Notes from Norman

History of the Churches of Christ in Texas (3)

Eckstein, Stephen Daniel, Jr. History of the Churches of Christ in Texas: 1824-1950 Austin, Texas: Firm Foundation Publishing House. 1963. hardcover 378 pages.


The slavery issue probably delayed Texas’ entry into the Union. After winning its independence Texans tried to make their way as a nation known as The Republic of Texas. That period lasted from 1836 to 1845.

The success of the revolution encouraged a large migration from various parts of the United States to the new republic. At first it was generally believed that the new residents of Texas were mostly societal riff-raff with little interest in spiritual matters. Although this misrepresentation was soon dispelled, many church leaders looked disdainfully on the possibility of conducting evangelistic work in Texas. As late as 1846, Tolbert Fanning indicated that he didn’t consider the Texas climate favorable to Christianity. He wasn’t talking about the weather.

Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians soon made their presence felt in the
Republic. At first there were few preachers among the Churches of Christ, but that changed over time.

Those who came to Texas with the goal of sharing the gospel faced many obstacles including

• An unstable political environment.
• Poor communication.
• A non-permanent population.
• Spiritual lethargy.
• Lack of exposure to religious periodicals.
  

While that last obstacle might sound like a blessing to us, the “papers” were the primary means for widespread distribution of religious ideas. They also kept frontier people connected to each other. Church leaders in Texas didn’t have them for two reasons. (1) They were too expensive, and (2) There was no stable mail service. A few reported to the Millennial Harbinger and Christian Messenger, but for the most part Texas church members did not receive journals promoting the Restoration Movement perspective.

Nevertheless evangelism went forward. By the end of the Republic, it was possible to identify 25 evangelists, teachers, and preachers. It had become the fifth largest religious body in Texas.

Eckstein provides some interesting stories about the formation of some of these early church communities. One of the stories involved the establishment of the Antioch church in 1836. The church built a building about four miles from San Augustine. The called it “Antioch” because “the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.” They continued to meet there for the next 75 years.

The period of the Republic laid a foundation for growth that would take place after annexation.

NEXT INSTALLMENT
Church Growth in the Early Statehood Period
1845-1861

posted by Norman @ 5:25 PM