Thomas Campbell “Declaration and Address” on Display
For Immediate Release
October 1, 2009
Pepperdine University Libraries
Rare Materials Featuring Thomas Campbell’s 1809 “Declaration and Address” on Display in Conjunction with Great Communion Service
Beginning Friday, October 4th, rare materials from the Pepperdine Library featuring the “Declaration and Address” made by American Restoration leader Thomas Campbell in 1809, will be on display in Elkins Auditorium as Pepperdine and the University Church of Christ celebrate the Great Communion: An Invitation to Reflect on Our Calling to Christian Unity and Discipleship. The display will feature several versions of the “Declaration and Address” from 1809, including the second edition, which was edited by Alexander Campbell and included in his Memoirs of Elder Thomas Campbell in 1861.
The Libraries will also share a 1908 zinc-etching reprint of the first edition of the address. This facsimile of the 1809 edition shows handwritten corrections and revisions by Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell. The exhibit will include a centennial edition reprint of the “Declaration and Address” from 1909, which is in a new setting of type, but includes a line-by-line, page-by-page reproduction of the first edition. Lastly, the exhibit will feature a 100 year-old program from the International Centennial Celebration and Conventions of the Disciples of Christ (Christian Churches). The program includes a listing of all the speakers and events, as well as a history of the Restoration Movement and a guide to Pittsburgh. Dean of Libraries Mark Roosa notes that, “We are delighted to share these important and illuminating founding documents with the community during this special time.”
As shared by the University Church of Christ and Seaver College Dean Emeritus David Baird, this fall marks the 200th anniversary of the American Restoration Movement – a vision of unity and simple faith carried by the Stone-Campbell heritage of Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, Disciples of Christ and International Churches of Christ. The Great Communion calls together members of other local churches from the Stone-Campbell Movement for a time of prayer, reflection, thanksgiving, unity and Christian love.
“We will recall our past and look toward our future as we remember our Lord, proclaim our faith, and affirm our baptism into God’s family, said Baird. “This Great Communion service will be one of many across the world…devoted to Campbell’s reminder of what it means to be called a Christian.”
