Publication Date
Spring 2026
Subject Area
Section 2: America 250
Abstract
This article examines the paradoxical rise of Bible colleges within the Stone Campbell Restoration Movement between the early nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. Founded upon a principled rejection of human institutions, creeds, and ecclesiastical hierarchies, the movement nonetheless came to rely upon organized centers of learning to preserve its theological identity in a rapidly modernizing America. Tracing the movement’s intellectual roots through Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell, the article explores how early Restoration leaders reconciled anti-institutional convictions with an emerging commitment to disciplined biblical education. Particular attention is given to Bethany College and its influence on second-generation leaders, the post Civil War fragmentation of the movement, and the rise of Bible colleges among the Churches of Christ as a response to secularism, higher criticism, and denominational universities. The debates surrounding these institutions especially the opposition articulated by Daniel Sommer and the defenses offered by James A. Harding, David Lipscomb, B. F. Rhodes, and J. N. Armstrong reveal deeper disagreements over authority, expediency, and congregational autonomy. By situating Harding University within this contested tradition, the article argues that Restoration colleges did not represent a departure from founding principles but a strategic re-expression of them. Ultimately, the movement survived by transforming institutionally in order to remain faithful to its original vision of New Testament Christianity.
