I understand the response came from a Methodist minister, but it is too bad he is not familiar with this site http://www.traces-of-the-kingdom.org/
clearing indicates that the church was active prior to “the restoration movement”
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)
This group claims that it is the original and real church right from the Pentecost. I know a bunch of people from the various types of church and they all appear to detest each other - instrumental versus non instrumental etc. It gets really interesting watching the gyrations when you ask them who created the Bible and who kept it going until Gutenberg started up his print shop.
*** but it is too bad he is not familiar with this site http://www.traces-of-the-kingdom.org/
clearing indicates that the church was active prior to “the restoration movement”***
Don’t rest on your laurels. In the early 1800’s there was a man who wrote a book proving that the BAPTIST church could trace it’s existance back to the time of Christ.
The author...ALEXANDER CAMPBELL.
*** but it is too bad he is not familiar with this site http://www.traces-of-the-kingdom.org/
clearing indicates that the church was active prior to “the restoration movement”***
I have just been over on this web site. The man makes a claim that the Church of Christ came down through the Paulician heretics.
I was raised in an English/Irish version of the Restorationists, not associated in any way with the Campbellite version.
We were told our church began at Penticost but the requirements for preaching began when Christ sent out his diciples 2x2.
It was claimed tht this church came down through the Paulicians also. Nonsense.
It took me 45 years to find they were started by William Irvine and Edward Cooney in 1898, so well did they hide their beginnings.
The Paulicians were heretics that believed in dualist gods, an evil OT god and a good NT God, Jesus.
They practiced celebacy with women and homosexuality with men, hence the name “Bugger” or Bulgar, Bogomill, Cathar,Albigenesn,ect.
You are better off claiming Alex Campbell as your beginning. Distance yourself from this Paulician claim as it definitly besmirches your entire credibility.