Race and Faith

The United Kingdom is credited for being the first major world power to outlaw slavery.  With the leadership of William Wilberforce, an evangelical member of the Church of England and student of John Newton (evangelical Anglican clergyman and author of Amazing Grace), Britain’s first legislation in 1807 laid the foundation of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.

In the United States, abolitionists had been active in ending the slave trade for years and began to organize so as to pass legislation as early as 1798.  Since becoming the 15^th State in 1792, Kentucky has had an unusual history with regard to abolition and civil rights.  Complicated as this history might be, it was not complicated for a group of Christians meeting just outside of Paris, Kentucky at Cane Ridge.  The site of the original camp meeting that formed the “Christian Church” portion of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) movement, the Cane Ridge Meeting House, like many houses of worship on the frontier, had a loft/balcony in the long cabin church for slaves.  While the nation and the world continued its relentless march toward civil war and the ultimate end of slavery with the 13^th Amendment in 1865, the Christians gathering at Cane Ridge had removed their balcony in the early 1820’s.

Even so, our past has not always been stellar with regard to abolition and civil rights.  One of our founders, Alexander Campbell, while serving in the House of Burgess in what was then Virginia, argued for a “gradual emancipation” of the African slave so as to prepare both the emancipated slave and the southern economy for this new social order.  Of course, this sounded reasonable to everyone except the slave. Yet, even in moments of uncertainty, by God’s grace, we have reminded ourselves of the radical equality of the Lord’s Table and consequently, the Lord’s Church.

For almost a half century, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has intentionally worked to address the racism of our society and the racism within our own church. We have called this process the Reconciliation Mission.  Over the next two weeks, we will receive our annual free-will offering for Reconciliation.  These funds make it possible to support mission work in urban and rural areas that address not only the cause, but also the effects of racism.  This voluntary annual offering is the only source of funding for this ministry.

With the number of ethnic congregations being added to our Church growing and the increased numbers of African American, Latino/a and Pacific Asian members within our Church, the need for this ministry has become a vital means to ensure the strength and unity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

The Declaration and Address: Where are we as of Yesterday

From the first call to Christian unity, our human condition impeded its full realization.  Everyone tended to find common ground with the philosophical proposal that the Church of Jesus Christ should be united.  The question of the form and marks of this unified Church was quite another issue altogether.  “In essentials, unity.  In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.”  Ironically, it was this call, first issued by St. Augustine in the 4^th century and popularized by the founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which set the tone for division.  What items of faith are essential?

Thus far in our series of articles intended to prepare ourselves to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the Declaration and Address, we have given an overview of the founders of our movement, Thomas Campbell, his son Alexander and Barton Stone.  Last week we outlined how from this unity movement started by Thomas Campbell there are at least three distinct churches to have emerged, each viewing themselves as a continuation of the original intent of the founders.  The irony is that these divisions are unique to the United States.  The congregations in other countries are still essentially unified in other nations; although distinctions arise from congregation to congregation that mimic the practices of each of three movements in the US.

The largest of the three primary churches are the Churches of Christ.  Commonly known as the “accapella churches of Christ,” this is considered the largest of the three with over 13,000 congregations and 1.9 million members.  Clearly, the most conservative of the three, the Churches of Christ consider themselves “un-denominational.” The term first used by some of the early founders focused on the concept that in order to be truly part of Christ’s Church, one needed to dissolve their relationship with any denomination or “un-denominate” themselves.  The Churches of Christ reject all creeds, believing that any person can simply read the Bible and come to a clear understanding of the true doctrine of the Christian faith.  Theologically, they are anti-Calvinist and Amillennial in their view of the book of the Revelation.  There remains a strong emphasis on the memorial celebration of the Lord’s Supper weekly, officiated by local elders.  “Ministers” are often called Evangelists and are primarily responsible for preaching and teaching.  Pastoral care is the primary responsibility of the local elders.

The term Independent Christian Church is a bit of a misnomer, in that they are by and large, members of the North American Christian Convention.  There is much more diversity on issues of baptism and the role of clergy.  With about 6,000 congregations throughout the US, the approximate membership is about 1.2 million.  Although many of these congregations share similar views on issues of baptism and congregational autonomy, their theology has come to reflect a contemporary Evangelical perspective on many issues, including greater acceptance of a pre-millennial perspective on the book of the Revelation.  Many of the nation’s “mega-churches” are affiliated with this body, including Southeast Christian Church (18,000 on Sunday / 6^th largest in the US) in Louisville, Kentucky and Southland Christian Church (9,000 on Sunday) in Lexington.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is the smallest of the three movements, with approximately 3,754 congregations and approximately 691,000 members.  Considered the more progressive of the three movements, the Disciples of Christ holds many of the same practices as the Churches of Christ and Independent Christian Churches, but with an openness to varying perspectives and points of views among its membership, including great openness to women’s leadership in the Church, a higher view of ordained ministers and a strong ecumenical spirit toward other denominations.

