Renewing God's People: A Concise History of Churches of Christ

From the Preface: 'Did Churches of Christ really begin as a unity movement? Why didn't I know that?'

'You mean we used to be called Disciples of Christ? I thought that was just another denomination.'

'Churches of Christ today believe and practice the same things we have from the beginning, don't we?'

Statements like these by members of Churches of Christ reflect a serious lack of knowledge of our past and an increasing desire by many to know more of their heritage. This desire has led us to believe there is a need for a brief account of the history of Churches of Christ. This book hopes to serve newcomers and even long-time members of the church by giving them insights into our heritage. It also is an introduction to this significant group of churches for those unfamiliar with its place in American Christianity.

Dr. Gary Holloway is Ijams Professor of Bible and the Associate Director of the Center for Spiritual Renewal at Lipscomb University, and preaches at the Natchez Trace Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He holds degrees from Harding University, the University of Texas, and Emory University, and has recently co-authored Living God's Love: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality (Leafwood Publishers) and Matthew: Jesus is King (Leafwood Publishers). He is married to Deb Rogers Holloway, who teaches theatre at Lipscomb University. Dr. Doug Foster is an Associate Professor of Church History in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. In addition to teaching, he is also the Director of the Center for Restoration Studies at the University. Dr. Foster's scholarly work has concentrated on the place of the Stone-Campbell Movement in American Christianity and the nature of the idea of Christian unity. His book Will the Cycle Be Unbroken? Churches of Christ Face the 21st Century analyzes the current and future shape of Churches of Christ. He serves as one of three General Editors of the forthcoming Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement.