Articles for tag: Barton W. Stone

January 10, 2019

Christian Standard

J. W. McGarvey’s Reminiscences of Thomas Campbell

– Jan. 9, 1909 – Among the crucial earliest triggers of the Restoration Movement, I typically think of two: The Cane Ridge Revival led by Barton W. Stone (1801) and the Declaration and Address penned by Thomas Campbell (1809). In January 1909, Christian Standard began a year-long series under this banner headline: “CENTENNIAL SPECIAL FOR JANUARY” with the subhead, “After One Hundred Years—A Century of Progress in America’s Greatest Christian Union Movement.” A number of articles in the issue carried that theme forward. In a moment, I will zero in on what probably is the most personable of them (“Reminiscences

March 8, 2018

Christian Standard

Our Heavenly Father’s Favorite Thing

The True Story of a Defeated Pastor, a Dying Church, and God’s Redemption of Both   By Ken Idleman  Both the Old and New Testaments reveal something about God that we tend to either quietly doubt or glibly take for granted. We can find it buried in the historical narrative of the book of Jeremiah, who speaks for God, revealing both his heart for and goodwill toward his people: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says . . . “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and

February 3, 2018

Jerry Harris

Marshall Keeble and What He Taught Me

By Jerry Harris I, like so many independent Christian church preachers, had the opportunity to study the history of the Restoration Movement in Bible college. My experience was a droning professor in a 7 a.m. class. My goal then was simply to survive it, achieve the best grade possible, and then move on to more interesting things. Biographical sketches of our movement’s pioneers held little interest for me at the time, and for the most part, it stayed that way for many years. It wasn’t until our church launched a multisite location in Hannibal, Missouri, that an interest in our

August 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Now More Than Ever: Embracing the DNA that Created a Movement

By Rubel Shelly Did you ever agree to something””only to regret it later? As I begin writing this piece, that feeling hovers over me. I will not characterize the Stone-Campbell Movement as others would. (Some have already been offended that I call it the Stone-Campbell Movement rather than the Restoration Movement; it is a movement of ideas and ideals, not particular historical characters, they say. Others were offended that I dared call it a “movement” at all; it is theological rediscovery and return, not a human program.) See? I told you I didn”t feel good about this. I”m in trouble

June 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Misplaced Loyalty? (A Healthy Commitment to the Restoration Movement)

By Jeff Faull Attitudes toward the Restoration Movement from within the movement are greatly varied. They range from a blind, unquestioning loyalty to the movement””its founders, champions, and slogans””to a lack of interest and an assessment that our historic plea and positions are irrelevant, all the way to an overt disdain and intentional distancing from our heritage and history.  Myriads of articles have been written about the ongoing decline of denominational loyalty. The editors of Christianity Today even put a tombstone under the headline “Are Denominations Dead?” on their June 2010 cover, highlighting a piece on waning tribal commitment by

June 19, 2017

Jerry Harris

A Plea for the Restoration Movement

By Jerry Harris It”s foolish to want all Christians to be in unity if we can”t be unified in our own brotherhood. We need to fight for relationship in all the issues that could potentially divide us. Otherwise, no one should take this Restoration Movement seriously. The first-century church had more difficult challenges that threatened deeper divisions than we do now. We must learn the same lessons of living out the fruit of the Spirit that they did. We can”t allow ourselves the prideful position of proving ourselves right over the greater need of loving each other. If we can

April 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Opening Doors

“You don”t have to leave the movement to lead beyond it.”Â  Six perspectives on a provocative statement ________ By Jennifer Johnson These leaders love the Restoration Movement and its principles, but they also work and minister “outside” of it with the churches they serve, the partnerships they pursue, and the parachurch ministries they lead.  Here are their thoughts on what it means to go beyond the movement, why it matters, and how it can honor God. Brent Storms The biggest question for me is how does one “get in” and “get out” of our movement?  We”re coming across planters and church

April 17, 2016

Christian Standard

Lloyd Pelfrey and the Future of the Restoration Movement

By T.R. Robertson “Nobody knows more about the Restoration Movement in Missouri than Lloyd Pelfrey. In fact, he lived most of it.” Those words, spoken by Dan Sites, a preacher from Mexico, Missouri, were partially intended as a joke. Nevertheless, they ring true. Lloyd Pelfrey has been active in the movement for nearly 70 years. Pelfrey”s personal definition of the Restoration Movement is, “Unity by restoration for evangelism.” He always adds, “I”ve been using that line for so long, I don”t even know if it”s mine. But I think it is.” Restoration Past I arrived at Central Christian College of

January 29, 2015

Christian Standard

Playing Your Cards Right

By Jeff Faull We do not always handle theological conflict fairly. Have you heard””or used””any of these arguments? Since the days of the O.J. Simpson trial, the phrase “playing the race card” has become commonplace. Accusing someone of arbitrarily “playing the race card” usually means they have bypassed the true merits of either position and trumped the validity of everything else with an accusation of racism, whether legitimate or not. To be certain, racism still exists and sometimes it”s fair to display the “race card,” but other times it is unfairly used to silence an exploration of the real issues

March 17, 2014

Christian Standard

A Phrase for Today?

