Alexander Campbell (minister)

Alexander Campbell was born 12 September 1788 near Ballymena, in the parish of Broughshane, County Antrim, Ireland. His parents were Thomas Campbell and Jane Corneigle Campbell, who were of Scots descent. Like his father, he was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he was greatly influenced by Scottish Enlightenment philosophy. He was also influenced by the English philosopher John Locke. In 1809 at the age of 21, Alexander emigrated to the United States with his mother and siblings from Scotland, to join his father Thomas, who had emigrated there in 1807. They sailed from Scotland on the Latonia on 3 August 1809 and landed in New York City on 29 September, then traveled overland to Philadelphia. They continued to western Pennsylvania, where the senior Campbell was serving as a minister in Washington County on the frontier. Alexander was ordained by his father's Brush Run Church on 1 January 1812. ==Marriage and personal life==

The year before, Campbell had married Margaret Brown on 12 March 1811. Margaret's father John Brown owned a significant amount of land in the Bethany, Virginia, area (now in West Virginia). ==Public life==

with Historical MarkerFrom 1815 to 1824, Campbell and his father kept the Brush Run Church affiliated with a local Baptist association. After disagreements over some issues, they allied with the Mahoning Baptist Association. Campbell's only formal political service was as a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829–1830, held in Richmond. He met some of the leading politicians of the day and was invited to preach in several churches in the capital city. Campbell visited the United Kingdom in 1847. During the trip he gave public lectures in England and Scotland. He went to Ireland to deliver funds that U.S. Restoration Movement churches had raised for relief in the Great Famine. While at Glasgow, he was challenged by James Robertson to a debate on the subject of slavery, which the American South protected and Campbell defended as moral. As a result of the fierce exchange, Robertson sued Campbell for libel. The American denied the charge, but he was arrested and imprisoned for ten days. Campbell was released when the warrant for his arrest was declared to be illegal. The case was ultimately tried, and the jury decided in his favor. ==Writings and works==

While in his early 20s, Campbell wrote several moral essays under the pseudonym "Clarinda". and published them in a local paper. In 1820, his debate with the Presbyterian John Walker was published, reminding him of the efficacy of writing and publishing. Campbell edited and published two journals. The first was the Christian Baptist, which he edited from 1823 through 1830. The second was The Millennial Harbinger, which he began in 1830 and continued to edit until his death in 1866. He became less active in it during the 1850s. In both, he advocated the reform of Christianity along the lines as it was practiced on the American frontier. He encouraged contributions by writers who thought differently from him, and the journals encouraged a lively dialogue about issues in the reform movement. Campbell expanded his printing operation in 1830 for the Millennial Harbinger. Campbell compiled and published a translation of the New Testament under the title The Living Oracles. Published in 1826, it was based on an 1818 translation by George Campbell, James MacKnight and Philip Doddridge, and included edits and extensive notes by Campbell. His known works include: • The Living Oracles (1826) – Campbell's translation of the New Testament • Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1828) • Prospectus of the Millennial Harbinger (1829) • Delusions: An Analysis of the Book of Mormon (1832) • ''The Christian Preacher's Companion'' (1836) • The Christian System (1839) – summary of Campbell's theology • The Christian Hymnbook (1843) • A Tract for the People of Kentucky (1849) • Christian Baptism—Its Antecedents and Consequents (1851) • The Acts of the Apostles (1858) – Campbell's translation • Memoirs of Elder Thomas Campbell (1861) • Popular Lectures and Addresses (1863) • Familiar Lectures on the Pentateuch (1867) ==Public debates==

For a time, Campbell was wary of public debates. In June 1820, he debated with Rev. John Walker, a Baptist preacher, at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, on baptism, and since then, regularly participated in debates. Some of them gained national and international attention after their transcripts were published. In 1823, he debated with Rev. William L. McCalla, a Presbyterian minister, on infant baptism; in April 1829, with Robert Owen on socialism and Christianity; in January 1837, with Archbishop of Cincinnati, John Baptist Purcell on Protestantism and Roman Catholicism; in September 1843, he defended the Restoration Movement in a debate with Rev. Nathan L. Rice, who represented traditional Presbyterianism. ==Death, legacy, and honors==

Alexander Campbell died at the age of 77 on 4 March 1866 at Bethany, West Virginia. His widow died more than three decades later, on 28 June 1897. • Campbell was instrumental in the Restoration Movement, which resulted in a new direction for American Christians and founding of numerous new, non-denominational churches as well as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). • His house in Bethany, West Virginia, the Alexander Campbell Mansion, was designated as a National Historic Landmark. • The Alexander Campbell Auditorium at Culver–Stockton College is named in his honor. • Campbell is known to have preached at the Slash Church, now on the National Register of Historic Places in rural Hanover County, Virginia and still used by a Disciples of Christ congregation. ==See also==