Volume 11 Issue 2

How is unity among Christians to be attained? Does the pressing concern of Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone have legs that carry it to the 21st century? How does a so-called unity movement have credibility without unifying itself first? Questions like these have been addressed in recent years in a variety of unity forums. The Restoration Forum, principally involving voices representing Christian Churches (independent) and Churches of Christ (a cappella), has been very successful in helping these two bodies move into the present, new era of cooperation between congregations. Ending in 2007 after 25 years, this discussion continues on in One Body magazine. Less in the limelight has been the Stone-Campbell Dialogue that brings together the first two streams along with the Disciples of Christ, from which in different eras, both streams separated.

In an attempt to move this discussion from just voices talking to congregations gathering and sharing, a fairly unique occasion occurred on July 11-12, 2008, in which I had the opportunity to participate. In Austin, TX, congregations from all three streams met and participated in the first of what is hoped to be many years of the Austin Forum on Christian Unity that involved panel discussions followed by interaction with attendees led by two individuals from each stream. Bruce Shields (Emmanuel School of Religion) and I represented Christian Churches (Independent), Gary Holloway (Lipscomb University), and Allan McNicol (Austin Graduate School of Theology) represented Churches of Christ (a cappella), and Robert Welsh (Disciples of Christ National Council on Christian Unity) and Newell Williams (Brite Divinity School) represented Disciples of Christ. We discussed two issues: the nature of the church and the nature and function of Scripture. One delight was to see that one of each stream’s participants was an SCJ editor (me, Holloway, and Williams).

The occasion produced thought-provoking words and warm fellowship, but what I have kept thinking about since is what Gary Holloway brought forward from the insight of Barton W. Stone at the worship service on Saturday evening. In the Christian Messenger of October, 1833 (7:314-316), Stone pondered four kinds of union—book, head, water, and fire—only one of which he believed had any hope of securing unity among believers. Book union as formulated in creeds and confessions become tests of fellowship that divide. Head union based on common understanding of the Bible becomes captive to the whims of individual opinion that breeds sectarianism. Water union based on all immersing believers is simply not possible. However, fire union, Stone’s way of depicting work of the Holy Spirit among believers, when allowed to hold sway, always will be the true bond of unity between Christians that can overcome every manner of human impediment. While Stone-Campbell Journal 11 (Fall, 2008) 161–163 Editor’s Preface the goal of SCJ and Stone-Campbell International to foster scholarship may sound like head union, in fact it is fire union. It is the Holy Spirit who unites in the bond to understand God’s word thoroughly, to express it thoughtfully, and to come together in these pages, on our website, and in our annual conference in the spiritual act of Christian fellowship.

In light of this, I am very pleased to tell about the eighth annual SCJ Conference, hosted by Cincinnati Bible Seminary–Graduate Division of Cincinnati Christian University, April 17-18, 2009 (8:30 AM, Fri–Noon, Sat). The theme: Dirt, Sex, and Scandal: Digging Up the Old Testament, features Guest Lecturers J.J.M. Roberts (William Henry Green Professor of Old Testament Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary), who will present “God and the Gods” and “Isaiah’s View of Justice and Security”; Tremper Longman III (Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College) who will present “The Rewards of Embracing Woman Wisdom” and “Wisdom Only Goes So Far”; and Mark Ziese (Professor of Old Testament, Cincinnati Christian University), who will present “Excavations at Tell Jalul, Jordan: The First Decade.” The conference will include a special event: Celebrating 200 Years: A Symposium on Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address. This will feature panelists drawn from the publication of One Church: A Bicentennial Celebration of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address (Abilene, TX: Leafwood, 2008), including Doug Foster (Director of the Center for Restoration Studies and Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Abilene Christian University), Clint Holloway (Assistant Director, World Convention), Rick Grover (Journey Christian Church, Metairie, LA), and Daniel Rodriguez (Associate Professor of Religion and Hispanic Studies, Pepperdine University). Papers on other biblical, theological, or historical topics are sought for parallel sessions, from experienced scholars as well as from student scholars. Send your paper title (no abstract needed) to William Baker, SCJ Editor, at scjeditor@aol.com. Two study groups welcome submissions. Continuing from past years is the Christian Education group (contact jestep@lccs.edu). New this year is the Biblical Teaching on Women group (contact jdmiller@milligan.edu). A formal student paper competition is also being organized for students at two levels (junior/ senior; M.A./M.Div). Those interested should contact Rick Cherok (rick.cherok@ ccuniversity.edu) for details. Parallel paper submissions, group submissions, and contact regarding student papers are all due December 1, 2008. Information on conference registration is available at the SCJ website (stone-campbelljournal.com) or from conference registrar, Susan Fisher (susanfisher@wanax.com; phone: 513- 284-5853.

