n it was peculiarly fortunate that in January 1832 at Lexington,
Kentucky, the followers of the Campbells and those of Stone (who had
stressed union more than primitive Christianity) united. Campbell
objected to the name "Christians" as sectarianized by Stone, but
"Disciples" never drove out of use the name "Christians."

During the Civil War the denomination escaped an actual scission by
following the neutral views of Campbell, who opposed slavery, war and
abolition. In 1849 the American Christian Missionary Society was formed;
it was immediately attacked as a "human innovation," unwarranted by the
New Testament, by literalists led in later years by Benjamin Franklin
(secretary of the missionary society in 1857), who opposed all church
music also. Isaac Errett (1820-1888) was the most prominent leader of
the progressive party, which was considered corrupt and worldly by the
literalists, many of whom, in spite of his efforts, broke off from the
main body, especially in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and
Texas.

The main body appointed in 1890 a standing committee on Christian union;
their aim in this respect is not for absorption, as was clearly shown by
their answer in 1887 to overtures from the Protestant Episcopal Church
regarding Christian unity. The credal position of the Disciples is
simple: great stress is put upon the phrase "the Christ, the Son of the
living God," and upon the recognition by Jesus of this confession as the
foundation of His church; as to baptism, agreement with Baptists is only
as to the mode, immersion; this is considered "the primitive confession
of Christ and a gracious token of salvation," and as being "for the
remission of sins"; the Disciples generally deny the authority over
Christians of the Old Covenant, and Alexander Campbell in particular
held this view so forcibly that he was accused by Baptists of "throwing
away the Old Testament." The Lord's Supper is celebrated every Sunday,
the bread being broken by the communicants. The Disciples are not
Unitarian in fact or tendency, but they urge the use of simple New
Testament phraseology as to the Godhead. Their church government is
congregational.

The growth of the denomination has been greatest in the states along
the Ohio river, whence they have spread throughout the Union. In 1908
there were 6673 ministers and 1,285,123 communicants in the United
States. There are churches in Canada, in Great Britain and in
Austral