The Convergence of the Stone and Campbell Movements

I. That Which Prompted the Merger

A. While there were differences between the Stone and Campbell movements, there were enough similarities to attempt a union of the two movements since both Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell believed in the unity of all believers.

1. Stone, in a letter to the Christian Palladium in 1840, wrote, “Christian union is my polar star. Here I stand as unmoved as the Allegheny mountains, nor can any thing drive me hence.” (Christian Palladium, p. 286, cited by Enos E. Dowling, The Restoration Movement, p. 63)
2. Alexander Campbell, influenced by the principles of the Declaration and Address, written by his father, and the teachings of the Haldaneans, also gave emphasis to the unity of all Christians.

B. The separation of Campbell’s reformers from the Baptists prepared the way for them to unite with the Stone movement. C. The movements were strong in essentially the same areas of the country, especially in Kentucky and Ohio. D. When Campbell had visited Stone in Georgetown, Kentucky in 1824, he saw the similarity in their pleas for New Testament Christianity. E. Three preachers from Stone’s Christian church, after hearing Walter Scott preach “faith, repentance, and baptism,” began preaching the same message and one of them, Joseph Gaston, began traveling with Scott, together the two men preaching through the Western Reserve of Ohio.

II. The Similarities Between the Two Movements

A. Both accepted the Scripture as the sole authority for Christian faith and denied that creedal statements should be bound on the church.

1. From the Stone movement, the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery stated, “We will, that the people henceforth take the Bible as the only sure guide to heaven…”
2. Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address included such phrases as “The Divine word is our standard” and “Nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith; nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the word of God.”

B. Both pleaded for Christian unity on the basis of a return to the Bible. C. Both reacted against the Calvinistic theology of Presbyterianism and denied such doctrines as predestination and limited atonement. D. Both rejected infant sprinkling and practiced immersion of believers. Both taught there was some relation between baptism and the forgiveness of sins. E. Both refused to wear unscriptural or sectarian names. F. Both regarded denominational organizations such as presbyteries, synods and associations as unscriptural.

1. The Springfield Presbytery “willed” that the church resume her right of internal government and those in the Stone movement emphasized the freedom of local congregations from all other sources of ecclesiastical authority.
2. When the Campbells’ Brush Run Church entered the Redstone Association, it was with the understanding that the Association had no authority to determine its doctrines and practices.
3. The dissolution of the Mahoning Association because of the influence of Walter Scott, was a repudiation of all extra-congregational bodies.

III. The Differences Between the Two Movements

A. They disagreed about names.

1. The Campbell movement, though often called “reformers,” preferred to be called Disciples. a. Any Scriptural name was acceptable to Campbell but he preferred “Disciples” or “Disciples of Christ.” b. He believed that “disciples” was more ancient, more descriptive, more Scriptural and more unappropriated.
2. The Stone movement insisted on wearing only the name Christian. a. Rice Haggard, who had already influenced James O’Kelley to use the name “Christian,” also suggested the name to Stone. b. Stone and the others who renounced Presbyterianism in Kentucky adopted and used “Christian” to the exclusion of all other names.

B. They differed in the emphasis which they placed on immersion.

1. Stone’s “Christians” practiced immersion but they did not insist it was essential to the remission of sins. a. Though immersion was the common practice within the Stone movement, it was not made a test of fellowship. b. Stone, through further study, concluded that baptism was associated with the remission of sins and should be “administered in the name of Jesus to all believing penitents.”
2. Campbell’s “Disciples” believed that baptism was essential to the remission of sins. a. Through study, Alexander Campbell became fully convinced that infant baptism was unscriptural and that immersion was Scriptural baptism. b. The “Disciples” made immersion a requisite for church membership.

C. They differed on the Lord’s Supper. Stone said, “They insisted also upon weekly communion, which we had neglected.” D. Their evangelistic methods were quite different.

1. The Stone movement preachers stressed the emotional side of religion and encouraged sinners to “weep and mourn” as they sought salvation.
2. Stone emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in conversion and feared that the Disciples “were not sufficiently explicit on the influence of the Spirit.”
3. Campbell and Scott emphasized the role of reason in conversion. a. Faith was seen as an act of the reason more than the emotion. b. Faith was defined as an acceptance of the New Testament message that Jesus was the Messiah.

E. Unity was achieved slowly.

1. Because of their differences and since both movements stressed the autonomy of each local church, unity had to come gradually.
2. The only way unity could be realized would be for congregations of the two groups to extend fellowship to one another or merge. a. The first such merger occurred at Millersburg, Kentucky, on April 24, 1831. b. There was a church representing each movement in Millersburg and they agreed that they were “one as far as faith and practice was concerned” so they simply began meeting together as one congregation.

IV. John T. Johnson (1788-1856)

A. Johnson was a Kentucky preacher associated with the Campbell movement who probably did more to bring the Disciples and Christians together than anyone in either group. B. Johnson was a lawyer and a two-term Congressman who renounced politics for the pulpit. C. Johnson and Barton W. Stone both lived in Georgetown, Kentucky and were close friends. D. In November 1831, Stone preached at Johnson’s Great Crossing church and the two men discussed the possibility of unity.

1. Raccoon John Smith and John Rogers joined the discussion and the four men agreed to call a general meeting and see if the members of the two churches desired unity.
2. Two meetings were held. The first was in Georgetown, December 26-31, 1831. The second was in Lexington over New Year’s weekend, 1832.
3. Raccoon John Smith, spokesman for the Disciples at the Lexington meeting concluded: “Let us, then, my brethren, be no longer Campbellites or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights, but let us come to the Bible and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that can give us all the light we need.”
4. Smith and Stone exchanged “the right hand of fellowship” which symbolized the uniting of the two groups.

V. Steps Were Taken to Encourage Unity among the Scattered Churches

A. Raccoon John Smith (Disciple) and John Rogers (Christian) traveled together through Kentucky urging brethren to unite in every community where there were two congregations. B. Barton W. Stone invited John T. Johnson to become associate editor of the Christian Messenger, a journal he had founded, in 1826. C. The decade following the uniting of the Stone and Campbell movements was a period of consolidation and growth.