In SCJ 10.2 the article "Coming Full Circle: Biblical Scholarship in Christian Churches" attempted to highlight the over 65 current people with Ph.D.s in Bible, theology, and history in this stream of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. An addendum in SCJ 11.1 listed 20 more. One more to add to that list has come to my attention: Melinda Thompson, a graduate of Crossroads College, currently on the faculty of the University of Dubuque Seminary, who completed a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Luther Seminary in 2005 with a thesis entitled "A Literary Investigation of Relationship in Leviticus 19."

Finally, this current issue of SCJ features a slate of very high caliber articles you have come to expect. Richard Hughes provides a written reprise of his wellreceived, autobiographical interaction with Barton W. Stone that formed the backdrop for his 1996 (Eerdmans) volume Reviving the Ancient Faith presented at the 2008 SCJ Conference and at the SCJ Lectureship for the 2008 North American Christian Convention. Lee Blackburn makes available for the first time published translations from Hilary of Poitiers’ Commentary on the Psalms (the original Latin has been placed in the footnotes). Daniel Rodriguez presents compelling evidence for marshalling evangelistic resources toward second and third generation, Englishspeaking Hispanics. Carl Bridges gives wise council on how to view one of the most puzzling cases of noncanonical yet historically likely biblical material found in everyone’s Bible. Bonnie Bowman Thurston asks readers to ponder the mystery of the Spirit in their lives. Jerry Sumney (an SCJ consulting editor) offers alternative thinking about Paul from that of Eckhart Schnabel (10.2), originally presented at the 2007 SCJ Conference. William R. Baker, Editor

Quotables for this issue were chosen by James Sedlacek, Graduate Student Cincinnati Christian University

"Stone…chastised Christians who valued the form of baptism more highly that they valued justice for other human beings."

Richard T. Hughes, "How Barton Stone Led Me to Christ Anew: An Autobiographical Essay" (SCJ 11.2:173)

"I recalled the fact that the themes of nonviolence and peacemaking are central to the gospel itself."

Richard T. Hughes, "How Barton Stone Led Me to Christ Anew: An Autobiographical Essay" (SCJ 11.2:171)

"Through his preaching of the gospel Jesus simply made patent what was already latent in the Mosaic law."

Lee Blackburn, "Stretching Forth toward the Good Things to Come: Hilary of Poitiers' Account of the Law of Moses in His Commentary on Psalm 119" (SCJ 11.2:185)

"Hilary makes the further claim that the psalmist, by virtue of the charism of prophecy, grasped this christological dimension of the law and by meditation upon this was able to glimpse both the saving work of Christ and the eschatological rest that his second coming would usher in."

Lee Blackburn, "Stretching Forth toward the Good Things to Come: Hilary of Poitiers' Account of the Law of Moses in His Commentary on Psalm 119" (SCJ 11.2:196)

"People who want to reach Hispanics must move to the city, especially the inner-city."

Daniel Rodriguez, "Becoming All Things to All Latinos: Case Studies in Contextualization from the Barrio." (SCJ 11.2:203)

"The cultural barrier between immigrant and native-born Hispanics is widened when second- and third- generation Latinos experience rejection at the hands of the immigrants."

Daniel Rodriguez, "Becoming All Things to All Latinos: Case Studies in Contextualization from the Barrio." (SCJ 11.2:210)

"We may safely look on the pericope not as canonical, but as a benign expansion of the canon."

Carl B. Bridges, Carl B., "The Canonical Status of the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11)," (SCJ 11.2:220)

"Part of the mystery of prayer is that, in it, we are gifted with the divine assistance of the Second and Third person of the Trinity."

Bonnie BowmanThurston, "'Caught Up to the Third Heavens' and 'Helped by the Spirit': Paul and the Mystery of Prayer." (SCJ 11.2:232)

"What is really at issue between Paul and those who demanded that Jews eat separately from Gentiles in Antioch and who advocate Gentile circumcision (Philippians 3) is not Torah observance. Rather it is a question of which religious identity is definitive."

Jerry L. Sumney, "'People of God' in Paul: Reflections in Conversation with Eckhard Schnabel" SCJ 11.2:244

"Being 'in Christ' must include both Jews and Gentiles without either giving up those different identities."

Jerry L. Sumney, "‘People of God' in Paul: Reflections in Conversation with Eckhard Schnabel" SCJ 11.2:246