Stone
Campbell Movement
The Christian Church did not exist in 1906 and the 1971 official separation denounced most of what the original Stoneites held as doctrine. A short summary at Wikipedia notes.
The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (DoC) parted ways due primarily to disagreements on the denominationalization of the DoC. The split occurred as local congregations refused to take part in rapidly developing extra-congregational organizations that eventually evolved into a General Assembly, which is what drove the Restoration Movement in the first place. They were also disturbed by what they saw as liberal/modernist influences on DoC teaching. This came to a head at the 1926 DoC Convention in Memphis, Tennessee.
The official DoC split from the Restoration Movement Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ is difficult to date. Suggestions range from 1926 to 1971 based on the events outlined below:
- 1926: The first North American Christian Convention (NACC) in 1927 was the result of disillusionment at the DoC Memphis Convention.
- 1930s - 1940s: Symbolic differences and disagreements flourished.
- 1955: The Directory of the Ministry was first published listing only the "Independents" on a voluntary basis.
- 1968: Final redaction of the Disciples Year Book removing Independent churches
- 1971: Independent churches listed separately in the Yearbook of American Churches.
Because of this separation, many Independent Christian Churches/churches of Christ are not only non-denominational, they can be anti-denominational (though not quite as extreme as the churches of Christ), avoiding even the appearance or language associated with denominationalism holding true to their Restoration roots.
During this time the DoC made several attempts to take over facility and property ownership from many Independent congregations and Independents attempted to take over facility and property ownership from many DoC congregations. In this 45+ years both types of congregations were forced to seek legal representation. Representation was necessary in order to maintain ownership of their property and to prevent eviction and forfeiture of assets.
Godulike thanks Rev. Jared Trullinger for pointing out that: When the Disciples & Christians joined in 1832, they didn’t agree on theology. Stone was nearly unitarian, and Campbell was nearly trinitarian (excepting only that each rejected the labels). Therefore, the Disciples were begun as a movement in which liberal theology and diversity were to be expected. Unity was the ideal, regardless of theological differences. This difficulty in discerning Disciples' theology is still present today and has been a factor in splits.Godulike's Comment
The Disciples and their doppelgangers are very definitely here to stay. They all have found the way to hang on, make money and influence people and there is no finer way to prove that Jesus loves you than hand over large amounts of cash to a cause that is safe, middle-class and established as The American Way.
To some of the bewildered faithful it must be a continuing source of disappointment that the three organisations have made no plans for a merger, but given their combined financial and political power, perhaps it's just as well that they remain apart.
In the face of growing competition from the hundreds of evangelical rising stars, the high moral ground of the Disciples original ideals is in danger of slipping towards an electioneering style fight for the hearts, minds and cheque books of an increasingly confused public.
When people finally realise that the payment for (any sort of) faith is simply its complete acceptance, then payments of cash or credit demanded by one of God's many representatives will be seen as some sort of unholy extortion.But for now the Disciples still operate on the faith-for-cash philosophy and like all those in the same business are making sure that their own retirement fund is as immune to financial misfortune as it is to faith's betrayal.
[And any similarities between Springfield, Bart and a well-known cartoon are of course, purely coincidental.]
The Disciples are good spenders and in 1990 alone over $30 million was extracted from the pockets of the faithful and put into real estate and various pension funds for retired ministers.
As far as the faithful are concerned, they get what they pay for, pretty churches, and as the song goes, something to believe in.
In 1808 he and others founded the Christian
Association of Washington, Pennsylvania. That group adopted the
motto, well-known by Disciples, "Where the scriptures speak, we
speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent."
- Campbell and others were called "Reformers," for their desire to restore the Church's first century roots. This way of life came to be known as the "Restoration Movement."
- Near Washington, Pennsylvania, Campbell and his son, Alexander, and the Christian Association established the Brush Run Church, which, in 1815, became part of a nearby Baptist Association.
- Reformers and the Baptists differed on key issues. By 1830, the Reformers cut their last ties with the Baptist Association and became known as "Disciples."
Thomas Campbell's passion for Christian unity
is summed up in his proclamation that : "The church of Christ upon
earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." This
statement is the first and key proposition of Thomas Campbell's
Declaration and Address, a work called by some the "Magna Charta" of
the movement that preceded the denomination known as the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ).
The Tulsa Workshop. The misleaders have decided to have a wrestling match betwee Max Lucado (instrumentalists) and Bob Russel (instrumentalists). Is this Navigating the Winds of Change or Blowing foul winds? This page will be often updated but first it is important to understand that the Stoneites birthed at Cane Ridge and the churches of Christ as Thomas Campbel defined it as A SCHOOL OF CHRIST were never part of the same GROUP nor do they remotely have the same roots. This is the big lie which causes the Christian church to enlist dupes to pretend that we should REunite on their terms.
Milton Jones who manipulated a peaceable Church of Christ into the Christian Church theology using all of the false information about instrumental music, will be at Tulsa showing how to MERGE a church of Christ with a Christia church. Easy: convert to being a Christian church and invite another Christian church to pump up your GROWTH NUMBERS.
Because Jesus warned that "doctors of the Law take away the key to knowledge" we might expect that both "wings" of any religious movement to flap against one another to try to keep the "bird" in the air. However, it is a MARK the self-proclaimed authorities do not know or do not care that the total history of the Bible and even before that Lucifer or Satan or Apollo, Abaddon or Apollyon has USED his muses to bleed off worship for himself through his/her agents. The goal is to cast a smokey veil over the simple Word of God which is able to convert a physical being into a spiritual being. The evidence is overwhelming and NO promoter of deliberate discord through music can find a jot or tittle of evidence for WORSHIP which consisted of congregational SINGING [as we know it] with instrumental accompaniment. Here are some of the judgmental attempts to validate deliberate divison by identifying the ANTI-instrumentalists as, without too much of a stretch, "ignorant, red-necked, southern malcontents."
