Don’t Know Much About
History:
Reviewing 70 Years of
Rapprochement Between
A Cappella Churches
of Christ and Conservative Christian Churches
1933-2004
Pepperdine University Bible Lectures
May 6,7, 2004
Victor Knowles, Teacher
(Downloadable by going to www.poeministries.org and clicking on
“Lectures”)
Sam Cooke was born
on January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, but grew up in Chicago where
his father was a minister in the Church of Christ Holiness Church. By age nine
Sam was singing with his two sisters in a group called The Singing Children. In
1950 he sang the lead on “Jesus Gave Me Water” with the Soul Stirrers. He
became a gospel superstar. Later he entered the world of popular music. In 1960
Sam Cooke signed with RCA and released a song called “Wonderful World.” In part
the lyrics read:
Don’t
know much about history
Don’t
know much about a science book
Don’t
know much about the French I took
But
I do know that I love you
And
I know that if you love me too
What
a wonderful world this would be
When Jerry Rushford
called and asked me to do this workshop, he said (as best I can recall), “A lot
of people don’t know much about the history of these unity meetings. Please do
something that will bring us up to speed on the history of these
meetings.” That’s what I hope to
accomplish in this two-part lecture, “Don’t Know Much About History:
Reviewing 70 Years of Rapprochement between A Cappella Churches of Christ and
Conservative Christian Churches 1933-2004.” Perhaps Jerry Rushford, Sam Cooke and I can pull this thing off
together. What a wonderful thing that would be!
Most of us don’t
know much about history – our own history, that is! Many of us are biblical
illiterate – like the elder who though Dan and Beersheba were lovers. Many of
us are historically illiterate – and I include myself here. Until I went to
Bible College in 1964, I was blissfully ignorant of that fact that there were
Churches of Christ, thousands upon thousands, who did not sing to the
accompaniment of musical instruments when they assembled on Sunday in their
church buildings to worship God. I am sure that my ignorance was matched by any
number of 18-year-old boys on the other side of the keyboard who were equally
unaware that there were Churches of Christ (also called Christian Churches),
thousands upon thousands, who sang to the accompaniment of musical instruments
when they assembled on Sunday in their church buildings to worship God. Whether
you were born and raised in the Midwest or in Dixie made all the difference!
It has taken us
many years to cross that great divide. The spiritual heirs of the
Stone-Campbell Movement worked and worshipped as one, in spite of some
differences of opinion. From the storied Cane Ridge Revival in 1801 to “the
handshake that shook the frontier” in Paris, Kentucky in 1832, the
Stone-Campbell Movement made their mark for God. Thomas Langford writes, “The
Movement flourished throughout the 19th Century. It was not even
divided by the Civil War, when every other major Christian group divided into
North and South. Moses Lard wrote, in fact, that widespread division in the
Movement was impossible since each congregation was independent of others and
there was no controlling headquarters organization to effect an official
division. Individual congregations might hold different views on slavery and
other matters, but no church had power over the convictions of other
congregations. Fellowship between congregations might indeed be strained or
broken, but there could not be, thought Lard, a general division” (“Can We
Divide?” Lard’s Quarterly,
Vol. III, 1866, pp.330-336 as quoted in The Restoration Ideal and The Church
Today by Thomas A.
Langford, pp. 43,44). But Langford rightly notes that Lard was wrong. Lard
under-estimated the organizational power of religious journals. As someone once
observed, “The Methodists have bishops and the Disciples have editors.”
Fast forward to
1889. My understanding of history is that we became “a separate people” when a
“line in the sand” was drawn by Daniel Sommer, editor of American Christian
Review – which Leroy
Garrett called “the most influential journal in the Movement in the post-Civil
War years.” On Sunday, August 18, 1889, at Sand Creek, Illinois, an annual
gathering of thousands of Christians, Sommer urged Peter Warren to draw up “An
Address and Declaration” which excoriated the users of such innovations like
choirs and societies (but oddly did not include instrumental music). The
document closed with these chilling words: “if they will not turn away from
such abominations, that we cannot and will not regard them as brethren.”
This did not set
well with the Christian Standard,
which denounced the Sand Creek Declaration, calling it a “new confession of
faith.” Editor Russell Errett said, “Daniel Sommer has abandoned apostolic
ground and is no more identified with the Disciples of Christ than Sidney
Rigdon.” J. C. McQuiddy wrote in Gospel Advocate that the Sand Creek manifesto was “manifest
folly.” But once a line is drawn, it is hard to erase. Earl Irvin West states,
“And so, by 1906, the work of division had taken its full course. The
‘Christian Churches’ or ‘Disciples of Christ,’ as they preferred to be called,
took their instruments and their missionary society and walked a new course.
