Picture of author.
14+ Works 616 Members 5 Reviews

Om forfatteren

Leonard Allen is the author of The Cruciform Church (anniversary edition), and serves as Dean of the College of Bible and Ministry, Lipscomb University Nashville, Tennessee.

Omfatter også følgende navne: Leonard Allen, Leonard C. Allen, Crawford Leonard Allen

Image credit: C. Leonard Allen

Værker af C. Leonard Allen

Associated Works

The American Quest for the Primitive Church (1988) — Bidragyder — 28 eksemplarer

Satte nøgleord på

Almen Viden

Medlemmer

Anmeldelser

The story often is told: “the Restoration Movement began in the 1820s with Thomas and Alexander Campbell and their theological shift away from Presbyterianism toward a reformation…”

And if this is the framework in which the Restoration Movement’s origins is framed, much has already been lost.

In Answered by Fire: The Cane Ridge Revival Reconsidered, a consortium of scholars associated with churches of Christ explore the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801: what it was, what it came from, who was involved, what effects it had, and the move away from such things and why. They consider not just the major players but also how Black people participated and women exhorted. They also consider what its legacy might mean for us today. The appendix provides primary and secondary sources for the Cane Ridge Revival.

What was the Cane Ridge revival? For years Presbyterians would occasionally hold large gatherings for communion, and it seems that Cane Ridge, Kentucky, was the meeting place for such a gathering in 1801. Some previous experiences had primed Cane Ridge to become what it was. An exceedingly large number in the tens of thousands gathered at Cane Ridge, and there seemed to be an outpouring of the Spirit on people in various ways: people got the jerks, had a holy laugh, would fall down as if dead and arise converted to Jesus. This was happening among some who were already somewhat religious but also among deists and those who had no religion. While it was ostensibly a Presbyterian gathering, the spirit involved was quite ecumenical: Methodist and Baptist preachers were proclaiming the gospel, and all would share in communion together.

The “pastor” of the church in Cane Ridge, Kentucky, was a man named Barton Stone, and the experience of Cane Ridge would never leave him. His goal of an undenominated movement toward unity among Christians was motivated by his Cane Ridge experience. He would never discount the work of the Spirit on account of what he saw at Cane Ridge.

In the 1830s Stone’s “Christian” movement would merge with the Campbell “Disciples” movement, for they both maintained similar aspirations. Campbell brought a more systematic concept of restoration, but also one far more entranced with Baconian rationalism, and thus did not find much room for the Spirit and His working, and looked upon such things with great skepticism. Thus it was possible for a movement which can count as part of its origins one of the most profound revival experiences in American history, sometimes called “America’s Pentecost,” to become so hyper-rationalist that it uniquely taught and emphasized the idea the Spirit only works in and through the Scriptures.

So there is a lot members of churches of Christ can gain from considering the Cane Ridge Revival, Barton Stone’s role in it, how it shaped Stone and his strand of the movement, and why our forebears so thoroughly turned away from any seeming manifestation of the Spirit among His people. We can rightly critique some excesses which can attend to “spiritual enthusiasm,” but there is also much that can be critiqued in quenching the Spirit in the name of upholding a rationalist system imposed upon the text and the faith.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
deusvitae | 1 anden anmeldelse | Feb 7, 2024 |
This book looks at the Cane Ridge Revival in three (3) parts, with three (3) chapters each:


I. Cane Ridge In Context
1. “Glorious Days of the Outpouring of the Spirit of God” The Second Great Awakening
2. The Champion of Christian Freedom and the Cane Ridge Revival
3. “Answered by Fire” What Really Happened at Cane Ridge?

