Christadelphians
Last updated 2009-06-25
About the Christadelphians, a non-Trinitarian Christian group patterned after the early Christian church; their beliefs, history and way of life.
Summary
Christadelphians
To the Bible, then, all must come at last if they would be truly wise in spiritual things...
John Thomas, founder of the Christadelphians, Elpis Israel, 1848
The Christadelphian logoThe Christadelphians are a non-Trinitarian, millennial Christian group whose fellowship is linked by a common understanding of the Bible and Christianity.
Christadelphians aim to get as close as possible to the faith and practice of the early Christian church. They describe themselves as "a lay community patterned after first century Christianity".
Their name comes from a Greek phrase,Christou adelphoi, which means 'brothers (and sisters) in Christ'.
Organisation
Christadelphians have no priests, paid ministers, or central leadership, and the leadership of localecclesias (churches) is shared by senior members.
Christadelphians do not have elaborate churches, robes or ceremonies.
Statistics
Reliable statistics are hard to come by, but one estimate is that there are about 50,000 members in 120 countries worldwide, 6,500 of them in the USA. Another source suggests that there are 20,000 members in the UK and 300 ecclesias.
Way of life
Christadelphians are not totally exclusive but they do regard themselves as set apart to serve God.
Because of this they try to live to the highest moral standards and avoid activities that they regard as 'of the world'.
They only marry within the faith. Christadelphians do not join the armed forces or the police, nor do they vote or take part in politics.
Beliefs
Christadelphians regard themselves as Christians but don't accept some mainstream Christian doctrine.
For example, they believe that God is not aTrinity but the single being God the Father.
They believe that Jesus Christ was (and is) the Son of God, but was also a man as he was born of a woman, though this birth was miraculous.
They believe that the Holy Spirit is the power of God.
They believe that Jesus now lives in Heaven, but will literally return to the earth to set up God's Kingdom. All those who have believed and been baptised will be raised to be judged by Jesus. Those who are found worthy will live in the Kingdom for ever; those who are not, or those who have not been raised, will stay dead forever.
They are a millennial church and believe that Jesus will co-exist on earth with his followers for a thousand years (the millennium) before the final battle of Armageddon.
Due to their interpretation of prophecies and in particular the Olivet Prophecy, they believe that the day of Jesus' return will be soon.
The Olivet Prophecy describes the signs that Christadelphians believe indicate the return of Jesus. The signs are described by Jesus in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21 and include war, famine, "men's hearts failing them for fear" and people being more interested in themselves than in God. Christadelphians believe these signs have been fulfilled and, consequently, that Jesus will soon return.
Holy books
Christadelphians base their faith on the Bible and nothing else. They regard the Bible as inspired by God and completely free of error, and the only source of knowledge about God and his plans.
They believe that the Bible should be read as a whole, and understood through the plain meaning of its words.
History
History of the Christadelphian movement
The Christadelphian movement was founded by John Thomas (1805-71), in the USA in 1848.
Thomas was a doctor who had been born in London but emigrated to the USA in 1832, partly because he thought that English society was "priest-ridden".
Religion is of two kind - that, namely, which is invented by the thinking of sinful flesh; and that which is revealed of God.
The former is superstition, and leads men to do a vast deal more than God requires of them, or less than He has appointed.
In what is called "Christendom" most improperly... these extremes of superstition in its plus and minus exhibitions, are illustrated in all their diversity frompopery, which is superstition in excess, down toQuakerism, which is superstition in its homoeopathic proportion.
John Thomas, Elpis Israel, 1848
Thomas was shipwrecked on his way to America, and while he was in danger he realised that he knew little about what would happen to him after death. He decided that if he survived he would devote himself to religious studies.
Thomas joined the Campbellite movement, a group that aimed to return to the early days of the Church. Later he became interested in the Millerite or Adventist movement.
In 1834 Thomas founded a magazine calledThe Apostolic Advocate, in which he published his developing ideas of true Christian belief.
In 1839 he became a farmer in Illinois. Shortly afterwards and throughout the 1840s he began to attract a following of people sympathetic to his developing views, and gradually congregations grew up.
Thomas founded another magazine,The Herald of the Future Age, in 1844, and moved to Virginia where in 1847 he publishedA Confession and Abjuration of what he now regarded as false beliefs. This became the basis of his major workElpis Israel, which was published a year later, following a successful speaking tour of the UK.
Robert Roberts, 1880©He made several further speaking tours of the UK.
Between 1862 and 1868 he publishedEureka, a three-volume work on the apocalypse.
The group became a recognised movement and took their present name in 1864, partly as a result of the American Civil War. Their pacifist principles meant that members wanted to be conscientious objectors and refuse to fight. They could only do this if they were members of a recognised religious group that opposed the war, and so the Christadelphians came into being.
Another important name in Christadelphian history is Robert Roberts. He was a Scot who nurtured and organised the movement.
Holy books
Christadelphian holy books
Christadelphians regard the Bible as inerrant©Christadelphians base their faith on theBible and nothing else.
They regard the Bible as inspired by God and completely free of error, and the only source of knowledge about God and his plans.
They believe that the Bible should be read as a whole, and understood through the plain meaning of its words.
They aim to read the Old Testament once a year and the New Testament twice a year following a reading plan called the Bible Companion.
Without daily spiritual food from the Bible we will die spiritually and God's Kingdom will be lost to us. If we feed on the Word of God every day then we will grow spiritually.
