October’s Pick: Richardson on Principles

The anti-creedal position and independent nature of the American Restoration Movement created some confusion among members about their identity. The lack of any official statement also made the church vulnerable to attack from opponents eager to spread lies about what its leaders taught.

A close friend of Alexander Campbell and editor of The Millennial Harbinger, Dr. Robert Richardson was in a good position to write a short book that highlighted the movement’s central teachings. Here is an outline of the chapters, with the headings from the Reed edition in brackets:

• Introduction
• Chapter I: Distinction between Faith and Opinion.
• Chapter II: The Christian Faith.
• Chapter III: Basis of Christian Union.
• Chapter IV: Remedial Institutions [or Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian Institutions]
• Chapter V: Commencement of the Church.
• Chapter VI: [The] Action and Design of Baptism
• Chapter VII: [The] Agency of the Holy Spirit [in Conversion and Sanctification]
• Chapter VIII: Weekly Communion
• Chapter IX: Church Government
• Conclusion

Please submit posts on this book to stonecampbellbookclub@gmail.com prior to November 30, 2010. They can be in a variety of formats (review, Q&A, devotional, critique, etc.) depending on what the contributor believes will stimulate discussion. Those with the Reed edition are encouraged to read the introduction that places Principles within the context of Richardson’s life and the movement’s history.

Available copies of Robert Richardson’s Principles:

The Principles and Objects of the Religious Reformation, Urged by A. Campbell and Others, Briefly Stated and Explained. 2d ed. Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, 1853. Url: http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/rrichardson/porr/PORR00A.HTM.

Principles of the Reformation: A Classic Summary of the Guiding Principles of the Early Stone-Campbell Movement. Introduction by Carson E. Reed. Edited by Carson E. Reed. Orange, CA: New Lead Books, 2002. ISBN: 0-9714289-6-4.