ALEXANDER CAMPBELL AND MARK TWAIN

(This extract from Mark Twain’s Autobiography will interest our readers due to its reference to Campbell, an incident in his life that may not be generally known by Campbellian scholars.)

Once the celebrated founder of the at that time new and widespread sect called Campbellites arrived in our village from Kentucky, and it made a prodigious excitement. The farmers and their families drove or tramped into the village from miles around to get a sight of the illustrious Alexander Campbell and to have a chance to hear him preach. When he preached in a church many had to be disappointed, for there was no church that would begin to hold all the applicants; so in order to accommodate all, he preached in the open air in the public square, and that was the first time in my life that I had realized what a mighty population this planet contains when you get them all together.

He preached a sermon on one of these occasions which he had written especially for that occasion. All the Campbellites wanted it printed, so that they could save it and read it over and over again, and get it by heart. So they drummed up sixteen dollars, which was a large sum then, and for this great sum Mr. Ament contracted to print five hundred copies of that sermon and put them in yellow paper covers. It was a sixteen-page duodecimo pamphlet, and it was a great event in our office. As we regarded it, it was a book, and it promoted us to the dignity of book printers. Moreover, no such mass of actual money as sixteen dollars, in one bunch, had ever entered that office on any previous occasion. People didn’t pay for their paper and for their advertising in money; they paid in dry-goods, sugar, coffee, hickory wood, oak wood, turnips, pumpkins, onions, watermelons—and it was very seldom indeed that a man paid in money, and when that happened we thought there was something the matter with him.

We set up the great book in pages—eight pages to a form—and by help of a printer’s manual we managed to get the pages in their apparently crazy but really sane places on the imposing-stone. We printed that form on a Thursday. Then we set up the remaining eight pages, locked them into a form, and struck a proof. Wales read the proof, and presently was aghast, for he had struck a snag. And it was a bad time to strike a snag, because it was Saturday; it was approaching noon; Saturday afternoon was our holiday, and we wanted to get away and go fishing. At such a time as this Wales struck that snag and showed us what has happened. He had left out a couple of words in a thin-spaced page of solid matter and there wasn’t another break-line for two or three pages ahead. What in the world was to be done? Overrun all those pages in order to get in the two missing words? Apparently there was no other way. It would take an hour to do it. Then a revise must be sent to the great minister; we must wait for him to read the revise; if he encountered any errors we must correct them. It looked as if we might lose half the afternoon before we could get away. Then Wales had one of his brilliant ideas. In the line in which the “out” had been made occurred the name Jesus Christ. Wales reduced it in the French way to J. C. It made room for the missing words, but it took 99 percent of the solemnity out of a particularly solemn sentence. We sent off the revise and waited. We were not intending to wait long. In the circumstances we meant to get back, but we were not speedy enough. Presently the great Alexander Campbell appeared at the far end of that sixty-foot room, and his countenance cast a gloom over the whole place. He strode down to our end and what he said was brief, but it was very stern, and it was to the point. He read Wales a lecture. He said, “So long as you live, don’t you ever diminish the Saviour’s name again. Put it all in.” He repeated this admonition a couple of times to emphasize it, then he went away.

In that day the common swearers of the region had a way of their own of emphasizing the Saviour’s name when they were using it profanely, and this fact intruded itself into Wales’s incorrigible mind. It offered him an opportunity for a momentary entertainment which seemed to him to be more precious and more valuable than even fishing and swimming could afford. So he imposed upon himself the long and weary and dreary task of over-running all those three pages in order to improve upon his former work and incidentally and thoughtfully improve upon the great preacher’s admonition. He enlarged the offending J. C. into Jesus H. Christ. Wales knew that that would make prodigious trouble, and it did. But it was not in him to resist it. He had to succumb to the law of his make. I don’t remember what his punishment was, but he was not the person to care for that. He had already collected his dividend.

