Information about Christadelphians

Christadelphians
Main article
Literature
Bible Companion | Elpis Israel
Glad Tidings | The Christadelphian | The Testimony | Milestones | Give and Take | The Tidings | The Caribbean Pioneer
Christadelphian beliefs mentioned in other articles
Jesus | the Holy Spirit | ( nontrinitarian) | devil / satan
Biographies
John Thomas | Robert Roberts
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Christadelphians (From the Greek "Brothers in Christ") are a religious group that developed in the United Kingdom and North America in the 19th century. The name was coined by John Thomas, who was the group's founder. There are an estimated 50,000 Christadelphians^[1] in 120 countries.^[2]

Beliefs

Christadelphians state that their beliefs^[3] are based wholly on the Bible, and they accept no other texts as inspired by God. They believe that God is the creator of all things and the father of true believers, that he is a separate being from his son, Jesus Christ, and that the Holy Spirit is the power of God used in creation and for salvation.



Jesus is the promised Messiah, in whom the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament find their fulfilment. He is the Son of Man, in that he inherited sin-prone human nature from his mother, and the Son of God by virtue of his miraculous conception by the power of God and, although tempted, he committed no sin, and was therefore a perfect representative sacrifice to bring salvation to sinful humankind. God raised Jesus to immortality, and he ascended to Heaven, God's dwelling place. Jesus will return to the earth in person to set up the Kingdom of God in fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham and David. This coming Kingdom will be the restoration of God's first Kingdom of Israel that was under David and Solomon. For Christadelphians, this is the focal point of the Gospel taught by Jesus and the apostles. It was called by the apostle Paul "the hope of Israel."

Christadelphians believe that people are separated from God because of their sins, but can be reconciled to him by becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. This is by belief in his teachings, by repentance, and through baptism by total immersion in water. Whilst they are saved by faith in God's grace, believers are expected to live a life consistent with Bible teaching. After death, believers are in a state of non-existence, knowing nothing until the Resurrection at the return of Christ. Following the judgement at that time, the accepted receive the gift of immortality, and live with Christ on a restored Earth, assisting him to establish the Kingdom of God and to rule over the mortal population for a thousand years (the Millennium). Most Christadelphians believe that the Kingdom will be centred upon Israel but Jesus Christ will also reign over all the other nations on the earth. Some believe that the Kingdom itself is limited to the land of Israel, but has a worldwide empire. ^[4]

Marriage and family life are important. Sexual relationships are limited to heterosexual marriage between baptised believers. A recent challenge^[5] to Christadelphian views on homosexuality^[6] was strongly opposed by the community.^[7]

Christadelphians reject a number of doctrines held by many other Christians, notably the immortality of the soul, trinitarianism, the pre-existence of Jesus Christ, the baptism of infants, the personhood of the Holy Spirit and the present-day possession of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They believe that the words devil and satan are references to sin and human nature in opposition to God. These terms according to them are used in reference to specific political systems or individuals in opposition or conflict. Hell is understood to refer to death and the grave, rather than being a place of eternal torment.^[8] Christadelphians believe the doctrines they reject were introduced into Christendom after the 1st century^[9], and cannot be demonstrated from the Bible. However, some non-christadelphians regard these differences as evidence that Christadelphians are a cult.^{[10] [11]}

Practices

Christadelphians are organised into local congregations, often called ecclesias. Congregational worship, which usually takes place on Sunday, centres on the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by the taking part in the Memorial Service [celebration of Christ in sharing bread and wine]. Additional meetings are often organised for worship, prayer, evangelism and Bible study.

Most ecclesias are involved in evangelism in the form of public lectures on Bible teaching,^[12] college-style seminars on reading the Bible,^[13] and Bible Reading Groups. Correspondence courses^[14] are also used widely, particularly in areas where there is no established Christadelphian presence.

Only baptised believers are considered members of the ecclesia. However, the children of members are encouraged to attend Christadelphian Sunday Schools and youth groups. Interaction between youth from different ecclesias is encouraged through regional and national youth gatherings.

