Quest for a Christian America: The Disciples of Christ and American Society to 1866

The Disciples of Christ, led by reformers such as Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone, was one of a number of early-19th-century primitivist religious movements seeking to "restore the ancient order of things." The Disciples movement was little more than a loose collection of independent congregations until the middle of the 19th century, but by 1900 three clear groupings of churches had appeared. Today, more than 5 million Americans—members of the modern-day Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), Independent Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ, among others—trace their religious heritage to this "Restoration Movement."

With generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and as part of the National Endowment of the Humanities Open Book program, the Abilene Christian University's ACU Press and Brown Library partnered with the Disciples of Christ Historical Society (DCHS) to digitize 25 important backlist titles relevant to Stone-Campbell tradition, theology, and church history. This open access version is hosted by Atla Open Press in furtherance of the purposes of the grant.