Those promoting MUSICAL worship have only Satan for their authority.
What is the universal connection between music AS worship and Serpent Worship?
How does music AS worship connect to the Devil? Jesus said that children of the Devil "speak on their own."
A.
Ralph Johnson in
Instrumental Music, Sacred or Sinful. 10/23/04
11/13/04..11/16/04...11/17/04 new
lucifer, Apollyon data
Dwaine E. Dunning: The non-instrumental BRANCH must be cut OFF. God always hides a MARK. God always hides a MARK.
1. Tom Burgess in Documents on Instrumental Music reviewed. Psallo and Instrumental Music: Proofs do not prove anything but the "music-homosexuality" connection. See more on Strabo's definition of the worship of Apollo or Abaddon or Apollyon: his MUSES are the locusts or musical performers in the book of revelation.
2. Tom Burgess More Review of Plutarch: if Psallo authorizes "church music" it authorizes a homosexual gathering.
3. Tom Burgess on Moralia confirms the "Music-Heresy-Perversion" connection which has no historical exception. 10/20/04
4. Tom Burgess on John Chrysostom: are the anti-instrumentalists ignorant rurals? 10/21/04 What about Paul and Martin Luther and John Calvin and Zwingli and--everyone who believed the Bible as authority.
5. M. C. Kurfees and G. C. Brewer on Psallo and Instrumental Music in worship. Thayer and Grimm reviewed by Tom Burgess.
9/25/04 Charles Daily Northwest College of the Bible Part One ..... Part One A .....Part Two ..... THRESKIA or CHARISMATIC
Isaiah 25, Isa 25: Isaiah Chapter 25: The branch of the terrible one is a song to be accompanied with instrumental music. The Abominable Branch also speaks of Satan's use of instrumental music.
We wouldn't expect Baptists to be sucked into a movement to get the churches of Christ to help them build 5500 new congregations: the Stone Campbell Movement which pretends to enfold the historic churches of Christ who DO NOT use music will have the same kind of luck and earned contempt. The few participants will probably go anywhere to peddle books and bookings.
We would not use hate terms to define Baptists who refuse to join us because Jesus died and John Locke and Thomas Campbell wrote their Declaration of Freedom FROM organized religionists.
Editor's Preface
"Imagine a unity church movement that reunites after a hundred years of separation! This was the thrilling message of Richard Atchley, Preaching Minister, Richland Hills Church of Christ, Ft. Worth, Texas, to over 10,000 gathered this year at the North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis on Thursday night, July 10. His stirring two-minute presentation dreaming of a family reunion between the Churches of Christ (a cappella) and the Christian Churches (independent), openly seeking forgiveness for ugliness that has occurred over the years from his side of the movement,
and committing himself to bring about sharing of ministers, speakers, mission efforts, and more
was an astonishing, historic moment for the future of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. As I sat there and heard this, he made me believe that we really are going to see this happen before our very eyes . . . soon. These are exciting days."
First, there was NEVER a UNITY between two diverse people with diverse theological grounds at any time and only in PLACES where people in the same area choose to cooperate and "fellowship" which apparently meant to meet in one another's chuch buildings. There were no instruments in any of the groups and therefore no major SECTARIAN innovation to divide the groups at the fellowship level.
Secondly, Among the Scholars, they knew that the church belonged to Christ and was historically known as the church of Christ or collectively the churches of Christ. In his declaration and Address Thomas Campbell proves that "the church of Christ" was not a new view. The "church of God" in the Bible is keyed to the message "in Christ."
Thirdly, the Stoneites thought that UNITY was more important than agreement on Biblical doctrine. As Thomas Campbell defines church as "a school of Christ" and worship as "reading" and discoursing the Bible, he would also agree that unity at this ekklesia or synagogue level was also important and that ALL could speak the same things if they spoke the Word. Paul had made this clear when he identified two major groups which had the same view of "music" as the facilitator of "worship" but diverse views on food and drink. In Romans 15 Paul showed how the UNITY of speaking "that which is written" with one mouth and one mind to glorify God was the important element of unity at this "assembly" level.
If one decides that the Word of Christ or "that which is written" needs to be pre-digested before feeing the lambs as lesser beings, then HIS views MUST be different from the Bible or there would be no point of preaching. The first "baby step" automatically divides those who grasp the Word as a completed document.
If one decides to "sing" something other than the Biblical text then division always and will always result.
If one goes further by adding MUSIC as a legalistic ritual of performed worship then a total crushing of the assembly concept has already occurred.
Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell never agreed on THE major issues which makes a church an ekklesia or school of the Bible and the nature of the Godhead and the meaning of baptism. Therefore, there was little more "unity" than among the Baptists which readily united with those following Campbell's teachings. The Stoneites are best exemplified by the adoption of Methodist Shouting as an "act of worship" whereas the churches of Christ remained faithful to the WORD and PRAYER model Christ founded and remained quiet or AT REST as a gift of God.
Richard Atchley identifies himself as more aligned to the Christian chruch than to the church of Christ. To that end his church has been so organized.
Speaking Of Rick Atchley: "most of the preachers that I run with in mainline churches of Christ do not believe instrumental music is wrong" (p. 7).
You walk into our youth center Sunday morning or Wednesday night: and I'm telling you; Christian rock an' roll is just blasting" (p. 9).
Of course, rhetorical strident speech is lumped along with other professions such as singers, musicians and craftsmen as "theater builders and stage managers" were involved in SORCERY as Rev 18 makes clear. Because they had nothing positive to add they were called PARASITES. These roles were often leftovers when ALL sacrificial systems went broke. The priests and singers continued a fragil existence as parasites who would DO ANYTHING to keep from working.
See how VOODOO parses to ROCK AND ROLL and virtual sexuality .
