The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-04-24
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.


by Rev. S. l.. Baugher. Ncedmore.
Webster says "Origin denotes
the commencement of thing. :"
With this simple definition, l am
to write of the organization known
as the Christian Church.
A thing may exist before it has
definite form, as, for instance, for
time after the creation of the
earth, it was without form and
void. Its origin dates far back of
the time when God called the dry
land earth, and gave the great
plastic mass shape, character,
and occupants.
The Christians, as a separate
and distinct organization, came
into existence near the close of
the eighteenth century. Nearly
all the first members were Vir-
ginians and North Carolinians.
The leading spirit in the organic
alton was Rev. James O'Kelly, an
able and eloquent minister of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr.. O'Kelly, and those who acted
with him, became dissatisfied
with the form of government
adopted by the Methodist Epis-
copal Church at its first General
Conference in this country, and
failing in his efforts to overthrow
those measures, which he and his
brethren considered arbitrary
and antirepublican, he decided
to withdraw from the Methodists
and continue his work indepen-
dent of them. This he did at the
Conference held in the city of Bal.
timore, 1892, and was followed by
about thirty sother ministers
After one or two preliminary
meetings they met in Conference
in 1893 and adopted substantially
the principles now held by the
Christians.
Atthis meeting they decided to
call themselves Republican Meth
odists. But, In 1896, they again
met in general conference in Sur
ry county, Va, and decided, at
the suggestion of Rev. Rice Hag-
gard, one of their number, to dis
card all names except the one
which would fully express their
relation to Christ the head of the
church, one by which the disci-
pies were first called, at Antioch
CHRISTIANS. (see Acts. II; 26.)
Those who entered into this
new organization, in 1894, num-
bered about one thousand, and
many more united with them the
next year. The ministers were
generally distinguished for their
piety and zeal, and the lay mem
bers for their hospitality and love
of freedom. A few years later
another form of religious intoler-
ance beset the Baptists of New
England. The restless masses
could not be kept in subsection to
a repugnant doctrine, no more
than to an autocratic bishop.
Sectarian names, human creeds,
and close communion split the
Baptists of New England, and
Abner Jones set out as their lead
er to find the way into a freer and
sweeter atmosphere for the relig-
ious life of himself and his people.
Strangely, should / not rather
say, providentially, Jones found
his way along the same spiritual
highway in which James O'Kelly
and his associates were travelling,
and they came together as breth-
rem in Christ.
Yet a little later another up
heaval in religious thought took
place in Kentucky and Tennessea
and extending into some of the
farther Western states. This
time it was among the Presbyter-
ians, and Rev. Barton w. Stone
led the advance guard of the peo-
pile against the encroachments of
creeds and dogmas, which so dis
turbed their experience and place.
Stone caught up the banner and
led the march TO liberty. He and
his associates came upon the
camping ground with Revs. 0 'Kel-