The Church, the Falling Away, and the RestorationShepherd, J. W. (James Walton)
Religion
The Church, the Falling Away, and the Restoration
Shepherd, J. W. (James Walton)
Churches of Christ -- Doctrines; Disciples of Christ -- Controversial literature; Disciples of Christ -- Doctrines
and for the meek and affectionate spirit which gave him such power in
leading people out of sectarianism and uniting them together in the
bonds of love in Christ Jesus.
HERMAN CHRISTIAN DASHER
The parents of Herman Christian Dasher came to this country from
Salzburg, Germany, to escape the persecution of the Roman Catholic
Church, and located near Savannah, Georgia. They were Lutherans and had
Herman christened in infancy and brought up in that faith. When he
arrived at manhood and began to be impressed with the importance of
uniting with a church, and of living the Christian life, he was deeply
perplexed by the existence, and by the proclaiming of so many
contradictory doctrines. Fortunately, instead of becoming an infidel, as
so many do under like circumstances, he turned to the Holy Scriptures
for light. He soon became thoroughly convinced that immersion is
baptism, and that affusion is not, and that therefore he ought to be
immersed.
He could not cast his lot with the Baptists, as he could not tell an
experience of grace which they required, for he had seen no marvelous
light, neither had he heard any marvelous sounds. He was by no means
convinced “that God had for Christ’s sake forgiven his sins,” though he
did not then understand the doctrine of baptism for remission of sins,
as he afterwards did; nor did he think that God demanded any such
experience as a prerequisite to baptism and church membership. But he
desired most earnestly to become a Christian, believing in his heart
that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God, the Savior of
sinners.
This brought before him a new difficulty, for within the whole range of
his acquaintance, there was not one who would immerse him on a simple
confession of his faith in Christ. All demanded that he should profess
to have a miraculous and mysterious work of the Holy Spirit within him,
in taking away his heart of stone and giving him a heart of flesh.
Providentially, about this time, while he was most earnestly engaged in
studying the Bible, he was thrown into the company of a Mrs.
Threadcraft, of Savannah, who informed him that in her city a Mr. S. C.
Dunning, who had formerly been a Baptist preacher, but had recently
seceded from that body, because he did not believe it taught and
practiced as the Word of God required. In this movement he had been
accompanied by eight or ten others. This lady further informed him that
Mr. Dunning preached the Scriptures as he did, and that at his hands he
could obtain baptism upon a simple confession of his faith in Jesus
Christ as the Son of God. This information filled him with such great
joy that he did not delay in making the journey into Savannah to see Mr.
Dunning, who baptized him without further delay. This was during the
year 1819.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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