Restoration Appreciation: The Rich Legacy and Hopeful Future of the Stone-Campbell Movement
Ebook
Overview
The Restoration Movement is one of the largest Christian traditions indigenous to the United States--boasting nearly four million adherents. Over the last century, however, it has suffered internal division, isolationism, declining institutions, and widespread ignorance of its own roots. The dynamism and solidarity that once typified our churches appears to be fading, which has many asking if the Restoration Movement has lost all momentum.
Yet Jesus prayed for Christian unity and tied such unity to the world's belief (John 17). Only a united church will convince unbelievers that God sent Jesus as his ultimate expression of love for them. This prayer propelled the early Movement into action and may do so again today.
This highly accessible book invites restorationists to rise above the partisanship of our day, rally around our core commitments, and lead out in our strengths. It informs readers about the modest origins, unique resources, and current challenges facing our churches. It fosters stimulating conversations about mission, race, creeds, Scripture, education, unity, humility, and relevance. If it's time for you, your congregation, or your students to encounter or recover their restoration roots, then this book is for you!
“These essays, originally oral presentations at Great Lakes Christian College, insightfully explore the claim that at the heart of the Restoration Movement lies a prayer for the unity of disciples through restoring the apostolic witness for the sake of mission. They capture the essence of a ‘new wave of Restorationism’ that serves both the unity of the church and its mission while appreciating past formative leaders and traditions—a healthy invitation to renewal.”
—John Mark Hicks, Lipscomb University
“This stellar group of ministers and scholars from Christian churches makes a compelling case for reviving the founding ideals of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement in those churches today. Whether or not one agrees with all the book’s agenda, the book’s depictions of key principles and people will captivate readers and move them to a deeper appreciation for the movement and serious contemplation about who and what we ought to be.”
—Douglas A. Foster, Graduate School of Theology, Abilene Christian University
John C. Nugent is Professor of Bible and Theology at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, MI. He is the author of Endangered Gospel (2016), Politics of Yahweh (2011), and Genesis 1–11 of the Polis Bible Commentary series (2019). He also co-hosts the After Class Podcast.