“Restoring the Restoration”
Well-meaning (and perhaps some not so well-meaning) men have been trying to reform the church since the Apostles left this life. I know that many women were involved, but men’s cultural bias against women has left a void for many years, in all church movements, through the mistreatment of women in the church. There have been sects within the Catholic church that tried to restore the early church and eschewed the growing dominance of added Papal doctrines. The most aggressive attempts at reform of the Catholic church and restoration of the early church began almost the second Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door. Sadly, the numerous divisions between the Catholics and Protestants are not easy to keep up.
The writer examines restoration attempts by such men as George Fox in 1651, John Wesley, and others. This book focuses on these restoration efforts in the American Culture including the Methodists and the Baptists (who became many different sects themselves). The book notes Campbell’s view in the early 1800s in America that all attempts to restore the early church had failed because they tried to reform more than restore. So, the writer spends time on the purest of the restorationists, the “Stone-Campbell” movement. He examines the failures and successes of those movements that are now experiencing significant (30-40%) losses in membership since 1985. The author’s main intent is to reach the point in the book where he can discuss the FIX. If you are interested in having strong worship centers for Christ and enabling Christians to draw on the unlimited power of God for their lives - then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!