"In the academic realm, people from both sides of the movement are becoming more and more comfortable working together on a number of important projects. Stone-Campbell Journal itself involves editors, article contributors, book reviewers, and avid subscribers from both sides.
ACADEMIC and Bible and History Literate are NOT the same thing. No "scholar" of the Bible or history or human nature could defend either denominational structures or MUSIC as a worship word. It is a big lie and Satan is the father of it. The Stone Campbell Journal will never print clear statements of the MUSIC and ANTI-GOD or ANTI-WORD passages.
Most of us are not going to accept that the Stone-Campbell Journal is one of those BIBLICAL projects Jesus assigned to the evangelists who still have a GO button. Most of the scholars whom Jesus condemned as "doctors of the law" had only a STOP button. Nor are SYMPOSIUMS of non-functional clergy persons likely to attract most who are literate about the "music" issue. TRAFFICKERS are the only ones who can possibly benefit from UNITY.
The Centenial Edition of the Declaration and Address by Thomas Campbell was published in 1908. Of course, this marks a much earlier desertion of the principles of Thomas Campbell and deliberately destroyed the unity among believers by returning to purely denominational roots. Mostly women with carpetbags had poured into the South after the Civil war believing that everyone was so ignorant that they could be forced to JOIN a new UNION so oppressive that J. H. Garrison saw it as encompassing all of CHRISTENDOM. And, of course, even children would be enlisted as LIFE MEMBERS: shades of Jim Bakker. Under the Law of the Guilt Clause, one is divisive and sows discord by REFUSING to join.
People who subscribed to the Campbell, rational (spiritual) understanding did not DIVIDE by putting the instrument out of the church: they simply REFUSED TO JOIN the INSTITUTION and had to abandon their own otherwise peacable churches.
I have begun to look at a sermon by Rubel Shelly on Isaiah 25 which illustrates why faithful churches for 2,000 years simply could not be disciples and PLEASURE themselves with music:
Rubel Shelly's Today's Sermon Today: Rubel Says: "There is no better example of this than the victory song of Isaiah."
However, the branch of the terrible ones in the Hebrew is: Zamiyr (h2158) from 2167; a song to be accompanied with instrumental music
The back inside cover of this
edition of D&A shows a denominational mentality which explains why in 1906 the people at the Census
Bureau were so upset that the Christian Churches were including
EVERYONE. David Lipscomb confirmed to the Census Bureau that the
non-instrumental churches DID NOT BELONG
to the new denomination. When it was all over,
churches of Christ stood where churches of Christ (using that name)
had always stood and rejected attempting to worship a Spirit God in
the new place of the human spirit with "music" which, based on the
meaning of Hebrew and Greek words, is an attack on the human
spirit. It is a fact that the MAJORITY is usually wrong and of
the faithful it is asked, "Shall He find faith when He returns." No,
almost none. In the REMNANT fact of Biblical History, God keeps
PRUNING in each generation and there is always more chaff or DARNEL
(devoted to drug-induced rituals)
There was never a CAMPBELL movement in the sense of an organization larger than the local congregation. Alexander Campbell's participation in organizations did not cause the churches of Christ to tag along. In fact, Alexander Campbell's views of a separate organization to take care of the MISSIONARY effort was opposed. His views of total oversight never materialized although the missionary society was enough to sow more discord than any "organization men" could correct.
Therefore, it is an oxymoron to speak of a STONEITE + CAMPBELLITE movement. Separation occured simply by the churches of Christ refusing to be COUNTED: no more, no les.
While giving lip service to "speaking where the Bible speaks" the Campbellites and Stoneites are simply names for two views of the Bible. The Bible pronounces itself as the authority and the almost totality of church theologians agree that the Biblical text defines faith and practice.
The "children" of the Stoneites usually subscribe to the "Ten Suggestions" view of th Bible so that the Bible must be worked over to fit the culture. All of those "hand picked" to represent the non-instrumental churches of Christ subscribe to the Stoneite's High Church view. Therefore, the Stone Campbel Movement toward unity is like professional wrestling: the fix is in.
"This is why Thomas Campbell could say:
"The New Testament is as perfect a constitution for the worship, discipline, and government of the New Testament church, and as a perfect a rule for particular duties of its members, as the Old Testament was for the worship, discipline, and government of the Old Testament Church, and the particular duties of its members."
"Thus there came to be, very early in the career of this movement, interest not only in
(1) Christian unity in a new freedom, but also (defined as 'church')
(2) a return to the doctrine, ordinances, and discipline of the New Testament church." (p. 153) (defined as 'sect')In 1932, A. W. Fortune says, "The controversies through which the Disciples have passed from the beginning to the present time have been the result of two different interpretations of their mission.
<>There have been those who believed it is the spirit of the New Testament Church that should be restored, and
in our method of working the church must adapt itself to changing conditions.There have been those who regarded the New Testament Church as a fixed pattern for all time, and our business is to hold rigidly to that pattern regardless of consequences.
Because of these two attitudes conflict were inevitable."
The Stone Campbell Movement has shown that its interest is in confiscating non-instrumental churches (a congenital propensity) and NOT in unity based on rejecting instrumental music or being governed in faith and practice by the Bible.
"Broadly speaking, it may be said that number
1. above generated the present fellowship called Disciples of Christ, and that number (church)
2. gave rise to the Churches of Christ. (sect)According to Troeltsch,
Disciples would be among the 'church' type and
Churches of Christ among the 'sect' type."By 'church' is meant that body of conceptions which says "From the beginning they have been 'high churchmen'...
because they 'never ceased to stress the visible and corporate character of the Church as the Divine Society,' (with bylaws, a head and ability to adapt to the culture)
and rejected 'legalized methods and structural forms which are a contradiction of the living nature of the church.'
The Bible, church scholars and founders of denomination all agree with Thomas Campbell that the Bible constitutes the ONLY authority for faith and practice in the Christian System.