The battles had been long, treacherous, costly, and bitter. Many brethren,
still licking their wounds, looked to the future to start all over again.” In
1906, J. W. Shepherd and David Lipscomb, acting unilaterally for Churches of
Christ, compiled and submitted the first religious census on the numerical
strength of Churches of Christ to the U.S. Census of Religious Bodies. Murch
called this act a “drastic step for national separation.” The May 2004 Gospel
Advocate carried a special
series based on the 1906 division: “Division in the Church: History in the
Remaking?” The editorial page re-printed David Libscomb’s famous article
“Division Must Come.”
In 1927 the
movement divided again. This time a group of churches chose to become
“independent” of the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ) because of the
Disciples’ liberal theology, “open membership” and matters of church polity.
They became known as the independent or conservative Christian
Churches/Churches of Christ. The North American Christian
Convention,“independent” of the Disciples’ International Convention, was formed
in 1927 by conservative leaders such as P. H. Welshimer. By 1955 the
conservatives had their own Directory of the Ministry. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
voted to become a full-fledged denomination in 1968. In 1994 Russ Blowers
identified 14 differences between conservative Christian Churches and the
Disciples of Christ (The Lookout, July
19, 1994).
Now “we” are three.
Today the three streams, or branches, of the Stone-Campbell Movement number as
follows in the U.S. and Canada:
· Churches of Christ: 1.2 million members;
13,032 churches
· Christian Churches/Churches of Christ: 1.2
million members; 5,539 churches
· The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):
834,000 members; 3,792 churches
This paper will
endeavor to briefly review several efforts from 1933 to today to bring brethren
together for prayer, study and understanding. The paper will deal primarily
with efforts between Churches of Christ and Christian Churches/Churches of
Christ, but not always. A portion of this material is taken from the author’s
article “Working for Unity in Spite of Our History” which appeared in the
September 8, 2002 Christian Standard. A helpful Timeline will appear at the end of this paper. For
now we will look at several major efforts at rapprochement and other significant events or happenings
that have shaped the unity effort between Churches of Christ and Christian
Churches/Churches of Christ.
The
Beam-Jessup “Unity Rallies” (1933-1957)
Through the years
there have been concerted efforts by concerned brethren to bring the divided
heirs of the Stone-Campbell Movement together again. In the summer of 1933 a
“Unity Rally” was held in the city auditorium of Visalia, California. This
rally, attended by about 1,000 brethren from both sides of the keyboard, was
the happy result of prayerful planning by William Jessup, president of San Jose
Bible College, and Ernest Beam, a judge and preacher in the Churches of Christ.
Ten speakers, five from each side of the keyboard, spoke. Succeeding unity
rallies to places in cities like Los Angeles, Los Gatos, Malibu, and San Jose.
It was not an easy road. Beam and Jessup were publicly called “braying
jackasses” at one meeting. In 1949 Beam delivered his famous “17 Propositions
for Unity” at a unity rally at San Jose Bible College. In 1950 Beam launched a
journal, The Christian Forum, which
was published through 1953. The California unity rallies continued off and on
until Beam’s untimely death in 1957. For more information see “A Look Back at
the Beam-Jessup Unity Meetings” One Body Spring 1991.
The
Murch-Witty “National Unity Meetings” (1937-1944)
Back east two men
were leading out in another cordial unity effort: James DeForest Murch and
Claude Witty. Murch was well known in Christian Church circles and Witty
preached for the Westside-Central Church of Christ in Detroit, Michigan. Murch
was speaking at a rally at the Keele Street Christian Church in Toronto,
Canada, when he was approached by the elders of the Fern Street Church of
Christ who suggested that he get in touch with Claude Witty in Detroit. The two
men corresponded and prayed for about a year before Witty invited Murch to
preach at Westside-Central. The following Feb. 23, 1937, the first of a series
of conversations was held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Murch and Witty proposed a
5-fold approach to unity: (1) Prayer. (2) Survey – seeking to determine how
much each fellowship had in common in faith and practice. (3) Friendliness. (4)
Cooperation – in enterprises that would not do violence to personal or group
convictions. (5) Study and discussion – of things which divided them, in order
to discover the way to complete a permanent unity. Successive meetings were
held in Indianapolis; Akron, Ohio; and Columbus, Indiana. Meetings were also
held in Los Angeles and Ontario, California.
