It is ironic, though sadly understandable, that a religious movement dedicated to unifying Christians has itself split into three (or possibly even four) branches over the past two centuries. There have been conservative and liberal splits in the movement twice (with a third developing). The main branches are the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Churches of Christ (often known as the a capella Churches of Christ because they do not use instrumental music in worship), and the Independent Christian Churches.
While the splits have been very real, there is a long-standing effort to maintain connections called the World Convention. In recent years, efforts have increased, particularly in the area of cultivating knowledge of the Restoration Movement churches heritage. There have been conferences and joint publications, including the 2004 Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement (an excellent resource).
Three scholars, from the various traditions, who have a long involvement in this effort shared lecturing duties at the Scott Lectures: Paul Blowers, Doug Foster, and Mark Toulouse. Aside from the interesting intellectual perspectives each brought in their formal lectures, the best part of the two days for me (and for many I talked to) was the informal response of each of these scholars to the other presentations. It was obvious that these men respect and like each other -- in fact, their camaraderie was infectious, leading to upbeat discussions.
Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address... was a document about the need for Christian unity that Campbell wrote to justify the formation of a non-denominational Christian Association in Washington, Pennsylvania. You can read about it here or try your hand at reading the entire document here.
1 comment:
Glad to see this, sir. Well done.
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