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91-571: The Enterprise was founded as a weekly newspaper in November 1885. In 1888 Charles Farriss purchased the paper. Soon after, he left the paper in the hands of his brother J.J. Farriss , a former editor of The Biblical Recorder , the newspaper of the North Carolina Baptist Convention. On September 9, 1904, the paper became a daily. In 1919, the paper was bought by J.P Rawley (1886-1937) and R.B. Terry (1883-1955), and it remained in

182-578: 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

273-627: 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

364-536: A Tuesday-Sunday publishing cycle. The Biblical Recorder The Biblical Recorder is a news organization owned by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC). The newspaper was founded in 1833 by Thomas Meredith , a prominent Southern Baptist leader in North Carolina . Apart from providing news, Meredith used the paper as a vehicle for clear and principled editorials on issues of

455-531: A digital online edition and an updated responsive design website. The bi-weekly print version is distributed throughout North Carolina, 48 states and 39 foreign countries. In 2019, the Recorder adopted a digital-first content strategy, launched a branding update and redeveloped its website. Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or

546-649: 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

637-522: 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

728-640: A lawyer and a Senator. The Biblical Recorder was purchased by Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in 1930. The Biblical Recorder is governed by a board of directors consisting of 20 members elected by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Recent editors include J. Marse Grant (1960-1982), R.G. Puckett (1982-1998), Tony Cartledge (1998-2007), Norman Jameson (2007-2010) and K. Allan Blume (2011-2019). The current editor, Seth Brown, began in June 2019. The format and delivery system that makes

819-541: 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

910-427: 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

1001-457: A podcast under information Technology manager Allison Temple and Editor Megan Ward. The channel featuring their staff in interviews, story and discussionary type shows and hopes to move the paper further into newer technology. HPEdigital.com In December 2019, citing analysis of advertising revenue and single-copy sales, the Enterprise announced that it was dropping its Monday edition, shifting to

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1092-556: 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

1183-433: 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

1274-425: 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

1365-562: 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

1456-420: 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

1547-600: A rigorously orthodox view. First published in Edenton , the paper was moved to New Bern in 1834 and to Raleigh in 1838, and to Cary in 2011. After the move to Raleigh the paper was merged with the Southern Watchman of Charleston, South Carolina , and until 1842 was named The Recorder and Watchman . Meredith continued as editor until his death in 1851. The paper then went through various changes of ownership, at some times suspended for lack of funds. C.T. Bailey, who edited

1638-514: 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

1729-620: A split in the Baptist movement, supported temperance, and weighed in on the troubled relationship with the Triennial Convention . At that time, many Baptist preachers had limited formal education. Religious periodicals such as the Recorder were of great importance to pastors in furthering their theological education and staying connected to other Baptists. Meredith often published multi-issue expositions of key doctrines or defenses of traditional evangelical theological convictions, always providing

1820-687: 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

1911-525: 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

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2002-406: 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

2093-760: 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

2184-660: 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

2275-875: 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

2366-630: 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

2457-545: 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

2548-592: 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

2639-765: 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

2730-574: The Triad Business News, to Paxton Media. Longtime publisher Randall B. Terry Jr. held onto his half of the company. The relationship between Terry and Paxton was testy. In 2000, Terry accused Paxton of trying to cut local content. Paxton sued Terry, alleging mismanagement. In June 2001, the paper cut 16.5 positions, including eight full-time jobs and two part-time jobs from the main newspaper. Terry died of cancer in May 2004. Soon after, Paxton bought

2821-523: 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

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2912-530: 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

3003-550: 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

3094-476: 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

3185-417: 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

3276-514: The Biblical Recorder, Meredith argued "that slaveholding is, per se, wholly inoffensive; that the relation of master and slave is as accordant with the general precepts of the gospel, as that of parent and child, or of husband and wife; and that, therefore, all charges of a criminal nature founded on this relation, and alleged against Southern Christians, are unreasonable and unjust.” He strongly opposed, " Campbellism ", which threatened to cause

3367-691: 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

3458-660: 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

3549-458: 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

3640-680: 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

3731-748: 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

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3822-593: The Enterprise resumed printing operations at its facilities. At its new location, 213 Woodbine St., the Enterprise also prints the Herald-Sun in Durham, as well as other Paxton papers from Sanford, Henderson and Monroe. In August 2015 the High Point Enterprise Launched a new website allowing the integration of Facebook commenting and better ad locations. In April 2016 The Enterprise started HPE: High Point Talks

3913-468: The Enterprise. On Feb. 9, 2009, Paxton Media Group officials informed High Point Enterprise employees that printing and related business would be handled by the Durham Herald-Sun in Durham, N.C., effective March 2. Effective February 2011, Jodi Brookshire became publisher of the Enterprise. In October 2012, Rick Bean returned to serve as both publisher of the Enterprise and Herald-Sun. In August 2014,

4004-465: 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

4095-566: The Rawley and Terry families for eight decades. The newspaper moved to 210 Church Ave. in 1970. It moved in August 2014 from that location to its current home at 213 Woodbine St., a facility that allows space for a new printing press. On October 3, 1994, the paper shifted from afternoon publication to mornings. In 1999, the Rawley family sold its stake of the newspaper company, which also included The Thomasville Times , The Archdale-Trinity News and

4186-503: The Recorder available to Baptists has changed over time. For over 160 years the print edition was the only medium for publishing news. In September 1997 the Recorder launched one of the first Baptist news websites. The site was redesigned and re-launched in October 2011 as BRnow.org. In May 2012 a weekly e-newsletter, the BRweekly, was launched. In 2013 the Recorder launched an app for smartphones,

4277-403: The Recorder in the late 1800s, died in 1895 and was succeeded by his son Josiah Bailey , aged 22. Josiah Bailey used the paper to promote the development of public education based on state aid for primary and secondary education, a change from earlier policy which had advocated parochial schools. Bailey also championed the temperance movement . After leaving the paper he had a successful career as

4368-515: 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

4459-478: 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

4550-617: 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

4641-416: 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

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4732-400: 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

4823-458: 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

4914-559: 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

5005-413: 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

5096-465: 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

5187-460: 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

5278-407: 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

5369-522: 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,

5460-430: 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

5551-421: The day. Although a native Pennsylvanian, Meredith adapted to his adopted region as a slave owner for most of his adult life, a fact he never revealed in his public writing. While silent on his ownership of slaves, Meredith used the pages of the Biblical Recorder to defend slavery on biblical grounds and wrote forcefully against the abolition movement. In an 1847 proslavery pamphlet drawn from materials published in

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5642-442: 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

5733-460: 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

5824-424: 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

5915-415: 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

6006-467: 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

6097-407: 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

6188-475: 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

6279-413: 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

6370-499: 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

6461-540: 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

6552-492: 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

6643-410: 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

6734-534: 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 ,

6825-516: 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

6916-447: The remaining shares of the newspaper. Rick Bean became publisher in May 2004. Upon assumption of operations, Paxton fired Gary B. Moore, general manager, and laid off 20 employees after it closed ESP, a weekly entertainment newspaper. The paper underwent a redesign in 2005. More layoffs took place at the Enterprise in 2007. In early 2008, Bean became publisher of the Herald-Sun in Durham, and, in May 2008, Mike Starn became publisher of

7007-435: 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

7098-462: 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

7189-403: 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

7280-433: 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

7371-518: 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

7462-573: 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

7553-402: 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

7644-596: 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

7735-505: 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

7826-446: 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

7917-521: 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:

8008-470: 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

8099-452: 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

8190-473: 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

8281-532: 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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