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Overview of the Restoration Movement
"We must stand together or
separately we shall surely hang." Any student of American History will
at once recognize this quote by Benjamin Franklin warning of the dangers of a
lack of unity among the colonists fighting to break all ties with England.
Unity is an essential ingredient in
organization. No company or 
corporation
can succeed without unity. No army can expect to win a battle nor can a
sports team achieve victory without unity. Why then do men think that God
ever intended anything less for His church? The Apostle Paul reminded the
Christians worshipping in Corinth that, "Now ye are
the body of Christ, and members in particular." [1 Corinthians 12:27]
Just as the members and organs of a human body must have unity for the body to
be healthy, Christians must have unity for Christ's body to function to its
fullest. Earlier in the same Chapter, Paul told the Corinthians,
"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ."
[I Corinthians 12:12] Thus, unity is absolutely essential to the Lord's Church
and is the heart of the Restoration Movement.
The Restoration Movement began in
the United States. However, many of the principal leaders of the movement
began the thought processes which guided their actions and words while first
living in Europe. The movement was the result of Godly men recognizing
that splintered and factionalized denominations must be the work of man and must
also be displeasing to God. By the late 18th century several men,
initially working independent of each other, began to realize that the only way
to ensure that the church is pleasing to God is to bypass the dogmas and
ordinances of denominations and to return to the condition, organization, and
teaching found in the Bible. Determining to seek authority in the Bible
and the Bible alone, men such as James O'Kelly in Virginia and Abner Jones and
Elias Smith in New England were among the first to perceive the plight of the
church. After much reflection and study, these men founded churches and
taught that children of God should wear the name of Christian only. They
reached this decision after careful study and reflection in the scriptures where
they were unable to find the denominational names used by so many religious
groups. They also lobbied against the collection of taxes for
Congregational ministers and opposed the Calvinistic theology of the
deeply rooted Puritan religion. By the beginning of the second decade of
the 19th century, these "Christian only" congregations had spread to upper New
York in the North and to Michigan in the west. The success of these men
was limited but the movement was soon the to receive major boosts by the great
religious awakening that was about to begin.
By
the early 19th century, The Restoration Movement became a major force in
American religion due to the work of Barton W. Stone, Thomas Campbell, and his
son Alexander Campbell. These men taught and preached during the time
known as the Second Great Awakening, which saw religious fervor reach a fever
pitch especially along the frontier of Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley.
Stone and the Campbells were denominational ministers of the time who became
disenchanted with the infighting, division, and sectarianism inherent within
denominations. Each of these men, again independently from each other,
came to the conclusion that in order for the church to become what God intended,
it must forsake human teachings and adopt the structure and likeness found in
the New Testament. In order to do this, they began to realize that in
order to be pleasing to God, the church had to return to its "purity" as it was
before men began to add creeds and teachings foreign to the scriptures.
 Thomas Campbell |
Thomas Campbell was a
Presbyterian minister living in Ireland. He could not
agree with the different and often contentious factions within the
Presbyterian church and began to preach unity among the different groups.
His message was not well received in Ireland. In 1807, due to poor
health, he
moved to the United States. His family stayed in Ireland for a time
with the
understanding that they would join him after he was settled. After
arriving in
the united States, Thomas settled in Pennsylvania and immediately applied
for
ordination in the North American Presbyterian ministry. Thomas
continued to
preach his message of unity which ultimately resulted in his being
charged
with heresy and efforts to remove him from the Presbytery. Seeing
that his
message had fallen on deaf ears, he resigned his ministry, and along with
others who believed as he did, formed the Christian Association of Washington,
Pennsylvania. Thomas was selected to draft the mission and purpose
statement for the newly formed organization. He did so in a paper he
entitled The
Declaration and Address, which was printed in September 1809.
