Volume 6 Issue 2

Imagine a unity church movement that reunites after a hundred years of separation! This was the thrilling message of Richard Atchley, Preaching Minister, Richland Hills Church of Christ, Ft. Worth, Texas, to over 10,000 gathered this year at the North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis on Thursday night, July 10. His stirring two-minute presentation dreaming of a family reunion between the Churches of Christ (a cappella) and the Christian Churches (independent), openly seeking forgiveness for ugliness that has occurred over the years from his side of the movement, and committing himself to bring about sharing of ministers, speakers, mission efforts, and more, was an astonishing, historic moment for the future of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. As I sat there and heard this, he made me believe that we really are going to see this happen before our very eyes . . . soon. These are exciting days.

In the academic realm, people from both sides of the movement are becoming more and more comfortable working together on a number of important projects. Stone-Campbell Journal itself involves editors, article contributors, book reviewers, and avid subscribers from both sides. The College Press NIV Commentary series on the New Testament brought together scholars from both sides, as did the Evangelicals and the Stone-Campbell Movement (InterVarsity). College Press’s emerging Old Testament series and a one-volume Bible commentary being published by ACU Press include both. Eerdman’s Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement unites scholars from a cappella, independent, and the Disciples. These are good days to be a part of this movement. Let’s keep the ball rolling.

An upcoming event to spur this reuniting of our unity movement, hosted at Cincinnati Bible Seminary, is the third annual SCJ Conference, March 26-27, 2003 (8:30 AM, Fri–Noon, Sat). The theme: Celebrating 200 Years: From the Last Will to the First Encyclopedia, honors Barton W. Stone’s June 28, 1804, publication of “The Last Will and Testament,” considered the earliest document of the restoration movement, and the summer 2004 publication of the Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Journal 6 (Fall, 2003) 161–162 Editor’s Preface Stone-Campbell Movement by Eerdmans. Two of the editors of the Encyclopedia will make main session presentations. Doug Foster (an SCJ editor), Professor of Church History and Director of the Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University, will present “The Last Will and Testament: A Beacon for Unity and Identity.” Newell Williams, President, Brite Divinity School, will present “Barton W. Stone min 1804: From Port Tobacco to Cane Ridge.” Special guest speaker will be Randall Balmer, Professor of Religion, Barnard College, acclaimed specialist in American Christianity, who will present “Starting Over: The Stone-Campbell Movement and American Evangelicalism” and “Ties that Bind: Growing up in the Household of Faith.” Other related papers or papers on other topics are welcome as well as papers from students. Send the paper title to me by January 1, 2004, at scjeditor @aol.com. Information on registration and updates on the conference can be found at www.stone-campbelljournal.com or by contacting Pam Ralls, conference registrar, at pkralls@aol.com or 314-837-3283. Cost: $20 (subscribers); $30 (non-subscribers); $12 (students).

This issue features six excellent and diverse articles. John Mark Hicks (an SCJ editor) offers an enticing proposal for bridging the gap between Arminians and Calvinists regarding election and security. Ronald Morgan provides, surprisingly (in our 12th issue), our first article in SCJ on the Lord’s Supper. Ronnie van der Poll, who found SCJ on the Internet when doing research on Phil Kenneson’s challenging proposals regarding “truth” (See SCJ 1.1 and 2.1), presents a thoughtful reaction to Kenneson’s proposals based on a paper he did as a student at the European School of Evangelical Theology (Leuven, Belgium). Chris Simpson (See SCJ 3.1) investigates the hermeneutics of suspicion. Russ Dudrey (See SCJ 3.1) explores the oral intricacies of 1 John. Finally, Mark Hamilton offers preaching ministers an excellent guide for handling Exodus homiletically.

William R. Baker, Editor