The High Church has only a HIGH HAND for thinking that their right to be IN STEP WITH CULTURE is so powerful that it will excuse deliberately sowing discord.
See the High Church Background. The High Church movement was never adopted by any religious group.
See a review of Richard Hamm who defines the denomination which has REJECTED the Bible for faith and practice.
One of the LIBERTIES of a church which "CULTS" cannot accept is the right to a huge control organization which intended to include "all of Christendon." That would destroy the freedom from the Jewish Temple-State run by a "king set over us" and invalidate the entire mission of Christ to treat us as LAMBS and not WORK OXEN and therefore to give us REST.
"As early as 1882, Sewell and Harding were urging that a separation be brought about to identify that part of the Christian Church fellowship which supported the organ and the society. Lipscomb, at the time, rebuffed his brethren who called for such division. He sought no compromise, but hoped that the church would not suffer division."
"By 1897, Lipscomb was reconciled to the fact that division had already occurred and the supporters of the innovations would be satisfied with nothing less than a complete take-over of the churches... (Adron Doran, J.E.Choate, The Christian Scholar, p. 59
"Dr. Herman Norton, author of Tennessee Christians, tells the story about the first division usually identified with the U.S. Religious Census of 1906. A preacher by the name of A. I. Myhr came to Tennessee to work for the "organized" missionary societies to win over Tennessee churches of Christ into the ranks of the "organ" and "society" Christian Church. Myhr worked for twenty years (I890-1910) with this one objective in mind. He was supported by the editors of the Christian Standard and the Christian Evangelist.
At the time of his resignation as Secretary of the Tennessee Missionary Society in 1910, he had not won over a single church of Christ in Nashville and met with poor success in both Middle and West Tennessee.
The United States Religious Census officially recognized that two Restoration churches did in fact exist in the 1910 publication.
"Dr. Norton wrote in the Tennessee Christians that during the twenty-year effort in Tennessee, Myhr had succeeded in "engendering a bitter partisan spirit in almost every congregation in the state." And he added, "where there had been one communion, admittedly in discord, when he arrived in the state,
there were now two separate and distinct bodies with no meaningful communication between them" (Tennessee Christians, p. 123).
"When Dr. Shelly came to Nashville some twelve or so years ago, the churches of Christ were at peace. The churches cooperated in many good works. Goodwill prevailed on every hand. This is, sadly, no longer true!"
Is it anti-Christian to deliberately divide churches just to introduce what was always seen as pagan attempts to attract the masses to pay the bills and to attract the gods into their presence?
"David Lipscomb was faced with the painful awareness that the churches of Christ / Christian Churches were already divided by 1897. However, Lipscomb would have to wait another ten years before it became official.
"Division did come and was first marked by the Newbern, Tennessee, church trial (1902-1905). A majority, against the will of the minority, forced an organ into the Newbern building resulting in a trial which took years to resolve. I would say that churches of Christ are now about at the place where the churches were in 1897. Division need not come and should not come. God hates division and those who sow discord among the brethren.
Churches of Christ rejected
being INCLUDED WITHOUT
PERMISSION in the
Disciples version of the census of 1906. By 1908 the Centennial
edition of Campbell's Declaration and Address was published and the
goals were stated. Churches of Christ did not "abandon" the historic
church of Christ but made the choice NOT to be counted in what is
shown here as a denominational structure.
Cover: Stoneites can claim only Stone in his early search.
Together for Greater Ministry Impact '04: Blueprint Tour has a BLUEPRINT which is PATTERNISM. The goal is to procure enough pseudo- church of Christ Preachers (whatever that is) to help the INSTRUMENTALISTS build 5500 new Christian churches. This is a repeat of the DENOMINATION defined in the above pamphlet and literate believers who KNOW the meaning of "musical worship" will not join them. Using the GUILT CLAUSE defined from Adam to J. W. McGarvey that will make those who refuse to be ENLISTED divisive and sectarian and legalists. But, that has always been a big lie to blame the victim for the blood spattered on the assassin's new dancing slippers. Judas was a Siccari or assassin: his thief's bag was always attached to a flute case and was for carrying the mouthpieces or reeds for the flute. That fulfills the prophecy that Judas would fail to MUSICALLY TRIUMPH over Jesus: that was left for the Musical Warrior Levites as clergy.
Leroy Garrett is probably the father of the Stone Campbell Movement which one proponent says is only a quarter of a century old. Roger R. Chambers The Plea of History and the History of the Plea, a member of the Christian church writes of:
"A lethal combination: The weak idea propped up by the strong book -- the well-written one, that is. I'm thinking of one such idea -- that we ought to be more interdenominational, and a book--Leroy Garrett's The Stone-Campbell Movement.
Our introduction relates to the demand that CHURCHES OF CHRIST apolgize to the CHRISTIAN CHURCH because the "Christians" sowed discord by adding mechanical instruments into an otherwise peacable assembly. Click for the introduction to grasp that there was NEVER unity between the two groups. There be no UNION when the churches of Christ never had an organization larger than a local congregation.
The Stone Movement resulted in the Christian Church as a denomination as originally envisioned by Garrison and "evangelized" by Standard Publishing.
The same Stoneites who are outraged that non-instrumentalists would not REMAIN when instruments were added, later separated from those who became the Disciples of Christ Denomination with a visible Head. They had the right to separate and cannot rationally harass non-instrumentalists who were FORCED to leave by the presence of MUSIC as worship as well as their actual ejection if they attempted to EXPLAIN why "music as worship" has always been pagan idolatry--"there is no traditon or record of exception." It was a cult mind which denied people the freedom of association as clearly articulated by John Locke who risked his life to give people the right to DISCONNECT.