By Paul Blowers Slogans are rare in the New Testament. One thinks of the Corinthians’ slogan, “All things are lawful,” which Paul carefully revised to “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful” (1 Corinthians 10:23)1. It was a wise admonition on the apostle’s part and played a key role in his instructions to the Corinthian church. Stone-Campbell Christians of the 1800s loved their slogans too, and many of those slogans stuck around well into the 20th century. They provided public shorthand for the principles, ideals, and aspirations of the movement’s followers, though sometimes they could also be

February 10, 2013

Christian Standard

Spiritual, Like Jesus

By Les Hardin When it comes to spirituality, I find myself caught between two conflicting truths. The first truth is I was born and raised in the church. My parents took me to church when I was only two weeks old, and there”s never been a time in my life when I didn”t know Jesus on some level. I am descended from elders and deacons, trained at the seminary by serious men: a discipler, a teacher of Israel, and a ministry veteran. But here”s the second truth: in spite of my upbringing and training, I have no idea what it

December 10, 2012

Jerry Harris

Rediscovering the Sacred Stones

A church”s new multisite campus. A town steeped in history. The grave of a Restoration Movement pioneer”s wife. A reflection on what this frontier preacher stood for, and the message we still proclaim today.  By Jerry Harris There she was. Her stone lying on its back, broken and weathered among scores of neglected reminders of lives long since past. The inscription was hard to read because of a combination of age, moss, and dirt, but careful examination gave witness to the precious soul long forgotten to so many.   Celia W. Wife of Elder B.W. Stone Died Apr. 23, 1857

October 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Africa and Afghanistan, Ethics and Unity

By LeRoy Lawson Say You”re One of Them Uwem Akpan New York: Little Brown and Company, 2008 The Places in Between Rory Stewart Orlando: Harvest Original/Harcourt, 2004 Just Ministry: Professional Ethics for Pastoral Ministers Richard M. Gula Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2010 The History of the Open Forum on the Mission of the Church 1983″“2009 John Mills Middleburg Heights: Open Forum/Southwest Christian Church, 2011 Oprah”s Book Club is not my usual source to find a good read. Not that good books aren”t there. It”s just that my interests and her recommendations haven”t often jibed. That is, until now. Or until 2009,

July 20, 2011

Christian Standard

The Holy Spirit in the Early Restoration Movement

By Jim North The understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit has often caused energetic discussion within the ranks of the Christian churches/churches of Christ. This is the case today, just as it was in the early days of our movement 200 years ago. As a result, it might do us well to look at the thinking of some of our early leaders about this much-debated topic. For simplicity, we will look particularly at the thinking of Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell. Stone and Campbell were two of the most important leaders of this frontier movement. They agreed

June 13, 2011

Christian Standard

What About Christian Churches?

We asked former contributing editor Robert Wetzel to get answers from scholars to a question we have considered in several different ways in recent months: What is the future of our movement of churches? By C. Robert Wetzel ________ The future always grows out of the past, of course, so this week we decided to put the question before three historians: Paul Blowers, Dean E. Walker professor of church history at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, Tennessee. Doug Foster, professor of church history; director, Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. Newell Williams, president and professor of modern

July 4, 2010

Christian Standard

For God and Country

By James B. North The tension between serving God and serving one”s country has been a source of dispute in Christian circles for a long time””going at least as far back as the conversion of Constantine, Roman Emperor in the fourth century. Even within the fellowship of the Restoration Movement, or the Christian churches/churches of Christ, this tension has been evident. David Lipscomb, longtime editor of the Gospel Advocate in Nashville, was not only a pacifist; he was opposed to Christians serving in the government, and even for Christian citizens to vote in political elections. Yet his has certainly been the

January 10, 2010

Christian Standard

Stone-Campbell Dialogue Launches New Phase

By Staff Marking a decade of discussion, prayer, and fellowship centering on Christian unity, the Stone-Campbell Dialogue agreed at its recent meeting to shift its emphasis to a new phase of cultivating unity through mission and service among the three religious streams that trace their origins back to Barton W. Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell. The 21-person dialogue team met November 1-3 in Lexington, Kentucky. Among topics discussed were: the Great Communion Celebration of October 4, 2009; the possibility and potential of common mission/service projects as a focus for the next phase of conversation and engagement; getting youth and

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