David Lipscomb (January 21, 1831 – November 11, 1917) was a
minister,
editor, and
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
in the American
Restoration Movement and one of the leaders of that movement, which, by 1906, had formalized a division into the
Church of Christ (with which Lipscomb was affiliated) and the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
.
James A. Harding and David Lipscomb founded the Nashville Bible School, now known as
Lipscomb University in honor of the latter.
Personal life
Lipscomb was born to Granville Lipscomb (born January 13, 1802, in
Louisa County, Virginia, died November 16, 1853) and his second wife Ann E. Lipscomb (born January 25, 1799, in
Louisa County, Virginia, died January 29, 1835, in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
) (called "Nancy" in some sources). Granville had previously been married, on December 14, 1825, in
Spotsylvania, Virginia, to the former Ellen Guerner.
Granville and his older brother William Lipscomb were active in the Bean's Creek Baptist Church, where they were listed as the church clerks for 1828–1831 (Granville Lipscomb) and 1844–1876 (William C. Lipscomb). Attempts to convert the Bean's Creek church to Restoration Movement theology were poorly received, and Granville Lipscomb's family was expelled in 1831. David Lipscomb was born in Huntland,
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
.
The Lipscomb family, originally
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
, were said to have converted to Restoration Movement Christianity in the mid-1820s while reading
Alexander Campbell's periodical ''Christian Baptist'', copies of which had been sent to the Lipscomb's family by Ann's sister Elizabeth (born ''ca.'' 1797) and brother-in-law, physician Lunsford Lindsay (born ''ca.'' 1793) of
Todd County, Kentucky, who would later participate in the formation of the
Cadiz Christian Church in 1837.
The Lipscombs were said to be charter members of the Old Salem church, according to
Earl Irvin West's Lipscomb biography, ''The Life and Times of David Lipscomb''.
:The Old Salem congregation began in May 1834 with two male members and two females. Also, five colored people belonged. By Christmas that year the number had grown to thirty-four whites and twelve blacks.
The Lipscomb family moved to Illinois in 1834 for the purpose of freeing their
slaves
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
.
David's mother Ann, along with three of his siblings, died of a fever in 1835 while they were still in Illinois.
David's later belief that racial divisions in the church are inconsistent with Christianity were shaped by this experience.
Lipscomb's father moved the rest of the family back to Tennessee in 1835 or 1836 and he married his third wife, Jane L. Breedan (died September 8, 1885), on April 11 or August 11, 1837. David's half-brother, also named Granville, was born to Jane Breedan Lipscomb. William Lipscomb would help to found
Neely's Bend Church of Christ in April 1872 . Granville Lipscomb Jr. would become a leader in the Lebanon Church of Christ founded in 1879 in
Weakley County, Tennessee.
Lipscomb was married to Margaret Zellner on July 22, 1862. Only one child was born to them. Little Zellner died at the age of 9 months of dehydration while teething. They reared, however, several foster children. David Lipscomb died on November 11, 1917, at the age of 86 years. Funeral services were held in the College Street Church, where he had been an elder for many years.
Tolbert Fanning and Franklin College
Lipscomb, along with his older brother
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, was greatly influenced by
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, church leader
Tolbert Fanning. Lipscomb was baptized by Fanning in 1845. He entered Fanning's Franklin College in 1846, graduating in 1849.
[Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , 854 pages, entry on ''Lipscomb, David''][Reid, D. G., Linder, R. D., Shelley, B. L., & Stout, H. S. (1990). Dictionary of Christianity in America. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Entry on ''Lipscomb, David''] While a student at Franklin, Lipscomb roomed with the father of
Edward Ward Carmack.
Fanning was an enforcer of strict orthodoxy with regard to Restoration
doctrine
Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...
s, seeing anything not specifically authorized by the
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
as unnecessary and hence sinful addition to the "primitive"
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
of the 1st century, which the movement was by definition dedicated to restoring.
''Gospel Advocate''
In this spirit, in 1855, Fanning and William Lipscomb began publishing a
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
aimed at dissemination of this view throughout the Restoration Movement, the ''
Gospel Advocate''. Following the resumption of mail service, which had been interrupted by the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, David Lipscomb revived the ''Gospel Advocate'' in July 1866, with himself and Fanning as editors: Fanning withdrew making Lipscomb the sole editor until he was joined by P. S. Fall, John T. Walsh, Jacob Creath Jr., T. W. Brents, and
Carroll Kendrick in 1867.
Although the ''Advocate'' has always been conservative and Bible based, the "tone and direction" has varied as editors have changed.
