The Cane Ridge Revival and Stone-Campbell Phenomena

This year church historians celebrated the 225^th anniversary of the Cane Ridge Revival. The event stands as a watershed moment in the annals America as the revival became a powerful expression of the Second Great Awakening. Held near Paris, Kentucky, and hosted by Barton W. Stone’s Presbyterian Church in Bourbon County, the outdoor worship service drew an astonishing 12,000 to 30,000 people.[1] The fervent emotional displays, ecumenical cooperation, and emphasis on personal conversion impacted its participants and laid the groundwork for new religious movements. Among those significantly influenced by this event were Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, two figures whose commitment to Christian unity would lead to the formation of the Stone-Campbell Movement.

Convened in August of 1801, the Cane Ridge Revival quickly transformed into a multi-day, interdenominational gathering with Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist pastors preaching to a vast multitude. The occasion became legendary for its physical manifestations, referred to as “bodily exercises.” Participants experienced swooning, barking, crying, trembling, and convulsive twitching, believed by many as manifestations of the Holy Spirit.[2] The highly emotional expressions of faith distinguished Cane Ridge from more formal religious gatherings.

The impact was widespread. It ignited a wave of religious enthusiasm that spread throughout Kentucky and beyond, leading to the establishment of numerous new churches. The revival contributed to a significant shift in religious emphasis, moving from rigid sectarian theological doctrines toward a personal experience with God. The shift was evident in changing worship styles, with many embracing passionate and spontaneous expressions of faith in contrast to the organized churches of the era. Cane Ridge is often considered the climax of the Second Great Awakening,[3] popularizing the camp meeting format that became a hallmark of evangelical denominations.

Barton W. Stone and the Christians

Barton W. Stone (1772–1844) was a Presbyterian minister at the Cane Ridge Church and central figure in the revival. Stone’s theological leanings were more Arminian than Calvinist. Prior to Cane Ridge, Stone had struggled with the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination, particularly how to reconcile God’s love for sinners with the idea that God chose to give faith to some but not others.

Stone’s theology and ministry increasingly emphasized Christian unity. He became dissatisfied with divisions between churches and what he regarded as excessive dependence on inherited confessions and denominational systems. In 1804, after separating from the Presbyterian structure, he participated in The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery.[4] The document called for the dissolution of that presbytery and urged believers to identify simply as “Christians.” Stone’s movement became known as the Christian Movement or Christian Connection.

For Stone, Cane Ridge was a powerful demonstration of God’s active involvement in the lives of individuals, offering salvation to all who would believe. The revival’s emphasis on personal conversion and expressive demonstrations resonated deeply with his spiritual journey and desire for an experiential faith. Eventually, the revival underscored Stone’s ardent desire for Christian unity and a return to what he believed were the New Testament foundations of the church­­—freedom from man-made creeds and denominational divisions. His movement became known as the “Christians.”

Alexander Campbell’s View of Cane Ridge

Alexander Campbell (1788–1866), a prominent leader in the Restoration Movement had critical views of camp meetings, including Cane Ridge. Campbell was an immigrant and former Presbyterian minister who joined his father Thomas Campbell in a reform effort emphasizing a return to scripture and the rejection of partisan creeds. Alexander was taught under the philosophy of John Locke and desired reason to determine his intellectual beliefs.[5] Yet, his “common man”[6] approach and emphasis on rational understanding often put him at odds with the emotional and physical manifestations that characterized events like Cane Ridge.

We know that Campbell did not attend the Cane Ridge Revival because in 1801 he was in Scotland and would not arrive in America until 1809. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to portray him as an eyewitness or organizer of the event. Nevertheless, Cane Ridge profoundly shaped the religious landscape into which Campbell entered, and he later joined forces with Stone.

In 1832, the Stone and Campbell associations formally united, creating what became recognized as the Stone-Campbell or Restoration Movement.[7] Out of this heritage originated several ecclesiastical bodies, including the Churches of Christ, the Independent Christian Churches and the Disciples of Christ.

Stone and Campbell on Christian Unity

While Campbell’s movement shared Stone’s desire for Christian unity and a return to New Testament Christianity, his approach was intellectually inclined, emphasizing that Christian ministers should be educated. Thus, in 1818 he created “Buffalo Seminary”[8] in present-day Bethany, West Virginia.[9] Later, he founded Bethany College in 1840, an institution of higher learning that reflected his commitment to intellectual rigor in faith. Campbell’s reservations about the emotional excesses of revivals stemmed from his belief in a rational and ordered approach to faith, emphasizing clear perceptions of the gospel rather than subjective experiences. He noted that revivals were often followed by a falling away, suggesting that the intense emotional highs were frequently succeeded by periods of spiritual coldness.

Despite their contrasting views on the Cane Ridge Revival, Stone and Campbell’s independent movements merged. Stone’s eagerness for this union was decisive in its achievement, although leadership largely fell to the younger Campbell. This merger did not erase the distinct influences of both men as the movement exhibited a mixed history in its teachings on the Spirit,[10] reflecting both Stone’s embrace of revivalistic fervor and Campbell’s cerebral theological framework.

