People In History

A Brief History of Preston Taylor
When we think of the great African American leaders this country has produced, we can place Preston Taylor among those who have made major contributions for the betterment of society at large. In 1917 Taylor led the founding of the National Christian Missionary Convention, giving a united voice to black Disciples.

Barton Stone

Mendell Diness: The Unlike Story of a Barclay Convert
Most Disciples know that James T. Barclay was the first missionary of the Stone-Campbell heritage. We now have information on a man who was one of Barclay’s early converts - Mendel Diness.

Emily Tubman: A Disciple Wonder Woman
Emily Tubman crashed the modern “glass ceiling” by doing the impossible and the unconventional. Members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) should give closer attention to one of Discipledom’s “super women.”

Alexander Campbell: Millennial Blogger
Alexander Campbell used publishing to advance the restoration of the church. Had he lived today, how would he use media to move the restoration? What can we learn from Campbell’s use of media that can be applied to our use of media today as we advance our own understanding of restoration?

Stone-Campbell Heritage

Founding Spirituality
Distortions of Stone-Campbell Spirituality
More Distortions of Stone-Campbell Spirituality
A three-part presentation on our spiritual heritage by D. Newell Williams at the 2009 General Assembly. Williams is President of Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX and is one of the major historians of the Stone-Campbell heritage.

Relationships: A Historic Definition
Alexander Campbell’s importance to the origins of the Stone-Campbell heritage are a given. Still, it is important to recapitulate the value and significance of the ensemble of tangible artifacts which reside at both Historic Bethany and Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

Where From Here?
It’s no use trying to regain Cane Ridge or Brush Run or Bethany, without some sense of why they mattered in the first place. Now, two hundred years later, how do we locate the ‘place’ in our own lives, and gain any real spiritual traction for what God is calling us to do?

General Interest

A Faithful Past, A Strong Present Case Study: Milton (IL) Christian Church
Milton Christian Church is one of hundreds of rural congregations related to the Stone Campbell heritage. The literature describes the decline of rural America—dwindling population, erosion of the social structures, and above all, the struggle of rural churches to survive. The past and present of this church offer hope rather than despair.

A Perfect Testimony
When Alexander Campbell thought of the Apostles, he thought of them-- in part--as historians. He saw the original members of Christ's community as keepers of a story. He believed that they remembered the life and ministry of Jesus, so that they could pass the information along to others. Their memory was not cloudy nor ill-informed. Instead, he says the Apostles gave a perfect testimony.

Of Congregations And History
Congregations and their histories, show us that God is, indeed, working on our behalf. In fact, it is in communities of faith that we see the vital connection between divine will and human history. As a congregation lives out its history, the Spirit of God is there at every turn, insuring that the history lived has meaning for our time and for eternity.