Christian Connection
Encyclopedia
The Christian Connection or Christian Connexion was a Christian
movement which began in several places during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and were secessions from three different religious denominations. The Christian Connection claimed to have no creed
, instead professing to rely strictly on the Bible
. In practice, members tended to cluster around various shared theological concepts, such as a Pelagian-like theological anthropology (i.e. doctrine of human nature), a rejection of the doctrine of election and a radically decentralized form of church government. The Connexion's periodical, the Herald of Gospel Liberty (first published on September 1, 1808), is considered by some historians to be the first religious journal ever published in the U.S.
, dissatisfied with the role of bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church
, separated from this body. O’Kelley’s movement, centering in Virginia
and North Carolina
, was originally called Republican Methodists. The denominational name was dropped in 1794 in favor of the name Christian and a commitment to use the Bible
as the only "rule of faith and practice."
During the first several years of the 19th century, two Baptist
ministers in New England
espoused similar views to O’Kelley and began exclusively using the name Christian. Working independently at first, Abner Jones
of Vermont
and Elias Smith
of New Hampshire
joined together in their efforts.
In 1801, the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky
would plant the seed for a movement in Kentucky
and the Ohio River
valley to disassociate from denominationalism. Barton W. Stone
and five others published The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery in 1804 giving up denominational ties and preferring to be known simply as Christians. Stone was influenced by his earlier involvement with O'Kelley and knew of the Republican Methodists use of only the name Christian.
Ideologically, the New England movement displayed an extreme form of republicanism. Convinced that the American Revolution demanded a thorough and utter break with European modes of operation, members tended to demand radical reform of politics, the legal system, medicine and religion. Elias Smith's career particularly emphasized medical and spiritual reform. All visible forms of church government were to be rejected, he argued, because they were inherently “British”. The movement’s nativist approach to theology and church polity imparted a unique flavor to the movement, placing them solidly on the fringe of early nineteenth-century North American spirituality.
The Connexion soon became international, churches created in New Brunswick
, Nova Scotia
, Quebec
(1811) and Ontario
(1821). In each case, the missions were extensions of preaching tours from neighboring American states. Thus all of the Canadian congregations were related to the New England movement. The failed Rebellions of 1837
(led by principally by Louis-Joseph Papineau
and William Lyon Mackenzie
) massively undercut the Connexion's Canadian wings. Solely in Ontario did churches survive, almost all of those north and east of Toronto
, Ontario
. Conflict between the Connexion and the Disciples of Christ also disrupted the former's Canadian growth.
in Kentucky and Tennessee
led by Stone united with the churches
led by Alexander Campbell. A minority continued to operate within the orbit of the Connexion. Of the majority of churches that aligned with the Stone-Campbell movement, many continued to use the name Christian Church, even though they no longer considered themselves part of the Christian Connection. The confusion over names which this created still continues. Much of the historiography of this period is driven by the current needs and issues of the successor denominations.
A disproportionate number of Christian Connexion preachers in New England were involved in the eschatological stir fueled by speculations of William Miller
. No fewer than seven of the 16 signatories to the 1840 call for an Adventist general conference were Connexion preachers. Many members left the Connexion in the mid-1840s, populating emerging denominations such as the Seventh-day Adventists
and the Advent Christians.
In 1850, the General Convention of the Christian Church passed a resolution calling for the establishment of Antioch College
. The college opened in 1852. Notable for its time, the Christian Connection decided that the college "shall afford equal privileges to students of both sexes." The Christian Connection sect wanted the new college to be sectarian, but the planning committee decided otherwise. Antioch College was one of the nation's first colleges to offer the same curriculum to men and women as well as to admit blacks and operate on a non-sectarian basis.
The Christian Church merged with the Congregational Churches in 1931 to form the Congregational Christian Churches
. In 1957 after twenty years of discussion and work, the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church
, itself the product of the merger of two German-American denominations, forged the United Church of Christ
. In 1989, the UCC and Disciples of Christ agreed to participate in full communion with each other, while remaining separate denominations.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
movement which began in several places during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and were secessions from three different religious denominations. The Christian Connection claimed to have no creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, instead professing to rely strictly on the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. In practice, members tended to cluster around various shared theological concepts, such as a Pelagian-like theological anthropology (i.e. doctrine of human nature), a rejection of the doctrine of election and a radically decentralized form of church government. The Connexion's periodical, the Herald of Gospel Liberty (first published on September 1, 1808), is considered by some historians to be the first religious journal ever published in the U.S.
Predecessor groups
In 1792, James O'KellyJames O'Kelly
James O'Kelly was an American clergyman during the Second Great Awakening and an important figure in the early history of Methodism in America. He was also known for his outspoken views on abolitionism, penning the strong antislavery work Essay on Negro Slavery...
, dissatisfied with the role of bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
, separated from this body. O’Kelley’s movement, centering in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, was originally called Republican Methodists. The denominational name was dropped in 1794 in favor of the name Christian and a commitment to use the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as the only "rule of faith and practice."
During the first several years of the 19th century, two Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
ministers in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
espoused similar views to O’Kelley and began exclusively using the name Christian. Working independently at first, Abner Jones
Abner Jones
Abner Jones , also known as Elder Abner Jones, was a minister and early church reformer in the United States.-Early life:...
of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and Elias Smith
Elias Smith
Elias Smith was a preacher, physician, journalist and clergyman. Smith, along with the preacher Abner Jones, founded a group of Christian Churches in New England that eventually merged with other like-minded, regional groups to become the denomination known as the Christian Connexion...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
joined together in their efforts.
