THE body that assumes the title of Christians is of purely American origin. They are more generally called in the United States Christ-ians, the i in the first syllable being pronounced long, though this pronunciation, I need hardly say, is rejected by themselves.

      Dating their rise from about the year 1803, they appeared, it seems, in New England, Ohio, and Kentucky, some say also in the south, nearly about the same time. They boast of having no founder--no Luther or Calvin, no Whitfield or Wesley--that can claim any special influence among them. They are the largest no-creed sect in America, and had their origin in the dissatisfaction that existed in some minds with what they called the "bondage of creeds," and still more, with the bondage of discipline that prevails, as they insist, in all other churches. This may be easily accounted for. Many of the most active promoters of the new sect had been excluded from other communions because of their denial of some important doctrine, or their refusal to submit to discipline and government.

      The Christ-ians, according to some of their leading authorities, had a threefold origin. The first members of their societies, or churches, in Now England, were originally members of the Regular Baptist connection; in the west they had been Presbyterians, and in the south Methodists. Their churches have all along been constituted on the following principles: "The scriptures are taken to be the only rule of faith and practice, each individual being at liberty to determine for himself, in relation to these matters, what they enjoin: no member is subject to the loss of church fellowship on account of his sincere and conscientious belief, so long as he manifestly lives a pious and devout life, no member is subject to discipline and church [637] censure but for disorderly and immoral conduct: the name Christian to be adopted, to be exclusive of all sectarian names, as the most appropriate designation of the body and its members: the only condition or test of admission, as a member of a church, is a personal profession of the Christian religion, accompanied with satisfactory evidence of sincerity and piety, and a determination to live according to the divine rule or the gospel of Christ: each church is considered an independent body, possessing exclusive authority to regulate and govern its own affairs." ¹

      Although their founders continued to cleave more or less closely to some, at least, of the peculiarities of the various bodies in which they had been brought up, a process of assimilation to each other has been gradually going on, and has at length brought them to a considerable degree of uniformity on most points of doctrine. Trinitarians for the most part at the outset, they have now almost unanimously rejected the doctrine of the Trinity as unscriptural, and although they refuse to be tied down to a creed, the following may be considered as a fair outline of the doctrines that prevail among them: "There is one living and true God, the Father almighty, who is unoriginated, independent, and eternal, the Creator and Supporter of all worlds; and that this God is one spiritual intelligence, one infinite mind, ever the same, never varying: that this God is the moral Governor of the world, the absolute source of all the blessings of nature, providence, and grace, in whose infinite wisdom, goodness, mercy, benevolence, and love, have originated all his moral dispensations to man: that all men sin and come short of the glory of God, consequently fall under the curse of the law: that Christ is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and Saviour of the world, the Mediator between God and man, by whom God has revealed his will to mankind; by whose sufferings, death, and resurrection, a way has been provided, by which sinners may obtain salvation--may lay hold on eternal life; that he is appointed of God to raise the dead, and judge the world at the last day: that the Holy Spirit is the power and energy of God,--that holy influence of God by whose agency, [638] in the use of means, the wicked are regenerated, converted, and recovered to a virtuous and holy life, sanctified and made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light; and that, by the same Spirit, the saints, in the use of means, are comforted, strengthened, and led in the path of duty: the free forgiveness of sins, flowing from the rich mercy of God, through the labours, sufferings, and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ: the necessity of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ: the absolute necessity of holiness of heart and rectitude of life to enjoy the favour and approbation of God: the doctrine of a future state of immortality: the doctrine of a righteous retribution, in which God will render to every man according to the deeds done in the body: the baptism of believers by immersion: and the open communion at the Lord's table of Christians of every denomination having a good standing in their respective churches." ²

      Although each church is wholly independent of all others in the management of its affairs, yet for the promotion of their mutual prosperity, they have associations called "State conferences," composed of delegates from the clergy and the churches, but with only advisory powers. In 1833, in twenty States, there were thirty-two State conferences, embracing, it was estimated, 700 ministers, 1000 churches, and 75,000 members. Their ministers are now estimated at 800, their churches at upwards of 1000, and their members at 150,000, which last is probably much too high. On the other hand, the population supposed to be under their influence, and estimated at 300,000, is manifestly too low a reckoning, though many of their congregations are small, particularly in the west.

      Generally speaking, their ministers are men of little education, but a laudable desire for improvement in this respect has been showing itself. The State of Indiana granted them a charter some years ago for a college at New Albany, but whether it has taken effect I know not. They have no theological seminaries. For some years past they have had a religious journal called "The Gospel Palladium," published in the State of New York, and it has a considerable circulation. They have a book [639] association also. Upon the whole, much inferior as the Christians are to the Unitarians in point of wealth, the size of any of their churches, the learning and eloquence of their ministers, and the rank and respectability of their members, yet being far more numerous, and having doctrines of quite as elevated a character, their influence upon the masses, whilst kindred in nature, is perhaps greater in extent.

      Robert Baird's "The Christ-ian Connection" appears in Religion in the United States of America (Glasgow and Edinburgh: Blackie and Son, 1844), pp. 673-640. The electronic version of the article has been produced from a copy of the book held by St. Vincent College Library.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Footnotes have been treated as sequentially numbered endnotes. One emendation is offered.

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
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 p. 637:    life. no [ life, no
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
373 Wilson Street
Derry, PA 15627-9770
724.694.8602
stefanik@westol.com

Created 12 December 1998.