Barton Warren Stone
Barton Warren Stone entered this world on Thursday, December 24, 1772 in the tiny settlement of Port Tobacco, Maryland. It was one of the earliest trade settlements located on the Potomac River. His family was rooted deep in the soil of the Episcopal Church of England and their faith was greatly tested when Barton’s father died while he was still a toddler. His mother held the family together until he reached the age of 17. At this time, he made the decision as to what he was going to do with the remainder of this life and the profession that he chose was as a lawyer. He entered into the log school which was run by a Presbyterian Minister named David Caldwell which was located at Greensboro, North Carolina. He intended to train as a lawyer and showed no interest in any religious group. But, being around those “preacher boys” in training and hearing his teacher he came to love and appreciate what was being said and he “got religion” as it was then called and he was sprinkled into the American version of the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church. He then began to study Latin, and classic Greek. In later years he also studied Hebrew and the French language. When he was 23, he began to teach in Washington, Georgia in Hope Hull’s Methodist Academy.
The year 1796 saw him return to North Carolina to be ordained as a minister. To accomplish this basically he had to know more about what the Westminster Confession of Faith (the Creed of the Presbyterians) said than a deep knowledge of what the scriptures taught. At his ordination, an old preacher by name of Henry Patillo told Stone and his two fellow inductees that their greatest duty was to uphold the word as taught in the Holy Bible. This, Stone took to heart. Two years later, while being examined for ordination in the church at Lexington, Kentucky, when asked if he would commit himself to the tenets of the Confession of Faith, his response was only as it is in keeping with the word of God. This was accepted by those who were doing the examination. He was ordained and given two congregations to take charge of; Cane Ridge and Concord.
In the years following the Revolutionary War, religion was at an all-time low. The Calvinists expected “an experience of grace” before entering the church. When these experiences were not forthcoming it was widely interpreted that religion had entered a period of spiritual depression.
Revival began in the summer of 1800 in south central Kentucky. During the spring of the following year, Barton W. Stone traveled down to Logan County where a preacher by name of James McGready, another Presbyterian, was preaching a previously unknown doctrine. Instead of the Calvinistic cry for “an experience” he was teaching that people should not wait for that and give themselves to God. Some of his teaching was that “God was not willing that any should perish, but that all come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Stone had been deeply affected by what he saw and heard and returned home to his congregations and taught John 3:16, “that WHOSOEVER believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This ran in complete opposition to the Calvinistic doctrine that some were elected for salvation while others were elected for condemnation, doomed to Hell. Stone began to plan a revival for his area of the country. In August, 1801, estimates of up to 25,000 people gathered on the ridge around where the church building was and prepared for a week of religious training coming from the word of God. It is said that people came from hundreds of miles to attend this training. They came by wagon, horseback and mostly by foot. B.W. Stone recorded the fact that the main purpose in gathering was that salvation was within reach of each and every seeker after truth.
Fast forward to 1804. Stone still held tightly, the commitment to the Scriptures. He and five other ministers’ broke ties with the Presbyterian church and signed a document: The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery. This was a short-to-the-point presentation that from this point forward their complete and total commitment was to what was held in the scriptures and to do Bible things in Bible ways. The creed would be the scriptures only as what was needed to maintain their communion. This was a major statement to the religious folks around them. By signing this document, a major step had been taken, incomes were lost, friends and in many cases, families were alienated. Much sacrifice was made. There was some confusion as to what they were to be called until Rice Haggard suggested the name “Christians” as found in Acts 11:26. Thus, the Christian movement began. They also looked to Romans 16:16 for the name of their church. They were simply known as Churches of Christ, or the Christian Church. Stone and many other members were baptized in Stoner creek in Paris, Kentucky in June of 1807.
One of the greatest ways that he accomplished this defense of the word was by starting a religious journal in 1826. This was called “The Christian Messenger,” and he edited it until his death in 1844. It was through this vehicle that he was able to reach the masses of religious people, and through his common sense, scripture-laced articles brought untold thousands to the truth. A movement formed of people who decided to give up their creeds and embrace the Bible as their only guide.
In 1832, estimates of up to 10,000 Christians existed in Kentucky alone. On January 1st of that year a great union occurred between the Christians and those known as reformed Baptists led by Alexander Campbell. These were also known as Disciples of Christ. They met and each examined the other’s doctrine and they realized that there was very little difference between the two groups. It was decided that union, as called for in the scriptures, could be attained and so they did. This was in accordance with Christ’s call for union in John 17:20,21.
Barton Stone moved to Jacksonville, Illinois in 1834 to continue his work in the “new west” as the mid-west was known at that time. He continued his work as the editor of The Christian Messenger and evangelized as best he could for a period of ten years. He was now aged and often signed his articles “your old brother.”
In the summer of 1843, Stone made a final tour of the places where he had labored in the yesteryear. The most emotional one was at Cane Ridge and Concord. Many tears were shed knowing that this was the last time that they would see him on earth. Stone had a stroke yet still tried to work. He did surprisingly well. His end came in November 1844 while he was at his daughter’s home in Hannibal, Missouri. He passed in great peace. May we all follow in his steps as he had in accordance with Paul the great Apostle.