Sources of Division in the Disciples of Christ, 1865-1900
480 pages, 6 x 9
Paperback
Release Date:29 Sep 2003
ISBN:9780817350758
Sources of Division in the Disciples of Christ, 1865-1900
A Social History of the Disciples of Christ, Volume 2
SERIES:
Religion and American Culture
University of Alabama Press
The definitive social history of the Disciples of Christ in the 19th century
The Disciples of Christ, led by reformers such as Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone, was one of a number of early 19th-century primitivist religious movements seeking to “restore the ancient order of things.” The Disciples movement was little more than a loose collection of independent congregations until the middle of the 19th century, but by 1900 three clear groupings of churches had appeared. Today, more than 5 million Americans—members of the modern-day Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), Independent Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ, among others—trace their religious heritage to this “Restoration Movement.”
The Disciples of Christ, led by reformers such as Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone, was one of a number of early 19th-century primitivist religious movements seeking to “restore the ancient order of things.” The Disciples movement was little more than a loose collection of independent congregations until the middle of the 19th century, but by 1900 three clear groupings of churches had appeared. Today, more than 5 million Americans—members of the modern-day Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), Independent Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ, among others—trace their religious heritage to this “Restoration Movement.”
According to Harrell, sociological factors, not religious norms, determined ultimately how most Disciples responded to industrialism and an ever-increasing secularism in American society.’
—American Historical Review
[Harrell] writes with clarity, vividness, and an eloquence all too rare in contemporary historians. This is the way in which denominational history ought to be written.’
—Church History
David Edwin Harrell Jr., Breeden Eminent Scholar in the Humanities at Auburn University, is the author of seven books on American religious history, including The Churches of Christ in the 20th Century: Homer Hailey's Personal Journey of Faith.