II. Exploring Cane Ridge
4. Cane Ridge as a Communion Festival
5. Barton Stone, Cane Ridge, and Slavery
6. “The Reproof of a Weak Woman” Women Exhorters at Cane Ridge

III. Reconsidering Cane Ridge
7. Was Cane Ridge America’s Pentecost?
8. Revivalism, the Holy Spirit, and Unity
9. The Eclipse of Cane Ridge in the Restoration Movement


The Cane Ridge Revival can be placed within the American Second Great Awaking that was characterized by large revival meetings focused on evangelization, spiritual renewal and charismatic experience in the early 19th century, from which a number of reformist/restorationist denominations were formed ... among them the LDS and Seventh-day Adventists churches from the "Burned-over" District in western NY as well as the Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ Christian Churches of the the Stone-Campbell movement, which arguable tracks its beginning to 1801 in Cane Ridge KY. Although I grew-up as a preacher's kid in the Disciples' tradition, there was a lot about our history that I never really paid much attention to until much later; so, this history has a specific appeal to me that some readers may not share.


The Context centers around what happened at Cane Ridge. In keeping with the American "frontier spirit," the revival built upon a "rugged individualism" that valued simple life and a utilitarian elimination of non-essentials that leads to a rejection of the elitism and clericalism found in the established Protestant denominations ... which is why it comes as a surprise to me to learn that the revival was nominally under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church with an ecumenical welcome to Methodists, Baptists and basically any who were open to a new birth in the Holy Spirit. Stone takes the lead here as he promotes individual freedom (from formal church dogma) along with a unity born out of a more simplified definition of who was Christian (allowing for divergent beliefs where there was no scriptural proscription). The ecstatic religious experience of the participants (called religious exercises that included 'falling,' 'dancing,' 'jerks' and other Pentecostal gift) convinced them of the support of the Holy Spirit ... enough so that this awakening is sometimes referred to as the American Pentecost.


Exploring Cane Ridge is a more intellectual survey of how the revival movement didn't just suddenly happen, but grew out of an existing tradition of communion festivals that ministered out in the countryside ... and I was completely unaware of what these were or how they were connected and probably enjoyed this part for than any other. The next two chapters detailed how expectations of racial and gender equality found support within the movement (or at least a move in that direction). "Authority to exhort rested in the individual’s conversion experience rather than their race, sex, age, or clerical status." To me, this had echos of St Paul's exhortation to the Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." One connection that I had never made before, was the impact of the American idea of the separation of church and state, which removed the authority of the state to dictate church affairs and gave tremendous power to the laity that resulted in a competitive religious marketplace where a diverse church could be explored.


Looking back today, the next part reviews the lasting impact Cane Ridge had on the Christian Church and shows how Stone's emotional, spirit based revival theology slowly lost ground to the more 'rational' exploration of salvation detailed in scripture (providing comfort and direction for those whom the "religious exercises" did not manifest). Campbell's message of "restoring" the primitive church based upon “ancient gospel and order of things” took the lead after Stone's "fire" cleared away the “creeds, councils, and human dogma” that only serve to separate us. Part III is this part of the story and brings us up to the where I am most familiar.


Over all, this was a great book explaining of how the Christian Church movement began and evolved on the American frontier to pursue the ideal of one Universal Church. I like to think that they paved the way for some of the reform that we have seen in the older traditions to be more connected and relevant to the rank and file laity so that we all can have a personal relationship with Christ.


I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#AnsweredbyFire #NetGalley
… (mere)
 
Markeret
Kris.Larson | 1 anden anmeldelse | Sep 13, 2021 |
This book was very readable. And, it brought out details that I'd forgotten as well as bringing new light to parts of church history that I was previously unaware. This would likely make a good bible study book for those interested in church history. Two notes that struck in particular were:
"Expecting people to unite by understanding it [the Bible] alike will simply ensure continued division in the Christian ranks.
In claiming to take the Bible alone... many believers fail to distinguish between the Bible and the Gospel.... The Gospel... consisted of the simple facts of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection."
C. Leonard Allen discussing Robert Richardson's thought on denominations. Richardson was Alexander Campbell's main biographer and family physician for 30 years. (Distant Voices, p 72)