While there was "union" in the minds of sone Barton W. Stone never merged with the Reformers and indeed disagreed with them. That is, Barton W. Stone Stone was never united under the Church of Christ according to Burnett
In Seattle, in my old church, the preacher SOWED DISCORD to attract those from the Christian church and school. When a faithful deacon wanted to explain why the OWNERS of the property did not believe in instruments he was told that he would be divisive, would sow discord and that "he had been warned." He further explained that anyone who would fight against instruments would also enslave the black members if he could. This is quite identical to the teachings of Rubel Shelly who insists that the "world" sees non-instrumentalists as racists and fratricidal.
Those who followed the Campbells were influenced by others in their more Biblical view of Baptism as the Christ-appointed MEANS of requesting A holy spirit or A good conscience. Stone admitted this difference, the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, the influence of the "holy spirit" in conversion and many other particulars. Stone notes: " In a few things I dissented from him, but was agreed to disagree." The working agreement in Kentucky did not spread beyond because of these differences. That many churches identified themselves as Christian churches did not make them Stoneites. In the Declaration and Address long before O'Kelley's use of the word CHRISTIAN Thomas Campbell used both the Christian Church and the Church of Christ.
These are not MINOR but are radically different views of faith and practice and people were NEVER united in what used to be called the Campbell-Stone movement but is now called (by some) the Stone- Campbell Movement. This, as early "postmodernism," sought to diminish the role of Christ and the writing apostles in favor of music as part of a charismatic emphasis on some imagined direct operation of the Spirit "person" separate and apart from the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. You CANNOT hang your hat on the epistles and find a three-person Godhead, denying the necessity of baptism for Gentiles, the use of EXTERNAL singing and MELODY (warfare words), a clergy priesthood, the USE of women in authority (authentia meaning erotic which non-sedentary women automatically project), minimizing the "divisive views of divided apostles" and on and on.
The fact that Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, the Weslyian or Pilgrim Holiness Church, the Shakers, Christadelphians, the Mormons and most other groups were influenced by the charismatic breakdown at Cane Ridge does NOT MEAN that they are part of the SAME MOVEMENT any more than they are part of the CATHOLIC MOVEMENT. The first pseudo- Christian awakening (really witchcraft) produced 321 new sects mostly Baptists and the Cane Ridge produced many other divisions. To say that the radically different Stonetites agreeing to meet with Disciples produced UNITY is to fly in the face of the result of any such fatal connecting of EXPERIENCE to CONVERSION, or music-induced ecstasy (madness) to "spirituality."
Was Stone a hinderance?
We have noted that Stone, like many others, had trouble finding his way out of the briar patch which had enslaved people by denying them the Bible. Because he was an "honest seeker" he did not have the guile to hide his search for the truth. This led to many statements which still appear to show him believing that Christ did not preexist in the form of God. And of course, he would have sprinkled little babies in his early years. Therefore, his views were a stumbling block to the restoration of some groups such as the Baptists--
"W. T. Moore calls attention to an important result of the union which should not be overlooked: 'From the Campbellian point of view this union had its drawbacks.
At the time it was consummated the 'Reformers' were practically sweeping everything before them in the Baptist churches of Kentucky, Ohio, and other places where the 'Christians' had attained considerable influence.
"But the union seriously affected the trend of the Baptist churches toward the Reformatory movement. Many of those who had sympathy with the Reformation utterly refused to become associated with a movement which had coalesced with Unitarians and Pedobaptists.' This charge was false, but it had the semblance of truth, and, for a time, it did much injury." (Davis, M. M., Restoration Movement in the 19th Century, p. 157).
If you discount Thomas Campbell's early association with "restorationists" and his attempt to unify the bodies of Presbyterians, and place his restoration at the time of his rejection of the Presbyterian church, then you can say that Stone had begun before Campbell. However, Davis notes that a stream can be longer but still be a tributary--
"And so the Stone movement, though several years older in its organic form than that of the Campbell's,
is generally regarded as a tributary,
and not the main stream, in this onflowing and world-blessing spiritual current.
This is because most of the vital and permanent in the teachings of Stone, and much more, were found in the teachings of Campbell." (Davis, p. 158).From this and other evidence, Stone had theological problems which prevented him from being the father of the Restoration. Baptists who made up a major body of the growing Restoration would have never agreed with him. In addition, Stone did not have a "rounded out" view of the Bible which found acceptance among people who already knew what the church should look like, if and when it appeared.
"In a sense, there was nothing to unite, because neither Stone's Christians nor Campbell's Disciples of Christ had any denominational organization. Tensions were inevitable, even over the proper name of the united movement.
Many Stonites cherished their revivalist origins, continued to affirm Stone's Arianism, and resented Campbell's doctrinal rigidity and few of his less than flattering remarks about Stone.
In most regions the competing congregations eventually merged, but a remnant of Stoneite congregations in the Midwest, joind by a small Christian movement in New England and independent Christian congregations in North Carolina and Virginia rejected union." (Conkin, p. 140)
The so-called Stone Campbell Movement has as its goals the "conversion" of non-instrumental churches of Christ into virtual "Christian churches." They have never removed instruments from churches and it is a fact that about 5 churches of Christ have added instruments for "alternative" services but that will not attract believers. The HOLLOW SPECTRE waved around, like Rubel Shelly's GEIST, will assuredly drive a few into the desired postmodern schizophrenia to turn them WICKEDLY against their old beliefs, churches, and SPLIT FAMILIES but it too will pass and the SECTARIANS will be marked down in history with the MAGIANS.
See the meaning of Postmodernism and how the methods of Machiavelli, Hitler, Antonio Gramsci to create a socialist one world order. DISAGREEMENT produces DIVISION and therefore we must SILENCE disagreement and let the "scholars" lead.
