Tag Archives: Alexander Campbell

CENI: So In Conclusion … , Part 2

Campbell and the Order of Worship Campbell began a series of lessons on the order of worship, “A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things No. V,” by arguing that, logically, there must be a required order of worship from … Continue reading

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CENI: The Laws Behind the Curtain

What’s really going on? Why do our leaders feel so comfortable — so insistent — that their interpretations are right, when it’s obvious that the scriptural support for many of their positions is very, very thin? Well, it all goes … Continue reading

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CENI: Necessary Inferences

The “NI” in CENI is necessary inference. Now, I majored in mathematics, and to us mathematicians, an inference is not “necessary” unless it is proven to a mathematical certainty. The Church of Christ approach to necessary inference is something else. … Continue reading

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CENI: Introduction

I’ve been planning to say something on CENI hermeneutics for years. Now I finally get to it. For those not familiar with the term, “CENI” is the internet abbreviation for Command, Example, and Necessary Inference. And CENI is the foundation … Continue reading

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Renewing Our Worship: Clothing

Good morning, class. Today I’m going to test your knowledge of the Bible. The teacher, only about 30 years old, was leading a class of 50- and 60-year old members. Who can think of a passage that talks about what … Continue reading

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The Baptists’ Evolving View of Baptism (and the Churches of Christ, too)

One of the most pronounced identity markers of the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches is our view of baptism. In contrast to most evangelical churches, we reject infant baptism, insist on baptism by immersion, and consider baptism the moment … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline: What Went Wrong

In the last post, I quoted passages from the first volume of Alexander Campbell’s The Christian Baptist in which he describes how we planned to unite all Christendom. Over and over, Campbell and Walter Scott, the Restoration Movement’s first missionary, … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline: Boundary Markers and The Christian Baptist

Alexander Campbell first published his teachings in a periodical called The Christian Baptist, begining in 1823. The following are some excerpts that remain instructive today. First, regarding the “bond of union among Christians.” Passing by, for the present, the various … Continue reading

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The Future of the Progressive Churches of Christ: The Christian Standard Weighs In (Fourth Question, part 1)

How does our current historical amnesia affect the vitality of the Restoration Movement institutions? Should we care? The Standard asks, If megachurches and new churches are a prophetic whisper of who we are becoming, are we making ourselves vulnerable as … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? The Lord’s Supper

[I’m reposting this to get it in right order within the series.] Most Protestants consider the Lord’s Supper to be a sacrament. The Churches of Christ do not. Rather, we follow the view of Zwingli that the communion is purely … Continue reading

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