Christadelphians understand the Bible to teach a distinction between the roles of male and female members. In most ecclesias, women are not eligible to teach in formal gatherings of the ecclesia when male believers are present, and do not sit on ecclesial arranging committees. They do, however, participate in other ecclesial and inter-ecclesial committees. Women also participate in discussions, teach children and non-members, perform music, discuss and vote on business matters, and engage in most other activities.

There are ecclesially-accountable committees for co-ordinated evangelism, youth and Sunday School work, military service issues, care of the elderly, and humanitarian work. These do not have any legislative authority, and are wholly dependent upon ecclesial support. Ecclesias in an area may regularly hold joint activities combining youth groups, fellowship, preaching, and Bible study.

Christadelphians are conscientious objectors (but not pacifists), and generally refrain from involvement with politics, joining the armed forces, the police force, or other organised bodies such as trade unions. There is a strong emphasis on personal Bible reading (most Christadelphians use the Bible Companion to help them systematically read the Bible each year), Bible study, prayer, and morality.

Worship

Christadelphians are a non-liturgical denomination. Christadelphian ecclesias are autonomous and free to adopt whatever pattern of worship they choose. However, in the English-speaking world, there tends to be a great deal of uniformity in order of service and hymnody.

Christadelphian hymnody makes considerable use of the hymns of the Anglican and British Protestant traditions (even in North American ecclesias the hymnody is typically more British than American). In many Christadelphian hymn books a sizeable proportion of hymns are drawn from the Scottish Psalter and non-Christadelphain hymn-writers including Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, William Cowper and John Newton. The first hymn book published specifically for the use of Baptised Believers in the Kingdom of God (an early name for Christadelphians^[15]) was published by George Dowie in Edinburgh in 1864^[16]. In 1865 Robert Roberts published a collection of Scottish psalms and hymns called The Golden Harp (which was subtitled "Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, compiled for the use of Immersed Believers in 'The Things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ'") ^[17]. This was replaced only five years later by the first "Christadelphian Hymn Book" (1869), and this was revised and expanded in 1874, 1932 and 1964. A thorough revision by The Christadelphian Magazine and Publishing Association resulted in the latest (2002) edition ^[18]which is almost universally used by Christadelphian ecclesias. In addition some Christadelphian fellowships have published their own hymn books.

A more contemporary worship style is now popular in some quarters. The publication of the Christadelphian Praise the Lord book^[19] gave access to contemporary worship songs which are consistent with Christadelphian theology.

In the English-speaking world, worship is typically accompanied by organ or piano, though in recent years a few ecclesias have promoted the use of other instruments and the involvement of worship leaders. This trend has also seen the emergence of some Christadelphian bands^[20] and the establishment of the Christadelphian Arts Trust^[21] to support performing, visual and dramatic arts within the Christadelphian community.

In other countries, hymnbooks have been produced in local languages, sometimes resulting in styles of worship which reflect the local culture.

History

Origins

Many beliefs now held by Christadelphians emerged during the Radical Reformation, particularly among the Socinians and other early Unitarians. The Restoration movement and Adventist movements in the mid-19th century resulted in small groups in many parts of the United Kingdom and North America which held the beliefs outlined above, and who were loosely associated with one another. One example is the Church of the Blessed Hope. The beginning of the Christadelphians as a distinct group can be dated to the publication in 1850 of John Thomas' work, Elpis Israel^[22] in which he laid out his understanding of the main doctrines of the Bible. Groups associated with him 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^[23] until the time of the American Civil War. At that time, church affiliation was required to register for conscientious objector status and in 1865 Thomas chose for registration purposes the name Christadelphian.

Please note: the following sections have been arbitrarily divided for ease of presentation.

Early years: 1865-1914

The diverse groups that had associated themselves with Thomas' views were consolidated into a community as a degree of uniformity in belief and practice was established, largely due to the organisation of Robert Roberts. The denomination grew in the English-speaking world, particularly in the English Midlands and parts of North America.

