A fresh, provocative new interpretation of the story of Churches of Christ as they fashioned a new identity in the opening decades of the twentieth century. 

A Wild Democracy begins with the separation from the Disciples of Christ/Christian Church, viewing the division from the perspective of four leaders in Churches of Christ: Daniel Sommer, David Lipscomb, Samuel W. Womack, and T. B. Larimore. 

The long ordeal of separation was followed by several decades of intense identity-forming controversy - a theological free-for-all, a "wild democracy." Everyone could express their convictions and press their case; no one could dictate with any finality a list of required beliefs, though many tried. Schism was inevitable. 

In the midst of this, three main traditions emerged seeking to define the new identity. Many sharp controversies ensued: The two biggest of the first decade were rebaptism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; the most controversial one of the 1920s and 30s was premillennialism. 

By the 1930s, after several decades of steady and intense, often uncivil controversy, something like a doctrinal standard emerged. For a time, it held together a loose and tenuous unity between the three traditions. But by mid-century, a major division was approaching, with others to follow - stories that volumes two and three will tell. 

C. Leonard Allen serves as dean of the College of Bible and Ministry at Lipscomb University in Nashville. He taught theology, ethics, and philosophy for many years at Abilene Christian University, Biola University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and John Brown University. He has spoken widely on college campuses and in churches over the past thirty-five years on biblical, historical, and theological themes. He is the author of numerous books, including The Cruciform Church, Distant Voices, Things Unseen, Poured Out, The Bookroom: Remembrance and Forgiveness - A Memoir, and most recently, Faithful Defiance. 

John Mark Hicks is a professor of theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught for thirty-eight years in schools associated with the Churches of Christ. He has lectured in twenty countries and forty states, and he has published fifteen books, including Around the Bible in 80 Days, Embracing Creation, and A Gathered People.

"In A Wild Democracy, Leonard Allen, John Mark Hicks, and other Restoration Movement scholars skillfully guide the reader through the myriad forces and personalities that underlie the increasingly diverse movement we know as Churches of Christ. To my knowledge no work has spelled out the sharp divides and intramural controversies as well as this volume does. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand where this movement is today." 

—Royce Money, President Emeritus, Abilene Christian University

“A Wild Democracy unearths the heroics, the raw humanity, and the diverse viewpoints of the era’s leaders. By offering a deeper understanding of where we began, the book helps us better comprehend our current state. More importantly, it seasons our future aspirations—guiding us in what to preserve, what to discard, and what to pursue in our continued quest to be the Spirit-led, unified body of Christ.”

—Michael Williams, President, Harding University

“A Wild Democracy provides new insight into the history of Churches of Christ in the twentieth century. Framing that history in terms of three hubs helps us better understand the challenges the group has faced after the separation with the Disciples. I’m looking forward to later volumes that will continue to explore this history.”

—Todd M. Brenneman, Dean, V. P. Black College of Biblical Studies, Faulkner University; author of Homespun Gospel: The Triumph of Sentimentality in Contemporary American Evangelicalism

“A Wild Democracy examines three distinct but overlapping theological strands of thought in churches of Christ in the late 1800s and early 1900s and cogently surveys the victory of the tradition that prioritized human initiative and denied the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The first of three volumes on churches of Christ in the twentieth century, the book leaves the reader eager for the next installment, which will examine the beginnings of a backlash against this dominant theological tradition that, in the words of one contemporary, changed “divine dynamics to human mechanics.”

—Greg Massey, Professor of History, Freed-Hardeman University; author of By the Grace of God: The Story of Freed-Hardeman University

“A Wild Democracy tells the fascinating story of how the Churches of Christ battled for their identity after parting ways with the Christian Churches/Disciples of Christ. This action-packed book introduces readers to the diverse cast of compelling characters who navigated this painful separation and who labored to fortify their embattled heritage well into the twentieth century. This reader is thoroughly hooked and cannot wait to see how the story unfolds in volumes 2 and 3 of this riveting historical trilogy.”

—John Nugent, Great Lakes Christian College; author of Priestly Presence: A Church for the World’s Sake

“Stretching from Daniel Sommer’s 1889 ‘Address and Declaration’ at Sand Creek, Illinois, through Foy E. Wallace Jr.’s ‘What the Church in Nashville Must Do to Be Saved’ sermon fifty years later, A Wild Democracy shows the fellowship finding, losing, and finding its identity again in the years following its separation from Disciples of Christ. This volume serves as an excellent introduction to the people, places, and platforms which shaped Churches of Christ during this tumultuous period, and both this entry and the trilogy as a whole rank among the most impressive collections of scholarship—and scholars—yet assembled in Stone-Campbell Movement historiography.”

—John Young, Professor, Turner School of Theology, Amridge University; author of Visions of Restoration

ISBN: 9781684264933

Pages: 192

Dimensions (inches): 6 x 9 

Weight (pounds): .5