Kirjahaku

This new second edition, refined, updated and revised, contains the story of those 15 years along with revisions in how a humble gathering evolved over two centuries into the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a modern denomination of international stature. The Disciples: A Struggle for Reformation, Revised Edition discusses how Disciples progressed from congregationalism to Covenant, how they survived the tumult of Civil War, how they developed a ministry of missions on a global scale, and how they met the brutal challenge of 21st century COVID.

Many call A. Dale Fiers the most significant figure in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of the twentieth century. Raised in a devout family—his mother was ordained—in Kankakee, Illinois, and West Palm Beach, Florida, Fiers went on to have major impact not only on his denomination but on American Protestantism in general, particularly its approach to such social issues as missionary work and civil rights.Fiers served as executive secretary of the International Convention of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), president of the United Christian Missionary Society, administrative secretary of the Commission on Restructure, and was the first general minister and president of the church.Restructure was the process by which thousands of scattered Disciples congregations became an expression of one Church. This 1960s development towers over the landscape of Disciples history like a great mountain range, and Fiers looms over the era as its central figure.In this biography, commissioned by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, D. Duane Cummins crafts a picture of a remarkable church leader and chronicles the way a significant religious body dealt with the ambivalences of its own existence, how missionary work developed into less paternalistic relationships, how a church struggled between attempts to minister on the local scene and throughout the world.Fiers lived in Florida and remained active in Disciples affairs until his death at age ninety-six in 2003.

D. Duane Cummins describes this book as "an appreciative biography"; Cummins' approach combines the warmth of personal acquaintance with a lucid and well-researched account of Teegarden's life. Kenneth Teegarden was born in Cushing, Oklahoma, in 1921, "a fourth-generation Oklahoman and a sixth-generation Disciple," and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) never lost its importance in his life. Teegarden served as general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for many years. He was a central figure in planning and explaining the new ""design"" of the church through the Commission for Brotherhood Restructure and was ""a powerful and constant advocate of peace with justice,"" working toward the passage of peace resolutions and encouraging racial integration in the battle for civil rights. Kenneth Teegarden was minister in residence at the Brite Divinity School after he resigned as general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and he continued to teach and mentor students, parishioners, friends, and family until his death in 2002.