Christians (Stone Movement)
The Christians (Stone Movement) were a group arising during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. The most prominent leader was Barton W. Stone. The group was committed to restoring primitive Christianity. It merged with the Disciples of Christ (Campbell Movement) in 1832 to form what is now described as the American Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement.)
This article is about the historical movement during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century that became part of the broader Restoration Movement. For information relating to the modern denomination called the Christian Church which grew out of the Restoration Movement, see Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).The tradition today is represented in the Churches of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).[1]
Characteristics of the Stone movement[edit]
The cornerstone for the Stone movement was Christian freedom, which led them to a rejection of all the historical creeds, traditions and theological systems that had developed over time and a focus on a primitive Christianity based on the Bible.[7]: 104, 105
While restoring primitive Christianity was central to the Stone movement, they saw restoring the lifestyle of the early church as essential, and during the early years "focused more . . . on holy and righteous living than on the forms and structures of the early church.[7]: 103 The group did also seek to restore the primitive church.[7]: 104 However, due to concern that emphasizing particular practices could undermine Christian freedom, this effort tended to take the form of rejecting tradition rather than an explicit program of reconstructing New Testament practices.[7]: 104 The emphasis on freedom was strong enough that the movement avoided developing any ecclesiastical traditions, resulting in a movement that was "largely without dogma, form, or structure."[7]: 104, 105 What held "the movement together was a commitment to primitive Christianity."[7]: 105
Another theme was that of hastening the millennium.[7]: 104 Many Americans of the period believed that the millennium was near and based their hopes for the millennium on their new nation, the United States.[7]: 104 Members of the Stone movement believed that only a unified Christianity based on the apostolic church, rather than a country or any of the existing denominations, could lead to the coming of the millennium.[7]: 104 Stone's millennialism has been described as more "apocalyptic" than that of Alexander Campbell, in that he believed people were too flawed to usher in a millennial age through human progress.[8]: 6, 7 Rather, he believed that it depended on the power of God, and that while waiting for God to establish His kingdom, one should live as if the rule of God were already fully established.[8]: 6
For the Stone movement, this had less to do with eschatological theories and more about a countercultural commitment to live as if the kingdom of God were already established on earth.[8]: 6, 7 This apocalyptic perspective or world view led many in the Stone movement to adopt pacifism, avoid participating in civil government, and reject violence, militarism, greed, materialism and slavery.[8]: 6