The heritage of the American Restoration Movement on the multifaceted issues of war and peace, both in scholarship and in practice, is both rich and diverse. If we approach contemporary dialogue on these issues responsibly, we do well to deepen our understanding with a careful study of the most influential early Restoration leaders.

February 1, 2006

By Perry Cotham
for the Christian Chronicle

Watts, Craig. Disciple of Peace: Alexander Campbell on Pacifism, Violence and the State. Indianapolis: Doulos Christo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-9744796-8-3; 161 pages; $11.95; (317) 639-1541 or www.douloschristou.com.

The time of global terrorism, the existence of weapons of mass destruction, the experience of “shock and awe” bombing raids and the vast complexity of international issues combine to lead thoughtful citizens — and Christians most of all — to consider their moral responsibility in matters of war, peace and violence.

The issue is as old as political society itself, and since at least the time of Augustine has been the subject of intense analysis, debate and discussion among theologians and church leaders.

The heritage of the American Restoration Movement on the multifaceted issues of war and peace, both in scholarship and in practice, is both rich and diverse. If we approach contemporary dialogue on these issues responsibly, we do well to deepen our understanding with a careful study of the most influential early Restoration leaders.

Herein lies the value of Craig Watts’ Disciple of Peace: Alexander Campbell on Pacifism, Violence and State. Campbell (1788-1866) served clearly as the single most important thinker, speaker and writer in the Restoration Movement that produced the churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ and independent Christian Churches. His position was courageously and clearly stated to a generation of Americans who, much like our own age, believed that participation in wars by Christian citizens, while regrettable and at times tragic, is both civic duty and divinely mandated moral responsibility.

Campbell did not shun this old and explosive issue or equivocate in his use of language while confronting cultural assumptions about war. (Campbell’s Address on War, originally published in the Millennial Harbinger in July 1848, is in the appendix.) The great merit of Watts’ book is its valuable contribution to American church history generally and to Restoration literature specifically. The book is copiously documented and rich in original sources.

Heretofore, Campbell’s ideas have received scant coverage in the American peace movement. “I believe the memory of the church’s pacifist past should not be suppressed but rather be brought to the surface,” declares Watts. “If some choose to reject it for themselves, let them do so without claiming it is not a legitimate part of who we are as churches that grew from the reform movement of which the pacifist Alexander Campbell was at the forefront.” Then Watts, a Restoration scholar and gospel minister who earned his doctorate from Boston University, explains Campbell’s views on a range of issues related to warfare and the political state.

The Campbell that emerges from Watts’ careful analysis of the man and his times is neither isolated nor eccentric in his thinking. In his long career of preaching and teaching, Campbell persistently denounced the practice of war as absolutely incompatible with Christian faith and commitment. Many of the best-known Disciples leaders were also pacifists. Campbell was influenced by a number of peace advocates, especially Thomas Grimke. He contended that examples of warfare in the Old Testament are not relevant to Christians in the contemporary age, and the example and teachings of Jesus, Prince of Peace, establish the radical standard for Christians in the modern age. Campbell’s opposition to war was in part an expression of his strong passion for the unity of the church. He decried Christians who are willing to kill one another in the name of God — suggesting Christians of all nations are members of one kingdom, and war is an attack on the subjects of the one rightful King Jesus Christ. Campbell recognized no difference between defensive and offensive wars or between just and unjust wars. The doctrine of the two kingdoms, cited by Jesus to Pilate (John 18: 36), was sufficient reason for Christians to withdraw from combat on the battlefield. Campbell also offered humanitarian reasons for Christian pacifism.

Watts discusses how Campbell’s views were shaped by both millennial hopes and the experience of the American Civil War. This Restoration leader deeply lamented that many disciples were drawn into the ranks of either the Union or the Confederate cause during Civil War. Campbell lifted his pen, called for peace and sought to dissuade Christians from entering the conflict. According to Watts, Campbell never developed a detailed political ideology or philosophy of government, but was influenced in a cynical direction by his experience as a representative at the Virginia State Constitutional Congress from October 1829 to January 1830. He was ambivalent about Christians’ involvement in political life, though unyielding in opposition to Christian involvement in the military.

Watts discusses Campbell’s thinking on related subjects, too. Campbell was not an extremist on slavery. He wanted an end to slavery, but also valued the unity of both the nation and the church. Readers who enjoy American history will appreciate the author’s discussion of Campbell and the Fugitive Slave Act and Campbell’s views on civil disobedience generally. Students in ethics will appreciate the discussion of Campbell’s arguments in favor of capital punishment. While clearly Watts respects Campbell deeply, he takes this Restoration leader to task for apparent inconsistencies in his moral reasoning on these related issues.

Disciple of Peace is a strong addition to Restoration literature. While one might wonder today what Campbell might have to say about Adolph Hitler or Osama bin Laden and terrorism in general, the book offers a passionate declaration about Christian pacifism. For serious students it contributes a slice of American church history as well as an interesting supplementary reading in Christian ethics.

Perry C. Cotham is a minister for the Owen Chapel Church of Christ in Brentwood, Tenn., and an adjunct professor of Bible at Lipscomb University.