Thomas Campbell's Midlife Crisis: A Biographical Introduction and Historiographical Synthesis

This paper examines the biographical sources of Thomas Campbell's life and ministry in the years preceding the publication of the Declaration and Address and the historiography of this foundational document in the major histories of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement since the mid-twentieth century. The first section offers a revision of the standard chronology and nature of some events in Campbell's life and an evaluation of the sources, influences, and direct causes of the Declaration and Address. The second section suggests a framework for understanding the various interpretations of the document's two major themes.