To that end, the "dialog" has been between the Disciples of Christ, the Christian church and non-instrumental churches of Christ with the World Convention of Churches of Christ looking on. It is a fact that some of these participants want to go ecumenical with ALL people who claim to be believers: Max Lucado's group has joined the GLOBAL CHURCH. The intent of a global church with a GLOBAL ETHIC is to silence any person from criticizing any other person's belief. With his WHOLE LIFE DISCIPLESHIP denies the INDIVIDUAL the right to read, interpret and speak the Word outside of the community or commune. We are well aware that none of his members will use their real name when discussing issues on information or doctrinal debate.
These later participants are already confirmed in their approval of instrumental music and do not represent non-instrumental churches of Christ.
USA Trialogue held in Nashville, Tennessee included DISCIPLES OF CHRIST members as if unity could be achieved. Invited Observers: Lyndsay Jacobs, Co-General Secretary, World Convention of Churches of Christ; and Victor Knowles, editor of One Body magazine. Victor Knowles is active in RECRUITING but distorts the Bible and history of churches of Christ.
This is part of the postmodern confessed DISSOCIATION or induced schizophrenia intended to make you hate your old church family and leaders for so abusing you about things like pagan instrumental music.
The "trialogue" is really a monologue because it includes men antagonistic to churches of Christ and the "movement" knew that they could stack the deck and present a front of UNITY when these men have been DISCORDERS.
Members of the dialogue included: From the Churches of Christ Mike Armour, pastor, Dallas; Doug Foster, professor, Abilene, Texas; Jimmie Sites, pastor, Nashville, Tennessee; Phillip Morrison, editor, Franklin, Tennessee; and David Worley, professor, Austin, Texas.
While there is probably blame to go around, this movement facilitated by Jimmie Sites of the Madison Church of Christ brought in a "Musical Worship Minister" who normally is to "lead the worshipers into the presence of God." The membership of that church went from about 3300 (5000 elder count) to about half of that and about 325 of that count came from the county jail. That massive SOWING OF DISCORD still continues while some brag about telling people they are on a train to, say Birmingham, but "we gonna divert them to Louisville." All of these underemployed men had to know that forming a NEW SECT would sow discord even as the "new style worship" sowed discord in Christian churches.
Mike Armour wrote the story of the Bible for the Ukraine because they cannot read the Bible.
Mike goes into a tail spin blaming everything but bad breath on NOT PLAYING INSTRUMENTS. This is long and tedious but I am working on it to show that POSTMODERNISM means that you can "take liberties" with the text just like "John did with his ideas obout Jesus being the Logos."
This illustrates the differences: the Restoration Movement held that you should allow the Bible to say what it says. If you don't believe it then no church of Christer will chase you down with a pitch pipe and be FRATRICIDAL in the words of Rubel Shelly.
There is NOTHING--even if you could "ecumenic" 100% of the people-- that justifies treating the Inspired Word like a garbage bucked out of which to pick pieces. You can TAKE LIBERTIES with the Bible but you cannot at the same time be a Disciple of Christ.
Doug Foster in Restoration Roots, like all "scholars", tends to quote other scholars and thus distorts the Bible and history.
"In the May issue of Winskins there is an article by Douglas A. Foster which he called, "The NEW Birth and Christian Unity, David Lipscomb's Middle Way." Then a sub-title states:
"There is no one thing taught with greater clearness in the New Testament than that the new birth precedes and qualifies for baptism.
Faith unites and makes us one with Christ, and such believer is a Christian, and saved, not with a conditional but with an everlasting salvation." [David Lipscomb. "Baptist Queries and Answers." Gospel Advocate, 1873, 702.]
What Foster doesn't say is that he is NOT quoting David Lipscomb because David Lipscomb is quoting a BAPTIST writing in a BAPTIST paper!
And, of course, this implicates Phillip Morrison who promotes such false teachings and teachers.
These anti-church writers clearly focus in on specific issues:
> A view of the Bible to fit the changed culture
> Choirs ot "teams"
> Instruments
> Faith Only
> Role of Women
> Premillenialism
> Baptism for because of the remission of sins rather than baptism in order to the remission
> Give the false impression that EVERYONE ELSE freely fellowships everyone else, impose a burden which deprives free believers the "right of association" and the "right to practice religion based on their own views of Scripture."
> They use psychological violence by their mantra that to REFUTE any doctrines of anyone else makes you legalistic, sectarian and unloving. Of course they make more than a cottage industry out of judging those who pay their bills.
In fact, no entity larger than a local congregation represents any other congregation. Therefore, they cannot be integrated into musical "worship" by "unity meetings" which have always held the MUSICAL position to be the only acceptable format. Agreement to work together in missions means work together with instrumental music to "attract" and "save more souls."
Nor, does any faithful congregation of either group serving its own community and sending evangelists have either time or inclination to assemble with musical instruments. Richard Wagner was Adolph Hitler's "musical worship minister" and without him the Nazi's could never have made such a huge COMMUNITY or "unity movement."
The history of Satan leading the "youth" into the use of instrumental music in many ancient documents illustrates that the more unBiblical one's new "revelation" the more important it is to accumulate disciples who will AFFIRM you in your actions. A "normal" civilian member of the church simply feels no need to affirm and be affirmed by mass movements. These stories including The Book of Jubilees, The books of Enoch and the many versions of Adam and Eve all agree.
Hitler would explain Experience and Community this way.
"But the community of the great demonstration not only strengthens the individual, it also unites and helps to create an esprit de corps.
"The man who is exposed to grave tribulations, as the first advocate of a new doctrine in his factory or workshop,
absolutely needs that strengthening which lies in the conviction of being a member and fighter in a great comprehensive body.
