Restoration Theory Part 1
Steve Rudd, founder of The Interactive Bible, writes, “The present roman catholic church organization in Rome is Christ's one true church established in 30 A.D. (Rudd, n.d.).” This is true. The Catholic Church we see today is the same as the one 2,000 years ago. Just as much as you and I are the same people we were as babies. The question is, is it the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of Christ that is the true church from the 1st century? To have full understanding, and to be fair, we need to represent the major theories held in the Church of Christ about its founding.
As someone raised in the Church of Christ, my early education taught that the Church of Christ started in AD 33 and has always been throughout history. Since then, I’ve learned more positions. There’s no formal name, but I name the four theories as Remnant, Seed, Believer, and Restoration.
Remnant Theory teaches the Church of Christ was founded in AD 33 and has always existed in history. Keith Sisman, author of Traces of the Kingdom, supports this view by observing church practices in 17th-century England and connecting them to Churches of Christ.
Seed Theory teaches the Church of Christ was founded in AD 33, but died out from time to time throughout the ages. Stan Cox, minister of the West Side Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas supports this view. He writes the Catholic Church diverged from pure Christianity and is no longer the plant God intended. Christians, who read the Bible and apply the pure principles, will develop a Church of Christ (Cox, 2014).
Restoration Theory states the Church of Christ developed from a preceding work of Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone. These two men in the 1800s created a restoration movement to encourage people to call themselves Christians only. This was in response to an age of many denominations and a call of return to simple Christianity (Salisbury, n.d.).
In my next post, I’ll explain why I rejected these theories and answer why I believe it is the Catholic Church, not the Church of Christ, that is the one true church of the 1st century.
References
Cox, S. (2014). The Seed Principle. Sound Teaching. https://soundteaching.org/2014/06/19/the-seed-principle/
Rudd, S. (n.d.). Definition of a Roman Catholic. The Interactive Bible. https://www.bible.ca/catholic-start.htm
Salisbury. (n.d.). The Restoration Movement. Salisbury Christian Church. https://www.salisburychristianchurch.org/about-us/the-restoration-movement/