Analysis Of Thomas Campbell's Declaration And Address: Call To Unification

Declaration and Address: Call to Unification
Thomas Campbell witnessed division among the church. Archibald Bruce professor from University of Glasgow influenced his desire to be a preacher for Whitburn Seminary of Anti-Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church. While pastoring in Ireland at Ahorey Church, Campbell was driven by a deep desire to unite the Burghers and Anti-Burghers. Knowing this the Seceder of the Presbyterian Church sent Campbell to unite the Presbyterian churches in New England colonies. In 1807, Campbell agrees to immigrate to America motivated by better health and greater opportunities for his family. Assigned to Chartiers Presbyterian in May of 1807, after a few months preaching from his heart, the Synod called him before them

Each man trying to correct from within were pushed further and outward away from the goal of unity. We would have a different story if it were only one man who rejected the idea of the Church being one with the world. The individual would have been marked as the antichrist. Instead, we see a few men take a stand for what they felt was the truth, which we had strayed. Noted, Campbell has seen the destruction with takes place when man messes with God’s desire for gathering of the Church. Campbell states, “What awful and distressing effects have those sad divisions produced! What aversions, what reproaches, what backbitings, what evil surmisings, what angry contentions, what enmities, what excommunications, even persecution!!!” (Campbell and Thomas) Campbell’s biggest fight was pulling back the reigns of the world. Campbell extends ejecting all human creeds that cause divisions among Christians. He states, “… for their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power and veracity of God. Therefore, no such deductions can be made terms of communion, but do properly belong to the after and progressive edification of the Church. Hence, it is evident that no such deductions or inferential truths ought to have a place in the Church’s confession.” (Campbell and Thomas) Reaching out to across all divisions, Campbell has to be unprejudiced. “That although the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inseparably connected, making together but one perfect and entire revelation of the Divine will, for the edification and salvation of the Church, and therefore in that respect cannot be separated.” “From the nature and construction of these propositions, it will evidently appear, that they are laid in a designed subserviency to the declared end of our association; and are exhibited for the express purpose of performing a duty of pervious necessity, a duty loudly called for in