It was in this address that he penned the words
"That this society, formed for the sole
purpose of promoting simple evangelical
Christianity, shall, to
the utmost of its power, countenance and support such
ministers, and such only, as
exhibit a manifest conformity to the original
standard in conversation and
doctrine, in zeal and diligence;--only such as
reduce to practice that simple
original form of Christianity, expressly exhibited
upon the sacred page; without
attempting to inculcate any thing of human
authority, of private opinion,
or inventions of men, as having any place in the
constitution, faith, or
worship, of the Christian church--or, any thing, as matter of
Christian faith, or duty, for
which there cannot be expressly produced a thus saith
the Lord either in express
terms, or by approved precedent"
It was in 1809 that Thomas' family joined him in the United States. Having not seen them in two years, Thomas could not know that his son, Alexander, had spent that time studying in Scotland at the University of Glasgow, and had reached the same conclusions as his father. If anything, Alexander exhibited more zeal and determination than Thomas and together they set about to form churches in the region. By 1816, they had convinced several Baptist ministers to join their call for an exodus from denominationalism and work toward reestablishing the Lord's Church as it is found in the New testament.
Barton Stone |
At the same time Barton W. Stone was preaching the same message in the frontiers of Kentucky and by the 1830's the congregations from these two efforts began to merge. The idea was to not try to reform any particular denomination but rather to restore that which God had instituted in the first place. Soon the movement included many of the congregations founded by O'Kelly, Jones, and Smith. By this time the name Christian Churches was often used by the members to designate who they were.
Alexander Campbell was far and away the best known leader of the Restoration Movement during the period of time prior to the American Civil War. This was due to a heavy schedule of debates, lectures, and preaching. He also assumed the role of editor for journals and founded Bethany College. He was and is still so identified with the Restoration Movement that he is sometimes referred to, erroneously, and the founder of the Church of Christ.
 Alexander Campbell |
Though it was Jesus Christ through the
authority of God who founded the
church, there is no doubt that Alexander was a powerful spokesman and
leader. One of the characteristics of Alexander Campbell that
served him well
in his work was his emphasis upon reason rather than emotionalism when
examining Biblical questions and truths. This academic approach was
impressed on him while studying at the University of Scotland and is
sometimes called the hallmark of the Scottish Enlightenment. One
can not
help but ponder on the providence of God when reflecting upon the events
that led Alexander to Scotland then to the United States.
Some people might assume that the Campbell's and Barton W. Stone clearly understood the true nature of the church and Jesus' doctrine from the very beginning of the Restoration Movement. This is not the case. It took centuries for religion to stray as far from the teachings of Christ and His Apostles as it had and so it necessarily took some time for the leaders of the Restoration Movement to be able to divide scriptural authority from human traditions. In particular, it was very difficult for them to break apart for the Calvinistic teachings in which they had earlier learned. They started out with a knowledge of what they wanted to do but were less clear on details.
After the Civil War, the
Restoration Movement churches faced a different problem. Men of liberal
positions gained control of several congregations
and some of the 
publications
of the brotherhood. One particularly plaguing issue was over
instrumental music. [ See the page within this website devoted to the
issue of
music used in worship.]
Adding to this were regional differences and lasting hatred left over from the
war. This caused the more conservative leadership, who were primarily in
the southern states, to oppose the liberal tendencies and see themselves as
separate congregations. This is not to imply, however, that faithful
congregations of Christ's Church could only be found in Southern states. There
remained several faithful congregations in northern states as well. The
name Church of Christ began to be used more
and more to identify these conservative congregations. During this time, the
Restoration Movement leadership began to pass into the hands of men such as
Tolbert Fanning, David Lipscomb, and Austin McGary. It should be noted
that these men had no particular influence over a multitude of congregations.
Each congregation of the Church of Christ remained autonomous. These men
were simply powerful writers, speakers, and teachers within the brotherhood.
 Tolbert Fanning |
To this day the Churches of Christ have tried to maintain their distinctive "non-denominational" identity. There are no official journals, creeds, or manuals that determine church policy. Members continue to seek authority in all that the church does in the Word of God, which is the Bible. In doing so, they carry on the ideas of the Restoration Movement pioneers by trying to return to the God inspired direction and teachings found in the pages of the New Testament and practiced by the first century church.
The close of the 18th century and the opening of the 19th were characterized by various attempts to get on apostolic grounds. Various forces were at work in the American circles point toward a restoration of apostolic Christianity.
