CHRISTADELPHIANS-PART ONE Christadelphians From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with Brethren (disambiguation). Part of a series on the Christadelphians Literature • Bible Companion • Elpis Israel • Christendom Astray Magazines • Glad Tidings • The Christadelphian • The Testimony • The Tidings (incorporating The Caribbean Pioneer) • Milestones Christadelphian beliefs mentioned in wider discussion • Jesus • Holy Spirit • Nontrinitarianism • Death and resurrection • The devil as a parable Organizations • Christadelphian Isolation League (CIL) • Meal-a-Day Fund • Christadelphian Sunday School Union Biographies The Christadelphians are a millenarian Christian group who hold a view of Biblical Unitarianism. The movement developed in the United Kingdom and North America in the 19th century around the teachings of John Thomas, who coined the name Christadelphian[1][2] from the Greek for Brethren in Christ.[3][4][5] Basing their beliefs solely on the Bible, Christadelphians differ from mainstream Christianity in a number of doctrinal areas. For example, they reject the Trinity and the immortality of the soul, believing these to be corruptions of original Christian teaching. They were initially found predominantly in the developed English-speaking world, but expanded in developing countries after the Second World War. There are estimated to be 60,000 Christadelphians in around 120 countries worldwide. Congregations are usually referred to as ecclesias. Contents [hide] • 1 History o 1.1 19th century o 1.2 20th century o 1.3 Today • 2 Organisation o 2.1 General organisation o 2.2 Adherents o 2.3 Fellowships • 3 Beliefs o 3.1 The Bible o 3.2 God o 3.3 Jesus o 3.4 Salvation o 3.5 Life in Christ • 4 Similarities and differences with other Christians o 4.1 Disagreement with some mainstream doctrines o 4.2 Other historical groups and individuals with some shared doctrines o 4.3 Modern mainstream theology developing similar beliefs • 5 Practices and worship o 5.1 Hymnody and music • 6 References • 7 Further reading • 8 External links History[edit] 19th century[edit] The Christadelphian religious group traces its origins to Dr John Thomas (1805–1871), who migrated to North America from England in 1832.[6] Following a near shipwreck he vowed to find out the truth about life and God through personal Biblical study.[6] Initially he sought to avoid the kind of sectarianism he had seen in England. In this he found sympathy with the rapidly emerging Restoration Movement in the United States of America at the time. This movement sought for a reform based upon the Bible alone as a sufficient guide and rejected all creeds. However this liberality eventually led to dissent as John Thomas developed in his personal beliefs and started to question mainstream orthodox Christian beliefs. Whilst the Restoration Movement accepted Thomass right to have his own beliefs, when he started preaching that they were essential to salvation, it led to a fierce series of debates with a notable leader of the movement, Alexander Campbell. John Thomas believed that scripture, as Gods word, did not support a multiplicity of differing beliefs, and challenged the leaders to continue with the process of restoring 1st-century Christian beliefs and correct interpretation through a process of debate. The history of this process appears in the book Dr. Thomas, His Life and Work (1873) by a Christadelphian, Robert Roberts.[7] During this period of formulating his ideas John Thomas was baptised twice,[8] the second time after renouncing the beliefs he previously held. He based his new position on a new appreciation for the reign of Christ on Davids throne.[9] The abjuration of his former beliefs eventually led to the Restoration Movement disfellowshipping him when he toured England and they became aware of his abjuration in the United States of America. The Christadelphian community in Britain effectively dates from Thomass first lecturing tour (May 1848 – October 1850). His message was particularly welcomed in Scotland, and Campbellite, Unitarian and Adventist friends separated to form groups of Baptised Believers. Two thirds of ecclesias, and members, in Britain before 1864 were in Scotland.[10][11][12] In 1849, during his tour of Britain, he completed (a decade and a half before the name Christadelphian was conceived) Elpis Israel[13] in which he laid out his understanding of the main doctrines of the Bible. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Elpis Israel Since his medium for bringing change was print and debate, it was natural for the origins of the Christadelphian body to be associated with books and journals, such as Thomass Herald of the Kingdom. In his desire to seek to establish Biblical truth and test out orthodox Christian beliefs through independent scriptural study he was not alone and, amongst other churches, he also had links with Adventist movement and with Benjamin Wilson (who later set up the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith in the 1860s). In terms of his rejection of the trinity, Thomas views had certain similarities with the unitarianism which had developed in a formal way in Europe in the 16th century (although he formally described both Unitarianism and Socinianism as works of the devil for their failure to develop his doctrine of God-manifestation).