Dna of Churches of Christ: A Fresh Movement of God

By Graham Carslake

Who do we say we are? Who do you say we are? Some longtime members are concerned that we are losing our form and shape (identity or DNA) and distinctiveness as Churches of Christ. New members like you want to know who we are and what do we stand for as a church in todays world. What will our children know about our heritage of faith?

A churchs identity must be firmly rooted in scripture, particularly the New Testament, and yet be flexible enough to adapt to the local culture and the shifting demands of local mission. The early church learned what it meant to be faithful in Jerusalem, Antioch, and in Rome. Our pioneers of faith on the frontier expansion in America had to rethink denominational authority and what it meant to restore the life of the New Testament church. Today we wrestle with what it means to become a missional church in a pluralistic world? In a postmodern setting, how do we form new communities of faith?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Oct 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499022841

Graham Carslake

Graham Carslake was raised and worked in the northern wheat and sheep farming belt of Morawa, Western Australia. He received a rich heritage of faith from the Carslake-Roediger families; trained for ministry from 1960–62 at COB, Glen Iris, Melbourne; ministered at Kalgoorlie (5), Bunbury (6) and Warwick (23) in Western Australia; completed a doctor of ministry with Fuller in Los Angeles, USA, in 1986; and has been doing intentional ministries for these past 16 years. Married to Freda, he has three children—Geoffrey, Robyn, and Joanne—and now five delightful grandchildren. He continues to burn with a deep desire to share faith with people and has a strong passion for the movement of churches of Christ.

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Copyright © 2014 by Graham Carslake.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014917633

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4990-2287-2

  Softcover   978-1-4990-2290-2

  eBook   978-1-4990-2284-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 10/16/2014

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649841

Contents

Acknowledgment

Brief Timeline of Churches of Christ/Christian Church/Disciples of Christ

Four Founding Fathers

Birthplaces of Churches of Christ/Christian Church/Disciples of Christ

The Historical Roots of the Churches of Christ

The Development of the Church

The Man of the Book: Thomas Campbell

The Apostle of Love: Barton Warren Stone

Stone the Farmer/Preacher

Stone Stands Strong

The Cow and the Book

A Shipwreck Promise

Alexander the Student

The Dropped Token

Thomas Campbell is Banned

The Birth of a New Order

Alexander the Preacher

Campbell’s Baptisms

Life at Bethany

Controversy Over Baptism

Stone the Evangelist

The Reformers and the Baptists

Campbell Debates the Humanist Owen

Campbell the Editor

The Living Oracles

Walter Scott: The Five-Finger Plan of Salvation

John ‘Raccoon’ Smith: A Real Character

Smith and Stone’s Handshake in 1832

Rules of Bible Interpretation

Stone’s Last Days

A Jailbird

The Lunenburg Letter

A Devastating Loss

A Lighter Side of Campbell and Stone

Snippets from Campbell’s Life

Campbell’s Last Days

The Centrality of Unity

The Australian Experience

Pioneers under the Southern Cross

South Australia

Victoria

New South Wales

Tasmania

Queensland

Western Australia

The Australian Experience: A Summary

Summing up

Bibliography

Postscript

DNA of Churches of Christ: Questions for Discussion

A contribution towards the 200th celebration of

the Declaration and Address in October 2009.

A fresh resource for all ministers and members who

want a brief look into the past life of the Churches of Christ.

These are stories from our past heritage of faith, which identify the distinctive identity (DNA) or characteristics that mark our remarkable contribution into the world’s Christian Church.

For over 200 years, the people known as members of the Churches of Christ have made a powerful witness of ‘uncluttered Christianity’. I invite you to enjoy these cameo pictures as stories of our fathers in the faith. Be inspired, be challenged, laugh a little, and pray even more, but always remember who we are and be proud of what we stand for. The sad truth of the ages tells us that if you do not know where you have come from, then you do not know where you are going.

Our call is to be faithful, bold, and adventurous in fulfilling our mission to help the Christian world capture something of the heartbeat of a movement that called for the unity of Christians on the basis of restoring the life and witness of New Testament Christianity. Allow yourselves to enter into the lives of our pioneers who boldly broke away from the shackles of past traditions and state control of the church to live out the freshness of inspired faith centred on Christ, the Bible, and the essentials of being Christians. We would do well to continue this call.

Sixth edition (2014)

Includes stories from the beginnings of Australian Churches of Christ and other new material.

Originally written and published in March 2009 by Graham Carslake

47 North Beach Road, North Beach, WA 6020

Tel.: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

All rights reserved.

Front cover art by Justin Nipps (Nashville, USA). The two tree trunks represent the Stone (Christians) and Campbell (disciples) movements merging into one tree (church).

Acknowledgment

I need to acknowledge the benefit of past teachers in the faith from 1960 to 1962 that helped me catch the spirit of our movement, especially E. Lyall ‘the Chief’ Williams, principal at the College of the Bible, Glen Iris, Melbourne, Victoria. A big thank you to Keith, Lesley, Rod, Dennis, and Steve, who as readers/critics made many insightful comments before the final product was completed. To my daughter Jo, who shaped it up on the computer and brought order out of chaos, a grateful thank you.

To my wife, Freda, who wondered what Graham was up to at this time. Long sessions in the study and the books and papers lying around everywhere made it all a bit messy, but she has been well grounded into being long-suffering. I tested that patience again. Thank you. You did well.

TLFS.jpg

Brief Timeline of Churches of Christ/Christian Church/Disciples of Christ¹

This is now in 178 countries and is estimated to number between 12 and 14 million people. Americans claim this movement is the largest indigenous Christian Church to be born in the USA.²

Four Founding Fathers

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14 p 22.

Birthplaces of Churches of Christ/Christian Church/Disciples of Christ

This is the map that will assist you to locate the key events and places of interest as you follow the lives of our pioneers in the USA.

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The Historical Roots of the Churches of Christ

It is not possible to give an exact name or date for when the Churches of Christ began. Here are some of the names of those who had a powerful influence in the beginnings of this movement:

• the Man of the Book, Thomas Campbell, born in Newry, County Down, Ireland (1763)

• an apostle of love, Barton Warren Stone, born in Port Tobacco, Maryland, USA (1772)

• a reformer, Alexander Campbell, born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland (1788)

• an evangelist, Walter Scott, born in Moffat, Scotland (1796)

• a frontier man, John ‘Raccoon’ Smith, born in Tennessee, USA (1784).

The world was changing rapidly in the late 1700s and early 1800s. There had been the American War of Independence, the French Revolution with the storming of the Bastille, Napoleonic Wars and Wellington’s victory in the Battle of Waterloo, Captain Cook’s arrival on Australian soil, the rebellious Irish being defeated and becoming part of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Franklin’s emergence as an American statesman, and Davy Crockett becoming a folk hero.

An even deeper change was occurring in people’s lives and faith. There was a religious stirring growing in Ireland, Scotland, and on the Western frontier of America. People from