The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement

A few days ago, I began skimming through The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, edited by Douglas A. Foster, Paul M. Blowers, Anthony L. Dunnavant, and D. Newell Williams. For those unfamiliar with this work, it is the result of a collaboration of some of the scholarly types of the churches of Christ, Christian Church/Churches of Christ, and Disciples of Christ. The encyclopedia covers a number of themes, events, and persons associated with the restoration movement, from the early times of Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone to more recent names such as Guy N. Woods and Foy E. Wallace, Jr.

One must be warned before reading or purchasing this work that the editors believe the church of Christ is nothing more than a denomination. They accuse J. W. McGarvey of being "narrowly denominational" in his commentary on the book of Acts, and claim that an 1875 attempt to publish a series of commentaries on the New Testament "was the only effort of Stone-Campbell Christians to publish a denominational commentary." This denominational mindset is reflected in a number of the articles found in the encyclopedia.

Another fact of which the reader must be aware is the editors' approach to history. They write in the preface, "We determined early that the Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement would not be simply a historical dictionary, but would strive to be an interpretive work reflecting historical consensus among Stone-Campbell scholars."

While I have only had a limited exposure to the 854-page volume, I must say that overall it has been an enjoyable read. As long as one keeps in mind the source of the work, it can be beneficial.