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Baconianism and the Bible in the Disciples of Christ: James S. Lamar and “The Organon of Scripture”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

C. Leonard Allen
C. Leonard Allen
Affiliation:
Mr. Allen is assistant professor of history in Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.
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Extract

Many scholars have observed that during the first half of the nineteenth century American philosophy, science, and education were dominated by Scottish Realism, or the philosophy of “Common Sense.” Its first significant influence has been traced to John Witherspoon, an Edinburgh-trained minister who became president of the College of New Jersey in 1769. Thereafter, especially after 1800, Realist texts were introduced gradually into American colleges, and by the I 820s generally had replaced the older texts. Through use in numerous American colleges, the works of Thomas Reid, Dugald Stewart, George Campbell, James Beattie, William Hamilton, and others exercised a pervasive influence.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , March 1986 , pp. 65 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1986

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References

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Dallas, Texas, December 1983. I am indebted to professors T. Dwight Bozeman, Ronald Numbers, and Michael Casey for their comments on that paper, and to the Cullen Foundation of Abilene Christian University for a grant that made the research possible.

1. Petersen, Richard J., “Scottish Common Sense in America, 1768–1850: An Evaluation of Its Influence” (Ph.D. diss., American University, 1963);Google ScholarAhlstrom, Sydney E., “The Scottish Philosophy and American Theology,” Church History 24 (1955): 257–272;CrossRefGoogle ScholarMeyer, D. H., The Instructed Conscience: The Shaping of the American National Ethic (Philadelphia, 1972)CrossRefGoogle Scholar, and The Democratic Enlightenment (New York, 1976);Google ScholarSloan, Douglas, The Scottish Enlightenment and the American College Ideal (New York, 1971);Google ScholarFrank, Thomas Edward, “Conserving a Rational World: Theology, Ethics, and the Nineteenth Century American College Ideal” (Ph.D. diss., Emory University, 1981);Google ScholarSchneider, Herbert, A History of American Philosophy (New York, 1946), pp. 238–240, 246–250.Google Scholar

2. Reid, Thomas, Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, ed. Brody, Baruch (Cambridge, Mass., 1969)Google Scholar, especially essays 2 and 6. For summary and analysis of Reid's views, see Grave, S. A., The Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense (Oxford, 1960)Google Scholar, and Jones, Olin McKendree, Empiricism and Intuitionism in Reid's Common Sense Philosophy (Princeton, 1927).Google Scholar

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4. Ibid., pp. 4–21, 160. See also Daniels, George H., “The Reign of Bacon in America,” in American Science in the Age of Jackson (New York, 1968), pp. 63–85Google Scholar, and Hovenkamp, Herbert, Science and Religion in America, 1800–1860 (Philadelphia, 1978), pp. 19–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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8. Ibid., pp. 26, 32.

9. Young, Charles Alexander, Historical Documents Advocating Christian Unity (Chicago, 1904), pp. 78, 79.Google Scholar

10. My understanding of primitivism has been shaped, in part, by Arthur O. Lovejoy and Boas, George, Primitivism and Related Ideas in Antiquity, Contributions to the History of Primitivism (Baltimore, 1935), pp. 1–22Google Scholar, and Eliade, Mircea, The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion, trans. Trask, Willard R., Bollingen Series 46 (Princeton, 1954).Google Scholar

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13. Campbell, Alexander, Christian Baptist 3 (3 04 1826): 229.Google Scholar See also his long series of articles entitled “A Restoration of the Ancient Order of Things,” beginning in The Christian Baptist 2 (7 02 1825).Google Scholar

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15. McAllister, Lester G. and Tucker, William E., Journey in Faith: A History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (Saint Louis, 1975), pp. 154–155.Google Scholar For other general accounts of the movement, see Garrison, Winfred E. and DeGroot, Alfred T., The Disciples of Christ (Saint Louis, 1948);Google ScholarMurch, James DeForest, Christians Only (Cincinatti, 1962);Google Scholar and Harrell, David E., Quest for a Christian America: The Disciples of Christ and American Society to1866 (Nashville, 1966).Google Scholar

16. Alexander Campbell at Glasgow University, 1808–1809, transcribed with an introduction by McAllister, Lester G. (Nashville, 1971), p. 4.Google Scholar In his library at Bethany, Campbell had a copy of Jardine's Synopsis of Lectures on Logic and Belles Lettres Read in the University of Glasgow (Glasgow, 1804)Google Scholar that he had signed and dated 10 Dec. 1808. See also Robert Richardson, Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, chaps. 9–10, and Berryhill, Carisse Mickey, “Sense, Expression, and Purpose: Alexander Campbell's Natural Philosophy of Rhetoric” (Ph.D. diss., Florida State University, 1982), esp. pp. 54–86.Google Scholar

17. Campbell, Alexander and Owen, Robert, Debate on the Evidences of Christianity: Containing an Examination of the “Social System” and of all Systems of Skepticism of Ancient and Modern Times, 2 vols. (Bethany, Va., 1829), 2: 248–249, 4–6;Google Scholar see also 2: 13–24.