PLUS AND MINUS SIGNS

I have finished reading the first copy of Restoration Review. In my judgment you would be doing the cause of Christ a distinctive service by issuing no further copies of it. It seems to me you are gradually departing from the faith. Yes, there are many things that should be corrected in the church, but to try to make out that the church is just another denomination among sister denominations is a far cry from the truth. Such a course cannot do good. This is not the course Paul pursued in his first letter to Corinth. If you persist in the course you have taken I am fearfully afraid your soul will be lost. May God help you to see the error of your way. “Higher education” certainly has not helped you. Love prompts me to raise this voice of warning.—Fred E. Dennis, Marietta, Ohio.

Thank you for your communication of March 28th. 1 am glad you felt free to express yourself so pointedly. I intend for my work to be reasonably constructive and for the enhancement of mankind, but it may well be that it is not. You may be exactly right in asserting that no more issues should be forthcoming. In such a case I can only do what appears to me to be the wisest course and for the good of the greatest number, and in view of this there will be more issues of the journal published. It would no doubt be wrong for you to publish or edit such a journal; but for me it may be the very thing that God wants done.

That you would raise this voice of warning with love is even more significant. I can love the man who warns me because he loves me. This binds us together in perfect harmony, and that is what Paul said love would do.

I have not made myself clear if you understand me to teach that the church is “just another denomination among sister denominations,” and I heartily agree that such a view is “a far cry from the truth.” The church is the body of Christ, made up of all those who are in Christ. While it may be true that the saints are scattered through a denominational world, the body of Christ is not sectarian. 1 do not equate the New Testament ekklesia with what many of my brethren call “the Church of Christ.” The church of God has existed on this earth since it was founded by our Lord, which means it was here long before there was a Restoration Movement or the modern religious body called the “Church of Christ.” While I believe that the Campbell movement, which has resulted in three more denominations, is an effort to restore the New Testament church, I do not believe that the movement is the church itself. This was, of course, the view of Alexander Campbell.

I must admit that I do not know what you mean by “higher education.” Whatever it means, I doubt if my position on the church can be attributed thereto, for my position is the same as that held by nearly all of our pioneers, who, I presume, were not exposed to “higher education.”

If you would like to write an exposure of my views, I would be glad to consider it for publication. You may have truth that I have not yet found, so I shall be willing to read what you write and to pass it along to my readers.

You express concern for my soul and this I greatly appreciate. But is a soul in danger because it is wrong? If so, who is not in danger? Is it not the condition of a man’s heart, his devotion to what he believes to be the truth, that determines his destiny? If a man is saved or lost by what he knows or doesn’t know, all of us are in serious trouble. It is the love a man has for God that makes the difference (1 Cor. 8:2) .

REACTIONS TO FIRST ISSUE

“I want to thank you for sending me notice of the Restoration Review . . ..” (Barry Richards, Beaver, Pa.)

“Praise God, and may He overflow your cup with blessings . . . Bible Talk did wonderful things for me. It means a great deal to have the writings of one with whom I can so wholeheartedly agree most of the time, and with whom I can honestly and frankly disagree without fear of bitterness. .. .” (Donald Hayes, Los Angeles, Calif.)

“It promises to be an excellent publication . . . Thank you for your noble efforts in bringing moral enlightenment to our decadent and immoral culture . . ..” (Lawson Wallace, Nocona, Texas)

“In my judgment you would be doing the cause of Christ a distinctive service by issuing no further copies . . .” (Fred E. Dennis, Marietta, Ohio)

“It is a wonderful work. The articles are so complete and so good . . ..” (Mrs. Arthur Nighswonger, Independence, Mo.)

“How do you find the time or the energy for such ambitious undertakings? But it must give you great satisfaction to look at the finished product, both outside and in, and think what you have done.” (Dr. Ruth Rose, MacMurray College)

“It is excellent in format, it is down to earth, yet it is sufficiently scholarly that you will not need to be ashamed to hand it to anyone . . .” (W. Carl Ketcherside, St. Louis, Mo.)

