Transcript Great Communion” - The Good Teacher

A Biblical Review and Response
Douglas Foster (ACU Professor) and the Disciples of
Christ Historical Society are calling upon members of
Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and Christian
Churches to celebrate “Great Communion” on October
4, 2009.
Why October 4? This is the date for “World
Communion Sunday,” a day of communion first
established by the Presbyterians in 1939.
Why 2009? This is the bicentennial year of Alexander
Campbell’s famous Declaration and Address (1809).
www.greatcommunion.org
We are calling on churches all around the world
associated with this movement to gather in their own
communities on World Communion Sunday - October
4, 2009, to share in communion using the resources on
this website.
www.greatcommunion.org
2009 is the 200th anniversary of our call for Christian
unity. In his “Declaration and Address” (written in
1809), Thomas Campbell said that the Church in the
whole world is united...it is One. 100 years ago, our
ancestors celebrated Campbell's call for unity with a
Great Communion service. Our dream is that on
Sunday, October 4, 2009, congregations all across the
United States...and all around the world...will meet
together and celebrate Communion and remember
our common heritage.
www.greatcommunion.org
One of the things we immediately remembered was
the gathering in October 1909 in Pittsburgh for a
“Great Communion” to celebrate the centennial of the
movement. That, we believed, was worthy of
imitation.
So, this led to our decision to call upon congregations
everywhere to celebrate World Communion Sunday,
October 4, 2009 in a special way. This, we thought, was
the perfect opportunity to remember Thomas
Campbell and his contribution, as well as live out the
unity that we all hold so dear.
www.greatcommunion.org
By connecting with their joint heritage, congregations
will (we hope) experience the renewal that comes
through a mutually shared faith.
Disciples of Christ Historical Society has established a
Bicentennial Task Force to promote the celebration of
our heritage.
www.greatcommunion.org
The Stone-Campbell movement celebrates several
bicentennials in the first decade of the twenty-first
century, including, the Cane Ridge revival, publication
of ‘The Last Will and Testament,’ and the arrival in
America of both Thomas and Alexander Campbell. The
most important event to be celebrated, however, is
the publication of Thomas Campbell’s ‘Declaration
and Address.’ In this document, he gave form and
shape to Disciples identity. It is from this publication,
more than any other one event, that we became a
distinct religious movement in the history of
Christianity.
www.greatcommunion.org
Today, there are three streams that descend from the
original movements of Barton W. Stone and the
Campbells, father and son. The Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), Churches of Christ, and Christian
Churches/Churches of Christ all trace their lineage to
the same beginnings.
www.greatcommunion.org
Several years ago the Board of Trustees of Disciples of
Christ Historical Society looked toward 2009 and
realized that we did not want to miss the opportunity
to mark the bicentennial of Thomas Campbell’s
“Declaration and Address.” While there are other
events and documents that we have also remembered,
everyone agreed that this 1809 document truly
formed the constitution for our movement.
www.greatcommunion.org
We have established a sixteen-member task force (five
persons from each stream of the Stone-Campbell
movement, plus the Executive Director of World
Convention) for the purpose of promoting a worldwide
celebration of the bicentennial of Thomas Campbell’s
foundational document.
In just a few weeks, congregations of the StoneCampbell movement celebrate the 200th anniversary
of Thomas Campbell's “Declaration and Address.”
www.greatcommunion.org
Its thesis is “the church of Christ upon earth is
essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one.” It is
the clarion call for unity that has been the hallmark of
the Stone-Campbell movement.
Our sincere hope is that congregations of all three
streams will gather together in communities all across
the globe on that special Sunday and share
communion together.
www.greatcommunion.org
Our prayer is that this on this one day, with
communion being shared by Stone-Campbell believers
all around the world, that a true beginning will be
found to complete Christ’s desire for all humanity: May
they all be one
“a call for Christians … to come together … to work and
worship … as one despite the difference they have…
despite having differences we are one in Christ” –
Douglas Foster (ACU Professor)
www.greatcommunion.org
Through the work of the Historical Society, the StoneCampbell Dialogue, and now the Bicentennial Task
Force, we are re-forging ties among all streams and
again pointing to unity in the essential matters of
faith.
“Great communion” is patterned after man, Biblical
communion is patterned after Jesus Christ and the NT
church (Mt. 26; Mk. 14; Lk. 22; Acts 2:42; 20:7)
“Great communion” remembers man, Biblical
communion remembers Jesus Christ (Lk. 22:19;
1 Cor. 11:24-29)
“Great communion” honors the writings of men,
Biblical communion honors the all-sufficient word of
God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3; Jude 3; see proposition
5 and 11 in Campbell’s Declaration and Address)
“Great communion” promotes man-made unity (unity
in diversity), Biblical communion promotes true unity –
“one body” - based upon God’s word (1 Cor. 10:15-17;
Eph. 4:4-7; Jn. 17:20-21; 1 Cor. 1:10)
“Great communion” elevates man instead of Christ. It
is totally man-made and completely without scriptural
authority; thus, sinful.
“Great communion” must be rejected (Rom. 16:17-18;
2 Jn. 9-11)