Word and Work
Encyclopedia
Word and Work is a religious journal
associated with those Churches of Christ that hold to a premillennial
eschatology
. It was founded in 1908 by Dr. David Lipscomb Watson.
millennialism
. In 1813 Watson sold the journal to Stanford Chambers, who became the sole editor. Watson, a postmillenialist, was disturbed by the increasing editorial emphasis on premillennialism, and later tried in two unsuccessful lawsuits to regain control of the journal.
Chambers sold Word and Work to Robert Henry Boll
in 1916. Boll had been a controversial front page editor of the Gospel Advocate
, writing articles on Biblical prophecy during his tenure beginning in 1909; he was forced to resign in 1915 as the result of a developing controversy over his millennial
views and the importance he placed on biblical prophecy
in the study of the Bible. His eschatological
focus came into conflict with the church-centered
views of other Church of Christ leaders of the time. The reaction to Boll's premillennialism helped to define and solidify the amillennial
view among the mainstream of the Churches of Christ. Under Boll's leadership the Word and Work became the journalistic voice for premillennial Churches of Christ. Boll also used the journal to promote foreign mission work
.
E. L. Jorgenson and J. R. Clark succeeded Boll as editors when he died in 1956. They were followed by Gordon R. Linscott in 1962, William Robert Heid in 1976 and Alex Wilson in 1986.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
associated with those Churches of Christ that hold to a premillennial
Premillennialism
Premillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
. It was founded in 1908 by Dr. David Lipscomb Watson.
History
During the period 1912 to 1913 the Word and Work began publishing articles written by Charles M. Neal supporting dispensationalDispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
millennialism
Millennialism
Millennialism , or chiliasm in Greek, is a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state...
. In 1813 Watson sold the journal to Stanford Chambers, who became the sole editor. Watson, a postmillenialist, was disturbed by the increasing editorial emphasis on premillennialism, and later tried in two unsuccessful lawsuits to regain control of the journal.
Chambers sold Word and Work to Robert Henry Boll
Robert Henry Boll
Robert Henry Boll was a German-born American preacher in the Churches of Christ. Boll is most known for advancing a premillennialist eschatology within the Churches of Christ, in articles written during his editorship of the front page of the Gospel Advocate from 1909 to 1915 and after 1915 in...
in 1916. Boll had been a controversial front page editor of the Gospel Advocate
Gospel Advocate
The Gospel Advocate is a religious magazine published monthly in Nashville, Tennessee for members of the Churches of Christ. The Advocate has enjoyed uninterrupted publication since 1866....
, writing articles on Biblical prophecy during his tenure beginning in 1909; he was forced to resign in 1915 as the result of a developing controversy over his millennial
Millennialism
Millennialism , or chiliasm in Greek, is a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state...
views and the importance he placed on biblical prophecy
Bible prophecy
Bible prophecy or biblical prophecy is the prediction of future events based on the action, function, or faculty of a prophet. Such passages are widely distributed throughout the Bible, but those most often cited are from Ezekiel, Daniel, Matthew 24, Matthew 25, and Revelation.Believers in biblical...
in the study of the Bible. His eschatological
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
focus came into conflict with the church-centered
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
views of other Church of Christ leaders of the time. The reaction to Boll's premillennialism helped to define and solidify the amillennial
Amillennialism
Amillennialism is a view in Christian end-times theology named for its rejection of the theory that Jesus Christ will have a thousand-year long, physical reign on the earth...
view among the mainstream of the Churches of Christ. Under Boll's leadership the Word and Work became the journalistic voice for premillennial Churches of Christ. Boll also used the journal to promote foreign mission work
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
.
E. L. Jorgenson and J. R. Clark succeeded Boll as editors when he died in 1956. They were followed by Gordon R. Linscott in 1962, William Robert Heid in 1976 and Alex Wilson in 1986.
External links
- Word and Work online
- Word and Work from 1913 through 1956 at the Restoration Movement Pages at the Memorial University of NewfoundlandMemorial University of NewfoundlandMemorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...