The Declaration and Address: A Unity Movement Divides

As the nation was straining toward civil war, congregations began debating issue of slavery and State’s rights.  In an effort to maintain unity, most of the early publications within our movement refused to publish articles or letters about the issue of slavery.  Soon, other issues of “primary concern” emerged that served as identifiers of varying opinions.  Debate over instrumental music and Sunday Schools took front page in most of our early magazines and newspapers.  Those who were opposed to instrumental music and Sunday School programs were generally sympathetic to the South.  Northern sympathizers were advocates of local autonomy on such issues while at the same time pouring money and resources in starting new African American congregations in Illinois and Ohio.  Ultimately, in the U.S. Religious Census of 1906, the U.S. government classified these non-instrumental congregations (Southern sympathizers) as a separate denomination known as the Church of Christ.  Incidentally, it was in the midst of this upheaval of the late 1800’s that led non-instrumentalist minister, M.C. Kurfees and instrumentalist minister, A.C. Hopkins, to work together in founding the first Christian Church in Ashland, later to be known as First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

The second major division began soon after World War II.  Although historians disagree as to the instigating factors, it was clear that the United States was ending a military war and preparing for a cultural war.  Issues of women’s role in the Church, civil rights and scientific theories on human origins challenged the Church’s efforts toward unity.  As had been the case in the mid-19^th century, the movement adopted other issues to serve as the public “essentials” to be debated.  Missionary societies, the role of the Eldership, the preparation of clergy and which version of the Bible should be used in public worship became the sanctified “essentials” for debate.  By the late 1950’s the movement embarked on a vast undertaking called Restructure, whereby the present structure of our denomination was established.  As before, those who were supportive of women’s leadership in the Church and sympathetic to the Civil Rights movement were in favor of Restructure.  Those who opposed desegregation and maintained more traditional roles for women opposed Restructure.  By 1971, the final major split occurred with the independent Christian Church forming the North American Christian Convention and those accepting Restructure being identified as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

The Declaration and Address: The beginning of Christian Unity

The primary founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) movement were Thomas Campbell, his son, Alexander and Barton Stone.  The elder founder, Thomas Campbell, was, in my opinion, the wiser and more gracious of the three.  Having served as the Pastor of Ahorey Seceder Presbyterian Church in Rich Hill, Ireland, he was the focus of much criticism for his efforts in trying to unite the various Presbyterian Churches in Northern Ireland.  Eventually, Thomas moved to the United States and settled in the Washington County area of western Pennsylvania.  His continued efforts to unify the Presbyterian Churches in the United States drew severe attacks from other clergy and laity alike.  He ultimately resigned his membership from the Seceder Presbyterian Church and in 1809 drafted what has become one of the most influential documents in modern Christian history.  The Declaration and Address was a radical statement of unity in a divisive season of the Church’s history.  A document of moderate length, the phrase which shook the foundations of American Christendom was: “The Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to Him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else; as none else can be truly and properly called Christians.”
Thomas had hoped that his declaration might energize those within the Church to work for unity within their respective faith communities.  He was frustrated that many were simply leaving their churches to start like-minded congregations in accord with the Declaration and Address.  Concerned that he was only starting yet another denomination, he applied for membership and standing in the Presbyterian Church (USA), but was denied.  With that, the Campbell movement of Disciples of Christ would ultimately merge with the Stone movement of Christian Churches, ultimately forming the first denomination celebrating non-denominational unity.  Although the Declaration was ignored for the first 100 years, by 1909, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) had forged bridges with so many other denominations that the next 100 years would see a renewed vitality in Christian unity.  No longer would Christians deny the authenticity of another denomination’s Baptism or Communion.  An entire culture now asks the Church to ‘give us not your denominational names, but give us Christ.’  Historians, theologians and scholars of all disciplines agree; the call to this radical unity was first heralded 200 years ago by a Scot-Irish preacher named Thomas Campbell.