RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Christian Socialism Christians
about 250 ministers, 300 churches, and 20,000 members, of whom more than two-thirds are in Ohio and Missouri, with churches also in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Two or three schools have been established, but have failed to receive adequate support, and at present there are no denominational schools or colleges. The Christian Union Messenger (Greencastle, Ind.) and the Witness Herald (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) are papers published byclergymen of the Union. H. J. Duckworth.
CHRISTIANI, ARNOLD: German theologian; b. at Johannenhof Dec. 14, 1807; d. at Riga Mar. 16, 1886. In 1838 he became pastor of Ringen; in 1849 dean of the district of Werro; in 1852 professor of practical theology at Dorpat and preacher to the university. From 1865 to 1882, when he retired, he was general superintendent of Livonia. Besides a volume of sermons (Dorpat, 1852), he published three books on the Apocalypse (Riga, 1861-75), in which he followed the Erlangen school.
(A. Hauck.)
CHRISTIANS: As a denominational designation, a name given to two religious bodies of America.
1. A Church dating from the early part of the .nineteenth century, also known as the Disciples of
Christ (q.v.).
2. A denomination sometimes called the Christian Connection for purposes of identification — a phrase which they admit usually refers to them. The name which they use themselves was formerly sometimes incorrectly pronounced Christ-ians. The denomination resulted from three independent movements, two of which partook of the nature of secession. In 1793, in North Carolina and Virginia, twenty or thirty ministers, influenced chiefly by Rev. James O'Kelly (q.v.), withdrew from the Methodist Episcopal Church on account of objections to the government of bishops and the use of creeds and disciplines. They were followed by
about 1,000 members. At first they Origin, were called Republican Methodists;
but in 1794 on motion of Rev. Rice Haggard the name Christian was unanimously adopted, and since that time they have accepted no other name. The second movement was in Vermont, in 1800, among the Baptists, Abner Jones, a physician, and Rev. Elias Smith being prominent in it. The third movement, in 1800 and 1801, was in Kentucky chiefly, among the Presbyterians; prominent here were David Purviance, John Thomson, Robert Marshall, John Dunlavy, William Kinkade, Richard McNemar, Nathan Worley, and Barton W. Stone (q.v.). The three movements were severally unknown to each other until a number of years had passed, when they came together without negotiation or formal organic action.
They all accepted the Bible as the only creed. Christian as the only name, and Christian character as the only test of fellowship. Generally they baptize by immersion, but some ministers sprinkle. They are universally open communionists, as their test of fellowship compels. Sometimes
they are called trinitarian, and sometimes antitrinitarian; but almost universally they hold to the divinity of Christ. They themselves refuse to pronounce on these dogmas, which are disputed among Christian people. They are congregational in government; but there seems to have been no pressure on this point organically since the O'Kelly movement in the South. They have annual district conferences and quadrennial general conventions.
In 1854, at the general convention at Cincinnati, resolutions were passed condemning human slavery. The Southern brethren of the denomination withdrew, and perfected a separate organization.
The division lasted till long after the History. Civil War; but at the convention at Haverhill, Mass., in 1894, under uncontested ruling of a brother temporarily called to the chair by the president, that the Southern brethren " only called themselves Christians, took the Bible for their only creed, and granted full fellowship to all Christians, and therefore were entitled to membership in the convention on the same basis of representation as others," they took their seats in the convention and have been working with the general body ever since, greatly increasing its organic effectiveness.
The question of the " union " of denominations has several times proved injurious to the Christians. A third of a century after their rise. Barton W. Stone, one of their prominent ministers, made a " union " with Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Disciples of Christ (q.v.), which really proved a surrender by Stone. Somewhat more than fifty churches were in this way lost to the Christians. This element in the Disciple denomination clung to the name " Christian "; so that there has been some confusion, many supposing that the Disciples are the original body. But the Disciples differ from the Christians in giving fellowship exclusively to the immersed; while the Christians make Christian character their only test of fellowship or membership. In 1885 and 1886 there was agitation for union with the Free Baptists, whose genius is more like that of the Christians; and in some sections it was actually voted and supposed to be effected. But the churches did not follow the leaders, and the movement was abandoned. From 1893 to 1898 organic union with the Congregationalists was talked of, making some denominational friction, which led to the cessation of the agitation.
The membership of the Christians is almost wholly in the United States and Canada, numbering about 120,000. Former estimates were too large. They have few churches west of Kansas, or south of North Carolina. The following institutions of learning belong to them or are affiliated with them: Union Christian College,
Numbers at Merom, Ind.; Christian Biblical and Educa- Institute (a theological seminary), at
tionalln- Stanfordville, N. Y.; Elon College, at
stitutions. Elon College, N. C; Starkey Seminary, at Lakemont, N. Y.; Defiance College, at Defiance, O.; Palmer College, at Le Grand, la.; Kansas Christrian College, at Lincoln,
Chris* ians Cliiisxmas