In 1809 a gentleman named Thomas Campbell was involved in writing a document promoting Christian unity. The name of that document was the Declaration and Address (D&A). Campbell had migrated from Ireland to the United States of America. Although he came from a Presbyterian Church background, Campbell dreamed of the disappearance of sectarian division and sought for all Christians to be united as one in JESUS Christ.

The Declaration and Address promoted Christian unity by encouraging all Christians to simply teach and practice Christianity as it is described in the pages of the New Testament. The D&A was based on the theory that Bible believing Christians should agree that whatever GOD approved for Christians to teach and practice in the first-century is correct and cannot be wrong. This theory further assumes that most Bible believing Christians will agree that everything essential for salvation and for church practice can be found in the pages of the New Testament. If Christians can agree on these premises we have a basis for arriving at church unity.

Based on the prior noted premises or assumptions, the D&A proclaimed that all post-first-century Christians can unite in Christ by following as closely as possible to what is described in the pages of the New Testament. Church history tells us that Christians have frequently argued about, and divided over, things brought into the church by human invention. By removing man-made innovations not found in the New Testament we reduce the number of obstacles that divide us. By limiting ourselves to a finite set of divinely approved beliefs and practices we can unite. Although the D&A did not give a name to this unity plan, I believe it can best be described as unity in simplicity.

As a Bible believing Christian, I seek to promote the unity that JESUS my Savior prayed for in John 17. I also believe that Thomas Campbell’s 1809 D&A correctly works for answering the prayer of John 17. The D&A is filled with wise and scriptural discernment (Hebrews 5:14) about the good of church unity and the evil of a divided church. In the past GOD used that scriptural discernment to unite many Christians. GOD can still work today in answering the prayer of John 17 if we learn to accept the divinely led wisdom found in unity in simplicity.

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by Kenneth J Wells
Author and Christian from Richmond Virginia