Memoirs of Alexander Campbell

by Robert Richardson

Leroy Garrett, noted historian of the Stone-Campbell restoration movement from which emerged the Disciples of Christ, Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ, has called the Memoirs of Alexander Campbell "the most important work ever published on the Restoration Movement." Its author, Dr. Robert Richardson, is described by Garrett as being "perhaps the keenest thinker of all our pioneer fathers. He was . . . a beloved physician, a good man, a gentleman, humble and self-effacing, generous and benevolent. He was a splendid teacher and perhaps the best writer of all our early editors." The first edition of Richardson's monumental work was published in 1868 in two volumes, followed by a single volume edition 1897.

While obvious typographical errors have been corrected, we have made a diligent effort to maintain the accuracy of the text. Pursuant to that end, archaic and regional spellings have been retained, although we have placed extended quotations in block format to more readily distinguish them from the author's own words. Emendations made by the author in the second print edition are listed in the Emendations to the First Edition, where they appear in parallel with the original wording from the first edition. Emendations in the list are linked to the text.

This title was modified on November 22, 2011, by the addition of Volume 2. If you purchased an earlier edition with Volume 1 only, please contact Amazon Customer Service and request a free upgrade. Be aware that an upgrade to an existing e-book will result in the loss of all notes, bookmarks, and highlights. --the Publisher

Genres: History

1506 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Russ Adcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two observations: One, this book requires a long-term relationship. Two, people in the 1800s had way too much time on their hands. This is easily the longest book I've ever read. Richardson is lengthy in his own right, but he also includes extensive excerpts from Campbell himself (who was not known for his brevity). I ended up skimming many of the excerpts looking for the main points and I completely skipped the footnotes, which were also extensive.

All that aside, I'm glad I finally read it. I say "finally" because it was assigned in grad school and it sat unread on my shelves for 20+ years since. Like it or not, I am a product of Alexander Campbell's influence. I grew up in the Churches of Christ, graduated from two universities associated with the the Churches of Christ, and now preach for a church tied to the same movement. I no longer agree with all tenants of the modern expressions of Churches of Christ, but I have deep appreciation for Campbell's efforts and purpose in seeking to restore the simplicity of New Testament Christianity.

I was particularly compelled by his desire for unity. This is still a core value of my belief system and the church I serve. I also appreciated his desire to appeal to the Bible alone and discard all forms of human creeds and traditions (seeing them as the cause of so much religious division today). Of course, ultimately Campbell's "unity movement" ended up splintering itself and there are not three major branches of the Restoration Movement. Yet still, the simple call for non-denominational remains and the appeal to Jesus alone as the sole head and central focus of the church still inspires me today.

I'm grateful for Campbell's influence and find him an interesting character in religious history. However, if you're interested in learning more about him, I would recommend picking up a shorter read. Gary Holloway and Douglas Foster have a great book titled "Renewing God's People: A Concise History of the Churches of Christ." Note the word "concise."