These efforts were wide-spread though simultaneous and they occurred among various and antagonistic sects. Few religious groups were destined to escape the restoration plea.
JAMES O'KELLY AN EARLY BEGINNING
The American Revolution came about because of both political and religious difficulties with the mother country-England.
Pre-revolutionary War days saw the established church, the Church of England, being the most popular religious body in the American Colonies. All other groups-especially the Quakers and Baptists-were objects of scorn.
POWERFUL CLERGY:
- Ruled in the affairs of the colonies with an iron hand
- A law had been passed in Virginia in 1624 providing that every man must attend services on Sunday.
- If a man missed once, he was fined one pound of coffee and if he missed a whole month, he was fined 50 pounds.
- Every person was told "you must conform to the canons of England".
- No man could sell his tobacco until the preacher had given him permission.
- Each year at harvest time, a man was appointed to visit every farm and take first the preacher's portion out of every tobacco crop.
In 1642 the Act of Uniformity was enacted to "preserve the puritie of doctrine and the unitie of the church, that all ministers whatsoever, which shall reside in the colony are to be conformable to the orders and constitution of the church of England, and the laws therein established, and not otherwise to be admitted to teach or preach publicly or privately".
- Under the same act the governor and counsel were directed to enforce the law rigidly against "all non-conformists, compelling them to depart the colony with all convience".
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Quakers were imprisoned without bail.
- The first Baptists came in 1714 and within 50 years were rather numerous. In 1768 several were arrested and charged: "These men are great disturbers of the peace they cannot meet a man on the road but they must ram a text of scripture down his throat".
- In spite of the opposition, the non-conforming groups continued to grow.
- By the time of the Revolutionary War 2/3 of the people among the colonies favored the dissenters but they still were required to 'pay the clergy.
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In 1779 a Bill for Religious Freedom failed to pass in the Virginia Assembly and it was seven years before a bill authored by Thomas Jefferson passed.
MEANWHILE- THE LEAVEN WORKS:
As early as 1729, John Wesley had begun the societies in the Established Church in England in an attempt to remove the formalities and corrupt Practices of the church.
Though still Anglicans, the Wesleyan preachers and Societies pushed for a holier life among church members.
It was natural that Wesleyan preachers would come to the Colonies and it became evident as the Revolutionary War came closer that the Societies in America were becoming a force with which to reckon.
- Political upheaval aggravated the situation.
- Fires of liberty burned fiercely in the hearts of the colonists.
- The Established Church clergy looked to the crown for its orders and protection.
- The clergy became objects of scorn as they cast their lots with the Tories and on the other hand the Societies were made up of colonists crying for liberty.
- Ordination of preachers became a great problem.
The idea of apostolic succession prevailed among the Anglican clergymen and no preacher could be ordained who was not ordained by one who had himself been duly ordained on back to apostolic days. No one was allowed to preach funerals, perform marriages, baptize unless he was duly ordained. Wesleyan preachers in America were not ordained and the Anglicans refused to ordain them. By the close of the Revolution, the Anglicans had fled back to England and the Wesleyan preachers remained in America and continued to raise questions about church government and the ordination of bishops.
:In Europe, John Wesley became even more concerned about the welfare of these American churches so he sent five men to "serve the desolate sheep in America". He appointed Thomas Coke Superintendent and two others as Presbyters. They brought with them a document written by Wesley that became the "Magna Charta of American Methodism" It stated:
"To all to whom these presents shall come, John Wesley, late Fellow of Lincoln College in Oxford, Presbyter of the Church of England, sendeth greetings;
Whereas, many of the people of the southern provinces of North America who desire to continue under my care, and still adhere to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, are greatly distressed for want of ministers to administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper, according to the usage of the same church: and, whereas, there does not appear to be any other way of supplying them with ministers:
Know all men, that I, John Wesley, think myself to be providentially called at theis time to set apart some persons for this work of ministry in America. And, therefore, under the protection of Almighty God, and with a single eye to His glory, I have this day set apart as a Superintendent, by the imposition of my hands and prayers... .Thomas Coke, Doctor of Civil Law, a presbyter of the Church of England, and a man whom I judge to be well qualified for that great work. And I hereby recommend him to all whom it may concern, as a fit person to preside over the flock of Christ. :In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this second day of September, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-four."