In 1801, the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
would plant the seed for a movement in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
valley to disassociate from denominationalism. Barton W. Stone
Barton W. Stone
Barton Warren Stone was an important preacher during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. He was first ordained a Presbyterian minister, then was expelled from the church after the Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival for his stated beliefs in faith as the sole prerequisite for salvation...
and five others published The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery in 1804 giving up denominational ties and preferring to be known simply as Christians. Stone was influenced by his earlier involvement with O'Kelley and knew of the Republican Methodists use of only the name Christian.
Ideologically, the New England movement displayed an extreme form of republicanism. Convinced that the American Revolution demanded a thorough and utter break with European modes of operation, members tended to demand radical reform of politics, the legal system, medicine and religion. Elias Smith's career particularly emphasized medical and spiritual reform. All visible forms of church government were to be rejected, he argued, because they were inherently “British”. The movement’s nativist approach to theology and church polity imparted a unique flavor to the movement, placing them solidly on the fringe of early nineteenth-century North American spirituality.
Formation
By 1808, O’Kelley’s followers and the Smith/Jones movement were cooperating closely, and Stone’s Christians in Kentucky would soon follow suit. This loose fellowship of churches was called by the names Christian Connection/Connexion or Christian Church. Adherents anti-organizational commitments prevents one from referring to “union” ‘’per se’‘, at least before the middle of the century. Stone's concept of unity grew from a belief that Christians could extract the Bible’s truths by reason, they approached it without presuppositions. These truths, in turn would displace human forms of order, leading to the unstoppable result that Christians would start “flowing together” and others would come to faith because of the model of unity (Christian Messenger Vol.I,#1 25 December 1825, pp. 4–5).The Connexion soon became international, churches created in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(1811) and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(1821). In each case, the missions were extensions of preaching tours from neighboring American states. Thus all of the Canadian congregations were related to the New England movement. The failed Rebellions of 1837
Rebellions of 1837
The Rebellions of 1837 were a pair of Canadian armed uprisings that occurred in 1837 and 1838 in response to frustrations in political reform. A key shared goal was the allowance of responsible government, which was eventually achieved in the incident's aftermath.-Rebellions:The rebellions started...
(led by principally by Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau
Louis-Joseph Papineau , born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the seigneurie de la Petite-Nation. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–1838. His father was Joseph Papineau, also a famous politician in Quebec...
and William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was...
) massively undercut the Connexion's Canadian wings. Solely in Ontario did churches survive, almost all of those north and east of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Conflict between the Connexion and the Disciples of Christ also disrupted the former's Canadian growth.
Separation of the "Christians"
In 1832, many of the Christian ChurchesChristians (Stone Movement)
The Christians were a group arising during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. The most prominent leader was Barton W. Stone. The group was committed to restoring primitive Christianity...
in Kentucky and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
led by Stone united with the churches
Disciples of Christ (Campbell Movement)
The Disciples of Christ were a group arising during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. The most prominent leaders were Thomas and Alexander Campbell. The group was committed to restoring primitive Christianity...
led by Alexander Campbell. A minority continued to operate within the orbit of the Connexion. Of the majority of churches that aligned with the Stone-Campbell movement, many continued to use the name Christian Church, even though they no longer considered themselves part of the Christian Connection. The confusion over names which this created still continues. Much of the historiography of this period is driven by the current needs and issues of the successor denominations.
Organizational development
Through the 1830s and 1840s, practical difficulties associated with the movement’s attempt at radical reform led to an erosion of the anti-organizational principles developed by Jones, Smith and others. David Millard and Joseph Badger provided leadership towards a more stable form of inter-congregational relationship. Both, at differing times, were editors of the Christian Palladium, a New York State-based religious newspaper that vied with the Herald of Gospel Liberty as the movement’s leading periodical.A disproportionate number of Christian Connexion preachers in New England were involved in the eschatological stir fueled by speculations of William Miller
William Miller (preacher)
William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
. No fewer than seven of the 16 signatories to the 1840 call for an Adventist general conference were Connexion preachers. Many members left the Connexion in the mid-1840s, populating emerging denominations such as the Seventh-day Adventists
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
and the Advent Christians.
In 1850, the General Convention of the Christian Church passed a resolution calling for the establishment of Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
. The college opened in 1852. Notable for its time, the Christian Connection decided that the college "shall afford equal privileges to students of both sexes." The Christian Connection sect wanted the new college to be sectarian, but the planning committee decided otherwise. Antioch College was one of the nation's first colleges to offer the same curriculum to men and women as well as to admit blacks and operate on a non-sectarian basis.
Mainstream and merger
For the second half of the nineteenth-century, leaders of the Connexion pursued a policy of alignment with the mainstream. What had been birthed as a strident protest against staid religiosity was drifting back in that direction. The temperance movement, the Sunday School movement and the Bible societies all served as avenues of service through which Connexion members could demonstrate to other denominations the many similarities this cluster of once fringe bodies now shared with the major religious organizations.The Christian Church merged with the Congregational Churches in 1931 to form the Congregational Christian Churches
Congregational Christian Churches
The Congregational Christian Churches were a Protestant Christian denomination that operated in the U.S. from 1931 through 1957. On the latter date, most of its churches joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church in a merger to become the United Church of Christ. Others created the National...
. In 1957 after twenty years of discussion and work, the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church
Evangelical and Reformed Church
The Evangelical and Reformed Church was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States with the Evangelical Synod of North America . After the 1934 merger, a minority within the RCUS seceded in order to...
, itself the product of the merger of two German-American denominations, forged the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. In 1989, the UCC and Disciples of Christ agreed to participate in full communion with each other, while remaining separate denominations.