"And he obtains an impression of this body for the first time in the mass demonstration. When from his little workshop or big factory, in which he feels very small,
he steps for the first time into a mass meeting and has thousands and thousands of people of the same opinions around him, when,
as a seeker, (Als Suchender.' A Wagnerian phrase, which Hitler was apparently determined to use at all costs)
he is swept away (the Vortex) by three or four thousand others into the mighty effect of suggestive intoxication and enthusiasm,"when the visible success and agreement of thousands confirm to him
the rightness of the new doctrine and for the first time
arouse doubt in the truth of his previous conviction -
then he himself has succumbed to the magic influence of what we designate as 'mass suggestion.'The will, the longing, and also the power of thousands are accumulated in every individual. The man who enters such a meeting doubting and wavering leaves it inwardly reinforced:
he has become a link in the community.
There is a radical difference between the interpretation of Scripture and the nature of "worship" which developed out of the "Christian churches" and the "Reformers" or churches of Christ. Men like Alfred T. DeGroot defines those who use the original Bible for faith and practice as SECTS while those who follow the "High Church" understanding of Scripture are called CHURCHES. It is a fact, however, that the High Church view of accomodating Scripture to Culture was discussed but never approved by any group.
A method defined by Richard Hamm of the Disciples can be read by Clicking Here.
At Cane Ridge Hamm stated that: Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell both were fervent about Christian unity. Campbell, said Disciples General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm, showed a preference for working out the details of unity before taking action. Stone, said the GMP, advocated Christians coming together -- and working out the details later. "I appreciate that attitude very much, and believe that probably Stone had that right. The more I've learned about Stone the more I appreciate his contribution to who we are as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Many of the things that he said are ready to be freshly applied by the church in the 21st century," said Hamm.
Hamm means what the Stoneites meant: UNION is more important than fidelity to the Truth in the Bible. Not to worry, says agent Rubel Shelly speaking for all of these people, WE will partner with God to get a NEW set of doctrines to FIT culture--which thy mystically reveal--has changed. Even the human eyeballs have evolved and the old words do not fit the POSTmodern eyes which have replaced the MODERN eyes and mind which HALLUCINATED that mere mortals can READ the Words of Christ and grasp the meaning: if you are getting TRUTH from chapters and verses it is OBVIOUS that your lack of a peer- awarded Phd CANNOT grasp that GO PREACH now means LOCATED MISSIONARY. Baptize FOR the remission of sins NOW means baptize BECAUSE you are saved or WASH because you are already clean.
Rubel Shelly as one pretend AGENT for the churches of Christ in the Stone Campbell Movement has followed Hamm closely about how to LINE UP THE signs to interpret one's ACTIONS as consistent with Scripture. Click Here
This article follows the purveyors of THE SHEPHERDING MOVEMENT. Another article on Whole Life Dicipleship denies the individual the right to read, interpret and teach the Word independant of the community (commune)
See the Promise Keepers NATIONAL SHEPHERDING MOVEMENT
Lynn Anderson PK-like Discipling Dilema
Max Lucado hires a DISCIPLING MINISTER
What is called the American Restoration Movement was simply a few more steps away from dogmas which had been initially added as "liberties." It is a fact that prior to Zwingli in 1525 baptism was understood in terms in which Jesus commanded it and the apostles began to practice it. That is, baptism was the time and place to call upon the name of the Lord and request A holy spirit or A good conscience or consiousness. The purpose was to be accepted by Jesus Christ as a disciple. Disciples were called Christians without a human organization. Based on the Bible only believers who are THEN baptized are called Christians. A person who does not follow the Bible including the epistles is not by definition a Christian. He may be good and may reach a happy hunting ground but by definition a DISCIPLE of Christ cannot belong to a regulating body or denomination.
I am willing, however, that all the advantage which the church may have derived from our labors shall have no effect in alleviating our fault, if in any other respect we have done her injury. Therefore, let there be an examination of our whole doctrine, of our form of administering the sacraments (MEANS of Grace) , and our method of governing the church;
and in none of these three things will it be found that we have made any change upon the ancient form, without attempting to restore it to the exact standard of the word of God.
To return to the division which we formerly adopted.
All our controversies concerning doctrine relate either to the legitimate worship of God, or to the ground of salvation.
Thomas Campbell followed John Calvin in his quest for the Reformation or Restoration of the Church of Christ.
"In 1808 he and others founded the Christian Association of Washington, Pennsylvania. That group adopted the motto, well-known by Disciples, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent."
Campbell and others were called "Reformers," for their desire to restore the Church's first century roots. This way of life came to be known as the "Restoration Movement."
Near Washington, Pennsylvania, Campbell and his son, Alexander, and the Christian Association established the Brush Run Church, which, in 1815, became part of a nearby Baptist Association.
Reformers and the Baptists differed on key issues. By 1830, the Reformers cut their last ties with the Baptist Association and became known as "Disciples."
Thomas Campbell's passion for Christian unity is summed up in his proclamation that : "The church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." This statement is the first and key proposition of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address, a work called by some the "Magna Charta" of the movement that preceded the denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Of course, if there are Christians IN ALL THE SECTS then Thomas Campbell insisted that they COME OUT OF BABYLON. See the Lunenberg Letters which drives the UNIVERSALISTS among us looney. The Campbells were capable of growth and RESTORATIONISM insists that we restore or reform by teaching that which has been taught. The Campbells NEVER thought of uniting with people obviously in error except in the sense Thomas Campbell understood church as "A school of the Bible" and worship as "reading and discussing the Bible."
Thomas Campbell Worship in Spirit and in Truth
Thomas Campbell Worship and Baptism
Stoneites, on the other hand and to be faithful to Stone, seek to restore the CANE RIDGE experience and have no interest in restoring the church to the principles laid down by Jesus Christ who died to form HIS own ekklesia or synagogue where the twos and threes can "come learn of me" without the laded burden of 'spiritual anxiety created by religious ritual' and most assuredly the burden of a dominant "pastor" and a non-teaching bishoprick which John Calvin also RESTORED.
NAMING and creating a new SECTARIAN division named the Stone Campbell Movement is an effort to restore the revival and nature of the church which surfaced primarily at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and led by Barton W. Stone.