Barton W. Stone spoke of 4 kinds of union among Christians. 1) Book Union - Union based upon creeds. Accept our creed and we'll be united. Only more division results though from this. 2) Head Union - Reject creeds and rely on the Bible alone. "Each one believes his opinion of the certain texts to be the very spirit and meaning of the texts-and that this opinion was absolutely essential to salvation." 3) Water Union - Unity based upon the doctrine of immersion of believers in water. He claims this to be easily dissolved. 4) Fire Union - The fire of the Holy Spirit by which hard and unloving hearts were sorted and filled with a supernatural love.
Stone put forth the claim that only Fire Union "will stand, no other union is worth the name." (C. Leonard Allen, Distant Voices)
… (mere)
 
Markeret
aevaughn | May 28, 2020 |
Allen C. Leonard’s goal in this work seems lofty indeed – to find that balance between how we read and interpret the Scriptures with the application of what is rightly considered the heart of the Christian story: the Cross. Leonard begins the work with a discussion of how the traditional method of finding authority from the Scriptures has been rooted in a very scientific approach. Further, that scientific approach to biblical interpretation has taken the “Bible as a body of ‘facts,’” and “the traditional approach atomized Scripture or broke it up into disconnected doctrinal ‘facts’” (32). As a response to this Leonard takes the time to reintroduce the idea of historical nature and literary genres as part of the closer examination of the Scriptures. With this as the background, Leonard begins the task of examining the nature of the Church from the very Enlightenment stance that mankind can understand, explain, and categorize the truths presented in the Scriptures (as we often successfully are doing with natural phenomena). This reliance on hard scientific examination of the Scriptures has taken a very important part from the heart of the story, the unfathomably mysterious work of God in the lives of men – especially the sacrifice of the Messiah on the cross; i.e.,

“As the cross was diminished in our movement, God’s gracious and deeply personal covenant, mediated by a stunning display of suffering love, increasingly became a bare contract” (123).

What can be looked at as a theology of the Cross takes center stage as the remainder of the book seeks to inform others on the various ways in which the Church and Christians can become more cruciform.

It should be noted that this work is pointedly directed to the Church of Christ which begs two important considerations. First, the ideas included may rightly and appropriately be transferred to other denominations within Christendom and can be profitable for their growth. Second, it is highly repugnant to those of the church of Christ to think of themselves as just another denomination (and yes, that includes ME). By repeatedly pointing to and referencing the work and thoughts of Campbell and Stone early in the book, Leonard seems to present their position as pioneers in the Restoration Movement as supreme importance. This serves to distinguish the group that grew from that early work with those men as something unique to them, and not unique to the Bible from which that group of people strive to take its practice and doctrine. Of course, I also recognize the truth that everyone thinks they are in the right. So, for everyone that thinks like ME – bully! For everyone that doesn’t think like me – well, we could fix that. But surely this is one of the attitudes that Leonard is trying to expose and combat in his book (see chapter 7).

Now my head is starting to hurt … trying to think like … someone else … is … exhausting.

Of course the other point in the work is one made by other authors when discussing Biblical interpretation and application. We (the Church of Christ [see, now I’m doing it]) have never doubted that those we were seeking to convert DIDN’T believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, in fact that can no longer be taken for granted. We tended to spend more time in the evangelical trenches discussing form rather than function, doctrine rather than dedication, epistle rather than gospel. Of course the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction – which science says it always will – and people are starting to emphasize the relationship and not the praxis. In truth the heart as the seat of the spiritual person is repeatedly part of the focus in both Old Testament and New Testament, and at times taking a priority position pointing to the focus of the heart – the inner man – as the foundation of a more intimate relationship with our God. You will never find me denying the truth of this principle; yet, you will find me pointing out the fact that who we are and what we do go hand in hand.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the other undone” (Matt. 23:23, NKJV).

Bottom line: a good book well worth the read if you’re looking for a bit of introspection regarding your relationships with others either as a group or an individual.
… (mere)
 
Markeret
SDCrawford | Dec 20, 2016 |

Måske også interessante?

Associated Authors

Statistikker

Værker
14
Also by
1
Medlemmer
616
Popularitet
#40,815
Vurdering
4.0
Anmeldelser
5
ISBN
23

Diagrammer og grafer