espousing views similar to those of O'Kelly. They believed that members could, by looking to scripture alone, simply be Christians without being bound to human traditions and the denominations brought by immigrants from Europe. The ideal of restoring

8930-473: Was purchased by R.A. Long. He established a non-profit corporation, The Christian Board of Publication" as the Brotherhood publishing house. The Christadelphians , Church of the Blessed Hope , and Church of God (General Conference) also have roots in the restoration movement, but took their own direction about this time. In 1832 Walter Scott baptised John Thomas , an English doctor who had emigrated to

9025-532: Was teaching annihilationism , and he debated a Presbyterian clergymen, Isaac Watts. Campbell interpreted this as materialism and believed that it undermined the biblical doctrine of the resurrection, and he reacted strongly. In the Millennial Harbinger Campbell announced that he could no longer consider Thomas a brother. Many congregations of Disciples took this as an indication that they should withhold fellowship from Thomas, and he found himself on

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