Tracing Our Roots
In our country early in the 19th century, as a whole the churches in America were
experiencing a good deal of unrest. In all the various denominations, there could be found
those who believed that the followers of Jesus should lay aside the traditions of man and go
back to the practices of the church described in the New Testament.
The most notable individuals who shared this concern were Thomas and Alexander Campbell (a father/son duo originally from the Presbyterian Church) and Barton W. Stone (originally from the Methodist Church). These are just a sampling of the many who grew tired of the man-made, non-scriptural customs, which bred dissension and resulted in a fragmented Body of Christ.
Mr, Stone, the Campbell's and their colleagues had no intention of starting a new church, but rather desired to restore the existing one. Simply stated, their goal was to call the people back to the church of the New Testament, Thus, they began working to renew the body of believers from the inside, and their efforts became known as the "Restoration Movement", During this time, this Movement coined a number of catchy slogans, such as:
- "We have no creed but Christ!"
- "We are not the only Christians, but Christians only,"
- "Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent."
"In matters of faith... Unity!
In matters of opinion.. Liberty!
But in all things...Love!"
Thus, the Bible became the only focus in the Restoration Movement. From the Bible, we learn:
- God's love for mankind.
- The plan of salvation.
- An outline of godly behavior, which affects every area of life.
These days, the Restoration Movement is more commonly known as the Independent Christian Churches and/or the Churches of Christ, Each congregation is completely independent and free of any outside involvement of denominational officials, headquarters, or church leaders.
Truly, we strive to allow Jesus Christ be the head of each local congregation.
For the sake of clarity, I would like to expand on one of the above-mentioned slogans. The phrase, "We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only!" is brimming with truth. In far too many cases, believers in Jesus tend to be quite exclusionary. If a person does not agree with us in every point, they are outside of God's grace, not a part of the family of God, and not eternally saved. Such a hard and fast position is quite contrary to one of the basic tenets of our faith. As we see it, there are certain "non-negotiable's" of faith, which are widely accepted across denominational lines. Those who adhere to these "non-negotiable's" are children of God and our brothers and sisters, and equally saved as we are!