From 1882 until 1912, James Harvey Garrison (1832-1931) was the editor of The Christian-Evangelist, a journal that came to have a dominant influence among Disciples of Christ. Garrison sold his publishing company to Robert A. Long, "who gifted it to the Disciples for the establishment of a denominational publishing house (the Christian Board of Publication)." Convinced that the Stone-Campbell Movement was a viable approach to uniting Christians upon the basis of a restoration of New Testament Christianity, Garrison devoted his editorial career to giving expression to the pleas for restoration. Garrison's book, Christian Union, is a historical analysis of the Stone-Campbell restoration approach to unity which conveys his passion for reconciliation among Christians (see article on Garrison by William E. Tucker in The Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia).
James Harvey Garrison was born near Ozark, in Christian County, Missouri. Lived on the farm, plowing and sowing and reaping and mowing, and hoeing, attending village school in winter, until he was eighteen. Taught a country school at 16 years of age and had one year in an academy in Ozark. He entered Abingdon College in 1865. Took the four years' course in three years and graduated in 1868. One week after graduation he married Judith Elizabeth Garrett, who graduated in the same class with him. At college he identified himself with the Disciples having been a member of the Baptist church since early boyhood.
In 1869 he began his editorial career with J. C. Reynolds, on "The Gospel Echo"--afterwards "The Christian"--which he began publishing in St. Louis in 1874. At the same time he formed the Christian Publishing Company. Later the name of the paper was changed from "The Christian" to "The Christian-Evangelist." In 1881 he went to Southport, England, under the Foreign Christian Missionary Society, remaining for more than a year. In 1884 he went to Boston, Massachusetts, under the American Christian Missionary Society, remaining two years, but during all his absence he continued editor of the paper, even though preaching all the time. It was as editor of "The Christian-Evangelist" that Dr. Garrison did his great life-work.
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