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Christadelphians means "Brethren in Christ," from the two Greek words Christos (Christ) and adelphois (brothers and sisters). 1
On April 12, 1805, John Thomas was born to John Thomas and Jane White in Hoxton Square, London. As the son of a pastor in an independent church, John Thomas grew up in a household filled with religion. 9 While the family resided in Chorely, England, Thomas began his studies in medicine with the aid of a local surgeon. His medical studies continued later at St. Thomas hospital when he moved to London, and began writing articles on the subject of anatomy. Thomas believed that the mind and body were separate, and that upon death, the mind (soul) would move into a new immortal body. 10 He would later revise his beliefs about death and the continuation of life after death.
John Thomas set sail on the Marquis of Wellesley from St. Catherine, Dorchester, on May 1, 1832. 11 He would spend eight weeks at sea, preforming the duties of the ship's surgeon. While at sea, the ship encountered stormy weather and ran aground off the coast of Sable Island. 12 "He now found his mind concentrated on what would become of him if this was to be his end and realized that his mind was clouded by uncertainty. It was at this time that he vowed that if he ever got ashore again, he would never rest until he found out the truth of the matter so that he might no more be found in such an uncertain state of mind." 13 The ship arrived safely in New York and Thomas traveled on to his final destination in Cincinnati, Ohio. 14 Here he became acquainted with the teachings of Alexander Campbell, and eventually joined the "Reformation Movement". 15 In October of 1832, John Thomas was rebaptized in the Miami Canal. 16 He joined the ranks of Campbellite itinerant evangelists, and traveled across the eastern United States spreading the word of God. He eventually settled down in Philadelphia for a short period as a preacher. It was here on January 1, 1834 that he married his wife, Ellen Hunt. 17 Along with his preaching, Thomas became a writer and editor for the Apostolic Advocate , which first appeared in May, 1834. 18 The Campbellites provided a foundation for several of the later Christadelphian beliefs, including church clergy with no formal education.
Differences between Alexander Campbell and John Thomas eventually arose. Thomas believed in rebaptism, and the necessity that candidates demonstrate their knowledge of the Bible before baptism. He also believed that "true believers" would be resurrected at Christ's Second Advent, a modification of his earlier beliefs about the body and soul. John Thomas was "disfellowshipped" in 1837 as a result of his alternative views. 19
In 1843, Thomas was introduced to William Miller, the leader of the Millerites. Miller predicted the Second Advent of Christ would occur in 1843 or 1844, and at this time the millenial age would commence. 20 Thomas incorporated the doctorines of the Second Advent of Christ and its close arrival into his prominent teachings. In 1846, when Thomas traveled to New York City and began a series of lectures, he based his speeches on thirty doctorinal points which would later become part of his book Elipis Israel (The Hope of Israel) . 21
Formation of the Christadelphians
John Thomas was rebaptized in 1847, and afterwards traveled to England in order to establish a community of followers there. 22 When he returned to the United States once again, he moved his home base from Richmond to New York City. Thomas' followers here became known as the Royal Association of Believers. 23 This community was the first group of Thomas' followers to become independent of any existent congregation. The term "ecclesia" was used to describe them, instead of "church". "Ecclesia", however, means church in Greek. Within the community male members rotated through the positions of leadership during services as "presiding brothers". 24
In 1861 the Civil War broke out, and Thomas traveled to the South. During this time, Robert Roberts emerged as the unofficial leader of the communities of followers in Great Britain. 25 In 1864, the term "Christadelphians" was born. 26 One of Thomas' beliefs was that Christians should not partake in war. "It was not just that to register as conscientious objectors required the loosely organized congregations to choose a name, the war itself required believers to make a stand for what they believed." 27 During the war, Thomas worked on Eureka (I Found It) , three volumes explaining Thomas' interpretation of the New Testament Apocalypse. The second volume caused concern among, and the departure of, some groups from the ranks of Thomas' followers. This controversial volume predicted that Christ would return sometime between 1864 and 1868. 28
