Restructure: Four Historical Ideals in the Campbell-Stone Movement and the Development of the Polity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)(85 American University Studies)

This work considers Restructure (1958-1968), the process by which one branch of the Campbell-Stone movement constituted itself the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Restructure is shown to have been the culmination of a long process of evolution. Throughout the nineteenth and during the first half of the twentieth centuries the Campbell-Stone movement struggled to create a polity that would effectively serve its basic ideals of restoration, union, liberty, and mission. Divergent interpretations of these ideals and other divisive factors contributed to this struggle. The ideological positions of opponents and proponents of Restructure in terms of the four traditional ideals of the Campbell-Stone movement are portrayed.

About the Author :
The Author: Anthony L. Dunnavant is Professor of Church History at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky. He is editor of Cane Ridge in Context and Poverty and Ecclesiology. He received his B.A. degree from Fairmont State College, an M.A. degree from West Virginia University, and M.Div., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University.

Review :
«This is four books in one. That is, it finds four important strands in the Restoration tradition, traces them, and shows how they weave together. It is valuable for outsiders as well as insiders to the tradition.» (Eugene TeSelle, Vanderbilt Divinity School) «Dunnavant here recounts the process by which American Disciples replaced a congeries of voluntary societies with The Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), establishing representative general and regional assemblies with administrative units for mission, education and service. With keen insight into the self-analysis and theologizing which accompanied Restructure, he has produced a keen analysis of the transition made by the children of 'a peculiar people' on the American frontier as they became a church in the mainstream of American Protestantism. To the conventional analysis of Disciples of Christ as originating in a concern for Christian unity and apostolicity (restoration), as well as for freedom in the church, Anthony Dunnavant demonstrates that from the beginning a commitment to mission stood at the center of their common life. This original contribution to interpreting the history of this Christian community provides an important perspective for understanding what happened in 'Restructure'.» (Ronald E. Osborn, Emeritus, School of Theology at Claremont) «This is an excellent book. Dunnavant is a wordsmith of the first order and he is a meticulous research scholar, handling his references carefully. Whatever one thinks about Restructure this book tells a lot that you didn't know.» (Howard E. Short, Discipliana)