The Period of Time from the End of the War, Middle 1860’s-Early 1870’s, to the End of the 19^th Century and the Beginning of the 20^th Century

During this period of time, all of these issues were brewing—these controversies, these divisive issues. It would be, then, that during this period of time, the latter part of the 1800’s—the latter part of the 19^th Century—that there would be those who would fall along the lines of conservatives, and others who would fall along the lines of what was called “progressives.” Churches began to be divided. Based upon what was being presented in these journals, these publication—and I’m sure based upon peoples’ own study and understanding as well; I don’t mean to marginalize what the people would decide in their own hearts—but nevertheless, the two sides were drifting further and further apart.

It would be that during these decades the great majority of Christians in the North were won over to the more liberal persuasion, the more liberal view; and Christians in the South were won over to the more conservative view. And so, the United States Census Bureau, in 1906, would list the Christian Church and Churches of Christ separately in the census that it reported. And thus, even though because of the divisions the people were already divided, it was the publication of this 1906 Census which would, in effect, make that “official.” And, that’s what all church historians look to as sort of that “official” mark in time.

Well, the progressives’ victory, so to speak, was largely the work of two journals, one that we already mentioned, The Christian Standard, edited by Isaac Errett, and then another called The Christian Evangelist. It was edited by J. H. Garrison and B. W. Johnson. Well, they would consolidate their efforts between these two publications, and Isaac Errett would write, just before his death in 1888, that these two journals—his journal, The Christian Standard, and the journal of Garrison and Johnson, The Christian Evangelist—were “the two most influential and effectual instrumentalities in winning acceptance for the Missionary Society.” And, he added that he, Errett, and the other editors, Garrison and Johnson, “agreed on all points of doctrine, practice and expediency.”

Well, why was it that the majority of churches in the North would accept the Missionary Society and instrumental music? It was, as we mentioned, the influence of these editors and these publications, but that is not the entire story. They would provide leadership, strong and vigorous leadership to those who were leaning in that liberal bent, but the other problem, or parallel problem, was that the conservative voice really didn’t have comparable leadership, especially after Benjamin Franklin’s death in 1878. And, sadly, those who were of more conservative persuasion, those who were against the Missionary Society, instrumental music, and the like, would end up doing a lot of fighting and fussing and feuding among themselves. And, as always happens, when brethren are fighting among themselves, then they are not looking outward; they are looking inward.

Well, as I mentioned, Franklin died in 1878, and when he died, John F. Rowe became the editor of The American Christian Review. Eight years later, there would be financial problems that would be experienced and the Review’s owner would offer it for sale. The current editor, Rowe, had hoped that he could buy it for less than its real worth. However, the owner refused to sell the paper on Rowe’s terms, and then Rowe resigned as the editor and a few months later began a rival journal called The Christian Leader.

The Review was purchased—this well-known, this renowned publication that Benjamin Franklin had edited for a number years—was purchased by one named Daniel Sommer. He had been a writer for the publication, and he was disappointed when he was not appointed as the editor upon Franklin’s death.

Soon, though, Sommer and Rowe would be involved in a bitter personal feud. This would result, then, in those who were of the more conservative persuasion, who were looking for some leadership, who were looking for some understanding of these areas, really having nothing to look to except for these two editors of these two publications carrying on their personal feud.

Daniel Sommer was born in 1850; he died in 1940. He published the Review after he took over for fifty years, but the paper never did have the standing in the Christian community that it had under Benjamin Franklin’s editorship. Sommer first changed its name. He changed the name to The Octographic Review, and then in 1914, he would change the name to The Apostolic Review. But the changes went deeper than just changing the name of the publication. Sommer, it would seem, would have, well, what we might term an “ultra-conservative spirit.” Sommer wrote about an incident that he would recall, which had taken place earlier in his life at Bethany College, where he said, “I denounced publicly the first deviation from apostolic simplicity that I found among the disciples, and I have been acting on the same principle ever since.” And, as some have termed it, this sort of “characterized” Sommer’s life. He became widely known as a brotherhood critic. He believed that Christian colleges, orphans’ homes, those kinds of things, were unscriptural. He also opposed such things as located preachers. And these ideas would become known as “Sommerisms.”

Well, the story in the South is quite different. The majority of Southern churches were committed to a more conservative approach and understanding of the Restoration plea. As we have stated, the most influential journal was The Gospel Advocate, and David Lipscomb was the editor of The Gospel Advocate for nearly fifty years, from 1866, when it resumed publication after the Civil War, until 1912. And, there was never a doubt about his conservative position and his conservative thrust. There is no greater tribute, historians say, to Lipscomb’s influence and his work as the editor than when this final division that we had mentioned (and we’ll talk about in a moment) took place, and the majority of the church of Christ would be found, after that division, in the South—located in Southern states—where The Gospel Advocate was widely read.

One of these states, for example, was Texas. And what happened in Texas was especially important since churches of Christ were destined to become stronger and more numerous in the state of Texas than any other state. There were many Tennesseans among the early settlers in Texas, both settlers before the Civil War, as well as after the Civil War, and many of these Christians brought their Gospel Advocates with them. Except for the state of Tennessee, The Advocate had its largest circulation on Texas. And I think I may have mentioned this last week when I was talking about The Gospel Advocate and its influence, but because of the appeal, because of the number of subscribers, because of the interest of people who lived in Texas, they actually maintained a Texas Department in The Gospel Advocate. That section of The Gospel Advocate was edited by John T. Poe.

Well, one named Austin McGary established another publication in Texas called The Firm Foundation. He established that in Austin, Texas, in 1884. The Firm Foundation and The Gospel Advocate, then, would become allies in standing for the Truth and resisting these progressive movements, and so on.

The Missionary Society that had already affected other locations, other states, both North and South, did not become a serious issue in Texas until the middle 1880’s. Earlier, the churches in Texas had cooperated together, had worked together, in supporting what they called a State Evangelist, but even though they cooperated together, worked together, in supporting this State Evangelist, he would work under the oversight of a specific eldership. For many years it was under the oversight of the elders of the church in Sherman, Texas. C. M. Wilmoth was one of those who served as the State Evangelist of Texas. (Say, that guy would have had a busy time with his circuit riding chores, wouldn’t he, getting around over the state of Texas?)

Well, but by 1886, the progressives had formed a Texas State Missionary Society, despite the opposition of men like Wilmoth, like McGary, the editor of The Firm Foundation, and John T. Poe, the editor of Texas Department of The Gospel Advocate, and so on. The introduction of instrumental music would soon follow in the wake of the Missionary Society in Texas. Prior to 1886, there were only a handful of congregations in Texas using an instrument, but many others would introduce it within the next few years following the rise of the Texas State Missionary Society in 1886. And, in 1896, it was estimated that more than 100 congregations in Texas had divided over this issue of instrumental music in the worship.