The first “National Unity
Meeting” was held May 3,4, 1938 at the Westside-Central Church of Christ in
Detroit with more than 1,000 in attendance. These national meetings continued
for several years at Indianapolis; Lexington, Kentucky; Columbus, Ohio; and
other places. Murch said, “Some fifty key men from each communion braved the
criticism of many of their brethren to make valuable contributions to the
venture.” A journal, Christian Unity Quarterly, was launched by Murch and Witty. A tract, Christian
Unity: Churches of Christ and Christian Churches, was distributed by hundreds of thousands
of copies. Prayer meetings were held at the graves of Campbell, Stone, and
McGarvey.
The main accomplishments,
according to Murch, were: (1) A growing personal acquaintance. (2) A rowing
knowledge of the current status of the churches. (3) A frank study and
discussion of the obstacles to unity and possible methods of achieving unity.
(4) Publicizing the 5-point approach. (5) The creation of a spirit of prayer
and surrender to God’s will.
The
Ketcherside-Garrett Wynnewood Chapel “Unity Meetings” (1955-1960s)
In 1951 Leroy
Garrett and others started Wynnewood Chapel, “a congregation of the Restoration
Movement,” in Dallas, Texas. In pursuit of peace and truth, they became
increasingly concerned over division in the Restoration Movement. The first
unity meeting was held in 1955 with Carl Ketcherside and Leroy Garrett along
with a “precious few” who accepted their invitation to come. One of those who
came was J. Ervin Waters, the “champion debater” for the one-cup churches.
Garrett says, “Time proved him to be one of the greatest influences in our
unity efforts. His inestimable contribution, made through numerous unity
meetings for years to come, is a story within itself. It all started at
Wynnewood Chapel in Dallas” (A Lover’s Quarrel, pp.132, 133). Garrett also notes that the
hardest part of these meetings was to bring people together who didn’t want to
have anything to do with each other. But “some who came to scorn remained to
pray.” These meetings were primarily between brethren of the a cappella persuasion.
The
“Defining Moment” Debate (1957)
Though not called
as a “unity meeting” as such, a 1957 debate in Nowata, Okalahoma, on
instrumental music between Ketcherside, Garrett, Seth Wilson, and Don DeWelt
(both from Ozark Bible College) was described by Garrett as the “defining
moment” in the unity effort. Garrett had written to Ketcherside before the
debate that this one should be different – it should be made clear that “Seth
and Don are our brothers in Christ as much as we are to each other.” The letter
continued: “We might differ on the issue under discussion, but that would not
keep us from loving and accepting each others as brothers in Christ. We don’t
have to agree on instrumental music to be united in Christ!” Ketcherside read
this letter at the beginning of the debate and gave it his wholehearted approval.
Garrett notes, “On that occasion, we publicly stated what Churches of Christ
had never said before – we can differ on such things as instrumental music and
still be a united people” (A Lover’s Quarrel, p. 139).
Don DeWelt recalled this historic
meeting in his autobiography Happy on My Way to Heaven. “There was a spirit of openness and
acceptance we all remember with joy. In the recollection of all four men there
is a real historic significance to this meeting. It was the first breakthrough
in the Midwest among our two fellowships …The friendliness and good humor that
prevailed there will not soon be forgotten. We accepted each other as we are
accepted in Christ” (pp. 129, 130).
The
“Hartford Forum” (1957-1972)
The Hartford Forum,
held in Hartford, Illinois, began in 1957 and continued annually until 1972.
Hundreds of people from all three streams of the Movement attended these
meetings which, according to Garrett, “provided more opportunity for the rank
and file to get involved and were largely discussion sessions, with no holds
barred” (A Lover’s Quarrel, pp.
136, 137). The meetings were always promoted and given good coverage by Carl
Ketcherside in his paper Mission Messenger.
The
“Annual Unity Forum” (1966-1975)
A 10-year series of
unity forums began in 1966 at Bethany College. The series was put together by
Leroy Garrett and Perry Gresham, president of Bethany College. Thomas A.
Langford, one of the attendees (and later part of the ad hoc planning
committee), recalls, “It was a wonderful experience, embracing a goodly number
of folk from the three wings of the Movement … Perhaps the highlight of the
meeting was the Sunday Service. The old meeting place where Campbell reached,
long closed, was dusted out for our morning worship. We all praised God
together and enjoyed a sweet fellowship across lines that were seldom crossed
in our home communities” (“Unity Forums” One Body Spring 2002). Langford also said, “It was a
glorious time and gave all of us hope of what might be accomplished if advocates
of unity should prevail in their respective communities” (The Restoration
Ideal and The Church Today, p.
45). Garrett said of the first meeting: “It was the first time in our history
that such a diverse group of our divided Restoration family gathered to talk
and pray about unity in Christ … We closed by singing the old hymn composed by
M. C. Kurfees (Churches of Christ) and A. C. Hopkins (Christian Churches), who
were themselves seeking unity for their people in Louisville, Kentucky, part of
which reads:
How
blest and how joyous will be the glad day,
When
hearts beats to heart in the work of the Lord;
When
Christians united shall swell the grand lay,
Divisions
all ended, triumphant His word!
