Alexander Campbell and Joseph Smith: 19th Century Restorationists

by Roseann Benson

This book takes a balanced look at Campbell's and Smith's efforts to restore primitive Christianity, including what restoration meant to both groups - their beliefs, their interactions with each other, their similarities, their differences, and their unique contributions to Christianity.

396 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2017

Reviews

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the 19th century was a period of religious and cultural ferment as the American nation pushed west into new territory. It was a period of religious experimentation and expansion, with new and often heterodox movements emerging. Many of these movements claimed to be restoring an earlier pure form of religion on the frontier. Among those restorationist traditions, two were led by Joseph Smith and Alexander Campbell. Both spoke of restoring the ancient order of things, but their visions of restoration were quite different. Several attempts have been made to compare and contrast the visions of the two men, the latest being that of RoseAnn Benson, a historian affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and jointly published by BYU Press and Abilene Christian University Press. The book features forewords by Church of Christ scholar Thomas Olbricht and LDS scholar Robert Millet.

This is an intriguing book, that gives insight into both movements, which were emerging at the same time in the same regions of the country. Whereas Campbell pursued a rather narrow rationalist vision of restoration, which sought to stick close to the New Testament, Smith offered a vision that was expansive, going far beyond the New Testament in what I believe are imaginative ways.

Campbell is fairly easy to examine as his vision was fairly consistent and rationalist. He was a cessationist, believing that the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament were for a particular time and place, and not available to the contemporary Christian. All the revelation one needed was to be found in the New Testament, which superseded the Old Testament. Smith, on the other hand, embraced the ongoing presence of the gifts mentioned in Scripture. He believed especially in the ongoing role of prophetic utterance, proclaiming himself a prophet through whom God was revealing new words from God, addressing contemporary issues and concerns, from the mundane to the important. Of course, he introduced new forms of scripture, with the Book of Mormon being of first importance.

For Disciples reading this book, and I think it is worth reading, one will especially find interesting the sections of the book dealing with Sidney Rigdon, one of the leading evangelists among the Disciples in Ohio, and second in effectiveness only to Walter Scott. Rigdon wasn't the first Disciple to convert to Mormonism, but his conversion led a large number of his own converts into Smith's fold. What is key here is that Rigdon found Campbell's vision of restoration too narrow. He wanted to pursue such things as living in community, which Campbell rejected. That left him open to Smith's more communal views, and also laid him open to Smith's embrace of an expansive understanding of spiritual gifts.

Benson has done a nice job of laying out the two visions of restoration, though she seems to be beholden to older historical sources in several cases. She misidentifies a Church of Christ writer for a Disciple. But these are minor. For the most part, I think she gets our side of the story correct. We even learn a bit about Campbell that only an outsider can see.

Concerning Smith, Benson is a devout Mormon, who gives credence to visions that an outsider like me might find incredible. I don't know where Smith got his Book of Mormon, but I don't think it was from a collection of gold plates hidden in a hill in New York state. As to whether he borrowed from Solomon Spaulding or not, no one knows for sure. What we know is that Smith drew to himself a large number of folks on the frontier, not as many as Campbell, but still a large number, which gave birth to one of the fastest-growing and influential religious traditions in the United States and beyond.

Even if you're not part of either of these two religious communities, you will find this intriguing if you're interested in 19th century American religious and cultural life. Thus, I recommend.

[Karisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is no easy task to compare two religious leaders in a very balanced, seemingly unbiased way, but the author achieves a great balance. I learned a ton about the two chief restorationists of the 19th century (Joseph Smith and Alexander Campbell), and how their messages appealed to similar demographics, which of course led to some friction. They had different strengths-- one was very polished and educated, and the other was scrappy and humble, and the Lord worked through both of these men to help spread more truth on earth. This was not an easy read, but it was very edifying and educational.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched comparison between two religious leaders in 19th century America. I thought I knew a lot about Joseph Smith and absolutely nothing about Alexander Campbell, and I learned a great deal about both. This takes a slow, deliberate read to glean all of the info.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fascinating take on the convergence/similarities of two contemporary frontier preachers.