The Life and Ministry of Alexander Campbell in Historic Bethany

1
The Life and Ministry of Alexander Campbell in
Historic Bethany
2
Early Life

• Alexander was born Sept. 12, 1788, in a location
  about 25 miles northwest of Belfast, Ireland.
• In 1798, Thomas Campbell (1763-1854) moved to
  Ahorey, Ireland.
• In 1807, Thomas immigrated to Washington,
  Pennsylvania

3
Early Life

• In 1808, Thomas Campbell renounced the
  Presbyterian Church.
• The family was shipwrecked on the coast of
  Scotland.
• Alexander then entered the University of Glasgow,
  where he came under the influence of Greville
  Ewing, John Glas, and the Haldanes.

4
Early Life

• 1809 Christian Association of Washington
• Declaration and Address
• Unity document
• Only what is expressly commanded
• Each judges for oneself
• Alexander and the family travel from Greenock,
  Scotland to America.

5
Brush Run Years

• Where the scriptures speak, we speak and where
  the scriptures are silent, we are silent.
• In the spring of 1811, Thomas Campbell began to
  believe the Association must become a church.
• May 4, 1811 --
• Thomas Campbell appointed Elder
• Alexander Campbell licensed to preach
• Sunday, May 5, 1811 first worship service

6
Brush Run Years

• Problem of the form of baptism
• Three people requested baptism Margaret
  Fullerton, Abraham Altars, Joseph Bryant.
• Bryant thought immersion was the only proper
  form.
• Thus baptism became an issue
• Thomas Campbell was accused of being
• Inconsistent immersing others, though he still
  believing in sprinkling
• Unqualified to immerse others since he himself
  was not immersed.

7
Brush Run Years

• Alexander and baptism---
• At first, issue of no great importance
• Three sermons to defend INFANT baptism
• Birth of first child began serious study
• Concluded
• infant baptism was not present in the NT
• immersion was the form of baptism in the NT
• Asked Matthias Luce to baptize him.

8
Brush Run Years

• Thomas Campbell was still reluctant, he was in
  heart still Presbyterian
• June 12, 1812 was the date set for baptisms
• Thomas and wife and daughter Margaret arrived
  prepared to be immersed.
• Thomas Campbell asked to be allowed to make a
  statement on his reasons for being immersed

9
Brush Run Years

• Alexanders words this is the NT way
• Immersion
• on confession, not of a human creed, but of Jesus
  Christ as the Son of God.
• Two others in the crowd then requested baptism
• The meeting continued 7 hours
• Next Sunday, 13 requested immersion, among them
  James Foster.

10
(No Transcript)
11
Brush Run Years

• Redstone Baptist Association--Brush Run Church
  was received in 1813
• Immediate problems Brush Run is too independent,
  and is non-Calvinistic
• In his Sermon on the Law, Alexander claimed the
  OT is no longer applicable
• Departure from Redstone was in September, 1823

12
Brush Run Years

• After departure from Redstone Association in
  September, 1823, the Brush Run church joined the
  Mahoning Baptist Association
• A sequel to the Sermon on the Law preached
  there (in Canfield, 1826)
• The text of sermon was Malachi 42 The Sun of
  Righteousness shall arise with healing in its
  wings.
• Theme The progress of revealed light

13
The Christian Baptist

• The Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things
• the nature and work of the church of the NT based
  on the pattern of the apostolic church as
  recorded in the NT.
• Revised, it was published in book form later
  first edition, Christianity Restored later
  editions, The Christian System
• Alexander Campbell was in this time period a
  champion of the Baptists
• Insert information about Alexander Campbell and
  the Baptists

14
Later Years

• Publication of Millennial Harbinger beginning in
  1830 (which continued after his death)
• Bethany College was established (1841)
• The Lunenburg Letter
• American Christian Bible Society (1845)
• General Convention of Disciples or Campbellite
  churches
• Immediate opposition no NT authority for such a
  meeting or proposal

15
Missionary Society Question

• Raised the issue what is a matter of faith,
  and what is a matter of opinion?
• Raised the issue of expedients
• Orphans Homes
• Herald of Truth
• Giving to colleges
• Any Para-church organization

16
Close of an Era

• Deaths of leaders
• Barton W. Stone, Nov. 9, 1844.
• Thomas Campbell, January 4, 1854.
• Walter Scott, April 23, 1861.
• Alexander Campbell, March 4, 1866.

17
Historic Bethany

• Historic Bethany is just north of Bethany, WV.
  This is a picture of the visitor center.

18
Historic Bethany
19
Historic Bethany
20
Historic Bethany

• This a group of Sojourners whom I was privileged
  to lead on a tour of Bethany while they were on a
  sojourn at OVU.

21
Historic Bethany
22
Historic Bethany
23
Historic Bethany
24
Historic Bethany
25
Historic Bethany
26
Historic Bethany
27
Historic Bethany
28
Historic Bethany
29
Historic Bethany

• The well house on the north side of the mansion
  served as cold storage. The buildings have been
  preserved beautifully.