“I am greatly interested in your journal which I have read with consummate interest. I have long cherished the hope that we might utilize this strong Campbell heritage to forward a closer relationship between the elements of the Restoration Movement. I believe this can be done at the intellectual level more easily than any other . . .” (President Perry Epler Gresham, Bethany College)

“During most of the morning I have been reading—I should say absorbing—your article “Toward Emotional Maturity.” This article has helped me more than a dozen sermons possibly could. Only yesterday a good friend asked me, “What is the use of life anyway? If we must always have wars, why struggle?” Your article is absolutely the best answer to this question that I have ever read. The school which I attend made a survey by secret ballot to determine the attitude of the student body about cheating. Yesterday, during the meeting of the Senior Honor Society, the results of this survey were given. One out of every two students admitted that he cheats. The worst part of it is that they did not believe it to be wrong . . . What is wrong with a society in which half of the students not only cheat, but believe in cheating? . . . (Myra Hill, high school student, Madison, Tenn.)

“May I be one of the many who must say to you and Clint Evans, well done! The material is superb. Surely a void in American letters is being filled.” (I. M. Roberts, Dallas, Texas)

“Well, now, Leroy, I’m just going to talk to you for awhile. ‘Much learning . . ..’ I used to pity the poor horse you were riding, as he galloped by, tongue hanging out and eyes glassy with fatigue. And now the old fellow stands looking over the fence, half asleep, pricking up his ears only when he sees another horse somewhere in the distance. ‘Much learning . . .’! I am saddened to see you swerving so far to the left, Leroy, even to the extent of giving up everything you must have stood for, except anything outside of the teaching and practice of ‘any of the disciple churches.’ You have even gone so far as to use unscriptural terms, such as ‘disciple church.’ And then you admit to wondering if ‘our pioneers’ were wise in breaking away from the established churches of their day. I see you have shelved the Bible and put Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates in its place. . .” (Harry Pratt, Franklin, Minn.)

“I do not always agree with your ideas, but you always give me something to think about. . .” (Ollie Saffer, Winchester, Ill.)

“When you sent the first copy of Bible Talk I immediately received eleven subs to Restoration Review after passing it around to a few families of the West Suburban Church of Christ. I am sure you never thought that one booklet would go into so many homes as that one has—and it is now in Texas! . . . God will reward you for the great work you are doing . . .” (Polly Long, Franklin Park, Ill.)

“I continue to marvel at your prodigious capacity for work. The article on ‘Toward Emotional Maturity’ shows psychological insight.” (Dr. James Crumbaugh, Dept. of Psychology, MacMurray College)

“I would dare tell no one that I seriously read what you write, for I would lose all the little influence I have. One preacher told me he was subscribing so he would know what’s going on and could counteract what you teach. Brother Garrett, you are correct in one thing at least—most of us think we have already arrived and have become Pharisaical toward those who haven’t yet reached our level . . . If my name ever appeared in your paper, I would be anathema in the eyes of many . . .  There will probably come a day when I’ll make a break, but I’ll have to do more studying first. Would you accept anonymous articles? . . . (Name withheld for obvious reasons)

“It will provide its readers with rich, stimulating material, well worthy of serious consideration and study. Thank you for reserving space for a list of recommended books. This is a fine service you are rendering the subscribers.” (Jerry Higginbotham, Maplewood, Mo.)

“You are quite right in your attitude towards Christian unity. If my novel on Alexander Campbell can generate a new approach we shall be more than happy about it all . . .” (Louis Cochran, author of The Fool of God)

 
FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE HURTS OF LIFE

Rebecca Beard

It is the little hurts of life that go so deep, and it is from these the Master can free us by His love. The little irritations and the little hurts! Protect us from these by covering us with the mantle of Your love! Let it fall over us like a cone of light from our head to our feet. Cover us with the seamless garment—the full armor of the Lord. There is not a broken place in it through which you can be made vulnerable. Hold it close about you, and wear it always. Under its perfect protection, as long as you abide in love nothing can reach you, nothing can touch you, nothing can harm you, nothing can hurt you!

So long as you abide in love, never being critical, never irritated, never resentful, you can never be hurt again, for nothing can pass through this cloak of divine protection without being transformed into love. The beauty of the armor of God is that it transforms everything which touches it into love. If someone sends you harsh criticism, if one speaks false words about you, or deliberately tries to hurt you, these negative deeds are not even sent back to those who sent them, for there is no boomerang in love. Love knows no retaliation. Through the divine chemistry all arc lifted up, transmuted and transformed into love.

