Quotes

All Quotes

“The Bible is a perfect system of faith and morals, adapted to the wants of all.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Millennial Harbinger

“Every man must be permitted to investigate for himself, and to follow the truth wherever it may lead him.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Christian Baptist

“Human authority has no right to lord it over the conscience of man.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Christian Baptist

“A restoration of pure apostolic Christianity is the only basis of union.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Christian Baptist

“Baptism is the act by which we publicly put on Christ.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Christian Baptist or Millennial Harbinger (citation forthcoming)

“The church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one.” — Thomas Campbell
Source: Declaration and Address (1809)

“The church of Christ on earth must always be reforming, because it has never yet attained to the standard of its divine Founder.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Millennial Harbinger (citation forthcoming)

“I have no idea of adding to the catalogue of new sects. I labor to see sectarianism abolished and all Christians of every name united upon the one foundation upon which the apostolic church was founded.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Christian Baptist, 1826

“Nothing ought to be received into the faith or worship of the church, or be made a term of communion, that is not as old as the New Testament.” — Thomas Campbell
Source: Declaration and Address (1809)

“The breaking of bread is not a festival for the few, but the continual feast of the Lord’s people.” — Alexander Campbell
Source: Millennial Harbinger (citation forthcoming)

“Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.” — Anonymous slogan (reported within early movement)
Source: Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia (entry on slogans)

“Faith, repentance, and baptism are the three steps into the kingdom.” — Walter Scott
Source: Evangelist writings on the Five-Finger Exercise (citation forthcoming)

“Christians only, not the only Christians.” — Early Restoration Slogan
Source: Traditional slogan; attribute cautiously

“In faith, unity; in opinion, liberty; in all things, charity.” — Restoration slogan (borrowed from earlier sources)
Source: Traditional maxim, widely used in the movement

“We will that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large.” — Stone and colleagues
Source: Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery (1804)

“The Bible alone is our rule of faith and practice.” — Barton W. Stone
Source: Christian Messenger

“We take the name Christian to the exclusion of all sectarian names.” — Barton W. Stone
Source: Christian Messenger (citation forthcoming)

“Let Christian unity be our polar star.” — Barton W. Stone
Source: Christian Messenger (citation forthcoming)

“That all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity… may be able to commune together as members of the same family.” — Thomas Campbell
Source: Declaration and Address (1809)

“Division among Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with many evils. It is anti-Christian, as it destroys the visible unity of the body of Christ.” — Thomas Campbell
Source: Declaration and Address (1809)

“Education is not an ornament, but a necessity. Every Christian woman should be equipped to read, think, and teach the Scriptures.” — Charlotte Fall Fanning

“The church needs women who can think clearly, speak wisely, and act courageously for the truth.” — Charlotte Fall Fanning

“True learning humbles the heart and strengthens the hand for service.” — Charlotte Fall Fanning

“I preach because I cannot help it. The fire is in my bones. I must tell the Gospel story.” — Clara Hale Babcock

“If God has called me to preach, who are you to say I cannot? The Spirit distributes gifts as He wills, not as tradition dictates.” — Clara Hale Babcock

“I have baptized sinners in rivers and creeks, just as Philip baptized the eunuch. The gospel knows no gender, only obedience.” — Clara Hale Babcock

“The church is God's kingdom on earth, distinct from the kingdoms of men. Christians owe allegiance to Christ alone.” — David Lipscomb

“All confederacies, organizations, and institutions that are not found in the New Testament are usurpations of divine authority and dangerous innovations.” — David Lipscomb

“We are citizens of heaven, pilgrims and strangers on earth. The kingdoms of this world are not our home.” — David Lipscomb

“Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.” — Francis Bacon

“Knowledge is power.” — Francis Bacon

“Christians only, not the only Christians—this is our plea, and it must be spoken in humility, not arrogance.” — Isaac Errett

“Our aim is not to build a party, but to unite the people of God on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone.” — Isaac Errett

“Unity does not require uniformity. We can agree on essentials while allowing liberty in opinions.” — Isaac Errett

“The truth is always consistent with itself; it is error that contradicts.” — John William McGarvey

“The Bible was written for common people, and common people can understand it if they will give it honest and diligent study.” — John William McGarvey

“We accept no theory which contradicts the statements of inspired men, for we believe that God knows more than any man or all men.” — John William McGarvey

“The Bible is our only creed, Christ our only head, and Christian our only name.” — James O'Kelly

“No man, no bishop, no conference has the right to lord it over God's heritage. The church must be free.” — James O'Kelly

“No man can, if he would, conform his faith to the dictates of another.” — John Locke

“The care of souls cannot belong to the civil magistrate.” — John Locke

“We must not be content merely to read the Scriptures, but to search them with earnest hearts, that we may know the truth and walk in it.” — Margaret MacPherson

“Unity among believers cannot be manufactured by human creeds, but must arise from shared devotion to Christ and his Word.” — Margaret MacPherson

“The Spirit of Christ calls us to reason together, not to submit blindly to tradition or authority.” — Margaret MacPherson

“We must learn to distinguish between what is written and what is inferred—between the word of God and the word of man.” — Moses E. Lard

“The church is not a human institution to be molded by popular opinion, but a divine society to be governed by apostolic teaching.” — Moses E. Lard

“Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent—and we will not dare to go beyond what is written.” — Moses E. Lard

“Let us, then, be no longer Campbellites or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, but let us all come to the Bible and the Bible alone as the only book in the world that can give us all the light we need.” — John "Raccoon" Smith

“I have not one objection to the ground laid down by him [Campbell] as the true scriptural basis of union among the people of God; and I am willing to give him, now and here, my hand.” — John "Raccoon" Smith

“The scheme of redemption is a system of means wisely adapted to the attainment of a specific end—the salvation of the human race.” — Robert Milligan

“Faith is not a mere intellectual assent to certain truths, but a living, active principle, that works by love and purifies the heart.” — Robert Milligan

“The gospel is addressed to man as a rational being, and its evidences are adapted to convince the understanding and move the will.” — Robert Milligan

“The Holy Spirit is not an abstract influence, but a personal presence, dwelling in the hearts of believers and transforming them from within.” — Robert Richardson

“Faith without feeling is like a body without a soul—it may have the form, but lacks the life.” — Robert Richardson

“The word of God is the sword of the Spirit, and the Spirit wields it to pierce the heart and renew the mind.” — Robert Richardson

“The gospel of Christ knows no color line. At the Lord's table, we are neither white nor Black, but one in Christ Jesus.” — Samuel Robert Cassius

“If we claim to restore New Testament Christianity, we must restore the New Testament's vision of unity—a fellowship that transcends race, class, and nation.” — Samuel Robert Cassius

“Freedom of conscience means nothing if it is reserved for some and denied to others. True liberty is universal, or it is hypocrisy.” — Samuel Robert Cassius

“The church needs no human organization beyond the local congregation. Christ's kingdom is complete in its divine simplicity.” — Tolbert Fanning

“We must return to the ancient order—not as antiquarians, but as disciples seeking to follow apostolic practice in our own time.” — Tolbert Fanning

“Innovations in worship may seem harmless, but they open the door to further departures. Simplicity guards the church against the corruptions of human ambition.” — Tolbert Fanning

“Faith, repentance, and baptism are the three steps into the kingdom of God.” — Walter Scott

“The gospel is a fact to be believed, a command to be obeyed, and a promise to be enjoyed.” — Walter Scott

“Let us restore the ancient gospel and the ancient order of things, and the Lord will restore the ancient results.” — Walter Scott