Nineteenth century
religious movement that attempted to restore the
church as seen in the
New Testament. The
slogan "we speak where the
Bible speaks, and are silent where the
Bible is silent" summarizes the main idea behind this movement. Restoration Movement churches have no teachings other than those found in the
Bible. There are no
creeds or teachings that come from the church itself, as the
Bible is viewed as the only
spiritual authority.
This movement broke into 3 main divisions: independent Christian Churches, churches of Christ, and Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ). Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ are not denominations. Each church is governed autonomously. Members of these two divisions of the Restoration Movement are refered to simply as "Christians". The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), however, is now a denomination governed by a hierarchy.
The International Church of Christ is a sect with origins coming from the churches of Christ. The ICC is viewed by many as being a cult.