Reviving the Ancient Faith

I'm most of the way through this book (I think I have a chapter or two left) and it has been a dry read! Lots of names and dates and people and places, plus several big theological terms. I'll confess that this has been a bit of a slog for me!On the other hand, I did learn several very interesting things along the way, and it's enough to make me want to dig deeper on some of these people and their ideas. I also feel that the author is relatively balanced (and that's tricky with a topic like this). He obviously makes it a goal to present the different people and their ideas, not to tell the reader who is right and who is wrong. I especially enjoy the quotes from primary sources (mostly magazine articles) as he supports his points. I have a few articles I think I might want to track down now!As I understand it, there hasn't been all that much written about the history of the church of Christ, and I'm glad someone took the time to write all this. I can't say that I'll be rereading this frequently, but I do intend to finish it!

After forty plus years attending the Church of Christ, I am just now hearing the names of Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone. This is a very hard book to read for those of us who were raised Church of Christ and were never told of our origins or early leaders. Your belief that you are a member of the Church founded in 33 AD will be shattered. Here the curtain is pulled back and the leaders, editors, college administrators, who have formed Church of Christ doctrine over the years are exposed. The amount of debate, fighting, and bickering among the leaders through our short history is very disturbing. If you are happy in the Church of Christ and are looking for material to strengthen your faith, this book is not you. If you want to see how the Churches of Christ have developed by reading history that has been hidden away,this book may change you life.

The author provides a well-balanced, readable and compelling overview of the people and issues that have influenced the modern history of the churches of Christ. The book was fourteen years in the making and is extremely well-researched and well-documented. It includes dozens of historic photographs and drawings of people who figure prominently in the text.The book covers the standard history starting with Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone, continuing through the various controversies that divided and subdivided the body in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century: missionary societies, instrumental music, premillennialism, moderization and institutionalism. It then provides excellent sections on more recent trends and controversies, including racial issues, campus ministries, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Crossroads and Boston movements, the emphasis on grace, the "new hermeneutic" crisis, and the role of women in the church.I would highly recommend this book for every member of the church of Christ and for anyone who wants an excellent overview of the church's modern history.

The recurring theme is that Alexander Campbell thought he was restoring the primitive church. He believed the Bible to be (only) a book of facts (page 32) and appealed to the Protestant principle of solo scriptura (page 36).Barton Stone sought to remain open to the power of the Holy Spirit (page 99). During the 1830s and 1840s, Stone grew distressed that the Campbell side of the movement taught that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased with the apostles - a notion that would become the standard among (restoration movement) Churches of Christ (page 100).Alexander Campbell sought to restore the ancient faith but did not realize he could never do that when he valued a book they did not have more than a Holy Spirit they did have.I had hoped the book would have spent more time on the Cane Ridge revival of 1801-1804 (page 96-97). The events were similar to the Azusa Street revival of 1906-09 and Toronto Airport Church of 1996 to the present.

This book is a great read for anyone with family roots in the Churches of Christ. I found myself continually surprised at just how much past controversies in the Church have shaped my life.I now have a far better idea of why we are the way we are, and where we go from here. This book ignited a fierce pride in my Restorationist roots that was quite unexpected, while at the same time it made me realize just how far the Churches of Christ have to go.The impulse to strive toward primitive Christianity was always laudable - the mistake came in believing that we actually got there.

I have been in the Church of Christ denomination for over 40 years. This books explains why it is how it is. The C of C's history was carved mostly by strong individual preachers and the era of the Enlightenment. The latter helps one to undestand why we value reason and eduaction but have relegated the work of the Holy Spirit to the scriptures themselves. A worldly failure and one of which the church should repent.Great value.

Man, I really like this book. Most questions I had about the history of the Churches of Christ were answered in the first chapter of the book. Then, the book further extends to breakdown the introduction chapter. It's extremely comprehensive and detailed.

Very good book on the history of the churches of Christ in America. Unbiased, well documented.I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Stone-Campbell movement.