The Church of Christ's Founding Documents
Almost every religion, civilization, country, movement, and club has its own founding documents. For Christianity it's the Bible, for Chinese civilization it's the works of Confucius and Laozi, and for the United States it's the Declaration of Independence and the 1789 Constitution.
The Church of Christ has the Bible, but it also has two other documents that laid out the Stone-Campbell Movement's approach to restoring New Testament Christianity.
The Last Will & Testament of the Springfield Presbyter was written in 1804 to express the desire of a collection of former Presbyterians, led by Barton W Stone, to dissolve their denominational roots and adhere more closely to the Bible.
Thomas Campbell (Alexander's father) launched the Campbell wing of the movement by writing the Declaration & Address in 1809. The document expounds a uniquely Church of Christ vision for interpreting and acting upon the Bible.
All modern Churches of Christ trace their history back to the influence of these authors, and Church of Christ members should take some time to read these two documents and better acquaint themselves with the history of our movement. Studying history is crucial to understanding and acting within the present. "If we don't know where we've been, then we don't know where we're going."
The Church of Christ has the Bible, but it also has two other documents that laid out the Stone-Campbell Movement's approach to restoring New Testament Christianity.
The Last Will & Testament of the Springfield Presbyter was written in 1804 to express the desire of a collection of former Presbyterians, led by Barton W Stone, to dissolve their denominational roots and adhere more closely to the Bible.
Thomas Campbell (Alexander's father) launched the Campbell wing of the movement by writing the Declaration & Address in 1809. The document expounds a uniquely Church of Christ vision for interpreting and acting upon the Bible.
All modern Churches of Christ trace their history back to the influence of these authors, and Church of Christ members should take some time to read these two documents and better acquaint themselves with the history of our movement. Studying history is crucial to understanding and acting within the present. "If we don't know where we've been, then we don't know where we're going."