We want to reflect upon the life of one of the most famous men in the Restoration Movement, Alexander Campbell. In this brief synopsis of his life, it is not our intent either to deify or dehumanize Campbell, but to point out the hardships through which he went, the sacrifices which he made, and the labor in which he engaged as he determined to return to the simple teaching of the Word of God.
     As one looks back in history, he sees that man has not long abided by the will of God. God’s will has never changed, nor will it ever! “The word of the Lord endureth forever” (1 Peter 1:25). God has not departed from man, but man has departed from God. Thus, the need for restoration, the desire to return to the teaching of the Bible, to “speak where the Bible speaks, to remain silent where it is silent,” to do Bible things in Bible ways, and to call Bible things by Bible names. “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11). This was the plea of Campbell and others in the early part of the Restoration Movement, and it had best be our plea today!
     EARLY LIFE. Campbell was born September 12, 1788, near Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland. He was the first son born to Thomas and Jane Corneigle Campbell, with Thomas serving as preacher for the Suceder Presbyterian church. Thomas Campbell had a high regard for the Bible, and each day the family would read and discuss the Scriptures in a family devotional. It was a Campbell family rule that each child in the household should memorize a verse of Scripture every day to recite at this family study. No doubt, this early childhood practice was appreciated by Campbell as he grew more mature.
     A RETURN TO SCRIPTURE. In 1807, Thomas came to America because of health reasons, with his family hoping to be reunited with him later. The next year, Alexander and family set sail to join Thomas in America, but were shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. Before being rescued, Alexander promised God that if he would be spared from the raging sea, he would devote his life to the preaching of the gospel. Their reunion with Thomas thwarted, at least for the time being, Alexander decided to enter Glasgow University, and studied there one year. While at Glasgow, he met the Haldane brothers, James and Robert, independent reformers who would leave a lasting impression on young Campbell’s mind. These men had left the church of Scotland because of its cold formalism; they believed in the independence of congregations, accepted the Scriptures as their only creed, and preached a simple gospel. Campbell would later adopt these same ideals, since they did not begin with the Haldanes, but with God.
     The Campbells were finally reunited in America at Pennsylvania in August, 1809. Father and son were surprised to learn that they both shared similar views and concerns for restoring the New Testament pattern of unity, teaching and worship—both had earlier renounced Presbyterianism. They adopted the famous motto: “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent”—the same command of God through Peter, just in different words: “if any speak, let him speak as the oracles of  God” (1 Peter 4:11).
     “Buy the truth, and sell it not...” (Proverbs 23:23). Alexander loved the truth more than anything else, and in his sage search for the truth, he made the Bible the ultimate source of all authority. Although he read extensively from other men, he still thought independently, took only from other men what he conceived to be in harmony with truth, and rejected all else. He preached his first sermon at the congregation of Brush Run on September 16, 1811. His text was Matthew 27:24-27; his theme; comparisons between wise and foolish men. Campbell eventu-ally became the preacher for this congregation.
     The Campbells had formerly believed and advocated infant baptism and sprinkling due to being associated with Calvinism in the Presbyterian church. However, at the birth of his first child, Alexander began to investigate this subject in greater detail, and after studying the word “baptize” in the Greek and finding that it meant immersion, he decided to be immersed. On June 12, 1812, Campbell along with six others, including his wife and father, Thomas, were immersed by Matthias Luce.
     In 1813, the Brush Run church was admitted into the Redstone Baptist Association. Its belief was founded in the Philadelphia Confession of Faith adopted by Baptist churches in 1742. Its doctrine, like that of the Westminster Confession of Faith followed by most Presbyterians, was Calvinistic to the core, and was changed only in those points that  suited Baptist practices. However, Campbell was never satisfied with the Redstone Baptist Association. His most famous sermon, “The Sermon on the Law,” was delivered before this association on September 1, 1816. To say the least, his lesson had a profound effect on his hearers! One woman in the audience fainted, and many Baptist preachers were called out of the assembly to determine what to do about Campbell —they did not like what they were hearing! Perhaps for the first time in this country, a distinction was made between the Old and New Testaments. In his lesson, Campbell showed that the New Testament was God’s law—His only law for people this side of Calvary. This was a “moving sermon” indeed, for it moved Campbell right out of the Redstone Baptist Association! In 1823, Campbell joined the Mahoning Baptist Association, but seven years later, it was decided that this group should not exercise supervision or jurisdiction over congregations, and that it should never meet again.
     The above is but a brief overview of the progress Campbell was making as he was studying himself out of denominationalism and sectarianism, and as he was returning to simple New Testament Christianity. However, we do not wish to leave the impression that Campbell was an infallible spiritual superman, for he was not. In fact, some of his theological positions were wrong, such as his views on millennialism, as to who was or was not a Christian or his brother in Christ. We indeed sympathize with Campbell and others like him who were coming out of a world of religious error, but at the same time, we hope he changed these erroneous positions later in life.
     We also emphasize that Campbell in no way founded or established the church of Christ, and anyone who would so affirm is ignorant of the facts and tells an untruth. Christ promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18), He built it (Acts 2), and several hundred years before Campbell was ever born it was in existence (Romans 16:16). Anyone who labels a member of the church of Christ a “Campbellite” also displays an ignorance of the facts. Further, near Paris, Kentucky, at the famous Cane Ridge building is the burial place of William Rogers, beloved companion of Barton W. Stone. Part of the inscription on his monument reads that he was “united with the Church of Christ in 1807.” Thus, the name “Church of Christ” was worn by this congregation at least two years before Campbell set foot on American soil in 1809—“proof positive” that he did not establish the church of Christ!
     CONCLUSION. Campbell was no exception to the rule that all will one day die. He preached his last sermon in 1866, entitled “The Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly Places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). During his closing days of life, he was known to quote much scripture to those near him even when he said nothing else. A cold and fever led to his death at 11:45 p.m. Sunday, March 4, 1866, at the age of 78. Thus ended the life of a successful farmer, teacher, preacher, statesman, postmaster, author, editor, and debater— undoubtedly the dominant figure in the history of the Restoration movement.
     Someone once said: “The reward of great men is that, long after they have died, one is not quite sure that they are dead.” Alexander Campbell has been dead now for some 134 years, but many of the convictions he held, many of the principles that guided him, and his ideals and love for the truth of God’s will live on in the hearts of many who remain dedicated to the restoration of New Testament Christianity.—P.O. Box 216, Verona, MS 38879