That is the mystery which man cannot comprehend, that love has this great power of translating every thing which is not love into itself. That is why we can love those who despitefully use us and persecute us. That is why we can love those who ignorantly and thoughtlessly hurt us. Everything hurtful that is sent to us but adds to the covering of love which protects us, and by and by there is something in love itself which will lift up those who would hurt us. For they do what they do our of a great longing and need for love. They are But turned inside out. They are But showing the rough side of the garment.

If we can receive all these things in perfect equanimity and forgiveness, without negative reaction, little by little they, too, will come under the spell of love and change through its power. For your forbearance and your patience, your understanding and compassion, are the tools which God uses to redeem His own.

How beautiful it is! How beautiful the feet upon the mountain of those who bring the tidings of great joy! How beautiful, Master, that You can teach us how to turn these pricks and arrows of outrageous fortune into the redeeming love that can lift those who crave love, and who suffer because they hurt needlessly. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus.

"Vengeance is Mine,

I will repay,"

This the promise we have

been given.

Ours only to bless,

forgive, and pray

God's love may cleanse

that soul for heaven.

Each time we bless

Or voice a prayer

For one whose soul

still gropes for light

We loose some bond,

wipe out some debt

‘Til wholly cleansed

that soul sees God.

EMOTIONAL MATURITY

Mrs. R. A. Weingardt of Springfield, Illinois submits the following quotation as further study of what is involved in growing up.

“An acceptance of unpleasant facts, whatever their genesis, as concrete situations to be handled rather than hated. Maturity is ‘stick-to-itiveness,’ to struggle on until the job is finished. It is the quality that enables others to be able to depend on one—reliability. It is the endurance of difficulties, unpleasantness, discomfort, hardships.

“It means the ability to size things up, make one’s own decisions, determination. The mature person is patient. Maturity is respect and confidence in oneself. To a large extent the mature person accepts, works with and enjoys other people. He carries on his work, play, family and social life with confidence and enthusiasm and with a minimum of conflict, fear, and hostility.

“Marcus Aurelius was defining maturity when he said: ‘Man’s true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examinations, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself about what others may think or say or whether they do or do not do, that which he thinks and says and does.’”

IF CAMPBELL LIVED TODAY

“If Alexander Campbell were alive today, I am sure he would recognize his fellow-Christians in every brotherhood or denomination, and in every country and in every race under the sun, and that he would still give his heart ‘to him that loveth most.’ He would be well-versed in all the modern scholarly research on the Scriptures, and would recognize, for example, that while there was fundamental unity in that ancient church we seek to emulate, there were also some fundamental differences; and that neither we nor any ocher group have yet found the pattern for the unity of the church. It is only by fellowship, worship, prayer, study and work, with other Christians, and by Christian love and forbearance, that Christian unity can be experienced.

“I think Alexander Campbell would take a long, long view of this whole ecumenical movement which is growing out of the lengthening shadow of his beloved Brush Run Church. Where is it leading us? To a United Church, we hope. But the way is not yet clear. I am sure Campbell would have difficulty in accepting the Lord’s Supper only from the hands of a priest in the Apostolic succession; I think he would stumble over the reception of baptized infants. But hurdles are created to be hurdled. And eventually, in the Lord’s good time, if our minds remain free in the tradition of Alexander Campbell’s great legacy to us, and our hearts loving and true, we shall all yet enter into full membership in a church which is not ‘our church’ but in truth and in fact, as stated by Thomas Campbell in that immortal Declaration of Independence from spiritual bondage, the ‘Declaration and Address,’ will be the United Church of Christ upon earth, ‘essentially, intentionally and constitutionally one.’‘’ (Louis Cochran, “The Legacy of a Free Mind” in College of the Bible Quarterly 36, p. 43)

EXCHANGE WITH EDITOR

The following exchange between J. W. Roberts of Abilene Christian college, who edits Restoration Quarterly, and I may be of some interest to our readers.