On May 5, 1868, Thomas returned to England where he had greater success attracting followers. 29 Birmingham became the center of the Christadelphian movement in Great Britain, and the followers in this city were known as the Central Fellowship. 30 Before Thomas' death, he made one final tour of the Christadelphian congregations in the United States. He died on March 5, 1871 in Jersey City, and was buried in Brooklyn, NY. 31
The Christadelphians After John Thomas
The survival of the Christadelphians after the death of John Thomas, was successful for the most part because of the efforts of Robert Roberts. Roberts was only nine years old the first time he heard Thomas speak, and was a mere fourteen when he was baptized and joined the ranks of the Christadelphians in Scotland. 32 Roberts spent his life preaching, and spreading the beliefs of Christadelphians. "Because Roberts was able to offer direction and guidance, Christadelphia on both sides of the Atlantic experienced little if any disarray when the founder died." 33 Roberts is best known for starting the practice of "fraternal gatherings," or lecture series, the fist of which took place in Birmingham, in 1872. This idea quickly spread to North America, as well. 34 The Christadelphians were not destined to remain intact, however. Controversies arose which eventually led divisions among the Christadelphians. See Issues and Controversies
"inerrancy(freedom from error) of the books of the Bible, in their original formthe Bible as the source of all religious knowledge
the virginal birth, crucifixion and ressurection of Jesus Christ
God is a single entity. [Christadelphians] are strict monotheists; their beliefs resemble those of Judaism, Islam, and the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jesus Christ is the son of God, a human being who possessed a human nature. He had no experience priorto his conception circa 6BCE by the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit. He lived without sin. His death atoned for the sins of all believers.
Holy Spirit is simply the Power of God ; it is not a separate person, but is rather " an unseen power emanating from the Deity. "
Satan is not a quasi-deity with magical powers. Satan is the principle of evil which resides in people and promotes them to sin and rebel against God.
The soul is not immortal. People lose consciousness at death and do not regain it unless they are resurrected at some date in the future.
Salvation requires an adult to both accept the gospel message and be baptized.
Hell does not exist as a place of eternal torment; it is rather the state of non- existence in the grave.
After Jesus returns to earth in the near future, the wicked will be destroyed and believers will reign with Christ for a millenium. After that period, those selected for eternal life will live on earth forever.
Christadelphians do not believe that the saved will spend eternity in heaven. They believe that the Kingdom of God will be located on the Earth, with Jerusalem as its capital." 35
Organization of the Group
They meet weekly on Sundays for a Memorial Meeting or Breaking of the Bread .Their local group is called an ecclesia which is Greek for "congregation." They average about 20 members each.
Most of the ecclesias meet in each other's homes or in rented halls. A few own their own buildings.
They have no central organizations. Each ecclesia is autonomous. Coordination is largely through publishing houses.
Their leaders are called lecturing brethren, managing brethren and presiding brethren. All are male volunteers who are elected to their posts.
Women are given equal voting rights.
Members do not vote, run for office or go to war.
Many members read the Bible daily; some use a reading plan which completes the Old Testament once per year, and the New Testament twice.
A small minority of Christadelphians discouraged fellowship with Christians from other denominations. 36
This controversy occured in England begining in 1873. 37 Edward Turney and David Handley led a dispute in which they declared that Jesus did not inherit sinful flesh, as Thomas had proposed in his teachings. Their argument that Jesus did not inherit sinful flesh was based on the fact that God was the "Father" of Christ. 38 Very few ecclesias actually defected, and the controversy had disapeared by 1876. This controvery led to the creation of a Statement of Faith, which was adopted by the ecclesia at Birmingham. 39
The Resurrection Controversy
This controvery centered around the question of who could be resurrected. Christadelphians became divided around 1894, with some proclaiming that only the baptized had "resurrectional resposibilty." Other Christadelphians felt that those who were not baptized, but had come in comtact with "the truth" could also be resurrected. 40 This controversy pitted Robert Roberts against another notable Christadelphian, John J. Andrew. The controversy ended with a clear division among the Christadelphians. Those that believed only the baptized could be resurrected became known as the "Unamended" while the rest of the Christadelphians were called the "Amended". 41
Who Are The
Christadelphians?
