Christadelphians History Beliefs Rejected Mainstream Beliefs

The Christadelphians were founded in the 19th century by John Thomas ( 1805 to 1871), a medical doctor originally from London, England. Thomas emigrated to the United States in 1832 and became closely associated with Dr. Alexander Campbell, founder of the movement that later became the Churches of Christ. Thomas broke from Campbell and took a group of students with him. This group had no formal name until the time of the American Civil War, when a group affiliation was required to register for Conscientious Objector status. The name "Christadelphian" was then devised from Greek roots meaning, "Brethren in Christ".

During Thomas' association with Campbell, both men were greatly concerned with questions of Christian eschatologyTympanum sculpture at the Abbey Church of Ste-Foy, Conques-en-Rouergue, France Christian Eschatology is the study of Christian beliefs concerning final events and ultimate purposes (from Gr. eskhatos last . In Christian theology, eschatology studies the c, though in time Campbell became convinced that Thomas placed too great an emphasis upon it. Thomas in particular was convinced that biblicalThe Bible (From Greek βιβλια biblia meaning "books", which in turn is derived from βυβλος byblos meaning "papyrus", from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) prophecyFor other uses of the term, see prophecy (disambiguation . Prophecy in its most general sense is the communication of some revelation of divine will. However, the term is most commonly used to refer to the prediction of future events by supernatural means was "the key to understanding of the scriptures": by demonstrating that biblical prophecy accurately predicted the course of human history that followed, Thomas concluded that one could thereby prove that the Bible was the inspired message of the Supreme Being. Naturally, any such scheme of interpretation would also make predictions about the future, leading to the time when Jesus Christ would return to earth to establish the Kingdom of GodKingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven is a reference to many different ideas in Judeo-Christianity. It can refer to the historical state of Israel. It can refer to the future restoration of Israel. It can refer to the future post-apocalyptic implementation that would bring an end to history. Christadelphians since 1948 have made much of the fact that John Thomas in the mid-19th century predicted the re-establishment of the nation of IsraelThis article discusses the State of Israel. For other meanings of Israel see Israel (disambiguation). The State of Israel Medinat Yisrael in Hebrew, Daulat Israil in Arabic) is a country in the Middle East on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea., and claimed it would be a clear sign that the return of Christ to the earth was imminent. Prophecy is still an important element in the group today, though there are generally more varied and broader approaches to the specifics of interpretation.

Thomas returned several times to Britain to lecture. Groups were formed there based on his ideas, called "ecclesias", from the Greek for "church", as Thomas felt the word "church" had become debased. Among the Birmingham converts was Robert Roberts, who at the time of his conversion was the travelling-secretary for a group of phrenologistsPhrenology (from Greek: φρην, mind and λογος, study) is a theory which claims to be able to determine character and personality traits and criminality on the basis of the shape of the head (reading "bumps. Roberts proved a powerful speaker and very efficient organizer. He devised the system of ecclesial governance that is still largely in use to this day and sustains a worldwide organisation based almost entirely upon volunteer labor. Roberts also founded and became the first editor of the magazine which took—with Thomas' blessing—the name, The Christadelphian. As a result of this magazine's influence, Birmingham has long been regarded as the center of Christadelphianism and, despite the lack of any formal hierarchy, the editor of The Christadelphian is generally respected within the group.

2 Beliefs

Many of the distinctive beliefs of Christadelphians are closely associated with their fundamental emphasis on the historical timeline of God'sThis article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God . See deity, gods, or goddesses for details on divine entities in specific religions and mythologies. God is a term referring to the supreme being generally believed to be ruler or creator plan. For example, Christadelphians reject immortality of the soul, claiming instead that the dead are in a state of non-existence awaiting the Resurrection, and that their reward will be on a restored Earth, rather than in Heaven. As part of this, they reject the notion of Satan or the devil; the Christadelphian system has no Hell as a place of torment in the afterlife, and so it has little use for a devil. Christadelphians instead claim that wherever in the Bible the words "devil" or "Satan" occur, they should be understood either poetically as a symbol of man's inherent impulse to conflict with God's plan or in reference to specific political systems or individuals in opposition or conflict. Christadelphians consult original biblical texts in the face of disputed passages, claiming that sometimes biblical translators - even of the KJV - were unduly influenced by many erroneous doctrines that accumulated over the centuries as a result of corrupt church councils (and sometimes even added their own beliefs to the text.)

