The Truth in Print Vol. 26 Issue 9, Oct. 2020
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
The Centennial Celebration of Thomas Campbell’s
Declaration and Address & “Casual Listeners”
I thought it good recently for our young
Christians to know something about the name “Church of Christ.” You may read
the article “The Name Christian and Churches of Christ” on our website:
yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/namechristianandchurchesofchrist-history.htm.
The scriptural designation “churches of Christ” is found in Rom. 16:16. I’m
adding now to that article a brief description of what is called “The Great
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania Gathering of 1909” where approximately
30,000 Disciples of Christ gathered in Pittsburgh, Penn., for the centennial
celebration of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address.
The
Declaration and Address
Thomas Campbell’s resignation from the
Seceder Presbyterian Church was Sept.14, 1808, and was finalized May 23, 1809.
He continued preaching and teaching upon resignation and followers of like mind
planned a meeting, perhaps sometime in the early summer of 1809 in the house of
Abraham Altars, located between Mount Pleasant and Washington. Dr. Robert
Richardson in “Memoirs of Alexander Campbell” recounts and says, “He ...
insisted with great earnestness upon a return to the simple teachings of the
scriptures, and upon the entire abandonment of everything in religion for which
there could not be produced Divine warrant.” Richardson says he stated the
rule: “Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; and where the scriptures are
silent, we are silent.” (Source: James Deforest Murch “Christians Only” pgs.
39-40).
Following this “...a meeting was called at
the headwaters of Buffalo creek, August 17, 1809, to form a fellowship known as
“The Christian Association of Washington.” By directive of the meeting he was
to compose a Declaration and Address — agreed upon and ordered to be
printed Sept. 7, 1809 (Murch, pgs. 41-42).
The rule stated above points to the emphasis
in the Declaration on the authority of the scriptures, and unity in conformity
to them. Murch says “He told his Presbyterian friends that the purpose of the
Association was to promote Biblical Christian unity and was not a church.” He
explains that later on May 4, 1811 the group known as the Christian Association
of Washington constituted itself into a local church, with congregational form
of government — explaining they observed the Lord’s Supper on the next day,
Sunday, May 5, and weekly thereafter being the practice of the apostolic church
(Murch, pg. 51).
Two
Major Divisions during the latter 1800s
Two major divisions occurred during the
latter 1800s — the controversy over the founding of Missionary Societies from
the 1860s to 70s — both individually supported and supported by the churches
(the American Christian Missionary Society was formed in 1849) — and the
introduction and use of Instruments of Music in Worship — desired as early 1851.
The
Churches Designated as Church of Christ
Concerning churches that opposed the use of
instrumental music in the worship, and missionary organizations: “In 1906, J.W.
Shepherd and others had representations to the Census Bureau of the United
States government that churches of this persuasion should no longer be listed
with the Disciples of Christ but be designated as Church of Christ.” He says
“By 1909…some three hundred thousand members were listed under ‘Churches of
Christ,’ in comparison with 1, 300,000 listed as ‘Disciples of Christ.’”
(Murch, pg. 218)
The Great
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Gathering of 1909
“In 1909 approximately thirty
thousand Disciples of Christ gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the centennial
celebration of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address.” (Murch, Chapter 14
One Hundred Years — Crest and Crises, pgs. 207-221).
He states that in 1901 at the Minneapolis
convention of the American Christian Missionary Society and its associated
agencies, “the Centennial Convention” idea was first proposed. In 1905, he
says, it was decided to go to Pittsburgh as its headquarters. Murch explains
the extensive campaign: “The Centennial Convention” was then made the
culminating feature of a Centennial Campaign” with goals set for the
individual, churches and institutions. Goals for individuals included “two
Christian journals” in every home and “an offering from every disciple to some
Christian college.” Goals for congregations included “every church in the state
missionary co-operation, and “a men’s organization.” Institutional goals
“required...two million dollars for missions, benevolence, and education, with
specific goals for major agencies.” It was promoted in their journals, sent out
to people in all denominations, and two editions of the Declaration and
Address had a circulation of more than twenty thousand copies. He says the
aim of the centennial committee to “tell the story of the Restoration movement,
giving the principles of the plea, and voicing a message of Christian unity to
the people of this generation” was fully accomplished. (Murch, pgs.
208-209)
A
Monumental Celebration, appx. 30,000
Murch states that brethren came from
England, Australia and New Zealand. He says the Baptist churches of New England
and members of the Baptist Ministerial Conference of Boston sent greetings…with
hope that “the two bodies…known as Disciples of Christ and Baptists might be
united in one body as speedily as possible.” Greetings were brought, he says,
for the Presbyterians, United Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists.
(Murch, pg. 212).
Various
Agencies Reported
He lists the reports of various agencies
“claiming the support of the brotherhood” (Murch, pgs. 212-214):
· The Christian Woman’s Board
of Missions was first
on the program – 545 new societies
organized in the churches that year – maintaining 59 schools of all kinds –
missionary board staff 244 in the homeland and 256 abroad.