Subsequent forums were held at:
Milligan College in Tennessee; Southeastern College in Kentucky; West Islip
Church of Christ in New York; Lubbock Christian College in Texas; Atlanta
Christian College in Georgia; Blaney Avenue Church of Christ in Cupertino,
California; University of Tulsa in Oklahoma; Scarritt College in Nashville,
Tennessee; and Bethany College, where the meetings concluded in 1975. Garrett
notes, “Unlike the earlier Wynnewood Chapel meetings, these were better
attended and there was a greater representation of Restoration churches” (A
Lover’s Quarrel, p. 133).
Langford cites the positive
results of the annual Unity Forum: “Some mellowing of attitudes and attempts to
rethink the possibilities of greater cooperation. It may be that this series
plowed the ground out of which, after an interval of ten years, the Restoration
Forums could grow in 1984.”
The
“Restoration Forum” (1984 –present)
Author bias should
be noted in this section as I have been involved in the Restoration Forum since
its inception in 1984, having missed only one forum in all that time. Doug
Foster has written, “Those who promoted those (earlier) efforts were engaged in
a righteous work. But none have had the longevity and widespread results of the
Restoration Forums begun in 1984” (“Where There is Division: The Necessity of
the Restoration Forums” One Body Spring
2002).
In the summer of 1983, Don
DeWelt, teacher at Ozark Bible College and president of College Press, both in
Joplin, Missouri, received a call from Alan Cloyd, evangelist with the
Restoration Leadership Ministry, Nashville, Tennessee. Would Don be interested
in inviting 50 men from Christian Churches to meet with 50 men from Churches of
Christ “to establish dialogue for mutual understanding and appreciation”? Later
in the year Cloyd and Dennis Randall met with DeWelt, Chris DeWelt, and Ken
Idleman, president of OBC, to plan what was at first called “Restoration
Summit.”
The first meeting was held on the
campus of OBC August 7-9, 1984. The 100 men “were looking for ways in which two
long divided branches of a movement might talk together and bridge the gaps of
broken fellowship” (Chris DeWelt, “Reflections on our Journey” One Body Winter 2001). Speakers included Monroe
Hawley, Furman Kearley, Hardeman Nichols, Reuel Lemmons, Boyce Mouton, Fred
Thompson, W. F. Lown, and Lynn Gardner. Ken Idleman said, “The closing prayer
time on our knees was the closest I have been to the spirit of Pentecost. I
shall never forget it and will cherish the memory until I die” (Almost
Pentecost” One Body Spring
2002). The meeting was “cussed and discussed” around the country in many
journals and private conversations.
Christian Standard (Oct. 21, 1984) opened its editorial pages
to Rubel Shelly who wrote that the Restoration Summit was not a merger attempt,
not an exercise in compromise, not a symposium-debate on instrumental music,
nor was it a brawl. “A beautiful spirit of love for God and one another as
estranged brothers pervaded the discussions.” Shelly listed four things we
learned about each other: Churches of Christ learned that conservative
Christian Churches are altogether different from the Disciples of Christ; that
each group is a “mirror-image” of the other; and both groups seek to exhibit
integrity with the Word of God; and each group has little awareness or understanding
of each other. He suggested three steps for the future: continue to meet, study
the Word, and draw closer to God and one another; meaningful exchange on a
personal and congregational level; and cooperate in many wants to represent
Christ before our communities.
Monroe Hawley said, “It was
apparent that the two groups have far more in common than they have in
disagreement. The meeting revealed that both groups are biblically oriented and
seek only to follow the Scriptures, thought there are differences over how the
Bible should be interpreted. No one ever suggested that any person should
compromise his convictions. It was recognized that among autonomous
congregations the participants could only speak for themselves. One of the most
amazing things in the meeting was the genuine spirit of love on the part of all
participants. There was a total absence of acrimony, though the sessions were
conducted in absolute candor” (Restoration Leadership Quarterly, Fall 1984).
I concluded my report with these words:
“The closing service touched the lives of all present. Brother Dennis Randall,
working with non-instrumental churches, along with his uncle, Brother Max Ward
Randall, longtime missionary with the instrumental churches, prayed together
for unity. With breaking voice Brother Max Ward prayed for ‘days of promise …
days of hope.’ Uncle and nephew embraced in front of all as grown men wiped
their eyes and saw a vision of what could become a reality in the future – two
great movements becoming one again” (One Body Nov. 1984).
