Barton Stone: A Spiritual Biography

by D. Newell Williams

Williams provides a fascinating look at the life and work of this nineteenth-century reformer, vividly portraying Stone's lifelong quest to understand and articulate the Gospel message, his views of church unity, and his lasting contribution.

Genres: Church History, History, Biography

249 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Travis Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars? It’s not it, it’s me. If I didn’t really want to know every detail of Barton Stones spiritual growth, transformation, and impact, then why did I pick up a biography with a title telling me exactly what it was: “A Spiritual Biography.” Dos razónes: 1.I think I thought I wanted all that; 2.I didn’t believe it’d deliver; titles like to lie. But maybe it’s not jusssst me. While it’s exhaustiveness (and in only 250 pages!) would be helpful for anyone doing serious research, for the common curious cat, it’s tad exhausting, with a lot of chronicling that could’ve benefited from more pace changing analysis inserts. Also, index MIA, c’mon man. Of the early Restoration movement pair, Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, Stone seems the better man (my personal judgment, not a point the book makes): more irenic, more zealous for moral transformation, and acted it out practically in manumitting his slaves pre-Civil War. Just don’t ask him about his views on the Trinity…

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great "spiritual biography" of one of the spiritual fathers of the stream of Christianity to which I belong. Williams clearly depicts the development of Barton Stone's spirituality, showing well how Stone's personal life, the culture of which he was a part, and the events of the late-18th and early-19th centuries influenced and helped shape his theology. Highly recommended for Christians who are a part churches of the Stone-Campbell Restoration movement and for those who are interested in the development of Christian thought in the U.S. in the time immediately following the Revolutionary War.

[Bill Hooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barton Stone is one of the early leaders in the American Restoration Movement (also called "The Stone-Campbell Movement), that has always fascinated me. D. Newell Williams has done an outstanding job laying out the life of Stone, and then taking a few chapters to discuss some of the beliefs that Stone held. If you are interested in the life of Stone, I would recommend this one by D. Newell Williams.