A number left in 1873 and became known as the Nazarene Fellowship, a separate religious denomination still in existence. In 1884-5 a dispute arose concerning the inspiration of the Bible. Robert Ashcroft, a leading member, wrote an article which challenged commonly held views about inspiration and split off from the main body once again. This 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. A third division occurred in 1898 and centred on whether the Judgement at the return of Christ would be limited to baptised believers, or would apply to anyone who had "heard" the Gospel message. The majority, who held the latter view, amended their Statement of Faith to clarify this, and became known as Amended Christadelphians. Those who associated on the basis of the original Statement of Faith became known as the Unamended Fellowship. The group from which the Unamended and Suffolk Street fellowships had seceded became generally known as the Temperance Hall or (in North America) Amended Fellowship.

The World Wars: 1914-1945

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, 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. Military service was one of several issues which led to a further schism in the Temperance Hall Fellowship in 1923. This resulted in the formation of the Berean Fellowship, which subsequently divided over divorce and remarriage, the majority becoming known as the Dawn Fellowship.

The Post-War Period: 1945-present

In the early 1950s the majority of the Berean Fellowship re-joined the Temperance Hall Fellowship, with the remainder continuing as a separate community. In 1957-1958, there was further reunion with the Suffolk Street Fellowship, which had already incorporated many of the Unamended Fellowship outside North America. This re-united group, which now included a large majority of Christadelphians, became known as the Central Fellowship ^[24] named after the Birmingham Central ecclesia. Those who held that the reasons for separation from the Suffolk Street Fellowship remained, opposed the re-union and formed the Old Paths Fellowship.^[25]

The post-war 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 ^[26] (for preaching) and the Christadelphian Meal-A-Day Fund^[27] (for pastoral and humanitarian work). This was accompanied by expansion in the developing world, which now accounts for around 40% of Christadelphians.^[28]

Organisation

There is no central Christadelphian organisation or hierarchy. Ecclesias are to a degree and co-operation between most of them is based on a common acceptance of a statement of faith. Christadelphians do not have paid ministers. Most male members are eligible to teach and perform other duties, and these are usually assigned on a rotation basis, rather than having a designated preacher. 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 ecclesia's members. The relative uniformity of organisation structures is undoubtedly due to the influence of a booklet, written early in Christadelphian history, called A Guide to the Formation and Conduct of Christadelphian Ecclesias.^[29]

The majority of Christadelphians co-operate on the basis of Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith^[30] and are known as the Central Fellowship. Anyone who publicly assents to the doctrines described in this statement and is in good standing in their "home ecclesia" is generally welcome to participate in the activities of any other ecclesia.

Other groups which are separated to a greater or lesser degree from the Amended Christadelphians use statements of faith which differ in some regard. The Unamended Fellowship uses the Unamended Statement of Faith^[31]. The Dawn Fellowship^[32] use a statement of faith which is based on the original 1886 statement of faith, but has four additions addressing issues that have arisen since that time. Despite periodic efforts at reuniting the offshoots, there are still a number of groups who remain separate from other bodies of Christadelphians. These include the Berean Fellowship^[33], the Dawn Fellowship, the Old Paths Fellowship^[34], the Companion Fellowship^[35] and the Maranatha Fellowship^[36]. These differences are, to some degree, localised. The Unamended Fellowship exists only in North America, and some of the others are confined to the English-speaking world.

Inter-ecclesial organisations co-ordinate the running of, among other things, Christadelphian schools^[37] 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 .

Location and statistics

There are established Christadelphian ecclesias in many countries throughout the world,^[38] along with isolated members. No official membership figures are published. Census statistics are available for some countries. Estimates for the main centres of Christadelphian population are as follows: United Kingdom (18,000),^[39] Australia (9,987),^[40] Malawi (7,000), United States (6,500),^[41] Canada (3,375),^[42] Mozambique (2,500), New Zealand (1,746),^[43] Kenya (1,700), India (1,300) and Tanzania (1,000).^[44]

References and footnotes

Further reading