Thomas Coke and those others dispatched by John Wesley landed in America with the power to make other superintendents form among those already here.
Francis Asbury had been in the colonies for 13 years.
When Coke landed the Quarterly meeting of the church was scheduled for the famous Barrett's Chapel in Delaware. About 15 preachers and some 500 members or delegates were present and Coke had planned to name Asbury as a Superintendent. However, Asbury insisted that a conference be called for that purpose and the now famous Christmas Conference was held in Baltimore in 1784 for the ordination purpose.
The Christmas Conference: At the conference, which Asbury insisted be called, the following measures were taken:
- The discipline for the Methodist Episcopal Church was accepted.
- The title, Methodist Episcopal Church, was accepted for the Wesleyan Societies.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Societies now were trying to bridge the gap between being mere Societies within the Established Church and becoming a Church separate and distinct from the Church of England.
- The name did not set well with many of the preachers.
- The government did not set well with many. Even John Wesley had admitted it was not apostolic, but most practical under the circumstances.
- A compromise was reached which denied the doctrine of apostolic succession.
- The Methodist Episcopal Church now was born!
Bro. Earl L West says:
"The government of this church was found to be of natural causes rather
than a view of doing
what the scriptures taught. The background of Methodism was to be found
in the Anglican
Church. But, whereas the Established Church in America grew into
disfavor owing to its |
English leanings during the Revolutionary War days, it was
natural that the Methodists modify
their government just enough to nullify this
disadvantage. Therefore their government
became a mixture of monarchial and
democratic principles. The democratic principle satisfies
the freedom-loving
colonies. The monarchial phase was carried over from the Established
Church".
The final outcome was the bishops were given more power for administration than the bishops of England enjoyed; yet the legislative power was vested in regular conferences which soon were almost completely controlled by the lay people.
Thus, we have a system arising for church government unlike any previous system prior to that time!
Scarcely had the Methodist Church gotten underway than it ran into shoal waters. The cause was a disagreement as to the type of government chosen for the church.
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Many thought this type government contrary to the Bible. |
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Too, they saw in it what they thought was the greed of Francis Asbury who wanted to place himself in the top position at the head of this new church. |
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For a time the opposition was very intense |
The interest in this opposition to us lies in the fact that it presents the first major attempt, of any people, to go back to the New Testament Christianity!
A LEADER FOR-ROCKING THE BOAT:
The opposition to Asbury was led mainly by James O'Kelly who, as a leader, was hardly second to Asbury. He was an outstanding Methodist preacher of whom it was said:
"(he is) laborious in the ministry, a man of zeal and usefulness, an
advocate of holiness,
given to prayer and fasting; an able defender of
Methodist doctrine and faith, and hard
against negro slavery, in private And
from the press and pulpit".
O'Kelly had originally been drawn to religion by sermons and writings of John Wesley. He wrote of Wesley:
"They (certain ministers) come to us under the direction of John
Wesley, whose name to me
is of precious memory. His writings magnified the Bible
and gave it preference and honor; he
declared he regarded the Authority of no
writings but the inspired. He urged the sufficiency
of the Scriptures for faith
and practice saying, 'we will be downright Bible Christians'"
O'Kelly had begun preaching about the middle of the Revolutionary War and wherever he went he encountered the influence of Asbury and the general impression was that Asbury was a religious tyrant. His "pay, pray, obey" rule did not set well.
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O'Kelly opposed Asbury on the type government of the Methodist church.
- In 1792 at the General Conference, he introduced a motion that would allow ministers to appeal any assignment they did not like. He lost the battle!
- In 1793 he and several of his followers petitioned the Methodists _specially Asbury-to meet in conference and discuss the government of the church in light of the Scripture. Asbury refused!