This was a charismatic or "threskia" form of worship which had its origin in Orpheus, Dionysus (the new wineskin god), the Lesbian singers. Whereas the hymns or poems of Homer would be recited skillfully as the only way to honor Homer, the Lesbian singers added tunes and instruments to make Homer into a sexual entertainer.
Christian worship and defined by the Campbell Movement was in the human spirit and not in temples made with human hands or by rituals using human hands.
At the same time the Movement intends to silence the CAMPBELL-STONE understanding where restoration meant to functon as a church following the principles laid down in the Bible by Jesus Christ and the inspired apostles.
For whom did Jesus pray to be united? Let his words answer. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:17-21). Jesus prayed for the sanctified believers to be united. Who are these? The truth sanctifies (John 17:17). For one to be sanctified by truth, he must obey that truth (Rom. 6:17-18). To sanctify is to set aside or apart. In Romans 6 Paul shows exactly how and when this happens. In Romans 6:18 Paul wrote, "Being then made free from sin...." Then is an adverb of time which indicates without question when the Romans had been set aside. It is when they had "...obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Rom. 6:17). Romans 6:3-7 clarifies this a bit more. In obedience to truth (God's word, not human doctrine) one is sanctified and justified by God. These people are added by God to the church or kingdom and these are the people our Lord prays for in John 17, not the religious world in general. Charles Pledge
The STONE dominance intends to put UNITY of believers under one heading by compromizing Biblical truths. Barton W. Stone considered merging with the REFORMERS led by the Campbells and many others "as the noblest act of my life." This was because UNION was achieved while Stone radically differed from the Reformers.
The Campbell movement never saw "organizational" union as even desirable unless it was, as Jesus defined unity, on the basis of the Word of Christ. In his Declaration and Address, before the union, Thomas Campbell saw the desirability of unity among believers but based on the Bible. Other unity was possible--as Paul explained in Romans 15--if church was defined as the ekklesia which was A School of Christ. Thomas Campbell defined "worship" as did Paul as reading and discussing the Bible. This made "unity" possible whereas the 'Methodist Shout' of the Stoneite worship would be so divisive that Word-based worship unity would be utterly impossible.
Members of the Christian churches might take better note about what a few self-selected ECUMENICAL men (usually selling something). It is doubtful that more than a tiny few , in the minds of the Stone Campbell Sect, want to RESTORE the Cane Ridge event as OPPOSED to Campbell's and most church theologians reliance on the Words of God for their faith and practice:
The Shouting Methodists [and Christian churches]
But Methodist noise was not limited to ejaculations. Singing and clapping, groaning and crying, praying and exhorting, contributed to the din. In the same songbook of 1807, the initial impression of a convert is reported:
The Methodists were preaching like thunder all about.
At length I went amongst them, to hear them groan and shout.
I thought they were distracted, such fools I'd never seen.
They'd stamp and clap and tremble, and wail and cry and scream.Finally, for some, a "shout" became a dance, a shuffling of the feet, a jerking of the head, a clapping of the hands, and perhaps an occasional leap. Most often it was a circular march, a "ring shout."
Thus Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines "shout" as "to give expression to religious ecstasy, often in vigorous, rhythmic movements (as shuffling, jumping, jerking) specifically, to take part in a ring shout."
We will discuss some of the STONEITE DISTINCTIVES in time. The form of worship was charismatic and almost identical to ancient and modern Iraq "Devil Worship." The attempt to restore the musical- charismatic Stoneite worship is at the heart of massive sowing of discord. Those promoting what is "hostile takeovers" of non-instrumental churches is based on perverting every single "music" word or concept in the Bible.
Barton Stone [Garrison & DeGroot, 1958]
Among the three "Christian" movements in New England, Virginia-North Carolina, and Kentucky-Tennessee, the most important, in relation to the Disciples of Christ, would have been the latter. This is the one in which Barton W. Stone became the most conspicuous figure.
Unlike the Christian church in New England, it was related in its origin to the O'Kelly secession from the Methodist.
Its roots run back into the "New Light," or revivalistic, strain of Presbyterianism in Virginia and the southern states. So important is Stone's place in the Kentucky phase of the movement, and so close were his contacts with the earlier influences before he came to Kentucky, that an account of his early life is an essential part of the total picture.
Of course, O'Kelly called the churches "the Christian Church" but did not mean that they had any real connection with the Stoneites.
The Stoneite movement adopted the freedom to interpret Scripture to fit the culture. Therefore, contradicting all of the musical terms and names of instruments is not considered lying "but working out our new scripture based on OUR EVOLVED culture."
James O'Kelley
- On Restoration Principles with Photos
- And Thomas Jefferson with Photo
- Life of James O'Kelly - MacClenny Ch. XVII with Photos
- Alexander Campbell on Fellowship and Sectarianism
- Did Alexander Campbell Endorse the Baptist Church? -
- Sermon on the Law
- Trinity: A. Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Walter Scott
- Campbell John Locke - Spirituality
- Musical Worship:
- Instrumental Music
- Baptismal Regeneration
- Unitarianism and The Trinity Refuted
- Campbell, Alexander - Trinity
- Campbell, Alexander - Barton W. Stone - Walter Scott on The Spirit
- One use of Monarchy of Israel as authority for Christian Restoration
T. Campbell
- Thomas Campbell's DECLARATION AND ADDRESS
- Holy Spirit: Agent of Conversion
- Baptism For the remission of sins
- Leroy Garrett distorts
- Baptism as an Acts of Worship
- Direct Operation of The Holy Spirit
- Campbell, Thomas Holy Spirit - A circular letter
- Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell The Spirit
- Worship in Spirit and in Truth
- Evangelist in the Restoration Movement
- Worship in Spirit Must be Restored
Stone, Barton
- Musical Worship Index
- Restoration Movement Index
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