The Truth in Print Vol. 26 Issue 7, Aug. 2020
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
The Name “Christian” and the “Churches of Christ”
I thought it good recently for
our young Christians to know something about the name “Church of Christ.” Of
course I told them that they all know where to find the scripture: Rom 16:16 “Greet one
another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.” I’ll get back to
the all importance of the scriptures — if you use a name make it a scriptural
name I was taught — and that is just as necessary today. But first some points on a brief portion of
the Restoration History in America.
The name “Christian”
Authors have noted that there
was controversy over what name to use as the restoration period progressed—
i.e. the Restoration Period / History in America (late 1700s—mid 1800s).
Jefferson’s Bill For Religious Freedom passed in 1786 and by 1801 the final
vestige of Church and State union was abolished. Preachers left Methodism to
form the Christian Church, left the Baptist and Calvinism in Vermont and New
Hampshire, left the Presbyterians and gave up the Westminster Confession of
Faith, the doctrine of Total Depravity, and began to preach belief and
repentance in Ohio and Kentucky – teaching Bible Only, One Head: Christ, Name:
Christian, Local Autonomy of churches and eventually came to teach the Baptism
of believers (no infant baptism) is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
(Source: Search For The Ancient Order by West, Vol. 1, Chapter I “Early
Beginnings”).
James DeForest
Murch, as a member of the Disciples of Christ church
states: “The name. In 1804, Stone and his group had settled on the name
Christian as being the proper designation for the followers of Christ and the
name of the church. He and other leaders believed that the name was of divine
origin and often quoted Dr. Philip Doddridge’s translation of Acts 11:26, “The
disciples were by divine appointment first named Christians at Antioch.”
(“Christians Only—A History of the Restoration Movement” by James DeForest Murch, pgs. 115-116).
Note B.L.: Stone is an example
back then of what people need to do today. Barton W. Stone is an example of the
preachers leaving Creeds and denominations: After moving to Kentucky he was
ready to renounce the Presbyterians and the Westminster Confession of Faith –
labeled a heretic by the Presbyterians (1803) – couldn’t reconcile Calvinism
with the Gospels demands of belief and repentance – understood from scripture
that sinners were capable of understanding, believing and acting. He and others
formed the Springfield Presbytery in 1804 made up of some 15 churches in Ohio
and Kentucky. Then they realized they had no authority for it and in 1804 they
wrote “The Last Will and Testament of The Springfield Presbytery.” -- Depended
upon One Church, the Bible Only, Local Autonomy, Baptism as immersion for the
remission of sins (Acts 2:38). (Points found in The Search for the Ancient
Order by West Vol. 1, pgs. 24-26).
“Alexander Campbell preferred
the name Disciples of Christ, and as late as 1839 he stated four reasons in the
Millennial Harbinger:
1. It is more ancient. The
disciples were called disciples in Judea, Galilee, Samaria, and among the
Gentiles before they were called Christians at Antioch.
2. It is more descriptive. A
person may be named after a country or a political leader and feel it “an insult
to be called the pupils or disciples of the person whose name they wear.” A
stranger might imagine that Christian, like American or Roman, had some
reference to a country, rather than a scholarship. Disciples of Christ is a
more accurate designation than Christian.
3. It is more scriptural. In the
Acts, the term “Disciple” is used thirty times and “Christian” but twice.
4. It is more unappropriated.
Unitarians and Arians use “Christian” but no other people use “Disciples of
Christ.” (Murch pg. 115)
“The Stone view, however, was
favored by Thomas Campbell and by Walter Scott, and the name Christian
prevailed over much of the nation. Disciples or Reformers came to use the name
Christian to designate the church and the name Disciple to designate the individual
Christian. Those who saw the controversy as useless held that ‘any name that is
a Scriptural name is a proper name for the church.’” (Murch,
ibid)
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.
Two important dates, 1906 and 1909
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.” (Murch, pg. 218)
“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)
Note B.L.: Another scriptural
designation, “the church of God,” is certainly found where Paul addressed the
church at Corinth: “Unto the
church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:” (I Cor. 1:2) — compare the Valley church of Christ in Yuma, AZ which designates our location.
Many years ago a church sign simply said “Christians Meet Here” and if I recall
correctly someone wrote an article about having no name. So? And if a sign
should designate that “A Church of Christ Meets Here” it correctly states that
local church belongs to Christ (see Rom. 16:16; Rev. 1:11, 20).
Christian (n.)
In the New Testament “Christian”
is a noun and applies only to disciples and is never used as an adjective.
Simple! Act 11:26 “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it
was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great
many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” In the
beginning of the Restoration when some were coming to the scriptural truth of
many things that needed to be understood and practiced this was among them.
Peter said “Yet if anyone
suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this
matter” (I Peter 4:16).
The name Christian was not used
as an adjective. There is simply no such thing as what people in the United
States often refer to i.e. “We are a Christian nation.” One becomes a United
States citizen by birth in the United States, through U.S. citizen parents, or
through nationalization.
When brethren refuse to
acknowledge the scriptural use of the name Christian there’s usually more than
meets the eye.
Beginning in 1942 planning began
for Florida Christian College. There is no such thing as a christian college! In 1944 that name was chosen but
then changed when challenged. Had our brethren not been arrogant they would
never have built the individually supported human society having realized they
were repeating the error of individually supported societies of the 1800s.
Brethren corrected their name but failed to disband with their unauthorized
human society intruding into the works Christ gave the churches.
Consider this bookstores
self-history and note how the word is used — C.E.I.’s own history of itself
http://www.ceibooks.com/aboutus. Here we are told the letters C.E.I. originally
stood for “Christian Educational Institute.” Then it says that “At some point
in the coming years, the date is uncertain, the name changed to “Christian
Enterprises International” … In 1972, “Bennie” Lee Fudge passed away and his
wife, Sybil Fudge, took over the business. Sybil sold the store to a group of
business men who operated the store for about a year before donating it to
Florida College, a Christian college in Temple Terrace, Florida in 1974”
...Florida College sold the bookstore to the Guardian of Truth Foundation in
the 1980s.”
There is vast difference in
“reformation” and “restoration” — when you restore the patterns for the first
century church revealed in the New Testament you are what they were then.
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