[14] See History of Unitarianism Although the Christadelphian movement originated through the activities of John Thomas, he never saw himself as making his own disciples. He believed rather that he had rediscovered 1st-century beliefs from the Bible alone,[15] and sought to prove that through a process of challenge and debate and writing journals. Through that process a number of people became convinced and set up various fellowships that had sympathy with that position. Groups associated with John Thomas met under various names, including Believers, Baptised Believers, the Royal Association of Believers, Baptised Believers in the Kingdom of God, Nazarines (or Nazarenes) and The Antipas[16] until the time of the American Civil War (1861–1865). At that time, church affiliation was required in the United States and in the Confederacy in order to register for conscientious objector status, and in 1864 Thomas chose for registration purposes the name Christadelphian.[1][2][3][4] Through the teaching of John Thomas and the need in the American Civil War for a name, the Christadelphians emerged as a denomination, but they were formed into a lasting structure through a passionate follower of Thomass interpretation of the Bible, Robert Roberts. In 1864 he began to publish The Ambassador of the Coming Age magazine. This was renamed The Christadelphian[17] in 1869 and continues to be published under that name.[18] Roberts was prominent in the period following the death of John Thomas in 1871, and helped craft the structures of the Christadelphian body.[19] Robert Roberts was certain that John Thomas had rediscovered the truth. Robert Roberts life was characterised by debates over issues that arose within the fledgling organisation; some of these debates can be found in the book Robert Roberts—A study of his life and character by Islip Collyer. Initially the denomination grew in the English-speaking world, particularly in the English Midlands and in parts[which?] of North America. In the early days after the death of John Thomas the group could have moved in a number of directions. Doctrinal issues arose, debates took place and statements of faith were created and amended as other issues arose. These attempts were felt necessary by many[citation needed] to both settle and define a doctrinal stance for the newly emerging denomination and to keep out error. As a result of these debates, several groups separated from the main body of Christadelphians, most notably the Suffolk Street fellowship and the Unamended fellowship. 20th century[edit] The Christadelphian position on conscientious objection came to the fore with the introduction of conscription during the First World War. Varying degrees of exemption from military service were granted to Christadelphians in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In the Second World War, this frequently required the person seeking exemption to undertake civilian work under the direction of the authorities. During the Second World War the Christadelphians in Britain assisted in the Kindertransport, helping to relocate several hundred Jewish children away from Nazi persecution and founding a hostel Elpis Lodge.[20][21] In Germany the small Christadelphian community founded by Albert Maier went underground from 1940–1945, and a leading brother, Albert Merz, was imprisoned as a conscientious objector and later executed.[22] After the Second World War, moves were taken to try to reunite various of the earlier divisions. By the end of the 1950s, most Christadelphians had united into one community, but there are still a number of small groups who remain separate. Today[edit] The post-war, and post-reunions, period saw an increase in co-operation and interaction between ecclesias, resulting in the establishment of a number of week-long Bible schools and the formation of national and international organisations such as the Christadelphian Bible Mission[23] (for preaching and pastoral support overseas), the Christadelphian Support Network[24] (for counselling), and the Christadelphian Meal-A-Day Fund (for charity and humanitarian work). The period following the reunions was accompanied by expansion in the developing world, which now accounts for around 40% of Christadelphians.[25] Organisation[edit] General organisation[edit] In the absence of centralised organisation, some differences exist amongst Christadelphians on matters of belief and practice. This is because each congregation (commonly styled ecclesias) is organised autonomously, typically following common practices which have altered little since the 19th century. Most ecclesias have a constitution,[26] which includes a Statement of Faith, a list of Doctrines to be Rejected and a formalized list of The Commandments of Christ.