In the summer of 1801, in the state of Kentucky, at a place called Cane Ridge, a revival was held that was so large in scale that one out of every ten people living in Kentucky at the time came to be a part of it. This revival lasted for a week, and people came, in part, because there wasn’t much else to do in those days. Many people in that part of the country, in that time, were rural farmers, and they didn’t get to interact with other people very often. They couldn’t even twitter. Outside of their own immediate families, they probably had more conversations with cows and horses and pigs than they did with humans.
So they came to this revival, where a number of preachers took to the pulpit, working the crowds into a frenzy over the power of the gospel. Even though the congregation at Cane Ridge was a Presbyterian congregation, part of the Synod of Kentucky, Methodist and Baptist preachers also mounted stumps to proclaim God’s love for sinners.
In the years following this revival, some folks involved in the Synod expressed their disapproval for some of the goings-on at Cane Ridge. In turn, some of the ministers involved in the revival, and a few others as well, did not like the Synod’s views on things, which they believed went against scripture. Eventually, five preachers renounced the jurisdiction of the Synod; but they still considered themselves Presbyterians, so they formed a new presbytery, the Springfield Presbytery.
However, less than ten months later, those five men, plus one more who had joined them, dissolved the Springfield Presbytery. To explain why, they wrote a document, which they titled “The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery.” One of those who signed the document was Barton Stone, the preacher at Cane Ridge.
In the Last Will and Testament, they wrote the following: “We will, that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large; for there is but one Body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling.”
As Lester McAllister and William Tucker point out in their book on Disciples history, the writers of this document expressed a strong desire for Christian unity, and saw organizations like denominations and synods and presbyteries as barriers to that unity. They were no longer Presbyterians; from now on, they were simply Christians.
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, another Presbyterian preacher named Thomas Campbell was entertaining similar thoughts. In 1809, he wrote a document titled the “Declaration and Address.” This document is significant in the history of Disciples; in fact, later this year, thousands of congregations throughout the world will celebrate bicentennial of the “Declaration and Address.”
In the “Declaration and Address,” Thomas Campbell criticized the divisions that exist within the church. He declared that “the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one, consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ…”
When Thomas Campbell’s son, Alexander, arrived in the United States from Scotland, he read his father’s “Declaration” and approved of it. In fact, it probably came as a relief for Alexander Campbell to discover his father’s thoughts, because just three months earlier, back in Glasgow, Alexander had had a terrible experience with the Presbyterian church.
At that time, the church in Scotland and other Presbyterian churches used tokens for communion. Communion was only held twice a year, and prior to the big day, those who wanted communion were required to meet with the presiding minister. Only those approved by the minister were allowed to partake of the bread and wine. If they met with the minister’s approval, they would receive a token which they needed to present when they came to the table.
… And coming to the table took some time. It was, in fact, an all day affair. First, there was the sermon, a lengthy discourse about how those who are unfaithful should keep away from the table, and how those who have been approved would bring God’s displeasure upon them if they refrained. Then, in small groups, people came forward to the front of the sanctuary and gathered around the table, where they placed their tokens in a tray, and partook of the elements.
Alexander Campbell thought it was terrible, that worshipers had to prove their worthiness in order to gather at the table. He saw the token as a human invention that did nothing but divide people from one another and separate them from God.
As the story goes, Alexander Campbell sat in worship, staring at the token in his hand, watching as one group after another came forward, presented their tokens, and took their place at the table. He couldn’t decide what to do, so he sat in his pew and waited.
When the last group was called to the table, Alexander Campbell came forward. The tray was passed around, and each worshiper placed his or her token in it. When the tray came to Alexander Campbell, he threw his token in, and when the bread and wine were passed around, he refused to partake. He then stood up, turned, and walked out of the building, resolving that he would find a way to break down the barriers that kept people separated from God’s table.
By the time he arrived in America, he was ready to break down the walls of separation, and to celebrate a communion meal to which everyone was invited, whether they had a token or not.
When I was in seminary, I took a class from Paul Crow, who, for many years, was the president of our denomination’s Council on Christian Unity. One of the things we did in that class was study the 17th chapter of John. We learned that this was the longest recorded prayer given by Jesus, and that it was primarily a prayer for unity, a prayer that all of Jesus’ followers may be one.
Some time later, I heard Michael Kinnamon speak at a General Assembly. Michael Kinnamon is a Disciples clergyman and is currently the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. It just so happens that he, Sharon Watkins, and a whole bunch of other church leaders from a variety of denominations will be speaking in Claremont this Thursday, at a conference which I plan to attend.
What Michael Kinnamon said before when I heard him—what he insisted—was that the church is, and always has been, one. It’s not quite right to talk about making the church one, because the church already is one. However, we who are part of the church have often failed to recognize this.
Thomas and Alexander Campbell and their followers began calling themselves Disciples, because that’s what the followers of Jesus were called in scripture. In 1832, the Disciples joined with Barton Stone’s Christians, and a new movement was born. Those who were adherents of this movement insisted that they were not the only Christians, but that they were Christians. They declared Christian unity to be their polar star.
So serious were they about all of this, that they insisted that they were not another denomination. Rather, they were a movement, or a “fellowship.” As the number of Disciples grew, the movement took on many of the characteristics of a denomination—conventions were held, structures were developed for mission, and so on—but it wasn’t until 1968 that we finally admitted that, OK, yes we are a denomination.
But we are a denomination that still insists that we are not the only Christians. We are a denomination that still believes that unity is our polar star. We are a denomination that works closely with other denominations; we even have a strong partnership with the United Church of Christ. And we are a denomination that still insists that the table around which we gather is an open table, that every person, no matter who they are or where they come from, is invited to partake of the bread and from the cup.
I gotta be honest with you: our pursuit of Christian unity hasn’t been without a few road bumps. There have, in fact, been divisions within our own movement, especially in the early years of the 20th century. The celebration that will occur this fall will include efforts to overcome those divisions. I even heard that some Disciples of Christ congregations and Church of Christ congregations will be worshiping together on that day. The path to Christian unity is sometimes a difficult one, and we recognize that we have not always followed it faithfully.
The gospel of John records Jesus praying that all his followers may be one. Why, do you think, would John include this prayer in his gospel account? The gospel of John was written some fifty years after Jesus’ crucifixion. As John says in his gospel, Jesus said and did so many things that it would be impossible to write them all down. Why, then, did John write this down?
Obviously, this prayer addressed some contemporary, hot-button issues in John’s own time. Already, divisions in the church were taking place. Already, Christ’s body, once broken on the cross, was being torn apart once again.
Whether we recognize it or not, we are one body. And whether we like it or not, we cannot turn away anyone who desires to come to the table. There is too much fragmentation in the world as it is; Christ has called us to counter that, to be a movement for wholeness.
And so, in 2009, we here at Bixby Knolls Christian Church, along with the almost 4,000 other congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), continue to extend the invitation. We continue to invite the world to Christ’s table. We continue to work with other denominations as we witness to the gospel. And what’s especially exciting is that every week, on average, a new Disciples congregation begins meeting. In the past eight years, almost 600 new congregations have been formed. By God’s grace, we have been able to expand the table in so many ways, inviting more and more people to take their place at the table of our Lord.
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