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] The Bible Companion (or Bible Reading Planner) is a follow guide used by Christadelphians when reading the Bible. ... Elpis Israel - An Exposition of the Kingdom of God or more commonly called just Elpis Israel (The Hope of Israel) is a theological book written by John Thomas, founder of the Christadelphians in 1848-1849 and published in 1849. ... Glad Tidings is a Bible magazine published monthly by the Christadelphians (Brethren in Christ). ... The Christadelphian is a Bible magazine published monthly by the Christadelphians. ... The Testimony is a Bible magazine published monthly by the Christadelphians (Brethren in Christ). ... Milestones is a magazine published annually by the Christadelphians. ... Unification Thought is the philosophical system of the Unification Church and is based on the Divine Principle. ... The Christadelphian Tidings of the Kingdom of God (The Tidings) is a Bible magazine published monthly by the Christadelphians (Brethren in Christ). ... The Caribbean Pioneer was a Bible magazine published monthly in North America by the Christadelphians (Brethren in Christ). ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Nontrinitarianism refers to Christian... For the Islamic devil, see Iblis. ... For other persons of the same name, see John Thomas. ... Robert Roberts Robert Roberts (April l8, 1839–September 23, 1898) is the man generally considered to have continued the work of organising and establishing the Christadelphian movement founded by Dr. John Thomas. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other persons of the same name, see John Thomas. ...

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. This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation). ...

Christadelphian Hall in Bath, United Kingdom

Christadelphians assent that Jesus is the promised Messiah, in whom the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament find their fulfilment. They believe 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. They believe that he raised Jesus to immortality, and he ascended to Heaven, God's dwelling place. Christadelphians believe that he 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 includes the belief that the 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 158 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 158 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian ; Aramaic: , ; Arabic: , ; the Anointed One) at first meant any person who was anointed with oil on rising to a certain position among the ancient Israelites, at first that of High priest, later that of King and also that of a prophet. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Note: Judaism... For other uses, see Son of man (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Son of... For other uses, see Temptation (disambiguation). ... This article is about living for infinite period of time. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Abraham (name) and Abram (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Biblical king 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] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ... Psychopannychism (from Greek psuche (soul, mind) + pannucizein (to last the night)) refers to the belief that the soul remains conscious after death (i. ... Look up Resurrection in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about living for infinite period of time. ... “Kingdom of Heaven” redirects here. ... A millennium (pl. ...

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]} For other uses, see Soul (disambiguation). ... Trinitarianism is the Christian doctrine that God, although one being, exists in three distinct persons (hypostases) known collectively as the Holy Trinity. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... This article is about the concept of Satan. ... The Inferno redirects here. ... Christian cults is one designation used to distinguish between two types of so-called mind control cults: those having an apparent Christian basis, and those with no such basis. ...

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 Eucharist [celebration of Christ in sharing bread and wine]. Additional meetings are often organised for worship, prayer, evangelism and Bible study. Ecclesia can refer to: Ecclesia (sociology of religion) Ecclesia (ancient Athens) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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. Sunday school, Indians and whites. ...

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. Military service in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other military organisation, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). ...

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. A conscientious objector is an individual whose personal beliefs are incompatible with military service, or sometimes with any role in the armed forces. ... Pacifism is opposition to the practice of war. ... The Bible Companion (or Bible Reading Planner) is a follow guide used by Christadelphians when reading the Bible. ...

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. A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ...

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. Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Isaac Watts (July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) is recognised as the Father of English Hymnody, as he was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. ... Charles Wesley (12 December 1707 - 29 March 1788) was a leader of the Methodist movement, the younger brother of John Wesley. ... Portrait of William Cowper attributed to Romney. ... John Newton John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) was an an Anglican clergyman who had, at one time, been a slaveship master. ... Robert Roberts Robert Roberts (April l8, 1839–September 23, 1898) is the man generally considered to have continued the work of organising and establishing the Christadelphian movement founded by Dr. John Thomas. ...

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. The Radical Reformation was a 16th century response to both the perceived corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and the expanding Protestant movement led by Martin Luther. ... Socinianism is a form of Antitrinitarianism, named for Laelius Socinus (died 1562 in Zürich) and of his nephew Faustus Socinus (died 1604 in Poland). ... Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      For other... Adventist is also commonly used as an abbreviation for Seventh-day Adventist. ... The Church of the Blessed Hope (or Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith) is a small first-day Adventist Christian body. ... For other persons of the same name, see John Thomas. ... Elpis Israel - An Exposition of the Kingdom of God or more commonly called just Elpis Israel (The Hope of Israel) is a theological book written by John Thomas, founder of the Christadelphians in 1848-1849 and published in 1849. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

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. Robert Roberts Robert Roberts (April l8, 1839–September 23, 1898) is the man generally considered to have continued the work of organising and establishing the Christadelphian movement founded by Dr. John Thomas. ...

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 Nazarene Fellowship has no constitution, creed or statement of faith outside the pages of the Bible. ... Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the Bible and what the Bible teaches about itself. ... The Unamended Christadelphians are a millennialist, non-Trinitarian, Christians located in the United States and Canada. ...

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. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

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] The Christadelphian Meal-a-Day Fund is a registered charity set up and run by the Christadelphians. ...

Organisation

There is no central Christadelphian organisation or hierarchy. Ecclesias are autonomous 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] For other types of minister, see Minister In Christian churches, a minister is a man or woman who serves a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such persons can minister as a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain, Deacon or Elder. ... For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation). ...

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 Christadelphian magazines. The Christadelphian Isolation League (CIL) is a non-profit organisation run by the Christadelphians. ...

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] Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ...

References and footnotes

Fishers Tale is a Christadelphian folk rock band based in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. ... Heritage College Cooranbong is a Christadelphian K-12 school located at Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia. ... Heritage College Sydney is a Christadelphian school located in Kemps Creek, New South Wales, Australia. ... ^ Non-Government Registered Schools List. ...

Further reading

Look up Christadelphians in
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