Disciples of Christ

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Asect founded in theUnited States of America by Alexander Campbell. Although the largest portion of his life and prodigious activity was spent in theUnited States Alexander Campbell was born, 12 September, 1788, in the County Antrim,Ireland. On hisfather's side he was ofScottish extraction; his mother, Jane Corneigle, was ofHuguenot descent. Bothparents are reported to have beenpersons of deeppiety and high literary culture. His father, after serving as minister to the Anti-Burgher Church in Ahorey and director of a prosperous academy at Richhill,emigrated to theUnited States and engaged in the oft-attempted and ever futile effort "to unite All Christians as one communion on a purely scriptural basis", the hallucination of so many noble minds, the only outcome of which must always be against the will of theFounder, to increase the discord ofChristendom by the creation of a newsect. In 1808 Alexander embarked with thefamily to join hisfather, but was shipwrecked on the Scottish coast and took the opportunity to prepare himself for the ministry at theUniversity ofGlasgow. In 1809 he migrated to theUnited States, and found in Washington County,Pennsylvania, the nucleus of the new movement in the "Christian Association of Washington", under the auspices of which was issued a "Declaration and Address", setting forth the objects of the association. It was proposed "to establish no newsect, but to persuadeChristian to abandon party names and creeds, sectarian usages and denominational strifes, and associate inChristian fellowship, in the commonfaith in a divine Lord, with no other terms of religious communion thanfaith in and obedience to theLord Jesus Christ".

An independent church was formed at Brush Run on the principles of the association, and, 1 January, 1812, Alexander was "ordained". His earnestness is attested by the record of one hundred and six sermons preached in one year; but he wrecked every prospect of success by finding in his reading of the Scriptures the invalidity of infantbaptism, and the necessity ofbaptism by immersion, thus excluding from theChristiandiscipleship the vast majority ofbelievingChristians. On 12 June, 1812, with his wife, father, mother, and three others, Alexander was rebaptized by immersion. Nothing was left him now but to seek association with one or other of the numerousBaptistsects. This he did, but with the proviso that he should be allowed to preach and teach whatever he learned from theHoly Scripture. TheBaptists never took him cordially; and in 1817, after five years of herculean labours, his followers, whom he wished to be known by the appellation of "Disciples of Christ", but who were generally styled "Campbellites", numbered only one hundred and fiftypersons. Campbell's mission as a messenger of peace was a failure; as time went on he developed a polemical nature, and became a sharp critic in speech and in writing of the weaknesses and vagaries of theProtestantsects. Only once did he come in direct contact with theCatholics, on the occasion of his five days' debate, in 1837, withArchbishop Purcell ofCincinnati, which excited great interest at the time but is now forgotten. His sixty volumes are of no interest. Campbell was twice married and was the father of twelve children. He died atBethany,West Virginia, where he had established aseminary, 4 March, 1866.

According to their census prepared in 1906 thesect then had 6475ministers, 11,633churches, and a membership of 1,235,294. It is strongest in the West and Southwest,Missouri,Indiana,Illinois,Kentucky, andOhio having the largest bodies. J.H. Garrison, editor of their organ "The Christian Evangelist", outlined (1906) thebelief of hissect.

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