Though the planners of the
“Summit” meant the term to mean a spiritual mountain peak, critics perceived it
as a high-level conference. In future meetings the name was changed to
“Restoration Forum” (with the Roman numerals added to each conference with the
third meeting).
The Restoration Forum has been
hosted by the following churches and colleges since 1984.
· Garnett Church of Christ, Tulsa, OK – March
18-20, 1985
· Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA – July
7-9, 1985
· Milligan College, Milligan College, TN –
April 29-30, 1986
· Cincinnati Bible Seminary, Cincinnati, OH –
April 28-30, 1987
· The Church in the Falls, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
– Nov. 1-3, 1988
· Lincoln Christian College & Seminary,
Lincoln, IL – June 13-15, 1989
· Garnett Church of Christ, Tulsa, OK – Nov.
7-9, 1990
· Crossroads Church of Christ, Portland, OR –
Nov. 6-8, 1991
· Skillman Avenue Church of Christ, Dallas, TX
– Nov. 10-12, 1992
· Ozark Christian College, Joplin, MO – Nov.
9-11, 1993
· Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX –
Nov. 1-3, 1994
· Louisville Bible College, Louisville, KY –
Nov. 8-10, 1995
· Southside Church of Christ, Milwaukee, WI –
Nov. 10-12, 1996
· Florida Christian College, Kissimmee, FL –
Nov. 9-11, 1997
· Woodmont Hills Church of Christ, Nashville,
TN – Nov. 1-3, 1998
· Bow Valley Christian Church, Calgary,
Alberta, Canada – Oct. 15-17, 1999
· Bethany Meeting House, Bethany, WV – Oct.
22-24, 2000
· Crossroads Church of Christ, Portland, OR –
Oct. 14-16, 2001
· Quaker Avenue Church of Christ, Lubbock, TX
– Oct. 20-22, 2002
· Emmanuel School of Religion/Milligan College
– Oct. 12-14, 2003
Calvin Warpula listed six things
the Restoration Forum has helped accomplish (“What the Forums are
Accomplishing” One Body Spring
2002). (1) We are learning much about each other (strengths and weaknesses).
(2) We encourage joint participation in good works. (3) We emphasize unity and
love as the Lord commanded. (4) We are brought out of isolation and into the
open market with the people. (5) We have been forced to research and refine our
positions and maybe even abandon them, as we study the Scriptures. (6) We
realize that unity can exist in agreements on essentials while allowing
diversity on other matters.
Marvin Phillips has cited a
number of changes that have taken place since the Joplin meeting in 1984 (“The
Restoration Forum: So What?” One Body Spring 2002). “Notably our attitude toward each other. Our
openness in listening to another point of view. Our awareness that none of us
are right on ALL the issues …There has been more cooperation between churches
in youth activities, teaching seminars, exchanging pulpits, joint-worship
assemblies and soul winning workshops … Preachers have been freed up to preach
across lines that were forbidden before. About a third of my own preaching is
to Christian Churches or joint efforts between the two groups. It is not over.
We’ve not come as far as we need to go. Churches of Christ and Christian
Churches ought to take the lead in unity and evangelism discussions all over
the world.”
After listening to well over 200
major addresses at Restoration Forums, Chris DeWelt had this to say: (1) We
have kept the Word central. It would be very hard to argue that these meetings
have not been characterized by serious study of God’s Word. (2) Issues have
been discussed. Yes, the issues that have divided us historically. No one has
tried to skirt the difficult questions. (3) A tremendous amount of listening
has occurred. The sheer amount of doctrinal messages alone would fill a sizable
number of books. (4) Perhaps more attention could be given to the study of
interpretation. The process of hermeneutics is necessary and extremely
important to unity. (5) Attention has been given to ways in which we can and
have worked together as the body of Christ.
Leroy Garrett sees Restoration
Forum XX as perhaps the most significant thus far. “Restoration Forum XX, held
in Lubbock, Texas in 2002 – which I attended – was historic in nature. Things
happened that we could not have anticipated back at Wynnewood Chapel back in
the 1950s. The Forum opened on A Sunday evening at the Broadway Church of
Christ with a Communion service attended by 900 – from all three wings of our
heritage. For the first time the Forum had invited the Disciples of Christ to
participate. Royce Money, president of ACU (Churches of Christ) and Bob Wetzel,
president of Emmanuel School of Religion (Christian Churches) spoke on ‘The
Restoration Dream: The Spirit of Unity.’ The singing and fellowship were
breathtaking. I told Royce Money that evening that I had been waiting a
half-century for such an occasion!