18. Campbell, Alexander, Millenial Harbinger 1 (1830): 9;Google ScholarCampbell, , The Christian System, in Reference to the Union of Christians, and a Restoration of Primitive Christianity, as Plead in the Current Reformation (Bethany, Va., 1839), p. 6.Google Scholar See also Millenial Harbinger 5 (1835): 21–23.Google Scholar

19. Campbell, , “Principles of Interpretation,” in A Connected View of the Principles and Rules by Which the Living Oracles May Be Intelligently and Certainly Interpreted (Bethany, Va., 1835), pp. 13–99.Google Scholar

20. See Casey, Michael, “The Rhetoric of Induction: The Baconian Ideal in the Disciples Movement” (paper presented at the RSCA Convention, 11 1983).Google Scholar

21. Stevenson, Dwight, The Bacon College Story, 1836–1865 (Lexington, Ky., 1962), p. 10;Google ScholarScott, Walter, “The State System,” The Christian 1 (1837): 25–72.Google Scholar On Scott, see Stevenson, Dwight, Walter Scott: Voice of the Golden Oracle (Saint Louis, 1946)Google Scholar, and Gerrard, William A., “Walter Scott: Frontier Disciples Evangelist” (Ph.D. diss., Emory University, 1982).Google Scholar

22. Fanning, Tolbert, “Spiritual Light (No. 10),” Religious Historian 1 (1872): 289–295;Google ScholarFanning, , “Metaphysical Discussions,” Gospel Advocate 2 (1856): 326–329.Google Scholar See Wilburn, James R., The Hazard of the Die: Tolbert Fanning and the Restoration Movement (Austin, Tx., 1969), pp. 29–35, 62–101, 176.Google Scholar

23. See Richardson's series of articles “Faith versus Philosophy,” Millenial Harbinger (beginning March 1857); Milligan, Robert, Reason and Revelation (Cincinnati, 1868), p. 290;Google ScholarMcGarvey, J. W., Sacred Didactics (reprint ed., Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1954), pp. 51–53.Google Scholar

24. For biographical information on Lamar, see Lamar, J. S., Recollections of Pioneer Days in Georgia (n.p., 1906);Google ScholarMoore, W. T., ed., The Living Pulpit of the Christian Church (Cincinnati, 1868), pp. 401–410;Google Scholar and Moseley, J. Edward, Disciples of Christ in Georgia (Saint Louis, 1954), pp. 171–175Google Scholar and passim.

25. Campbell, Alexander, Millenial Harbinger, 5th ser., 3 (1860): 100–101;Google Scholar W. K. Pendleton, “Biblical Interpretation,” Ibid., pp. 84–85; Fanning, Tolbert, “A New Book on ‘Interpretation’” Gospel Advocate 6 (1860): 30;Google ScholarFranklin, Benjamin, American Christian Review 2 (20 12 1859): 202;Google Scholar and A. E. Myers, “The Organon of Scripture” (nos. 1–4), Ibid. 3 (27 March-I May 1860): 49, 61, 65, 69.

26. Fanning, , “New Book,” p. 30.Google Scholar For Fanning's contention that “all the sacred records contradict the supposition that an interpreter is needed,” see his True Method of Searching the Scriptures (reprint ed. Nashville, 1911), pp. 18–21.Google Scholar

27. Lamar, , Organon of Scripture, pp. v, 140.Google Scholar

28. Ibid., pp. iii, 17. In his lengthy review of the Organon, A. E. Myer, one of Lamar's teachers at Bethany College, claimed that while Lamar was the first to systematize the inductive method and reduce it to rules, the method had been used “with the living voice and through the press for near half a century by our brethren…” American Christian Review 3 (24 04 1860): 65.Google Scholar

29. Lamar, , Organon of Scripture, pp. 18–33, 39–43.Google Scholar Italics in these and subsequent citations are found in the original text.