When David Lipscomb was the editor, the focus was on seeking unity by following scripture exactly, and the ''Advocates editorial position was to reject anything that is not explicitly allowed by scripture.
When
Foy E. Wallace was editor the ''Advocate'' fought against
dispensational premillennialism.
Editor
B. C. Goodpasture used the ''Advocate'' to oppose the
"non-institutional" view within the Churches of Christ.
Despite these differences in editorial focus, throughout its entire history the ''Advocate'' has consistently sought to promote
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
based on
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
precedents.
Views on war and government
Lipscomb was deeply affected by the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, which prompted him to reevaluate his beliefs concerning the relationship between
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
and
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
.
He shifted from being a strong supporter of American democracy to a more "
Mennonite
Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
-like" view, no longer believing that Christians should participate in war or actively participate in government.
The distinction between the
kingdom of God
The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" ...
and the kingdom of the world became central to his thinking.
Lipscomb expressed these views during the war in the ''
Gospel Advocate'' and after the war in a book titled ''Civil Government''.
Because he actively opposed the participation of Christians in war, he was often viewed as a traitor to the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
and later to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Lipscomb did believe the war had served a positive purpose by
freeing the slaves, although he challenged the
American Christian Missionary Society's support of the war.
The radical libertarian scholar
Edward Stringham has argued that Lipscomb had independently questioned common assumptions such as these:
# Governments need to make laws.
# Governments are created for the public good.
# Democracy is for the common good.
Stringham further describes Lipscomb's beliefs as follows:
# Governments may seek to increase disorder to expand their power.
# People should abstain from voting, instead seeking change through persuasive and non-coercive methods.
# Peaceful civilization is not dependent on the state.
# Governments are created for the benefit of the rulers, not the people.
Nashville Bible School
Lipscomb for a time was a prosperous
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
er in addition to his
religious
Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
activities, at one time operating his own
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
across the
Cumberland River from his farm north of Nashville to the side of the river on which the main part of the city was located. He eventually relocated to an estate south of Nashville. Today, this estate is the campus of
Lipscomb University. The log house in which he lived on his former farm has been dismantled and re-erected adjacent to his later home, which is used by the university for some social occasions.
In 1891, Lipscomb and
James A. Harding founded the Nashville Bible School, the precursor to the current Lipscomb University, which was not named for him until after his death. As Lipscomb was a product of the predominant
Southern culture of the time, this institution was
segregated and was for many years solely for
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
students, necessitating a separate sister institution in North Nashville for
black students, which was not totally dismantled and merged with the larger white school until the 1960s.
Opposition to missionary societies and instrumental music
Lipscomb, along with his mentor
Tolbert Fanning, opposed the newly formed
American Christian Missionary Society.
No disagreement existed over the need for
evangelism, but many believed that missionary societies were not authorized by scripture and would compromise the autonomy of local congregations.
[Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , 854 pages, entry on ''Missionary Societies, Controversy Over'', pp. 534-537] The use of
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
s in worship had been discussed in journal articles as early as 1849, and initial reactions were generally unfavorable.
[Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , 854 pages, entry on ''Instrumental Music''] However, some congregations are known to have been using musical instruments in the 1850s and 1860s.
Both acceptance of instruments and discussion of the issue grew after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
Opponents argued that the New Testament provided no authorization for their use in worship, whereas supporters argued on the basis of expediency and
Christian liberty.
Affluent,
urban congregations were more likely to adopt musical instruments, while poorer and more
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...
congregations tended to see them as "an accommodation to the ways of the world."
Although Lipscomb was slow to come to a decision on the issue, articulating his final position in 1878, he came firmly to oppose the use of
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
s in
worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...
.
One biographer describes Lipscomb as taking "a firm stand against the organization of human societies for the preaching of the gospel, and he as ably contended for the simple worship without the use of instrumental music, as taught in the New Testament."
[H. Leo Boles, ''Biographical Sketches Of Gospel Preachers'' (Gospel Advocate Company: Nashville, TN 1932)p243-247]
A deeper theological concern for Lipscomb was the adoption of German liberal theology by many among the Disciples wing of the Restoration Movement.
He perceived them as taking a direction very incompatible with the principles enunciated by
Thomas and
Alexander Campbell.
As the 19th century progressed, a division gradually developed between those whose primary commitment was to unity, and those whose primary commitment was to the restoration of the primitive church.
[Richard Thomas Hughes and R. L. Roberts, ''The Churches of Christ'', 2nd Edition, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001, , , 345 pages] Those whose primary focus was unity gradually took on "an explicitly
ecumenical agenda" and "sloughed off the restorationist vision."