“The Forum continued at the
Quaker Avenue Church of Christ … with over 300 participants from all three
churches. Two unusual things took place. There was a video presentation on
‘Honor Roll of Unity,’ conducted by Doug Foster of ACU and Victor Knowles of One
Body. It recognized those,
living and dead, who helped bring us to where we are today – pioneers in unity.
I was pleased to see those honored that I not only knew but had worked with in
building bridges: Perry Gresham of the Disciples of Christ; Seth Wilson,
Charles Gresham, and Don DeWelt of Christian Churches; Carl Ketcherside and Tom
Langford of Churches of Christ. They were gracious to include me …
“If all that were historic
enough, the Forum closed by inviting all to sign a ‘Covenant of Unity,’
pledging ‘To be part of the answer to our Lord’s prayer for unity among
believers in Christ’ and ‘To turn away from any kind of divisive or factious
spirit which is not characteristic of the spirit of Christ.’
“It was awesome to see 302 people
– of diverse backgrounds – lined up to sign a pledge to be peacemakers amidst
our divided people. When all this started 50 years ago, we did well to gather a
handful of daring souls who ventured to shake hands and get acquainted; now I
was witness to hundreds pledging themselves to do something about our tragic
divisions. Wow!” (A Lover’s Quarrel, pp. 137, 138).
Dennis Randall, co-planner of the
original “Restoration Summit” and the only person who has been at all 22
forums, recently shared his reflections on that first forum (“Only God Could
Have Known” One Body Winter
2004). “From that first gathering, we learned. We learned that we knew a lot
less about each other than we previously thought. We learned that there were
many more areas in which we agreed that disagreed. We learned that there were
substantive areas of difference. We learned the importance of love, even when
we disagreed. We learned to employ an irenic spirit in all our discussions …
“I remember vividly that first
‘Restoration Summit’ in 1984. Then, as now, I had the responsibility of closing
the final session of that meeting. In doing so, I asked my uncle, Max Randall,
to come to the podium and pray with me for unity between the two represented branches
of our movement. At the end of our prayers, Max and I also tearfully embraced
as we symbolically demonstrated not only the love between an uncle and nephew,
but also love and unity as brothers, united in Jesus Christ … It is this love
that has and can forever change the face of our movement.”
The Restoration Forum continues
to be a voice for unity under the ad hoc direction of Dennis Randall, Doug Foster, Chris DeWelt, and
Victor Knowles. Restoration Forum XXII will be held Oct. 15-17, 2004, in Rochester
Hills, Michigan, co-sponsored by Rochester College and Great Lakes Christian
College.
The
“Stone-Campbell Dialogue” (1999-present)
On June 25, 1999,
an ad hoc gathering of
nine ministers and church historians met in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the interest
of restoring dialogue among all three segments of the Stone-Campbell heritage.
“Unofficially” representing the Disciples were Richard Hamm, Robert Welsh, and
Peter Morgan. Representing the Christian Churches were John Mills, James North,
and Henry Webb. Representing the Churches of Christ were Mike Armour, Doug
Foster, and Phillip Morrison. A “Statement of Purpose” was developed which
read: “To develop relationships and trust within the three streams of the
Stone-Campbell Movement through worship and through charitable and frank
dialogue, “that the world may believe.’”
In subsequent meetings the group
was expanded to 18 people – six from each branch of the movement – and two
“invited observers.” Meetings have been held in Indianapolis (November 1999),
Nashville (June 2000), Cincinnati (November 2000), Lexington (August 2001),
Atlanta (2002), Louisville (2003), and Indianapolis (April 2004). A historic
statement of “Confession of Sin” and “Affirmation of Faith” came out of the
Nashville meeting. Beginning in Louisville, a Sunday night program open to all
interested members was begun. About 285 attended the Sunday night service in
Indianapolis in 2004. The October 2001 issue of Mid-Stream (published by the Disciples of Christ)
featured 16 speeches delivered at the Stone-Campbell Dialogue. The next
scheduled Stone-Campbell Dialogue is Dallas in June 2005.
Leroy Garrett, who served as an advisor
in putting together the Stone-Campbell Dialogue, says, “I see it as the most
important development in our history since the formation of the Commission on
Re-study of the Disciples of Christ in 1934 – which was an effort to restore
peace to our fragmented Movement after two tragic divisions” (A Lover’s
Quarrel, p. 253).
