Pearl Howard Welshimer (1873–1957)

The first two sentences of the book state the purpose of the author: "It is the purpose of this work to set forth the facts about the 'Restoration Movement.' This movement is commonly known under such names as 'Christian Church,' 'Church of Christ,' or 'Disciples of Christ.'"

The book is a high-level telling of the Restoration Movement in America and consists of thirty-six short (usually two to three pages) chapters. No footnotes are to be found. It seems to be written to be used in a Sunday-school setting.

Keeping in mind that the book was written in 1935, I believe the author was successful in doing what he set out to do, as after reading it, one should be able to describe the who, what, where, when, and why of the Restoration Movement -- at least at a superficial level. Many other books were (and are) available for a scholarly or academic study of the Restoration Movement.

At the time he wrote this book, P. H. Welshimer had been the minister of First Christian Church in Canton, Ohio, for over thirty years. He served the church for 56 years, and when he retired, the church had over 6000 members and boasted the largest Sunday-school class in the nation.

The book has no bibliography or index. It may be purchased on the used book market. I am glad to have it in my library.… (meer)

This is a 20 page tract about 3" x 5.75" in size. P. H. Welshimer originally wrote it about 1901 while serving as minister of the Christian Church in Millersburg, Ohio. He later used it throughout his long pastorate at the First Christian Church, Canton, Ohio. According to his biographer, Francis M. Arant, he worked on creating it for about two hours on a Sunday evening and took it to the printer the next day (see P. H. -- the Welshimer Story, p. 28).

The tract continues to be published by Standard Publishing Company. Thousands upon thousands have been circulated by members of independent Christian Church/Church of Christ congregations.

Arant describes it this way: "The simple story of New Testament Christianity is told, baptism explained, a chart of the church included, and a testimony by James A. Garfield forms the conclusion."

I'm not sure of the actual date of publication of the copy I have, but am estimating it to be about 1965.

Because of its popularity, the tract is an important component among historical documents produced by persons having a Stone-Campbell religious heritage.… (meer)