[27] With no central authority individual congregations are responsible for maintaining orthodoxy in belief and practice, and the statement of faith is seen by many as useful to this end. The statement of faith acts as the official standard of most ecclesias to determine fellowship within and between ecclesias, and as the basis for co-operation between ecclesias. Congregational discipline and conflict resolution are applied using various forms of consultation, mediation, and discussion, with disfellowship (similar to excommunication) being the final response to those with unorthodox practices or beliefs.[28] The relative uniformity of organisation and practice is undoubtedly due to the influence of a booklet, written early in Christadelphian history by Robert Roberts, called A Guide to the Formation and Conduct of Christadelphian Ecclesias.[29] It recommends a basically democratic arrangement by which congregational members elect brothers to arranging and serving duties,[30] and includes guidelines for the organisation of committees, as well as conflict resolution between congregational members and between congregations.[31] Christadelphians do not have paid ministers. Male members are assessed by the congregation for their eligibility to teach and perform other duties, which are usually assigned on a rotation basis, as opposed to having a permanently appointed preacher. Congregational governance typically follows a democratic model, with an elected arranging committee for each individual ecclesia. This unpaid committee is responsible for the day-to-day running of the ecclesia and is answerable to the rest of the ecclesias members. Inter-ecclesial organisations co-ordinate the running of, among other things, Christadelphian schools[32] and elderly care homes, the Christadelphian Isolation League (which cares for those prevented by distance or infirmity from attending an ecclesia regularly) and the publication of Christadelphian magazines. Adherents[edit] No official membership figures are published, but the Columbia Encyclopedia gives an estimated figure of 50,000 Christadelphians.[33] They are spread across approximately 120 countries;[34] there are established churches (often referred to as ecclesias) in many of those countries,[35] along with isolated members. Estimates for the main centers of Christadelphian population are as follows: United Kingdom (18,000),[36] Australia (10,653),[37] Mozambique (7,500),[38] Malawi (7,000),[39] United States (6,500),[40] Canada (3,375),[41] New Zealand (1,785),[42] India (1,750),[43] Kenya (1,700),[44] Tanzania (1,000).[43][45] and Pakistan (900).[43] Combining the estimates from the Christadelphian Bible Mission[43] with the figures above, the numbers for each continent are as follows: Africa (21,400), Americas (10,500), Asia (4,150), Australasia (12,600), Europe (18,950). This puts the total figure at around 67,000. Fellowships[edit] The Christadelphian body consists of a number of fellowships - groups of ecclesias which associate with one another, often to the exclusion of ecclesias outside their group. They are to some degree localised. The Unamended Fellowship, for example, exists only in North America. Christadelphian fellowships have often been named after ecclesias or magazines who took a lead in developing a particular stance. The majority of Christadelphians (around 60,000[46]) belong to Central fellowship,[47] named after the Birmingham Central ecclesia. This was formed in 1957–1958 as a result of a reunion between the Temperance Hall and Suffolk Street fellowships in the UK. The Suffolk Street fellowship had formed in 1885 over the inspiration of the Bible. Robert Ashcroft, a leading member, wrote an article which challenged Christadelphian belief in plenary inspiration and which, although he himself left, led to a division in the main body. One group formed a new ecclesia which later met in Suffolk Street, Birmingham. Other ecclesias throughout the world which supported them became known as the Suffolk Street fellowship to distinguish them from the group they had separated from, which became known as the Temperance Hall fellowship. The main magazine of this group from 1884–1957 was The Fraternal Visitor, whose editors included J.J. Bishop and J.J. Hadley (d. 1912), then Thomas Turner, and finally Cyril Cooper (till reunion in 1957). The Temperance Hall-Suffolk Street reunion was closely followed by union in 1958 with the Shield fellowship (allied to the Suffolk Street fellowship) through an understanding expressed in a document called the Cooper-Carter Addendum. The Central fellowship in North America is often referred to as the Amended fellowship. The Unamended fellowship, consisting of around 1,850 members, is found in East Coast and Midwest USA and Ontario, Canada.