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Research

My Itinerary

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My Itinerary for my research trip to Ireland and the United Kingdom:

May 7  W        Flight from BNA to Dublin, Ireland

May 8  Th       Visit to Glasite and Stone-Campbell Movement sites in the Dublin Area.

May 9  F          Archival work in Dublin.

May 10 Sat    Travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, via train.  Visit Glasite and Stone-Campbell Movement sites in Belfast area.

May 11 Sun   Travel to Glasgow, Scotland via Ferry. Visit significant sites in Stone-Campbell Movement History in Glasgow, including Alexander Campbell’s home, the University of Glasgow, and Haldanite and Glasite Church sites.

May 12 M       Continue to tour Glasite and Stone-Campbell locations.

May 13 T        Travel to Dundee, Scotland, via train (1h30m).  Archival Research at University of Dundee.

May 14 W       Archival Research at University of Dundee.

May 15 Th      Visit Glasite sites in Dundee.

May 16 F        Archival Research at U of D.  Travel to Edinburgh, Scotland via train.

May 17 Sat    Visit Glasite and Haldanite sites in Edinburgh.

May 18 Sun   Travel to Cardiff, Wales via train.  Visit Sandemanian locations.

May 19 M       Visit Sandemanian locations.  Travel to London, England via train.

May 20 T        Visit Stone-Campbell and Sandemanian locations in the London Area.

May 21 W       Visit Stone-Campbell and Sandemanian locations in the London Area.

May 22 TH     Conduct Archival Research in London.

May 23           London

May 24 Sat    Fly to BNA from London, England.

Categories
Research

Daniel Humphreys Polemical Letter Against Elias Smith

Map of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, around the time Daniel Humphreys lived there.
Map of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, around the time Daniel Humphreys lived there.

Hello All:

My last broadcasted post described a letter I found from Elias Smith of the Christian Connexion to Daniel Humphreys, whom Smith described as “A Sandemanian Teacher.”

I have now obtained and digitized a letter from Humphreys to Smith, which is fascinating.  Humphreys’ polemic against Smith in many ways reminds me of the countless polemics I have read from preachers in the Church of Christ against denominational doctrines.  Whether it is Humphrey’s attacking Smith as being a member of a denomination (I think Smith would disagree), or attacking Smith for being creedal (again, I think Smith would reject this idea), it reads familiar, except, at one crucial point.  One of Humphreys’ main attacks on Smith is over baptism by immersion.  To quote Humphreys:

Your zeal for a favorite point respecting baptism, leads you to pronounce these your opponents, and the common churches around us, antichristian. (4)

Humphreys agrees with Smith’s contention that the other churches are in fact antichristian. But he also feels that Smith and his band of Christians are as well, for “failure to come out of Babylon.”

I had reported incorrectly in my post about Smith’s letter to Humphreys that Humphreys had asked why the two churches could not commune.  This was incorrect, as I noted in an errata in the original post.  This question had been asked of Smith by Congregationalists in New England, and Smith’s answer was baptism.  Humphreys answers the question back to Smith, saying:

By this time you will perceive that I am none of those who put the question, Why cannot you commune with us?–No–we may commune as fellow citizens and neighbors, but present sentiments continuing, religious connexion is quite out of the question.

Smith, however, wouldn’t have been interested in communing with Humphreys anyway, because the Sandemanians practice infant baptism. being the Calvinists in Soteriology that they were.

Humphreys spends much of the balance of the letter comparing the doctrines of the Christian Connexion to that of the Sandemanians, praising Smith where he thought praise was due, and condeming Smith’s understandings where they disagreed.

Near the end of the letter, Humphreys exhibits some pattern theology, another common thread between the Sandemanians and Churches of Christ. Humphreys compares Smith’s “church building” to the pattern of God, and declares it wanting.

You can find the entire letter at the Glasite Digital Archive.

Josh

 

Categories
Research

Tickets are Purchased!

Hello all,

Just a quick update to say that I purchased my plane tickets today.  I am flying from Nashville to Dublin, Ireland on May 7th, and  I am returning to the States via London on May 24th.

I will be posting my full itinerary in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Josh