Replies

Your memory does not serve you correctly in the history of the church. The church has always been in existence, began in Acts 2. None of the restoration leaders would ever deny that the church has been in existence. Their goal was to speak where the bible speaks and be silent where the bible was silent. The history of the United Church of Christ is completely different.

While you call it reconstruction as a way to discredit the movement, it still embodies the thought or philosophy that the church should be established or constructed on bible principles and teachings. The Church of Christ does teach the good news, the gospel that Christ died for sins and we teach others.

I think they used the word reconstruction. I believe I got it from them. I'll check and see.

Churches of Christ

Introduction | Disciples of Christ

I. Group Profile

Name: Churches of Christ
Founder: Alexander Campbell, died in 1866.
Date of Birth: 1788
Birth Place: County Down, Ireland
Year Founded: 1906
Brief History: Alexander Campbell gathered followers in 1810 after he arrived in America preaching a new way of primitivism apart from any organized religion. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Thomas Campbell who had split from the Presbyterian church and advocated Christian unity based on the New Testament. Alexander reshaped some of his father's ideas, and in 1832 his followers joined with Barton W. Stone's and began the Stone-Campbell movement (Eliade, 1987: 34); however, this group stayed together less than a century before splitting. Those associated with Campbell denied Stone's ideas of premillennialism. (Hughes, 1996: 115) Tension rose in 1849 with the formation of the American Christian Mission Society. (Tyler, 1894: 161) Many Campbellites felt that this was yet another unBiblically structured organization that they needed to flee from and that should not be accepted. Finally in 1906 each was declared its own sect: the churches of Christ under Alexander Campbell's original ideas and the Christian Churches, or Disciples of Christ, under Stone. (Hughes, 1996: 115) The Churches of Christ were purposefully not capitalized in order to emphasize the fact that they are not a structured group with any kind of head organization. Divisions within the Restoration Movement over many different issues followed this initial split. (Melton, 1996: 477)
Sacred or Revered Texts: Bible - specifically the New Testament
Cult or Sect:
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
Size of Group: over 2,000,000 (http://church-of-christ.org/)

II. Beliefs of the Group

The Churches of Christ have been considered the conservative wing of the Restoration movement. Although postmillennialism was once an idea that set this group apart, this is just one of many topics that tends to create factions within the church. The churches of Christ have been split into different groups according to these varying beliefs. (Melton, 1996: 479) A major division is that between the Non-Instrumental Church of Christ and the instrumental Christian Church/Churches of Christ. While some argue that they should not use musical instruments in worship because they are not described in the New Testament, others feel they are at liberty to use them due to instrument use described in the Old Testament, such as the Biblical character, David, who danced with a tamborine. (Melton, 1996: 476-478)

Another main division occurs between the Churches of Christ and the Disciples of Christ regarding the use of missionary organizations. Many non-instrumental Churches of Christ believe that there should be no headquarters for missions, but that money should be raised individually. Their claim goes back to the idea of no formal organization. (Melton, 1996: 476-478)

Views on women's roles in the church have varied across all the church boundaries as well. The more conservative churches, mainly the Churches of Christ, tend to exclude women from leadership activities during worship. For example, many churches do not allow women to lead prayers or serve communion. This is changing in some areas where churches are accepting women's involvement. This has potential to cause another division within the organization depending on the beliefs of the members in the specific congregations. Due to the extensive overlapping of beliefs among the schisms, it is difficult to make clear distinct boundaries between them.

Although Alexander Campbell formed this group based on the idea of achieving unity among followers of God, the group has shaped into an exclusive branch due to the fact that they believe that all the denominations around them are incorrect in their teaching. The idea of no formal structure is still central to their thinking. They stand firmly to the idea to speak where the Bible speaks, and remain silent where it does so. (Jorgenson, 1989: 129)

Currently, Tennessee has the most members in the Churches of Christ per capita.