30
Historic Bethany

• The path to the schoolhouse also leads by an
  outer door to the basement--the only access now.

31
Historic Bethany
32
Historic Bethany
33
Historic Bethany
34
Historic Bethany

• The grounds at Bethany are well-kept and
  park-like. Here is an alternate view of the
  study as it appears from the house.

35
Historic Bethany

• The mantle in the original house and an early
  recliner, used by Thomas Campbell in his
  declining years.

36
Historic Bethany
37
Historic Bethany

• Kneeling benches used by Alexander and Margaret
  when they were married in this house.

38
Historic Bethany

• Early baby bed.

39
Historic Bethany
40
Historic Bethany

• A single bed/cot in the original bedroom. Note
  the pitcher and bowl.

41
Historic Bethany
42
Historic Bethany

• A very narrow double bed in the Campbell bedroom.

43
Historic Bethany

• The death mask for Alexander Campbell,
  indicative of what he looked like at his death.

44
Historic Bethany
45
Historic Bethany

• The infamous long table in the dining room.

46
Historic Bethany
47
Historic Bethany
48
Historic Bethany

• The living area of strangers hall.

49
Historic Bethany
50
Historic Bethany
51
Historic Bethany
52
Historic Bethany
53
Historic Bethany

• Campbells desk where he wrote when he was in the
  house. This was also used by students in the
  Buffalo Seminary.

54
Historic Bethany

• Campbell family wall.

55
Historic Bethany

• The second floor history room.

56
Historic Bethany

• An indication of the construction technique used
  in adding to the house.

57
Historic Bethany

• A game of matching.

58
Historic Bethany
59
Historic Bethany

• The view of the rear grounds from the pantry
  window (off the dining room).

60
Historic Bethany

• The herb garden and rear grounds from the room
  above the dining hall.

61
Historic Bethany
62
Historic Bethany
63
Historic Bethany
64
Historic Bethany
65
Historic Bethany

• On the campus of Bethany College

66
(No Transcript)
67
Campbells Baconianism

• Debate with Robert Owen
• Employed Bacons method and joined it to Lockes
  philosophy of human knowledge
• Explicitly calls upon Lord Bacon for the
  foundation of the argument
• enumerates Bacons principles of investigation

68
Campbells Baconianism

• Owen a fact is something that exists.
• Alexander Campbell this definition is inadequate
  and given to philosophical speculations
• Christianity, in contrast, is based on facts.

69
Campbell and Locke

• Locke on faith
• the assent to any proposition, not thus made out
  by the deductions of reason, but upon the credit
  of the proposer as coming from God, in some
  extraordinary way of communication. This way of
  discovering truths to men we call revelation.
  (Essay, IV.18.2)

70
Campbell and Locke

• Locke faith is not as certain as knowledge, but
  religious faith is on the highest level of
  probability
• Whatever God hath revealed is certainly true no
  doubt can be made of it. This is the proper
  object of faith.

71
Campbell and Locke

• Locke Whatsoever is divine revelation, ought to
  overrule all our opinions, prejudices, and
  interests, and hath a right to be received with
  full assent. (Essay, IV.18.10)

72
Campbell and Locke

• Campbell
• Faith is the simple belief of testimony, or
  confidence in the word of another.
• Knowledge is the experience we have of things
  within us or the information we acquire by the
  exercise of our senses and judgment on the things
  without us.
• Opinion is no more than a probable evidence, the
  view or conclusion which the mind forms by its
  reasonings and reflections on those things of
  which there is no certain evidence within ones
  reach.

73
Campbell and Locke

• Locke on Scripture If he had required more of
  us in those points, he would have declared his
  will plainer to us. . . . (Reasonableness of
  Christianity, VI.58)

74
Campbell and Locke

• Locke to be a Christian one must have an
  explicit belief of all the propositions, which
  he, according to the best of his understanding,
  really apprehends to be contained and meant in
  the Scripture. . . .

75
Campbell and Locke

• Locke on worship Now nothing in worship or
  discipline can be necessary to the Christian
  communion, but what Christ our legislator, or the
  Apostles, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, have
  commanded in express words. (Toleration, VI.58)

76
Campbell on the Bible

• The doctrine of the Bible, on any particular
  subject of inquiry, can be clearly and
  satisfactorily ascertained only by a full
  induction of all that is found in it upon that
  subject. When the induction is perfect and
  complete and fully comprehended on any one point,
  we can never have any more divine light upon that
  subject. This is our method of learning and of
  teaching what the Holy Spirit has taught on any
  given subject. (Christian Baptism, 184-185)

77
Conclusions

• Campbell borrowed heavily from the Glasite,
  Sandemanian and Haldanian movements.
• Campbell borrowed concepts from philosophers who
  had currency during his era (Lord Bacon, John
  Locke, Thomas Reid, Dugald Stewart, etc.)
• The concept of objectivity, i.e., complete
  independence of external influences, does not
  hold.