30. Ibid., pp. 48, 56, 81.

31. Ibid., pp. 116, 121, 126.

32. Ibid., pp. 130–131.

33. Ibid., pp. 132, 134, 138–141, 148–150; Lamar, , “The Christian Religion; I. The Elimination,” Christian Standard 8 (21 06 1873): 196.Google Scholar

34. Lamar, , Organon of Scripture, pp. 174–175.Google Scholar

35. Ibid., pp. 187, 188, 189, 190–191, 188.

36. Ibid., pp. 191–192, 193.

37. Ibid., p. 181.

38. Ibid., pp. 196, 197.

39. Ibid., pp. 213, 235.

40. Ibid., pp. 239, 245, 254–255, 248, 256–257, 239. See also “Primary Concepts of Religion (III),” Christian Standard 9 (24 01. 1874): 84–85.Google Scholar

41. Daniels, , American Science, pp. 118–137.Google Scholar Among the vast body of materials relating to the evangelical crisis after 1860, see Marsden, , Fundamentalism and American Culture, pp. 11–39;Google ScholarCarter, Paul A., The Spiritual Crisis of the Gilded Age (Dekalb, 11. 1971);Google ScholarGrant, Wacker, “The Demise of Biblical Civilization,” in The Bible in America, pp. 121–138;Google Scholar and Moore, James R., The Post-Darwinian Controversies: A Study of the Protestant Struggle to Come to Terms with Darwin in Great Britain and America, 1870–1900 (Cambridge, 1979).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

42. See Harrell, David E., The Social Sources of Division in the Disciples of Christ, 1865–1900 (Atlanta, 1973), esp. pp. 1–49;Google ScholarHarrell, , “The Sectional Origins of the Churches of Christ,” Journal of Southern History 30 (1964): 261–277;CrossRefGoogle Scholar and Hughes, Richard T., “The Role of Theology in the Nineteenth Century Division of the Disciples of Christ,” in American Religion: 1974, ed. Gaustad, Edwin S. (Missoula, 1974), pp. 56–78.Google Scholar

43. Poe, J. T., “Christian Liberality, No. 3,” Gospel Advocate 17 (20 05 1875): 498;Google ScholarGarrison, J. H., ed. The Old Faith Restated (Saint Louis, 1891), pp. 329–352.Google Scholar

44. For a representative example of Disciple efforts to refute evolution and higher criticism, see Braden, Clark, The Problem of Problems and Its Various Solutions: or, Atheism, Darwinism, and Theism (Cincinnati, 1877).Google Scholar On the debate over higher criticism, see Ash, Anthony L., “Attitudes Toward Higher Criticism of the Old Testament in the Restoration Movement” (Ph.D. diss., University of Southern California, 1966).Google Scholar

45. Lamar, , “Christian Union,” Christian Standard 7 (18 05 1872): 156, 172;Google Scholar “The Christian Religion: II. The Interpretation,” ibid. 8 (5 July 1873): 220; “The Old Paths,” in “Sketches of Occasional Sermons,” Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., pp. 110–113.

46. Lamar, , “How to Preach First Principles,” Christian Standard 33 (1 01 1898): 3;Google Scholar “First Principles: XIII. The Place of Baptism,” Ibid. 26 (18 April 1891): 323–324; “The Veiled Heart,” Ibid. 33 (26 March 1898): 385–386.

47. Lamar, , “What Most Interests Me Now: II. The Passage of the Eternal into the Temporal,” Christian-Evangelist (31 01 1901): 137;Google Scholar “III. Light from the new Creation,” ibid. (14 February 1901): 202; “V. The Meaning of Coal,” ibid. (14 March 1904): 329; “VIII. The Serpent in the Garden,” ibid. (25 April 1901): 525. Lamar's views were shaped in part by the Presbyterian geologist Joseph Le Conte, whose evolutionary views had a strong influence on American clergy. See Lamar, , “Religion and Science,” Christian Standard 9 (28 03 1874): 101.Google Scholar

48. “Letter from Bro. Lamar,” Christian Standard 34 (23 12 1899): 1648;Google Scholar Lamar, “The Old Man Himself,” ibid. 38 (28 March 1903): 433–434.

49. Dungan, David R., Hermeneutics: A Text Book (Cincinnati, 1888), p. 101.Google Scholar

50. See North, James B., “The Fundamentalist Controversy Among the Disciples of Christ, 1890–1930” (Ph.D. diss., University of Illinois, 1973).Google Scholar