· Foreign Christian Missionary
Society reported – four
continents and 13 countries – 117 organized
churches – 130 Bible schools, 62 elementary schools and colleges, 17 hospitals
and dispensaries…
· The American Christian
Missionary Society reported
–
108 evangelists directly employed, 584 employed in contractual arrangements
with the states…
· The Board of Church Extension
– in existence had
aided
1, 261 churches over 43 states, Canada and Hawaii in constructing new buildings
and saving others for foreclosure …receipts from the brotherhood for the year
were almost $100,000.
· The National Benevolent
Association – 2 hospitals,
3
homes for the aged, 7 orphan homes. Thirty six colleges and universities
reported --- “Great banquets were held where alumni, students and friends of these
institutions gathered.”
Criticisms
at Pittsburgh
Murch says “All was not harmony at
Pittsburgh” and thus points out (pgs. 214-215):
· The Missionary Societies
were criticized for “centralization of authority. Many persons felt that the centennial
idea had been commercialized by money-raising schemes to fill the coffers of
the agencies. The critics also sensed something on the verge of corporate or
denominational pride and hierarchical pretensions in many of the pronouncements
of agency leaders.”
· He says the rise of
liberalism in Christian doctrine is seen by delegates in several of the
addresses – notably the currently popular scientific naturalism. Murch states:
“The casual listener at Pittsburgh who was unaware of current trends in theology
and philosophy might not have detected anything heretical in these addresses.
However, when Colonel Church (who was curator of the great Carnegie Museum and
grandson of Walter Scott) proposed churches adopt the practice of receiving the
unimmersed as members, a wave of hisses and boos greeted the idea.”
· What Murch calls a third
“rift” is stated with: “There were only a few brethren present ...who opposed
the use of instrumental music in worship, the missionary organizations, and
other such ‘innovations.’ J.W. McGarvey and Fred L. Rowe ...were the only men
of national reputation representing this viewpoint. In 1906, J.W. Shepherd and
others had representations to the Census Bureau of the United States government
that churches of this persuasion should no longer be listed with the Disciples
of Christ but be designated as Church of Christ.” (Murch, pg. 215)
He refers to this “separate people” with:
“The dissidents had received the tacit approval of the three major exponents of
this school of thought, The Gospel Advocate, The Firm Foundation, and
Octographic Review — naming Moses E. Lard, Benjamin Franklin, Tolbert E.
Fanning and others who opposed both the
introduction of organs and the
missionary societies and other things.
He says that such as Robert Richardson,
Isaac Errett and others held that in matters of opinion and method there should
be freedom, and that such matters should never be made a test of fellowship.
These...felt the legalistic view of the Scriptures requiring strict obedience
and conformity to a written code of law had missed the inner spirit or purpose
of God’s revealed will … that irrevocable law had been made out of the silence
of the Scriptures without regard to the demands of common sense and human
progress ...they sensed a Pharisaical trust in obedience to law rather than
grace as the ultimate hope of redemption.” (Murch, pgs. 214-215).
Note (B.L.): Today we
hear the labels of Legalism and Pharisaism from those who desire to act without
scriptural authority. The liberal Churches of Christ who have added the
instrument of music in worship, women teaching over men, women deacons, women
preachers and now elders so called sound the same false reasoning to justifying
their continued digression.
Murch uses the Sand Creek congregation in
Shelby County Illinois as an example of how division occurred. He recounts an
annual meeting where some six thousand people were present, and during the
message by Daniel Sommer, editor of the Octographic Review, P.D. Warren and elder
of the congregation read a document — the Sand Creek Declaration —
acknowledging the all sufficiency the Scriptures to govern individuals and
congregations he protested against such things as the unlawful methods of
raising money for religious practices, the use of instrumental music in the
congregational singing, the man-made society for missionary work and the
one-man imported preacher pastor — stating concerning those who practice such
that “we cannot and will not regard them as brethren.” In return it was said
that Sommers was not to be recognized with the Disciples of Christ. (Murch,
pgs. 216-217)
He says “By 1906, when J.W. Shepherd and his
advisors took their drastic step for national separation, there seemed to be a
fair degree of unanimity on making the test of fellowship the organ and the
missionary society...By 1909, the centennial year, some three hundred thousand
members were listed under ‘Churches of Christ,’ in comparison with 1, 300,000
listed as ‘Disciples of Christ.’” (Murch, pg. 218)
He also says “The Disciples themselves had
changed their attitude toward the denominations. They were still fully
convinced of the evils of sectarianism, but they were beginning to find kindred
spirits in the ranks of other churches who were as eager as they to advance the
kingdom of God and to do only the will of Christ as revealed in the New
Testament.” (Murch, pg. 218)
Note (B.L.): If this
Centennial Celebration shows anything at all it shows the number of things man
chooses to get involved in while claiming to act on New Testament authority.
Manmade organizations that intrude into the works Christ gave the churches to
do are established by manmade doctrine.
Valley Church of Christ
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-5058 ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Sunday Services – Classes ~10:00;
Assembly 10:50 am; Evening: 6:00 pm.
Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm
To learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com