- On December 25, 1793 the group met at Manakintown, Va. and officially severed all relations with the Methodist Episcopal Church. They took the name Republican Methodists".
Theirs was to be a Republican-no slavery-glorious Church, free from all the evils of misgovernment. O'Kelly had been able to influence many of the Methodist preachers and followers in the southern colonies.
At their next meeting-August 4, 1794-at Old Lebanon in Surry County, Va. a Committee had been appointed to devise a plan for church government. They had decided to lay aside every manuscript and go by the Bible alone.
Rice Haggard, a co-worker, said:
"Brethren, this is a sufficient rule of faith and practice. By it we
are told that the disciples
were called Christians, and I move that
henceforth and forever the followers of Christ be
known as Christians simply!"
Following Haggard's suggestions, a Brother Rafferty of North Carolina stood up and moved that they take the Bible itself as their only creed! From these two motions, the O'Kelly movement devised what became known as the "Five Cardinal Principles of the Christian Church".
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The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Head of the church.
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The name Christian to the exclusion of all party and sectarian names.
- The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments our only creed, and a sufficient rule of faith and practice.
- The right of private judgment and the liberty of conscience and privilege and duty of all.
- Christian character, or vital piety, the only test of church fellowship and membership.
In 1801 the "Republican Methodists" changed their name to "The Christian Church".
The significance of O'Kelly's action lies in the main in the direction he was looking. Theirs was a movement to overthrow human elements in religion and go only by the Scriptures. That weaknesses appear in their five cardinal principles is evident, but hat they were on the high road back to the ancient order is equally evident.
The amazing thing about the Restoration Movement is that it was underway at several places at the one time almost without influence of one individual upon the other.
As O'Kelly was leading a movement away fom Methodism in Virginia and Carolina, there also were attempts being made in Vermont and New Hampshire to get again on Apostolic ground. Here the leaders were Elias Smith and Abner Jones.
Smith had grown up in Vermont and had been a boy during the Revolutionary War. He lived within sight of Long Island Sound and could see the British warships and hear the canon fire. He had an insatiable desire for freedom and this carried over into his religious conviction.
He was deeply religious. His blue-backed speller had a form prayer in it. Smith often stole away and prayed even as a boy.
STUDIES THE SUBJECT OF BAPTISM:
In May, 1779, Smith and his family moved to Connecticut and there he became intensely interested in the subject of baptism. He had been sprinkled as a "Newlight Congregationalist" but he determined always to examine by the Word of God all subjects of religion. His mother was an extremely religious person and from her he learned to love and respect the Bible as the Word of God.
As a result of his study of the subject of Baptism, his conviction was that only believers should be baptized, and that by immersion. The Woodstock Baptist Church in Woodstock, Conn. was having a monthly meeting and he went there and persuaded William Grow who was preaching to baptize him by immersion in the Queechy River. The Baptist Church now accepted Smith as a Christian but NOT a Baptist because there were four things necessary to be a Baptist.
1. Give a reason for his hope in Christ,
2. He had to be baptized,
3. Had to consent to the Articles of Faith and the church Covenant.
4. He must be voted into the church by the members.
Smith quickly consented to these things yet he had reservations about the Articles of Faith. He later wrote:
"The Articles of Faith, to which I then assented, contained what the
Baptists call "particular
election"; or that Christ died for the elect only
and that such a number should be saved,
etc. These articles 1 did not
understand for they had never been read to me before; and
being read but once, it was not possible for me to remember much of them. 1 assented to
them because the minister and the church thought they were true... .(they)
have now
rejected that abominable doctrine of partiality and now stand
gospel liberty".
By 1789, Smith had strong ideas of preaching and began the preparation through study for the ministry. He approached Grow who gave him a book of Sermons and a copy of Cruden's Concordance. In the early fall of 1801 Smith moved to Salisbury, N.H. He now had begun to have some misgivings about some of the doctrine of the Baptist Church.. . particularly Calvinism.
Smith had not been hesitant about preaching his views on Calvinism and had incurred the wrath of some Baptists. As he rebelled against the doctrine of particular election, he went almost to the other extreme-to Universalism. Only a diligent study of the Bible helped him not to swing to the opposite extreme.
