Distant Voices: Uncovering a Forgotten Past for a Changing Church

Churches of Christ are now in a time when the dominant voices of the twentieth-century tradition are being questioned - gently by some, more sharply by others. In a time of questioning, it helps to hear some of the 'distant voices' - those who once occupied a significant place in the heritage but who have been remembered selectively or not at all. This book is an exercise in remembering. It listens to some of the forgotten voices - voices like Baron Stone, Nancy Cram, Alexander Campbell, Robert Richardson, Benjamin Franklin, David Lipscomb, Burke Hinsdale, Silena Holman, T.B. Larimore, James A. Harding, K.C. Moser, G.C. Brewer and others. These distant voices invite the reader to pull up a chair and listen in on the lively conversations out of which the heritage of Churches of Christ took shape. By listening in one will discover a heritage that is broader, richer and more diverse than previously imagined. In the process one will also catch bright glints of time-tarnished ideals, and find unexpected resources for today.

C. Leonard Allen is the author of numerous books including Things Unseen: Churches of Christ in (and after) the Modern Age; The Cruciform Church: Becoming a Cross-Shaped People in a Secular World; and Participating in God's Life: Two Crossroads for Churches of Christ (with Danny Swick). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa School of Religion, and has taught at Abilene Christian University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Biola University. He lives with his wife Holly in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.