In 1906, the religious fellowship known as the churches of Christ formally separated from the Disciples of Christ. The schism within the Disciples came as a result of growing dissatisfaction that conservative and progressive Disciples had with each other. It's an oversimplification, but the separation was mainly along geographical lines that corresponded with the North-South division the United States suffered which led to the Civil War.

Ninety years after the formal separation, the Disciples of Christ Historical Society invited scholars Anthony L. Dunnavant (Disciples) and Richard T. Hughes (churches of Christ) to participate in the 1995 and 1997 Reed Lectures “to explore the distinctive perceptions of the founding vision and how that vision has evolved in the two fellowships.” The book is a recording of those lectures.

The Preface is written by Peter M. Morgan, then President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. Ronald E. Osborn (a Disciples scholar) is the author of the Introduction.

Dunnavant lectures are:

Chapter 1: Continuities, Changes, and Conflicts: The Founders' Understanding of the Disciples Movement
Chapter 2: Historical Concepts Underlying the Restructured Church
Chapter 6: Discernment among the Heirs of Stone and the Campbells

Hughes lectures are:

Chapter 3: The Subversion of Reforming Movements
Chapter 4: The Taming of the Restoration Movement
Chapter 7: Reflections on the Theme of “Christian Freedom”

Paul M. Blowers, professor of church history at Emmanuel School of Religion, a nondenominational Christian Church/Church of Christ institution of higher education, provided a lecture “from the perspective of a deeply interested outsider.” His lecture is:

Chapter 5: Keeping the “Current Reformation” Current: The Challenge of Ongoing Self-interpretation in the Stone-Campbell Tradition

I found lectures to be well-researched and thought out. Although over a decade has passed since the lectures, I believe they still provide much to provoke serious thought and discussion about those of the Stone-Campbell religious heritage. Seminarians and clergy interested in S-C thought and history should especially benefit from this book. I am glad to have finally read it, but wish that I had done so earlier.

There is no index. ( )