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In The Christian System, he elaborated on the principles that drove him all his ministry. He was deeply disturbed by denominationalism: "In what moral desolation is the kingdom of Jesus Christ! Was there at any time, or is there now, in all the earth, a kingdom more convulsed by internal broils and dissensions than what is commonly called the church of Jesus Christ?"

He sought desperately to get back to a "simple evangelical Christianity," founded on the Bible and the Bible alone. Only this—not creeds or confessions or liturgy—could bring unity to Christians: "The testimony of the Apostles is the only and all-sufficient means of uniting Christians." And only in unity could Christians effectively evangelize: "The union of Christians with the apostle's testimony is all-sufficient and alone sufficient to the conversion of the world."

Campbell's emphasis on New Testament Christianity appealed powerfully to frontier Americans—and to many Christians since.

Recommended Resources Buy the book containing this and many other profiles of Christians you should know.

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