| May 7, 2000 |
Vol. III, No. 1
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[Ed. Note: The following article was published in 1936. It was written by a prominent Presbyterian preacher of that day. Though it shows a few slight prejudices, and uses a terminology we would not use (i.e., Sunday is called the Sabbath, Christians are called “Campbellites,” etc.), we feel that students of the “restoration movement” might find it interesting and informative.]
Just over the West Virginia line, where Washington County, Pennsylvania, and Brooke County, West Virginia, come together, there stands on a hilltop, beautiful for situation, a notable college building, the main hall of Bethany College. In contrast with most of the college buildings erected in that period, 1859, this building has singular architectural grace and beauty. This is due to the fact that the founder of the college and the planner of the building, Alexander Campbell, was a graduate of the University of Glasgow, and the building follows, to a degree, the plan of that noble Gothic structure in Glasgow.
Bethany, W. Va., is not only the seat of a college, Bethany College, but is the shrine of one of the largest Christian denominations, the Disciples of Christ. Thomas Campbell, graduate of the University of Glasgow, a schoolmaster and clergyman of the Presbyterian “Seceders,” left the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and came to the United States in 1807. He preached for a time in Washington County and soon gathered about him a group of followers known as the Campbellites, who, in addition to the fundamental truths of Christianity, held by all Christians, emphasized the following principles:
The unity of the church on the basis of primitive Christianity.
The exchange of party names for Scriptural names, and
The restoration of the sacraments as they were originally administered.
In 1808 Campbell drew up a Declaration and Address in which he deplored denominations and the warring of the sects. His followers were known as the “First Church of the Christian Association of Washington, meeting at Crossroads and Brush Creek, Washington County.” There were 29 members. Thomas Campbell was elected an elder, and his young son, Alexander Campbell, born in Ballymena, Ireland, a graduate of the University of Glasgow, and recently come to America, was licensed to preach and serve the Lord’s Supper every Sabbath day. From now on, Alexander Campbell is the chief figure in the history of the Disciples of Christ.
In 1812 Alexander Campbell was immersed, presumably in Buffalo Creek. He and his congregation then united with the Redstone Baptist Association. This union did not last long. In 1832 the Campbellites united with the followers of a schismatic Presbyterian minister in Kentucky, Barton W. Stone. This was the origin of the Disciples’ Church.
One day, young Alexander Campbell came to borrow a book from John Brown, farmer and miller, just over the line from Brush Run. John Brown had not only a good library, but a good-looking daughter, Margaret, 18 years of age. On March 12, 1811, Alexander and Margaret were married and took up their residence in the Brown house, which was really a mansion in that part of the Western wilderness.
In order to consolidate the followers of the Campbells, it was determined to colonize at what is now Bethany. In the Brown homestead, now the Campbell home, Alexander Campbell gathered together young men to train them for the ministry. This was the beginning of Bethany College, the charter for which was granted in 1840. Alexander Campbell, an erudite man, was the first president of the college. Here in this Campbell mansion Alexander Campbell wrote his books, prepared his memorable debates with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cincinnati, J.B. Purcell, and Robert Owen, the Scottish nationalist and Socialist. In the grounds of the estate, not far from the house, is a small octagonal brick structure which Campbell built for his study. There in this brick chamber, lighted only by a skylight, Campbell would be found at work on his manuscripts from four o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock. He had 13 children, and, no doubt, this numerous family made it necessary for him to isolate himself for his studies. When the 10th child was born, a girl, Campbell evidently had run out of names, for he called her Decima, which is Latin for tenth, and rather a well-sounding name it is, too.
In the chamber where Campbell died the walls are decorated with heavy pictorial paper, representing the Greek tale of Telemachus. This is something to be found in only a few houses in America, one of them the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s beautiful home near Nashville, Tenn. Campabell was also the postmaster for that neighborhood, and pigeonholes built into the lower part of the old-fashioned clock were the post-office. The hands of the clock mark a quarter before twelve, the hour of Campbell’s death on Sabbath, March 4, 1866. It was the old theologian’s ardent wish that he might die on the Sabbath, and a few minutes before midnight his wish was granted.
On a hilltop not far from the mansion, well shaded by fir trees, is the little cemetery where the Campbells lie buried. There, too, lie buried the Presidents of Bethany College and other notable figures in the early history of the church. Reading the names on the tombs, one realizes that this cemetery is indeed the Westminster Abbey of the Disciples of Christ.
The second President of the College was Dr. W.K. Pendleton. He and his wife were sure that the child soon to be born was to be a boy, and they selected the name, Alexander Campbell Pendleton, in honor of the founder of the College. But man proposes and God disposes. The child turned out to be a girl. Not to be defeated by Providence, Pendleton named the unfortunate child Alexandrina Campbellina Pendleton! The heavily named girl turned out to be a beautiful and attractive young woman.
In the early ‘80’s the young professor of Latin, a graduate of Transylvania University in Kentucky, was James Lane Allen, who fell in love with Alexandrina Campbellina. A worthless, dashing fellow, however, won the heart of Alexandrina and carried her off with him in a marriage that had an unfortunate ending. James Lane Allen remained unmarried and took it out in writing novels, some of which were the best sellers of the gay 90’s, “The Kentucky Cardinal” and “The Choir Invisible.”
Because of its history and because of its beauty for situation, Bethany College, with the Campbell mansion and the hilltop cemetery hard by, are well worth a visit, especially on a May morning, when the hillsides are white with the apple blossoms and the dogwood, and in the valley below the Buffalo Creek winds its way through green meadows toward the Ohio.
--Clarence Edward Macartney from the book “Not Far From Pittsburg.”
Matthew tells us that “the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, ‘Why do Your disciples transgress the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me has been dedicated to the temple” -- is released from honoring his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition” (Matt. 15:1-6).
Notice that the scribes and Pharisees had set their own traditions handed down from generation to generation, above the commandment of God. Jesus’ criticism of them, “You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition” was a very serious accusation. Matthew does not tell us their response, if any. Today, many respond to a similar criticism by insisting, “We’ve always done it this way,” or “Everybody’s doing it,” or “It was good enough for my grandfather, so it’s good enough for me.”
Some churches today have a long-standing tradition of being guided by unmarried bishops, whereas, the word of God says, “A bishop... MUST be... the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2). To appoint a person to the position of bishop or elder, who is not married, is to make God’s command of no effect.
Of course, many other examples could be cited from modern religious practices -- and it behooves every one of us to re-examine our own traditions -- and we all have some -- to see that our traditions do not set aside the instructions of God’s word. Traditions that do not contradict God’s word may present no problem, but traditions that ignore or set aside God’s will need to be departed from.
Mark’s account of the confrontation between Jesus and the scribes on this occasion quotes Jesus as using the Hebrew word “Corban.” Scholar W.E. Vine in his dictionary of New Testament words explains that the “Jews were much addicted to rash vows; a saying of the Rabbis was, ‘It is hard for the parents, but the law is clear, vows must be kept.’” Instead of rebuking them for their rash vow and encouraging them to repent of it, the religious leaders were taking advantage of the situation and insisting that they keep the vow even though they had no right to make it in the first place. This, in turn, meant that they could not fulfill what God clearly commanded of them: “Honor your father and mother.”
--CRJ
I can’t remember who told me this story, so I guess that makes it “original.” A mother of 12 children came to a preacher and said, “I feel that God wants me to be a missionary.” The preacher replied, “I believe you are right. God does want you to be a missionary, and He has already given you a mission field right in your own home.”
--CRJ