Understanding Non-Sunday School Churches of Christ: Some Suggestions for First Reads

eScriptorium

This installment includes just five suggestions for first-reads about one sub-set of acapella Churches of Christ.  Navigate the ‘First Reads Series‘ link in my Categories list to find earlier installments.  This brief list is in response to a request made in the comments on a February 2010 post, ‘The Situation in Tennessee.’

1. Thomas A. Langford, “N. L. Clark: Early Firm Foundation Editor and College President” in The Christian Academic: Exercising Faith in the University Setting. Ketch Publishing: Bloomington, Indiana, 2007.

2. Larry Hart, “Brief History of a Minor Restorationist Group,” Restoration Quarterly 22 (1979), pages 212-232.

3. Thomas A. Langford, “An Insider’s View of Non-Sunday School Churches,” Restoration Quarterly 45 (2003), pages 181-192.

4. [Roy Deaver and Lester Hathaway] Debate on the Bible Class Question and Women Teachers in Some of Those Classes. Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc.: Abilene, 1952.

5. [L. W. Hayhurst, Alva Johnson, Logan…

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Away for a While

Apologies to all. I have been away from blogging for a while. I have concentrated mostly on my Ex-COC Facebook page. I have done a lot of work on that. We are up to 88 members now. I invite all of you there. One thing which has amazed me is the numbers of sects which broke off or were formed by ex-members of the Disciples of Christ: Christadelphians, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and the Churches of Christ. The two which bear to most resemblance to each other are the Churches of Christ and the Jehovah WItnesses. See my post of Facebook about that.

Blessed Christmas Greetings to all,

Gary Cummings, a sinner saved by grace

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Getting Kicked Out.

Jesus and Nonviolent Confrontations of Oppressors

Jesus and Nonviolent Confrontations of Oppressors.

A FAREWELL TO MARS

I am about to finish a great book called A FAREWELL TO MARS. It is how an evangelical megachurch pastor was awakened by God to the Gospel of Peace. It is a call for Christians to reject violence and war. It is on Amazon.com. The author is Brian Zahnd.

God bless us all, Gary

THE BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY (FREE VIDEO)

THE BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY (FREE VIDEO).

War and the Churches of Christ

The Founder the Churches of Christ was not either Barton W. Stone or Alexander Campbell. Both of them were pacifists.The Founder of the COC was Daniel Sommer in 1889 in Illinois at Sandcreek.. He was not a pacifist. Within 17 years, he joined with David Lipscomb a pacifist to formally bring the COC into legal existence. For Lipscomb, it meant that he had to give up his abolitionism and belief in racial equality AND his belief in pacifism. He did this because the overbearing and abusive Sommer bullied Lipscomb into believing that acapella music and being against missionary societies were more important than following the pacifist teaching of Jesus Christ. 

In WW1, there were quite a few pacifists left in the COC, and many of them suffered for their belief. Eventually the COC leaders, preachers and magazines became a majority for war, as they did not want to appear un-American!

Then before WW2, Foy E. Wallace took the racism and pro-war stance of Sommer. He forced churches and colleges to fire pacifist preachers. He traveled all over COC territory to make make sure conscientious objectors were driven from the Churches of Christ. He succeeded for the most part, and by WW2, there were just a handful of pacifists left in the COC.

Then, after WW2, George Benson at Harding took up the Anti-Communist cause to save his floundering college. He was paid 1 million a year by the US government to produce the American Studies Institute. This was a long series of movies for colleges, schools and the military to prove the Christian virtue of the Free Enterprise system and the American way of life as the only Godly system and country on Earth. Communists were not seen as people, rather as those out to destroy our godly way of life. Therefore, as not people, they could be eliminated. 

Hello, Vietnam. 

 

The nude figure and Christianity

The nude figure and Christianity.