This group increasingly used the terms "Disciples of Christ" and "Christian Churches" rather than "Churches of Christ."
At the same time, those whose primary focus was restoration of the primitive church increasingly used the term "Churches of Christ" rather than "
Disciples of Christ
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
."
Lipscomb served as a moderate among those with conservative views, to the extent that
Austin McGary described him as liberal, and he was more inclusive than either McGary or
Daniel Sommer.
But in 1906 Lipscomb answered the director of the U.S. religious census for the conservatives when they were asked if the Disciples of Christ were divided, to the effect that they were. In the religious census of 1906 some confusion pervaded the data as some who supported the missionary societies and instrumental music reported themselves as in the Churches of Christ and some who opposed the innovations still considered themselves Disciples of Christ.
Churches of Christ
Thus in 1906, the U.S. Religious Census listed the
Christian Churches and the
Churches of Christ
The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are that of the necessity of baptism for salvation ...
as separate and distinct groups for the first time.
[McAlister, Lester G. and Tucker, William E. (1975), Journey in Faith: A History of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – St. Louis, Chalice Press, ] This, however, was simply the recognition of a division that had been growing for years, with published reports as early as 1883.
The most obvious distinction between the two groups was the rejection of musical instruments in the Churches of Christ. The controversy over musical instruments began in 1860 with the introduction of
organs in some churches. More basic were differences in the underlying approach to Biblical interpretation. For the Churches of Christ, any practices not present in accounts of New Testament worship were not permissible in the church, and they could find no New Testament documentation of the use of instrumental music in worship. For the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ), any practices not expressly forbidden could be considered.
After the division Disciples churches used "Christian Church" as the dominant designation for congregations. The approach to missionary work and the presence or absence of mechanical instruments were the most visible issues, but some deeper, underlying ones were inextricable from those issues. The process that led to the separation had begun prior to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
In sum, for a movement based on Christian unity based on the Bible, one side went in the direction of unity and the other side went in the direction of
Restorationism
Restorationism, also known as Christian primitivism, is a religious perspective according to which the early beliefs and practices of the followers of Jesus were either lost or adulterated after Crucifixion of Jesus, his death and required a "r ...
.
Legacy
According to ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement'', Lipscomb's "greatest contributions came through the Nashville Bible School, the ''
Gospel Advocate'', and his other writings."
The Nashville Bible School is now
Lipscomb University.
The ''Gospel Advocate'' has long been very influential in the Churches of Christ and was, during much of the twentieth century, the most influential journal within the brotherhood, helping to shape consensus views.
[Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , 854 pages, entry on ''Gospel Advocate''][Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, , , 854 pages, entry on ''Churches of Christ''] As the Churches of Christ have no denominational hierarchy, through much of its history the views of the brotherhood have been heavily influenced by its journals and their editors (although an argument can be made that since the 1980s lectureship speakers and university leaders have tended to have more influence than editors).
Bibliography
*''Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian's Relation to It''. 1866–67. Originally published as a series of articles in the
Gospel Advocate from 1866 to 1867, then as a series of articles in the Christian Quarterly from 1888 to 1889, and finally collected in book form by Gospel Advocate Publishing in 1889.
**Reprinted by McQuiddy Printing, Nashville, 1913
Complete e-text in various formatso
**Reprinted by Doulos Christou Press, Indianapolis, 2006, as ''On Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian's Relation to It''.
**Reprinted by Wipf & Stock, Eugene, 2011, as ''On Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian's Relation to It''.
See also
*
Christian pacifism
References
Further reading
*Robert E. Hooper, ''Crying in the Wilderness: A Biography of David Lipscomb'' (Nashville: David Lipscomb College, 1979)
*''To His Excellency the President of the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
'' Open Letter by David Lipscomb, November 13, 1862. Reprinted in the Appendix of the edition of On Civil Government cited above, pages 128-130.
External links
*
Munc.ca David Lipscomb at the Restoration Movement pages at the
Memorial University of Newfoundland.
*The Buford Church of Christ in Georgia, U.S.A., maintains pages about the Restoration Movement, including this on
Therestorationmovement.comabout David Lipscomb.
Gospeladvocate.com this article was adapted from A Call to Remember by Robert E. Hooper, Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1977.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipscomb, David
1831 births
1917 deaths
American Christian pacifists
Lipscomb University
Ministers of the Churches of Christ
Religious leaders from Nashville, Tennessee
People from Franklin County, Tennessee
Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)