This lengthy book is an excellent source for persons interested in learning about the churches of Christ stream of the Stone-Campbell religious tradition as it developed and splintered in America during the 20th century. Readers will learn of issues and personalities that caused the churches of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples) to separate; then to factionalize more within itself. The author writes from the perspective of the “noninstitutional” faction within the churches of Christ.

The book also is a biography of Homer Hailey (1903-2000), a gospel preacher and teacher who was aligned with the noninstitutional faction for many years.

The book contains eight chapters, organized into three parts:

Part I: Homer Hailey and the Churches of Christ: Origins

Chapter 1. Homer Hailey and the Churches of Christ: An Institutional History and a Personal Saga

Part II: The Mainstream Church of Christ: 1920-1999

Chapter 2. The Churches of Christ, 1920-1950: A Heritage of Controversy
Chapter 3. Consummating the Institutional Division
Chapter 4. The Mainstream Becomes a Divided Stream

Part III: Homer Hailey and the Noninstitutinal Churches of Christ: 1925-1999

Chapter 5. Texas Preacher and Professor
Chapter 6. Hailey in the Eye of the Storm: The Florida Years
Chapter 7. Arizona Retirement, Reluctant Notoriety: 1973-1999
Chapter 8: Homer Hailey: Persona and Legacy

A number of photos are included in the book. The author provides numerous notes by way of documentation. A helpful index is included.

I am happy to have read the book and have it in my library. It is available on the new and used book markets. ( )

A masterful and magisterial investigation into the history of churches of Christ in the twentieth century, using the life of Homer Hailey as the vehicle for the analysis.

The first section introduces the life of Hailey and the early part of the century for churches of Christ; the middle section focuses mostly on the disputes in the church over pre-millennialism and much discussion over the division over the institutional matters in the middle of the century. Harrell then spends some time going through the developments within the "mainstream" churches through the rest of the century.

The rest of the book traces a thread of the history of the non-institutional churches of Christ throughout the rest of the century by focusing mostly on Homer Hailey and his interaction with FCC and his work in retirement afterward.

The material that the book covers is mostly excellent; the author sympathizes with the non-institutional position, but he fairly handles the history of the "mainstream" churches. The clearest bias is evident when the author discusses his own role in the story relative to association with those who teach divergent doctrines on marriage, divorce, and remarriage: the author's position and plea, seen at times throughout the book, is that there has been a wide variance in interpretation of marriage, divorce, and remarriage issues in the history of the Restoration movement, and questions of association should be handled on a local level. Harrell does speak of the opposition to this viewpoint, but the discussion is very clearly tilted toward his view.

It would have been nice to have seen a more comprehensive history of the non-institutional churches in the latter half of the century akin to what existed for the "mainstream" churches, but apparently that must wait for another time or another author.

Nevertheless, a must read in order to understand the history of churches of Christ in the twentieth century. ( )