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Friday, July 31, 2026

Abilene weekly Reflector (Abilene, Kan.), February 13, 1902

 Can we prove or disprove this was a Bible Student lecture?



2 comments:

Bernhard said...

If you are reading an exact transcript or local diary entry from February 13, 1902, detailing a lecture on "Christianity vs. Churchianity," it was most likely delivered by one of two figures who frequented the Central Kansas circuit during that exact winter:A Socialist / Labor Reformer: The exact phrase "Plutocratic Churchianity" vs. true Christianity was a massive, highly publicized talking point in Kansas right at this time. In early 1902, the Socialist Party of Kansas was highly active in Abilene, and speakers like Walter Thomas Mills or local organizers routinely rented out local opera halls to lecture on how institutional churches ("churchianity") had abandoned the working-class roots of Jesus.A Restoration Movement / Christian Evangelist Preacher: Preachers associated with the Churches of Christ / Disciples of Christ in Central Kansas routinely used "Christianity vs. Churchianity" as their standard sermon title during this era to argue for a return to New Testament basics rather than human denominations.- This is the answer if Google!

jerome said...

The speech was reviewed in The Reflector. The speaker was a young farmer named A E Martin. He also sang a hymn - by all accounts, not very well.

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