Category Archives: Index

Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Landmarkism

Many of the second generation of the Restoration Movement misunderstood the Campbells. In particular, Moses Lard and Benjamin Franklin (great nephew of the Revolutionary War Benjamin Franklin) taught a much narrower doctrine of salvation (soterology), sometimes insisting on near-perfect doctrine … Continue reading

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Church Finances and Business: Starting a New Church

I get emails — Jay, I am involved in a group of individuals that is starting a house church. We want to give the members an opportunity to tithe as well as support other activities. The research that I have … Continue reading

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Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: The Missionary Society

Late in his career, Alexander Campbell argued strenuously for a national missionary society. In many states, Restoration Movement churches had already organized societies (a 19th Century term for a nonprofit organization) to send out missionaries and to do other good … Continue reading

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Neo-Calvinism: An Introduction to Neo-Calvinism

Several months ago, I received an email saying I appeared to be a neo-Calvinist. I had no idea what that meant, but as my correspondent knows I’m no Calvinist, I figured I should investigate. And I have. And I’m not … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Mixed Messages from the Church?

I just read a fascinating article about Christians and sex from the Associated Press (of all places!) — The agonizing message to a young Christian couple in love: Sex can wait, but so can marriage. ‘It’s unreasonable to say, ‘Don’t … Continue reading

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Neo-Calvinism: A Plea

I’m about to start a series on something called “Neo-Calvinism.” I’m pretty excited about it, mainly because it’s an area of theology I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. I think there’s a lot to learn here. But … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: On Modesty

If it’s a sin for a man to lust, it’s a sin for a woman to tempt the man to lust. We have to teach our women and girls to sacrifice fashion for the sake of God and protecting marriages. … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Women’s Lib and Beauty Pageants

I graduated from high school in 1972, the first class not to have a draft number. It was the age of hippies, war protesters, and assasinations. And women’s lib. The Equal Rights Amendment was in the headlines daily, and the … Continue reading

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Sex, the Church, and Miss California: Serving the Hurting

The church should be a community that … loves and nurtures the hurting souls and bruised lost ones who seriously desire to be shown another way but are too consumed at this moment to see anything else. This is big. … Continue reading

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Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Baptism, Primitivism, and Heresy, Part 2

This brings us to the famous Lunenburg letter correspondence. Some of Campbell’s early writing often seems to suggest that he considered baptism essential to salvation. And this was conventional wisdom within much of the Movement. However, Stone had never considered … Continue reading

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