“Dear Brother Leroy:

I received the first issue of your journal. It is very well done, and I congratulate you on a good job. At the same time I reserve judgment on some of the viewpoints. It sounds to me like the two-fold purpose you set forth of combining the restoration movement with a revival of philosophy seems to be a kind of ‘shotgun marriage’ . . . .

Best wishes,

J. W.”          

Dear J. W.,

Thank you for your words about my journal. The reaction generally has been encouraging, so it might be that we can do Some good.

Your reference to my twofold purpose of combining the restoration movement and philosophy as a kind of “shotgun marriage” interests me, especially since that can be taken two different ways—that I’m either forcing the relationship or that they ought to be related! I take it that you mean the former.

In reply I would emphasize that the twofold purpose is more of a restoration of primitive Christianity to modern religion and of morality to modern education. While I feel philosophy will make a substantial contribution in any moral effort, I am not especially concerned with a revival of philosophy as such. I am concerned over the moral laxness of our culture and I believe the great thinkers have left us ideals with which to instill stronger ethical standards. And it is my conviction that this goal is consistent with the restoration plea.

That philosophy and Christianity should, however, in any context be called in that union “a shotgun marriage” is to overlook their combined role in history. What would Justin Martyr say, one who never ceased wearing the philosopher’s robe after becoming a Christian and who believed Christianity to be the apex of all philosophical systems? What would the early Christians think, those who looked to Plato as the great pre-Christian? Then there is Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, and on and on, men who would turn in their graves at the thought that there is a necessary gulf between philosophy and Christianity.

It was great hearing from you. Let’s do this again sometime.

Yours fraternally,

Leroy Garrett      

HOW ABOUT “THE MINISTER”?

W. H. Cummins, 29 Churston Ave., London, England, has written a tract on “The Minister” which deserves careful reading. He points to the absence of this functionary in the primitive churches and calls for a restoration of the teaching pastors or elders. Mr. Cummins states that some churches consider it a calamity if the minister resigns and that tongues must be silent so that the minister may be heard. He asks if public worship can be reverent and decent without the hired minister, and then he points to numerous assemblies of Christ in Britain as an indication that it can.

Mr. Cummins contends that the presence of the minister actually hinders a congregation in the exercise of its talents. He says, “God’s plan is: every Christian must work (Eph. 4:16) . Man’s method is: ‘the minister’ must do it.” He further argues that Christ so constructed his church that every saint is to be trained as a minister and a priest, and that the presence of the hired minister is a challenge to the integrity of God’s plan for his people.

Our British brother seems to believe that no one, except evangelists, is to be paid for his services in the church of God. Even elders are to make their own way as they take care of the churches. He feels that the modern clergy has made a racket of preaching the gospel. He says that 1 Tim. 5:18—”The laborer is worthy of his hire”—is bent by the professional minister to fit his request for remuneration. It must be admitted that 1 Tim. 5:18 is talking about elders and not “the minister,” and that if the modern clergyman makes use of it, it should be as authority for financial support for the elders. In believing that elders can and should be supported is one point in which I disagree with the Cummins tract.

As for “the Minister” it must be granted, however, that the New Testament allows no place for him. Many of the located ministers would qualify as elders and should be serving in that capacity rather than as a functionary foreign to the New Testament. Others could well serve as evangelists and with financial support. Still others are not qualified to do either, but some of these could be teachers in the church—still with pay if need be. But with the New Testament open before us it must be contended that elders are the central figures in a congregation of Christ. Yet in many of our churches today jt is the professional minister who is the leading figure, while elders themselves are virtually inactive insofar as teaching and leadership is concerned.

Cummins may have something. In the restored church the professional minister must go. Let us replace him with elders who are abundantly qualified to shepherd God’s flock (Acts 20:28).

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“It is sensible to realize that teaching is an art which can never be fully perfected. It will always need improvement tomorrow.”

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“I consider the book of Romans to be the most adequate brief philosophy of history ever written.” (Nels S. F. Ferre)