Though not billed
as a “unity meeting” as such, the second annual Hope Network Reunion
accomplished that objective and more. In an irenic effort to reach out to
conservative Christian Churches, Lynn Anderson, director of Hope Network in San
Antonio, Texas, contacted Larry Winger, president of Church Development Fund in
Anaheim, California, to invite leaders within Christian Churches to attend the
4-day event, Feb. 5-8, 2004. About 250 leaders from both groups met at Oak
Hills Church in San Antonio for the Reunion. Speakers included Anderson, Rick
Atchley, Rubel Shelly and Randy Harris from Churches of Christ and Bob Russell
and Marcus Bigelow from Christian Churches. Bigelow, president of Stadia, a
church-planting ministry with a vision to plant 5,500 new churches by 2025,
said, “It has long been my conviction that we will unify faster when we unite
around compassion for the lost rather than trying to iron out all our
differences. It is my prayer that a church planting movement will spring up not
only in the Christian Churches but also in Churches of Christ. Moreover, it is
my prayer that through this planting we will see a new spirit of unity and
cooperation as we reach out to those who need Jesus.” Bigelow felt that the
consensus of opinion at the Reunion meeting was that we “move beyond talking
about unity to actually working together in uniting ministry efforts” (Stadia
News, Autumn 2003; One
Body Spring 2004). A
“Maximum Impact 2004” meeting is planned for Dallas in October.
“Faithful
Conversations” (2004)
Billed as “a
historic and sometimes tear-filled meeting” by the Christian Chronicle, leaders of the International Churches of
Christ and “mainline”Churches of Christ met for three days of dialogue at
Abilene Christian University’s Bible Lectureship Feb. 22-25, 2004, after a
decade of formal separation. Participants included Al Baird, Mike Taliaferro,
Gregg Marutzky and Gordon Ferguson of the ICOC (formerly known as the Boston
and Crossroads movement) and Jack Reese, Terry Smith, Jim Woodruff and John
Wilson of the “mainline” churches. Mark Love, lectureship director and
moderator of the talks, said, “While division loves silence, peace cherishes
conversation. “ More than 1,000 people attended the event. “Representatives of both groups
acknowledged wrongs and asked for forgiveness and new beginnings. The
conclusion? Proceed with faith, hope, love and a good measure of caution and
discretion” (Christian Chronicle, April
2004).
Conclusion
On July 10, 2003, a
singular event took place at the evening service of the North American
Christian Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Rick Atchley, pulpit minister of
the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas, made an overture for
unity to 8,500 people packed in the Indiana Convention Center. The entire
transcript of his talk can be found in the Autumn 2003 One Body. In part, Atchley said, “Several years ago I
spent some time really searching for the heart of God, asking Him to give me a
mission in the second half of my life that was so big only He could do it. And
God put something on my heart. I shared it that next Sunday in all three
services of our church. I shared with them that God wants me to devote myself
for the rest of my life to seeing reconciliation among the a cappella and instrumental Churches of Christ and
Christian Churches in the world … I can’t pretend to speak for all of the a
cappella churches but I can
speak for a lot of them … And I can speak for them and I can tell you tonight I
believe with all my heart, in my lifetime, we can have a family reunion … I can
imagine a day soon when our churches are partnering together to send mission
teams into the world to do local outreaches in our city, to feed the hungry, to
help the wounded in every major city in America. I can imagine the vision of
our Restoration forefathers being restored and the prayer of Jesus being
fulfilled. For a hundred years we have served God a part . . . only God knows
what we can do the next hundred years serving Him together …”
Plans are in the
making on both sides of the keyboard to recognize in 2006 (but not celebrate!)
the 100th anniversary of the division in 1906.
I would be remiss
if I neglected to mention the part the Pepperdine University Bible Lectures,
under the direction of Jerry Rushford, have made in improving relationships
between the two fellowships. Jerry has intentionally included speakers from the
conservative Christian Churches to teach classes and participate in panel
discussions for a number of years. I wrote a feature article, “The Pepperdine
University Bible Lectures,” which appeared in the March 28, 2004 Christian
Standard. In the article I
quoted Rushford’s description of the lectures – “a stimulating forum for the
renewal and restoration of New Testament Christianity.” I have found them to be
just that and make it a point to tell everyone I know about this key event.
The summer of 2004
will see the release of the long-awaited Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia, edited by Doug Foster (Churches of
Christ), Newell Williams (Disciples) and Paul Blowers (Christian Churches).
Leroy Garret said, “Some 200 scholars from all three churches have contributed
to the 900-page production – covering virtually every subject possible – that
is destined to become the most significant publication in our history.
Teamwork, to be sure, but it is more than that. It is the unity of the Spirit.
If we can write an encyclopedia together – issued by an international
publishing house [Eerdmans] – we can do anything together!” (One Body Winter 2004).