Millennialism and the Nineteenth Century

The Cane Ridge revival occurred during a period of intense millennial expectation. In broad terms, millennialism refers to beliefs concerning Christ’s reign and the future fulfillment of God’s kingdom, especially in relation to Revelation 20.[11] Many nineteenth-century American Protestants held some form of postmillennial hope. They expected the gospel to spread widely, a societal transformation, and long era of peace to precede Christ’s return.

This optimism fueled revivalism, missions, Bible distribution, temperance movements, educational efforts, and reform campaigns. If the world was moving toward a great triumph of Christianity, then evangelism and church reform seemed urgent. Revival was not viewed merely as the rescue of individual sinners; it could be seen as evidence that God was advancing the kingdom in history.

Stone’s outlook contained this restorationist and millennial hope. He saw the corruption and divisions of Christianity as obstacles to the church’s mission. Recovering simple New Testament faith and visible Christian unity, he believed could help prepare the way for the reign of Christ. Cane Ridge, with its transdenominational gathering and mass conversions, offered a foretaste of such renewal.

Campbell made millennial expectation central to his public work. His influential periodical was titled The Millennial Harbinger. He generally promoted a postmillennial vision in which the spread of the gospel and restoration of apostolic Christianity would lead toward an era of worldwide blessing. He did not merely wait passively for Christ’s kingdom but urged Christians to work through preaching, education, mission, and church reform.

Conclusion

To sum up, the Cane Ridge Revival represents not only a pivotal moment in the Second Great Awakening but a fascinating study in the diverse ways that individuals respond and interpret religious experience. It highlights the tension between emotional fervor and theological reflection, a tension that continues to shape the Restoration Movement and inform various Christian traditions. The revival’s legacy endures by its emphasis on personal conversion and Christian unity. This notion remains central to many churches that trace their roots to this extraordinary event.

The Bible gives good reason for Christians to value gatherings where God’s Word is proclaimed, and sinners are called to repent. On the Day of Pentecost, the church was formed through proclamation, repentance, baptism, fellowship, and prayer. Scripture records that the first believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42, ESV). Cane Ridge’s preaching and serious concern for conversion appreciated these signs of a hunger for Christian truth.

Both Stone and Campbell were shaped by the millennial hopes of their age. They expected that gospel restoration, Christian unity, and widespread conversion could prepare the world for a great era of Christ’s reign. Certainly, the concern for unity has a biblical basis. Jesus prayed for harmony among those who would believe through the apostles’ message. In John 17:20-21 (ESV) we read,

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Cane Ridge, dubbed as “America’s Pentecost,”[12] reminds us that the Spirit creates unity when we join forces to proclaim the gospel to the world. In short, the event reshaped the landscape of America’s religious future and for that phenomena, we are grateful.

PR

 

Bibliography

Conkin, Paul K. Cane Ridge: America’s Pentecost. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1990.

Garrett, Leroy. The Stone-Campbell Movement. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1994.

Garrison, Winfred Ernest. Heritage and Destiny. St. Louis: MO: Bethany Press, 1961.

Garrison, Winfred Ernest and Alfred T. DeGroot. The Disciples of Christ, A History. St. Louis: MO, Bethany Press, 1958.

Richardson, Robert. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell. Indianapolis, IN: Religious Book Service, 1897.

 

Articles

Hull, III, Cletus L., “The Holy Spirit: The Missing Finger” Spiritus 3, no. 1 (2018), 47-63. Available at https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/spiritus/vol3/iss1/6/

An earlier version of this article is also available from The Pneuma Review at: “The Holy Spirit, The Missing Finger: Comparing the Pneumatology of Alexander Campbell and Don Basham”

Williams D. Newell and Douglas A. Foster, “No name but the name of Christ” Christian History
106, (2013).

Sterling, Gregory E., “Alexander Campbell as a Paradox,” Journal of Discipliana 77, (2024), 1-10. Available at https://digitalcommons.discipleshistory.org/files/Alexander%20Campbell%20as%20a%20Paradox.pdf

 

Notes

[1] Leroy Garret. The Stone-Campbell Movement (Joplin, MO: College Press,1994), 103.

[2] Winfred Ernest Garrison, and Alfred T. DeGroot The Disciples of Christ, A History. (St. Louis: Bethany Press, 1958), 99.

[3] Garret, 104.

[4] D. Newell Williams and Douglas A. Foster, “No name but the name of Christ” (Christian History 106, 2013), 10.

[5] Winfred Ernest Garrison, Heritage and Destiny. (St. Louis: MO: Bethany Press 1961), 60.

[6] Gregory E. Sterling, “Alexander Campbell as a Paradox,” (Journal of Discipliana 77, 2024), 4.

[7] Robert Richardson, Memoirs of Alexander Campbell (Indianapolis, IN: Religious Book Service, 1897), 373.

[8] Richardson, 490.

[9] In 1818 before the American Civil War, West Virginia was Virginia.

[10] Cletus L. Hull, III, “The Holy Spirit: The Missing Finger” (Spiritus 3, no. 1, 2018). My article details the pneumatological differences between the modern-day Pentecostal movement and the cogent religion of Alexander Campbell.

[11] Hull, 51-52.

[12] Paul K. Conkin in his book Cane Ridge: America’s Pentecost provides an extensive study and argument for the idea that Cane Ridge was the original American Pentecostal revival.