The Christian Union is a

Restorationist Restorationism (or Restitutionism or Christian primitivism) is the belief that Christianity has been or should be restored along the lines of what is known about the apostolic early church, which restorationists see as the search for a purer a ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

denomination, with strength in the U.S. state of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and the Midwest.

Background

Strictly

congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

, the Christian Union is an attempt to unite all Christians "to promote fellowship among God's people, to put forth every effort to proclaim God's saving grace to the lost ... and to declare the whole counsel of God for the edification of believers." The Christian Union maintains seven principles: "the oneness of the Church of Christ, Christ as the only head of the church, the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice, good fruits as the one condition of fellowship, Christian union without controversy, complete autonomy for the local church, and avoidance of all partisan political preaching." Ordinances include

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

by any method, at the choice of the individual, and the

Lord's Supper The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institut ...

. Inter-church councils meet at various levels for fellowship and to conduct business, plan missions work, etc. Most churches follow a familiar Evangelical, Restorationist pattern with Sunday School, Sunday morning worship services, and mid-week Bible studies.

History

The Christian Union was organized at the Deshler Hotel in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, on February 3, 1864 (though groupings of churches that later joined with the Christian Union point to earlier dates and movements as their origin.) Weary of the legion of issues brought to the forefront during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, founder Rev. James Fowler Given, a

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. ...

(North) pastor, was put out of the

itinerant An itinerant is a person who travels habitually. Itinerant may refer to: *"Travellers" or itinerant groups in Europe * Itinerant preacher, also known as itinerant minister *Travelling salespeople, see door-to-door, hawker, and peddler *Travelli ...

pulpit ministry because he refused to take political stands supported by the denomination, particularly military force in support of

abolition Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to: *Abolitionism, abolition of slavery * Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment *Abolition of monarchy *Abolition of nuclear weapons *Abolit ...

. Given, who quickly became a martyr for Democrats and those opposed to radical Abolitionism, began a newspaper called ''The Christian Witness'' "in the interest of pure religion — Christianity free from all superstition, cant and sectarianism; of good Morals; of sound Education and Knowledge; of Genuine Benevolence; of the Great Principles of American Liberty; and, in short, of whatever may subserve a Noble Manhood, or contribute to Public Happiness and Prosperity." Three main reasons underscored the creation of the Christian Union—all promoted within the pages of the ''Christian Witness''. Aside from opposing the political preaching common during the height of the Civil War, founders also objected to the forbidding of laymen to interpret the Bible or freely practice/participate in the Lord's Supper, baptism, and foot washing. Thirdly, the Christian Union founders resented the heavy-handed control of their former denominations—a common objection found in the Restorationism of the time. Their call was to "build the Father's house anew." Congregations inspired by Given's example were planted as far north as New England and as far south as Florida and west into Texas and Colorado. Given, Dr. John Van Buren Flack of Illinois, G. W. Mitchell, and Dr. Jerry Clevenger provided leadership in the early growth of the denomination, each of whom were Methodists with either " peace Democrat" tendencies or a disdain for ecclesiastical involvement in political affairs. By 1865, the Christian Union reported 180 churches. By 1870 there were 48 churches, 4,920 members, and 97 preachers in the Christian Union, and in 1898 there were 149 churches, 7,884 members, 105 preachers. By 1906 the membership figure was 13,905 and 13,692 by 1916. Membership statistics dropped sharply in the following years, with 8,791 in 1926 and 6,124 in 1936. In 1995, the denomination reported 114 churches and 6,000 members, with missions work in Africa, Mexico, Liberia and Columbia, as well as the U.S. state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

. Nigeria is home to an associate council of the church, having joined in 1977. Christian Union operates its School of the Bible, located in

Greenfield, Ohio Greenfield is a large village in Highland and Ross counties, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,639. Since the population declined to under 5,000, the Census Bureau may still call it a city, but by Ohio's laws it i ...

. In 1894, The Christian Union purchased Grand River College, which closed in 1901 due to financial reasons. A periodical, the ''Christian Union Witness'' continues to be published.

Divisions and mergers

There were several attempts at secession in the early history of the Christian Union, many of which were by former Methodists with a goal to introduce a systematic

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

theology and catechism. The largest of these fractures took place within a year of its founding, as the Illinois Christian Union churches voted to join the

Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...

, thus becoming the Illinois District of the Southern Methodists. A merger with the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...

movement was discussed in 1868, but never consummated. Another schism, which resulted in the creation of the

Churches of Christ in Christian Union The Churches of Christ in Christian Union (CCCU) is a Wesleyan-Holiness and Restorationist Christian denomination. The CCCU has a presence in 15 U.S. states and several nations, with about 200 churches in the United States. Ohio Christian U ...

denomination, took place in 1909 when a handful of ministers and about 60 lay people left. They claimed ministers holding to a Wesleyan view on sanctification were being censured. The

Holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emp ...

-oriented Churches of Christ in Christian Union reported it drew away 12 preachers, about 1,000 members, and 20 churches from the parent body, and has grown to around 200 churches by 2014.

Notes and references

External links

Christian Union

Flack Memorial Church (example of local congregation)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Union Religious organizations established in 1864 Christian denominations established in the 19th century Evangelical denominations in North America 1864 establishments in Ohio

Background

History

Divisions and mergers

See also

Notes and references

External links