There is no definite time, no specific date, that we can look to for the beginning of this Restoration Movement. But, there were a number of influences that would bring this about, and, again, individuals who were wanting to get back to the Bible. “The Bible Alone” was a common phrase that was being used.

One of the earliest attempts at restoration that we know about, at least, is the work of one named James O’Kelly. He was a leader in the Methodist Church at the time that Francis Asbury was appointed the Superintendent, and that was in about 1790. And remember, this is the Methodist Church here in America. Remember, we talked about the growth, the development, of the Methodist Church here in America and when Mr. Asbury was appointed as the Superintendent.

Well, they were having a general conference in Baltimore on November 1, 1792, and at this general conference of the Methodist Church, Mr. O’Kelly made a plea that ministers of the church be given the right to appeal to the conference if they didn’t like their ministerial appointment. Well, in those days—and it still is the practice of many denominational groups—there is a synod, or a conference, or a council of some sort, that makes the preaching appointments. The local congregation has little or nothing to say about who will come and “pastor” the church, and most often, the clergyman has nothing to say about that, as well. Well, this was one of the grievances that Mr. O’Kelly brought up—wanting to have the ability to appeal the decisions of the conference.

Well, they refused his plea. You know, it seems almost fairly innocuous, this particular request, but it just points just how stiff, and how steep in their tradition, these groups were. You did not cross them; you did not question. And so, Mr. O’Kelly was refused, and he and some followers withdrew from the Methodist Cconference. Well, following their withdrawal they set about establishing the “Christian Church”, that in August of 1794. Now, that is not the same Christian Church that we are familiar with today.

As they did this, they adopted what they called “Cardinal Principles of the Christian Church” by which they would henceforth be guided. I think that these five principles are quite instructive and give a great insight into what they were thinking, what was on their minds, the direction that they were attempting to go. Let’s just notice those:

1) The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Head of the Church.

Well, who among us would not say “Amen” to that?

2) The use of the name “Christian” to the exclusion of all party and sectarian names.

Amen.

3) The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the only creed and a sufficient rule of faith and practice.

Amen, again.

4) Christian character, or vital piety, the only test of church fellowship and membership.

Well, we would have to question that, but they were trying to think in the right direction, at least.

5) The right of private judgment and the liberty of conscience, the privilege and duty of all.

Well, again, we see where they are attempting to go. They’re attempting to make a break; they see the futility of the system that they’ve been a part of; and they see that there is a new direction that is needed.

Well, this particular effort on the part of James O’Kelly did not really have a close association with this Restoration Movement, but its basic philosophy and thinking really helped to pave the way for some of the others who would follow in their attempts to go back to the Bible.

The next earliest tendency toward restoration that we know about was that which was led by Dr. Abner Jones and Elias Smith. Mr. Smith was born on June 17^th, 1769, in Lyme, Connecticut. He began to prepare to preach at the tender age of ten years. By 1801 he began to doubt some of the Calvinistic teachings and ideas of the Baptist Church for which he preached. Hence, he and four others began meeting together separately in December of 1802. In 1803, Mr. Smith met Dr. Abner Jones. Dr. Jones was a medical doctor, and he was sympathetic toward the efforts of Mr. Smith. He was in agreement with the attempts to return to the Bible. And so, he assisted Mr. Smith in drawing up articles for a church at what was referred to as a “Christian Conference.” In 1805, they disbanded the Conference, and also the articles, as being useless.

Now, that is instructive; it’s interesting to note, because we will see something in our later studies that will similarly be done by Thomas Campbell. And, what they were doing were the struggling first steps in going from their denominational traditions and practices to follow the Bible only, and these efforts were fraught, often times, with attempts to sort of recreate what they already had, and had left. You see, they had left one organization that was organized with a hierarchy and with conferences, and with a creedal system, and that’s what they began with in their efforts to reform. So, they came to the realization that they were repeating themselves. But, to their credit, they would realize and say, “Wait a minute. We’ve been there and done that. We don’t need to do that again,” rather, simply turn to the New Testament as their source.

Smith issued a publication called The Herald of Gospel Liberty, with 274 subscribers, which is credited by some as being the first religious paper in the world.

Well, here’s a quote from Earl West’s book on this particular effort. He says, “This New England movement, as we have said, puts its primary significance to the fact that men and women were looking in the direction of the New Testament order of things, and away from sectarianism. That they did not go far enough is only to be expected when one considers the natural tendency. In those days, they were traveling in uncharted waters. They were thinking their way along.”

Well, this particular movement, perhaps, didn’t get all that far, and it is not that well-known, but it was significant in that they refused to use any name, any title, except Christian, and they contended for the use of the Bible as their only authority.