Each of the unity
meeting efforts in the past 70 years have been sincere and noble attempts by
those who are concerned about healing our divisions and answering our Lord’s
prayer for unity – “that the world may believe.” Thomas A. Langford observes,
“As we look back, after some fort years, it is clear that while all the issues
have not been resolved, or differences removed, there is a much more irenic
spirit generally prevailing. The Forums reflect much more hopeful conditions
and seem to engender much less opposition than was once the case. It is becoming
clear, at least to many, that there can be fellowship and cooperation, even
without total agreement on past contentious issues, that unity in diversity is
truly a biblical doctrine. There is, indeed, one Body, consisting of all who
have been born of water and spirit; all such are indeed brothers and sisters in
Christ, members of the same spiritual family. May we find more ways of
expressing that reality” (“Unity Forums” One Body Spring 2002).
But
I do know that I love you
And
I know that if you love me too
What
a wonderful world this would be
TIMELINE
1801 – Cane Ridge
Revival
1804 – Stone signs
“Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery”
1809 – Campbell
writes “Declaration and Address”
1832 –
Stone-Campbell Movements become one
1859 – Midway, KY
church instrumental music controversy
1866 – Moses Lard:
Division is impossible
1889 – Sand Creek
“Address and Declaration”
1906 – Churches of
Christ listed separately in U.S. Census of Religious Bodies
1909 – Centennial
Convention in Pittsburgh
1927 – Conservative
Christian Churches form North American Christian Convention
1930 – World
Convention of Churches of Christ organized
1933 – Beam/Jessup
unity rally, Visalia, California
1934 – Commission
on Restudy of the Disciples of Christ begins
1937 – Murch/Witty
unity meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio
1949 – Commission
on Restudy of the Disciples of Christ dissolved
1955 – Wynnewood
Chapel unity meetings begin, Dallas, Texas
1957 – “Defining
moment” debate, Nowata, Oklahoma
1957 – Hartford
Forum begins, Hartford, Illinois
1966 – Unity Forum
begins, Bethany, West Virginia
1968 – Disciples
adopt “Restructure,” become denomination
1972 – Hartford
Forum concludes
1975 – Unity Forum
concludes
1981 – Publication
of Leroy Garrett’s Stone-Campbell Movement
1983 – Jerry
Rushford becomes director of Pepperdine University Bible Lectures
1984 – One Body begins
1984 – First
Restoration Forum (“Restoration Summit”), Joplin, Missouri
1985 – Disciple
Renewal movement formed
1991 – Peace letter
from Quaker Avenue to Broadway, Lubbock, Texas
1995 – One
Body/Disciple Renewal Talks begin, Joplin, Missouri
1997 –
Shelly/Knowles letter exchange at NACC and Jubilee
1999 – Restoration
Forum goes to Canada
1999 –
Stone-Campbell Dialogue begins, Cincinnati, Ohio
2000 – “Confession
of Sin” signed at Stone-Campbell Dialogue, Nashville, Tennessee
2000 – “Unity
Covenant” signed at Restoration Forum, Lubbock, Texas
2003 – Rich Atchley
makes unity overture at NACC, Indianapolis, Indiana
2004 – Hope
Reunion, San Antonio, Texas
2004 – “Faithful
Conversations”, Abilene, Texas
2004 – Publication
of Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia
BIBLIOGRAPHY
DeWelt, Don. Happy
on My Way to Heaven. Joplin,
MO: College Press, 1989.
Garrett, Leroy. A
Lover’s Quarrel. Abilene,
TX: ACU Press, 2003.
____________. The
Stone-Campbell Movement. Joplin,
MO: College Press, 1981.
Langford, Thomas A.
The Restoration Ideal and The Church Today. 2000.
Murch, James
DeForest. Adventuring for Christ in Changing Times. Louisville, KY: Restoration Press, 1973.
____________. Christians
Only. Cincinnati, OH:
Standard Publishing, 1962.
North, James B. Union
in Truth. Cincinnati, OH:
Standard Publishing, 1994.
Webb, Henry E. In
Search of Christian Unity. Abilene,
TX: ACU Press, 2003.
Christian Chronicle, Sept. 1999; January 2004; April, 2004
Christian
Standard, Oct. 21, 1984;
Sept. 8, 2002; March 28, 2004
Gospel Advocate,
May 2004
Mid-Stream, Oct. 2001
One Body, Nov. 1984; Spring 1991; Winter 2001; Spring 2002;
Autumn 2003; Winter 2004; Spring 2004
Restoration
Herald, Nov. 2000
Restoration
Leadership Quarterly, Fall
1984
Stadia News, Autumn 2003
Victor Knowles is
founder and president of POEM, Peace on Earth Ministries, P. O. Box 275,
Joplin, MO 64802-0275. Web site: www.poeministries.org.
Email: Victor@poeministries.org.
Tel. (417) 627-0325.