What do the "BRETHEREN" believe?

Try Google-

http://www.brethren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=visitor_what_we_believe

http://www.brethren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=visitor_about_history

Truth be told, speaking as a former member, most of their pastors are liberal. Brethren people looking for a better church go to Baptist churches- :laugh:

 

You could be correct, am I looking at another group. When I think of Brethren, I think of folks like Alva J. McClain, John Whicomb and Herman Hoyt. I also think of Grace Theological Seminary.

 

Plymouth Brethren

 

One of the groups known as the Brethren Church was a split away from the German Baptist Churches of North America. They are very strong in Alberta, Canada and very evangelical and fundamental on theology. I can't remember why the split happened, but it was back in the early 50's.

The PB's are a whole other thing, generally known as Gospel Halls. Strongly dispensational and a view that election and predestination are based on God's foreknowledge, and not divine selection from eternity past. They have no paid pastorate and celebrate closed communion.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Ah, I see- MUCH better group than the one I was associated with, I think.

 

You're from a different neck of the woods -- but Gospel Halls in my American experience were of the exclusive variety --the Closed Brethren.

I am from a PB background, but I was from the larger group -- Open Brethren. Or, as the Exclusives would say mockingly --"The Loose Brethren."

But I did have the opportunity to go to one of the exclusive services by a special invitation. They were a little rigid -- but believers nevertheless.

Oh, I want to add that many of the founders of the PB movement were very Calvinistic. John Nelson Darby was even quoted favorably in this respect by A.W.Pink in his Sovereignty Of God book.

George Muller, who became friends of Charles Spurgeon was certainly a strong Calvinist.

And there were many more of the Calvinistic persuasion.Some today are "Closet Calvinists". (I have inside info.

 

Rippon: I knew there was something I liked about you. When I was going to school in Llanelli (an Anglican Boy's Boarding School) I was introdued to a PB meeting place. I liked them. When I returned to London, I was baptized by the PB's became a member. When I decided on ministry, I joined the British Baptist Union and went to a Baptist school in London. So, we have a similar background, except these were exclusive Brethren. The Lord's Supper was an exclusive service in the morning every Sunday. An evening service was open to the public and the gospel was preached. I came out of that PB experience with my Scofield Bible, the full dispensational teaching, Clarence Larkin books and all the related charts.....Quite an experience for a good old Anglican boy! That was back in the 40's though. You might say I have had solid Bible teaching since I was 4 years of age. Some might not consider the Church of England to be solid Bible, but then, how many really know the old Church of England?

Cheers, and bless,

Jim

 

When I was a kid we had a neighbor who was a member of the local Church of the Bretheren and was prohibited from taking communion. Why? Beause he had a radio in the living room. I expect they have loosened up a bit since then.

 

Crabtownboy: At one type, the group I belonged to didn't believe in the television at all. Then, they realized, at the "rapture" it says, "Every eye will see Him....." How is that possible on a global earth? Television! Of course! Soon all the PB's had a telly, and it was just coming out then.

Cheers,

Jim

 

It is difficult to answer this question because there are many Christian groups that use the word Brethren in their name.

Most Brethren groups have Anabaptist/Pietist origins and rejected infant baptism.
The Schwarzenau Brethren also known as German Baptist Brethren or Dunkers is the largest group and likely the one you are talking about
The Mennonite Brethren came from the Russian Mennonites
The Hutterite Brethren is the official name of the Hutterites
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ and the Brethren in Christ Church were founded in Pennsylvania

Several are from the Hussite tradition, a pre-reformational protestant group who followed Jan Hus.
The Moravian Brethren (or United Brethren or Bohemian Brethren) and the Unity of the Brethren

Several Brethren groups have restorationist origins like the Plymouth Brethren which gave rise to the Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren.

Other groups include:
The Church of the Lutheran Brethren
United Seventh-Day Brethren
Apostolic United Brethren a mormon group

 

I also have a "Plymouth Brethren" background.

One of the best histories of the movement was written by Harry Ironside, who was one of them until called to be pastor of Moody Memorial Church. Due to his beliefs on church polity, he hesitated to take the position, but was actually encouraged by the elders of his local church due to the greater impact his preaching may have in such a position.

Although they tend to be dispensational, the actual cause of their split from the Anglican church, as I understand it, was their rejection of the clergy-laity system. I seem to recall reading that George Mueller (sp?), an early Brethren leader who is famous for his orphanages, was not a dispensationalist.

In recent decades, many of the Plymouth Brethren-like churches have started getting more like Bible Churches in having pastors and other paid staff.

My experience back in the 70s was similar to that of Jim1999 - the Scofield Reference Bible was practically all we saw. But as the years have gone by, that has changed a lot - I have met a few elders who even reject dispensationalism.

We have been Southern Baptist for nearly 15 years now due to the lack of a Brethren assembly in our area. Southern Baptists in our neck of the woods tend to be dispensationalist. I understand that some in the southeast tend more towards covenant theology.

Southern Baptists in the area were very helpful to us last summer when our oldest son was suddenly and tragically taken from us. Despite our different background in church polity, we will probably stay with the SBC.

 

My grandparents are and my great-grandparents were bretheren.
As a matter of fact, they go to the oldes bretheren church in Indiana.

Small farming community. Salt of the earth people. Their current minister is NOT a bretheren minister....he is a LONG term interim.

Why?

Because the bretheren typically are very liberal. Their association sent them a woman "pastor" a few times and they said "no thanks." Their current "interim long term pastor" is an Assembly of God, hardcore old fashioned hell fire and damnation preacher! And a few years ago, my Grandpa admitted that he has never learned so much about the Bible in his life.

 

It is hard to keep theological viewpoints straight here when we keep switching about as to which "Brethren" group we are talking about.

The PB's have never been liberal; the German Baptists have had both calvinist and arminian viewpoints within, but have always been quite fundamental. I have read that the Brethren in Christ Churches have been somewhat liberal in theology, but I can't say so definitively.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Kosher ? what do you mean, kosher ? Looking at the replies here, I guess one can ask the same thing of this denomination called "Baptists". Are they, er, "kosher" ?

 

From what I gather from the conversation and the links provided saying 'the Brethern' is like saying 'the Baptist'...


I think what was asked whith the 'kosher'comment was are they Christian Brothers and Sisters.

I'd say for the most part yes. I have always held that its the fundamentals that really matter. Open/closed communion, Calvin/Arminian (to a certain degree, the radicals on both sides worry me) Dispy/Covy, etc ad nauseum, it doesn't really matter.
If you hold that Jesus is part of the trinity, born of a virgin,crucified and resurrected, acsended into heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for those in the faith, it doesn't matter what title you wear, or how you think the end times is going to go down, Your my bro/sis in Christ.