Go back to the Restoration Movement

III. Links to Churches of Christ Web Sites

Who are the Churches of Christ?

http://www.church-of-christ.org/church-of-christ/coc.html

Church-of-Christ.org
This site, available in eight different languages, offers information on current news in the Churches of Christ, including a description of all their supported missions, online Bibles, Internet Bible studies, discussion groups, and a directory of the Churches of Christ.
http://church-of-christ.org/

IV. Bibliography

Eliade, Mircea. 1987.
The Encyclopedia of Religion. Volume 3. New York: MacMillian Publishing Co. p: 34.

Hughes, Richard T. 1996.
Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America. Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Jorgenson, Dale A. 1989.
Theological and Aesthetic Roots in the Stone-Campbell Movement. Kirksville: The Thomas Jefferson University Press.

Melton, J. Gordon. 1996.
Encyclopedia of American Religions. Detroit: Gale. 5th ed. pps: 476-480.

Tyler, B. B. 1894.
"A History of the Disciples of Christ." The American Church History Series. Volume XII. New York: Scribner's.

Created by Kelly Stewart
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
Spring Term, 1998
University of Virginia
Last Updated: 07/23/01

The following is an address from Thomas Campbell, the founder of the movement. http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/tcampbell/da/DA-1ST.HTM

....we would also desire to adopt and recommend such measures, as would give rest to our brethren throughout all the churches;-- as would restore unity, peace, and purity, to the whole church of God. This desirable rest, however, we utterly despair either to find for ourselves, or to be able to recommend to our brethren, by continuing amidst the diversity and rancour of party contentions, the veering uncertainty and clashings of human opinions: nor, indeed, can we reasonably expect to find it any where, but in Christ and his simple word; which is the same yesterday, and to- day, and for ever. Our desire, therefore, for ourselves and our brethren would be, that rejecting human opinions and the inventions of men, as of any authority, or as having any place in the church of God, we might forever cease from farther contentions about such things; returning to, and holding fast by, the original standard; taking the divine word alone for our rule: The Holy Spirit for our teacher and guide, to lead us into all truth; and Christ alone as exhibited in the word for our salvation--that, by so doing, we may be at peace among ourselves, follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.-- Impressed with these sentiments, we have resolved as follows:
I. That we form ourselves into a religious association under the denomination of the Christian Association of Washington--for the sole purpose of promoting simple evangelical christianity, free from all mixture of human opinions and inventions of men.
II. That each member, according to ability, cheerfully and 15 liberally subscribe a certain specified sum, to be paid half yearly, for the purpose of raising a fund to support a pure Gospel Ministry, that shall reduce to practice that whole form of doctrine, worship, discipline, and government, expressly revealed and enjoined in the word of God. And also for supplying the poor with the Holy Scriptures.
III. That this society consider it a duty, and shall use all proper means in its power, to encourage the formation of similar associ- ations; and shall for this purpose hold itself in readiness, upon application, to correspond with, and render all possible assistance to, such as may desire to associate for the same desirable and im- portant purposes.
IV. That this society by no means considers itself a church, nor does at all assume to itself the powers peculiar to such a society; nor do the members, as such, consider themselves as standing connected in that relation: nor as at all associated for the peculiar purposes of church association;--but merely as voluntary advo- cates for church reformation; and, as possessing the powers com- mon to all individuals, who may please to associate in a peaceable and orderly manner, for any lawful purpose: namely, the disposal of their time, counsel, and property, as they may see cause.
V. 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 hu- man 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.

Here's another link to the Restoration Movement web pages:

http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/restmov.html

It includes Christian Churches, Churches of Christ, and Disciples of Christ (very similar to UCC).

I might be wrong about the United Church of Christ being a part; I don't see it there. I'll let you know one way or the other. Thanks for listening.

http://www.ucc.org/aboutus/shortcourse/chrchu.html

This link gives some of the history of the UCC. There's a connection to the coc, but it doesn't appear as direct as does the link with the disciples.

There are restoration movement roots.