With this Bible Study, Smith came to other conclusions. He writes:
"I believed there would be a people bearing a name different from all the
denominations then
in this country; but what they would be called, I then
(age 24) could not tell. In the spring
of 1802, having rejected the doctrine
of Calvin and Universalism to search the scriptures to
find the truth, I
found the Name which the followers of Christ ought to wear; which was
Christians"(Acts 112:26). My mind being fixed on this name to the exclusion of all
the popular
names in the world, in the month of May, at a man's house in
Epping, N.H......I held a
meeting and spoke upon the text, Acts 11 :26 (and)
I ventured for the first time softly to
tell the people that the name
Christian was enough for the followers of Christ without the
addition of the
words Baptist, Methodist, etc."
At this meeting, Smith also spoke on the catechism as being the invention of men and from that moment he incited more opposition primarily from the clergy. He became convinced that the clergy were not in agreement because they had a system of their own invention contrary to the New Testament. Smith continued to study and preach and in October 1802, mends rented a hall in Portsmouth and he began holding regular meetings there.
Late in that year his small group, five members, began plans for organizing into a distinct "church". They decided:
"We will follow the New Testament order and wear the name Christian
without any sectarian
name added"
By March of the following year, 1802, Smith writes:
"When our number was some short of 20, we agreed to consider ourselves a church of
Christ, owning Him as our only Master, Lord, and
Lawgiver, and we agreed to consider
ourselves Christians, without the
addition of any unscriptural names" .
The group grew. In April, 1803 there were 22 members. One year later there were 122 members and they purchased property and built a church building on it.
By June, 1803 Abner Jones came to visit Smith from Vermont. Smith wrote of this meeting:
" (he) was the first free man I had ever seen." He acknowledged that
in some ways, Jones
had gone beyond him in his own thinking. At any rate the
meeting was heartening because
until this time he had thought he stood
alone. Here is evidence that identical movements
were underway in different
places."
FIRST GOSPEL PAPER IS PRINTED:
The brethren had been attempting to draw up a system of church laws but by 1805, they had abandoned the idea, taking the New Testament as the only "sufficient rule for Christians".
In 1808, Smith began the publication of the HEARLD OF GOSPEL LIBERTY, which according to Smith was the first such publication ever in the world. Publication continued through 1817 though its years were stormy. Subscriptions however numbered 1,500. By 1817 Smith again had to fight the battle between Calvinism and Universalism. In 1817, he announced he was going into Universalism.
Abner Jones was no less significant than Smith. He is credited with establishing the first "free Christian Church" in New England. Here the members called themselves "just Christians".
Jones was converted in 1793 and was baptized into the Baptist Church. He soon began to preach at about the age of 21 and like Smith, decided to study diligently the Scriptures to prepare for the ministry. Also like Smith (and others) his Bible Study soon led him from the Calvinistic doctrine and as a result he received coldness from the Baptist Church.
In 1801 he organized the free church in Lyndon, Vt. which rejected human names and accepted the name "Christians" for the members.
In 1802 he organized churches in Piermont and Hanover, NH and from here on his name is linked with Elias Smith in establishing these "free" churches in New England.
These movements in New England owe their primary importance to the fact that men and women were looking in the direction of the New Testament order of things and away from sectarianism. That they did not go far enough is easily seen. These God-fearing people were traveling an un-chartered course and they were thinking their way along.
This is made evident by an article in 1808 by William Quiry in the 'CHRISTIAN JOURNAL the successor to the HERALD.
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No head over the church but Christ; |
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| No confession of faith, articles of religion, rubric, canons, creeds, etc. but the New Testament; |
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No religious name but Christians." |
On the question of fellowship the "JOURNAL" said:
"They (the Christians) hold that the only proper test of
Christian fellowship is sincere piety,
evidenced by an upright walk and meek
deportment. Thus they extend the hand of
fellowship to all who have the
'fellowship' of the Father and the Son. They own all as
brethren whom they
have evidence that God owns as His children. They are free to
commune with
all whom God communes with".