[48] This group separated in 1898 as a result of differing views on who would be raised to judgment at the return of Christ. The majority of Christadelphians believe that the judgment will include anyone who had sufficient knowledge of the gospel message, and is not limited to baptized believers.[49] The majority in Britain, Australia and North America amended their statement of faith accordingly. Those who opposed the amendment became known as the Unamended fellowship and allowed the teaching that God either could not or would not raise those who had no covenant relationship with him. Opinions vary as to what the established position was on this subject prior to the controversy.[50] Prominent in the formation of the Unamended fellowship was Thomas Williams, editor of the Christadelphian Advocate magazine. The majority of the Unamended Fellowship outside North America joined the Suffolk Street fellowship before its eventual incorporation into Central fellowship. There is also some co-operation between the Central (Amended) and Unamended Fellowships in North America – most recently in the Great Lakes region, where numerous Amended and Unamended ecclesias have opened fellowship to one another despite the failure of wider attempts at re-union under the North American Statement of Understanding (NASU).[51] The Berean Fellowship was formed in 1923 as a result of varying views on military service in Britain, and on the atonement in North America. The majority of the North American Bereans re-joined the main body of Christadelphians in 1952. A number continue as a separate community, numbering around 200 in Texas, 100 in Kenya and 30 in Wales.[52] Most of the divisions still in existence within the Christadelphian community today stem from further divisions of the Berean fellowship.[53] In 1942 the Berean fellowship divided over marriage and divorce with the stricter party forming the Dawn fellowship.[54] Following union with the Lightstand fellowship in Australia in November 2007,[55] there are now 800 members in the UK, Australia, Canada, India, Jamaica, Poland, the Philippines and Russia.[56] The Old Paths fellowship[57] was formed in the 1957 by those in the Temperance Hall fellowship who held that the reasons for separation from the Suffolk Street fellowship remained and opposed the re-union. There are around 250 members in the UK, and 150 in Australasia.[58] Other small groups, numbering no more than 300 members in total,[59] include the Watchman fellowship,[60] the Companion fellowship[61] and the Pioneer Fellowship.[62] The Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith (CGAF) has common origins with Christadelphians and shares Christadelphian beliefs.[63] Numbering around 400 (primarily Ohio and Florida, USA),[64] they are welcomed into fellowship by some Christadelphians and are currently involved in unity talks. According to Bryan Wilson, functionally the definition of a fellowship within Christadelphian history has been mutual or unilateral exclusion of groupings of ecclesias from the breaking of bread.[65] This functional definition still holds true in North America, where the Unamended fellowship and the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith are not received by most North American Amended ecclesias. But outside North America this functional definition no longer holds. Many articles and books on the doctrine and practice of fellowship now reject the notion itself of separate fellowships among those who recognise the same baptism, viewing such separations as schismatic.[66] Many ecclesias in the Central fellowship would not refuse a baptised Christadelphian from a minority fellowship from breaking bread; the exclusion is more usually the other way. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith They tend to operate organisationally fairly similarly, although there are different emphases. Despite their differences, the Central, Old Paths, Dawn[67] and Berean[68] fellowships generally subscribe to the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith (BASF), though the latter two have additional clauses or supporting documents to explain their position. Most Unamended ecclesias use the Birmingham Unamended Statement of Faith (BUSF)[69] with one clause being different. Within the Central fellowship individual ecclesias also may have their own statement of faith, whilst still accepting the statement of faith of the larger community. Some ecclesias have statements around their positions, especially on divorce and re-marriage, making clear that offence would be caused by anyone in that position seeking to join them at the Breaking of Bread service. Others tolerate a degree of divergence from commonly held Christadelphian views. For each fellowship, anyone who publicly assents to the doctrines described in the statement and is in good standing in their home ecclesia is generally welcome to participate in the activities of any other ecclesia.
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