When I began writing this gracEmail, I thought it might interest only subscribers who share my own spiritual heritage in the Churches of Christ ("CoCs"). These are an association of autonomous congregations who, lacking any sort of institutional superstructure, accomplish a great deal of good nonetheless. One of three major tribes who descended from the 19th-century "Restoration Movement" ("RM") led by Barton W. Stone and the Campbells (father and son Thomas and Alexander), the CoCs traditionally tended toward isolationism and sometimes even aloofness. I used to participate in such conduct, … [Read more...]