Free Church Catholic: The Legacy of William Robinson

This essay considers the ecclesiology of William Robinson (1888 – 1963), a British theologian from the Stone-Campbell Movement. It surveys some of the distinctive features of his thinking on sacraments, theological ethics, and the nature of the church. It demonstrates that he sought to embody a "free church catholic" spirit. The conclusion brings Robinson's ecclesiology in conversation with the present situation of the Stone-Campbell Movement, especially the Christian Churches (Independent) in America.1