Christadelphian Bible Mission, New Life in Christ, Lesson 3
Christadelphians also value the many books written by their founder, John Thomas, includingElpis Israel (1849), although they do not treat them as having any particular authority.
Thomas did not believe that he had any special revelation from God and based his writing solely on the close study of the Bible.
Organisation
Christadelphian organisation
The Christadelphians do not have a central leadership or hierarchy.
They are a lay community, so do not have priests; the only priest they recognise is Jesus Christ.
Their organisational structure seeks to follow the way they believe the early Christians organised themselves. The guiding principles are a commitment to equality among believers and regarding 'leaders' as servants. Those taking leadership or administrative roles are not paid.
Such central organisation as there is consists of various committees who organise missionary, educational and caring work, and offices that publish magazines and books.
Local organisation
The primary unit of organisation is a local group of like-minded believers who come together to form anecclesia.
Ecclesia comes from a Greek word; it means 'assembly of the called out', which refers to those who have been called out both from the world and from the mistaken institutions of conventional Christianity. Members call each other 'Brother' or 'Sister'.
Each ecclesia is self-governing and autonomous.
Senior members of the ecclesia take turns to lead the group in worship.
Members of an ecclesia take on various administrative functions for the group. They are chosen by election.
The only practicable basis of order in the circumstances existing in our dispensation is that of mutual consent, expressed in the process known as voting, which literally means voicing, or speaking your mind.
Ecclesial Guide, 2004 edition
This follows the Christadelphian understanding that in the early church elders were appointed with the consent and approval of each individual congregation.
These members regard themselves as servants rather than masters, and so are called 'serving brethren'. They are not paid.
The ecclesia does not appoint masters, but servants. In principle, the ecclesia is the doer of everything; but, as it is impossible in its collective capacity to do the things that are to be done, it delegates to individual members the duty of doing them in its behalf.
Ecclesial Guide, 2004 edition
Such church leaders should be chosen according to the teachings of Paul and be
Blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; not a novice; moreover, he must have a good report of them that are without.
Fellowship
Membership of the Christadelphians is restricted to those who have been baptised by immersion after accepting and professing the doctrines and precepts of Christ as defined in the Statement of Faith. The Statement of Faith was written by Robert Roberts and is a set of Christadelphian beliefs, or doctrines, with supporting references from the Bible.
Worship
Christadelphian worship
Christadelphian Hall in Bath©Christadelphian worship is modelled on what they believe was the pattern followed by the early Church.They meet for the 'breaking of bread' every Sunday ("the first day of the week").
Services are simple, with hymns, prayers, readings from the Scriptures and an 'exhortation' (sermon).
Services are led by a different member each week, or by a visitor from another ecclesia.
There may be a Sunday School for children, a meeting on Sunday evening and other meetings during the week for Bible study and prayer.
Some Christadelphians meet in their own halls, but worship can take place anywhere, and often takes place in the home of a group member.
Christadelphians don't worship with other Christian groups because they don't believe it appropriate to do so with people who don't share a common doctrine.
Way of life
Christadelphians and the state
Christadelphians believe they should live as God has taught them.
A consequence of this as that they believe that they should be 'the most law abiding citizens of the country in which they live'. This is because they believe that all authorities, including those of the state, are ultimately put there by God, and so that when a person disobeys the rulers of their country, they are really disobeying God.
Military service
Christadelphians believe that they should have nothing to do with violence, because the Bible tells them to love their enemies. They won't join the armed forces or police or prison services, nor will they work in security or the armaments industry.
Those who become Christadelphians after joining the military or police are expected to try to leave by legally and scripturally appropriate means.
If Christadelphians are called up for compulsory military service they will refuse to fight, no matter how serious the situation for their country.
Oaths of allegiance
Christadelphians will not take jobs that require them to swear an oath of allegiance to anyone other than God.
Politics
Christadelphians will not take political office, nor will they vote in elections or take part in any other political activity.
...we will not get involved in politics in any way.
We will understand that God has chosen our rulers, even though we may not be able to understand His reasons for doing so.
If we vote at an election, how do we know which political party or ruler God has chosen?
If we vote against the elected candidate, then we shall be voting against the one God has chosen!
We do not know which policies God is introducing into a country and why He is doing so!
What we do know is that eventually Jesus Christ will establish God's Kingdom on earth. It is for that time that we hope and pray.
Christadelphian Bible Mission, New Life In Christ, Lesson 12
Alcohol, tobacco and drugs
Christadelphians don't actually prohibit these, because they are not forbidden in the Bible. But they do use them rarely if at all, because they are an indulgence and can lead to a loss of self-control.
Gambling
Gambling is discouraged.
Sexual morality
Christadelphians do not have sex outside marriage.
Marriage
Christadelphians do not regard marriage as a sacrament, but they do regard it as a highly spiritual thing that should be firmly based on God's principles and involve husband and wife working in partnership to the glory of God and his son Jesus Christ.
Christadelphians only have one marriage partner.
Christadelphians only marry other Christadelphians - they believe that "marriage with the alien is an offence against the law of Christ", and would result in the partners pulling in different spiritual directions.
A brother ought not to marry a woman who is not a sister: a sister ought not to marry a man who is not a brother. The marriage of a believer ought to be "only in the Lord".
Ecclesial Guide 2004
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