Apart from the elements of their system directly touched by their analysis of biblical prophecy, in general the Christadelphians pursue a primitivist interpretation of Christianity. In fact, many Christadelphians claim a non-specific kinship with the historical Anabaptist movements. The Sunday service centers upon bread and wine, a "Closed Communion" that is extremely important to them, offered to all members who have undergone immersion baptism. Christadelphians are conscientious objectors (but not pacifists) and emphasize personal morality. They generally agree with Evangelical Christianity's characteristic presentation of the doctrine of salvation by faith but emphasise the need for demonstration of faith through "works", including baptism.

2.1 Rejected Mainstream Beliefs

Critics deny that Christadelphians are "Christian", due to their rejection of doctrines that critics consider nearly universal among "true" Christian denominations, including:

Immortality of the soul - Christadelphians believe that death is the end of conscious existence and that the hope of a Christian lies in resurrection;

Existence of a devil entity - Christadelphians believe that when the Bible speaks of a devil it is talking about (a) the human tendency to do wrong and (b) temptation and opposition from external sources (such as individuals and institutions);

The trinitarian doctrine of the Holy Trinity - Christadelphians believe that Jesus is not the second person of a triune Godhead, but the only-begotten Son of God who was born to Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, lived as a mortal human being, died on the cross and was raised from the grave to immortality. The spirit is understood to be God's power in action, not a third member of a triune Godhead.

Christadelphians claim that none of these doctrines is legitimately to be found in the Bible, which they regard as authoritative.

3 Organization

Christadelphians usually call their congregations, "ecclesias". Though it is rare to find ecclesias of one hundred members or more in England, this is frequently the case in Australia. Even so, ecclesias are often small compared to those of the major denominations, more commonly ranging from groups of forty to eighty. The Christadelphian populations of England and Australia currently sit at around 25,000 and 10,000 respectively, with an estimated 60,000 additional Christadelphians in another 128 different countries.

There is no central Christadelphian organisation or hierarchy. Ecclesias are autonomous hierarchy and all organization between them is cooperative. Ecclesias in a city may hold occasional joint activities combining youth groups, preaching, and Bible study.

In the absence of a central authority, co-operation between ecclesias is based on the "Statement of Faith", originally formulated by Roberts. Many ecclesias append a statement of "the commandments of Christ", composed of direct quotations from the Gospels, to the Statement of Faith. Anyone who publicly assents to the doctrines in this statement and is in good standing in their "home ecclesia" (if they have one) is generally welcome to participate in the activities of any other ecclesia. Christadelphians are not permitted to take communion with any church which does not assent to the doctrines of the "Statement of Faith".

Christadelphians reject paid ministers. Most male members are eligible to teach and perform other duties, and these are usually assigned on a rotation, rather than having a designated preacher or minister. Governance is handled with a democratic model, typically with an elected 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.

Almost all Christadelphian congregations restrict the role of women, which is regarded as a matter of doctrine. Practices vary widely, but typically women are not eligible to hold elected offices or to lead services. They are generally allowed to participate in discussions, teach children, perform music, vote on business matters, and engage in most other activities.

Christadelphian ecclesias actively preach to their neighbours and co-operate at a regional, national and international level in evangelism. Most children of Christadelphian parents are highly encouraged to become Christadelphians themselves, and the retention rate from generation to generation is correspondingly high. Baptism, by immersion, is available only to individuals who have reached the "age of reason", and Christadelphian youth are generally expected to request baptism between the ages of fourteen and twenty.

4 Differing groups within the Christadelphians

There have been several schisms within the Christadelphians, particularly in the early years of the community, which have resulted in separate groups of Christadelphians, each known as a "fellowship". In many cases, the issues were resolved in later years, or the minority group died out. Among those that continue, the most significant in terms of numbers (though confined to North America) is the "Unamended" fellowship. This group arose in the 1890s over the doctrinal issue of who among the dead would be raised at the return of Christ. The Statement of Faith, which had been unclear on the issue, was amended to make explicit the majority opinion, that resurrection and judgment is not limited to those who are baptised. Those who accepted this amendment became the "Amended" fellowship, while those who did not became the "Unamended" fellowship. Members of each group were not generally welcome to take communion within the other groups. In recent years there has been growing interaction between the two groups, resulting in reunion in some areas. Divorce and remarriage remains another unresolved issue; there is no widespread consensus on this subject, and it is generally left up to individual ecclesias to decide the matter internally.

Home > Christadelphians

1 History

2 Beliefs

2.1 Rejected Mainstream Beliefs

3 Organization

4 Differing groups within the Christadelphians

5 External links

5.1 Christadelphian websites

5.2 Christadelphian Publications and Resources

5.3 Other organizations commenting on Christadelphians

6 See also

Topics: Christadelphians, History, Beliefs, Rejected Mainstream Beliefs...