This web site contains an outline of Christadelphian beliefs on different topics
including mortalitiy, Jews and the kingdom of God. There is also a brief history of the
Christadelphians.
http://www.barbush.demon.co.uk/resources/whoare.htm
John Thomas and the
Christadelphians
This web site contains useful information pertaining to John Thomas' history.
http://www.tiac.net/users/morrell/jthomas.htm
United
States Department of Commerce: Religious Bodies: 1926
This site provides a short summary of the history, doctorine, and organization of the
Christadelphians. It is the United States Governments record of the existence of this
religious group.
http://www.mun.ca:80/rels/restmov/texts/gane/RB26-CA.HTM
Who Are the
Christadelphians?
This site gives a detailed list of the Christadelphians major beliefs. This site also
lists the differences between Christadelphians and other Christians.
http://www.newcomm.net/bible/images/whoare.htm
Australian Christadelphian Home Page
This site provides the general information about Christadelphians as well as Bible
study resources. There is also a link where you can join a discussion group or e-mail
your questions. The site was mainly designed for Christadelphians as a tool in their
studies of the Bible.
http://www.christadelphian.org.au/html/default_welcome.html
Antipas Christadelphians: An Organization
Upholding the Understanding
This site lists quotes from the scriptures as evidence for the Christadelphian
beliefs. There are links to daily quotes from the Bible, as well as the audio version
of the Bible online.
www.antipas.org/
Religious
Tolerance: Christadelphians
This page is devoted to religious tolerance and list many different religions,
including the Christadelphians. It gives a concise summary of the Christadelphian
beliefs and practices. There is also a list of references which is helpful when looking
for other sources.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_delp.htm
Adherents.com
This page gives statistic citations for over 3,500 religions. I found this site very
useful when I was trying to find a current count of Christadelphians worldwide.
http://www.adherents.com/Na_92.html
1.
John Thomas and the Christadelphians. "The Christadelphians-Brethren in Christ."
Online.Internet. 2 March, 2000. Available
http://www.tiac.net/users/morrell/jth
omas.htm
2.
Bryan R. Wilson.
Sects and Society: A Sociological Study of Three Religious Groups in Britain
, p. 219.
3.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians in North America
, p. 28.
4.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 28.
5.
OCRT: An Agency Promoting Religious Tolerance As A Human Right. "The
Christadelphians." Online. Internet. 19 April, 2000. Available
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ch
r_delp.htm
6.
Bryan R. Wilson.
Sect and Society
, p. 220.
7.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 28.
8.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 33.
9.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 35.
10.
John Thomas and the Christadelphians.
11.
Who Are The Christadelphians? Online. Internet. 2 March, 2000. Available
http://www.dspace.dia
l.pipex.com/town/square/ac848/whochr.htm
12.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 35.
13.
Who Are The Christadelphians?
14.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 36.
15.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 36.
16.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 37.
17.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 38.
18.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 41.
19.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 43.
20.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 43.
21.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 49.
22.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 49.
23.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 51.
24.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 51.
25. John Thomas and the Christadelphians
26.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 53.
27.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 54.
28.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 55.
29.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 55.
30.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 55.
31.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 55.
32.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 58.
33.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 60.
34.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 60.
35.
OCRT
36.
OCRT
37.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 61.
38.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 62.
39.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 62.
40.
Charles H. Lippy.
The Christadelphians
, p. 69.
Created by
Jen Parsons
For Sociology 257: New Religious Movements
Spring Term, 2000
Last modified: 04/19/01