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The opening of St Katherines Docks,
London on 25th October 1828 |
'Christadelphians' may sound a rather imposing and
possibly even unusual name. However, it simply means 'Brethren in
Christ'. John Thomas, an Englishman born in London in 1805, first used
the name. He was the son of a clergyman and became a doctor of medicine.
In 1832 as a young man, he emigrated to the U.S.A., sailing from St.
Katherine’s Docks, London, aboard a ship called The Marquis of
Wellesley. He helped to pay his passage by working as the ship’s
surgeon.
The stormy Atlantic crossing was so bad that the ship lost its mainmast and ran
aground. The passengers feared for their lives and at this point Dr Thomas
determined that if he ever reached land he would never rest until he found out
the truth about life and death. The ship eventually reached port after eight
dreadful weeks and disembarked the relieved passengers and crew in New York.
At that time America was full of people with new ideas and a freedom of thought
that gave rise to the formation of many different religious communities,
unrestricted by any form of state religion. It was in this ‘cauldron’ of
religious activity that Dr. Thomas began to implement his resolve to search for
the truth about life and death.
With his religious family background he already had a foundation belief in the
Bible and it was to the Bible that he looked for answers to his questions. He
read the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament avidly, learning the
original languages and searching out the beliefs of the people of the Bible. He
found to his astonishment, that a great deal of what was accepted as established
church doctrine was not in the Bible!
In between earning his living in medicine, Dr. Thomas travelled widely in
America preaching what he now understood to be the message of the Bible. He
involved himself in debates and addressed many congregations, finding there were
others like himself who had searched God’s Word for the answer to these vital
issues.
Dr Thomas then began to publish his own conclusions about the true doctrines
found in the Bible. These were published in 1848 in a book entitled ‘Elpis
Israel’1 while he was on a visit to England. By this time his preaching efforts
had led to a number of people in America and England studying the scriptures and
realising that this man had indeed uncovered original Christianity as taught by
Jesus and his apostles. They became associated with Dr. Thomas but they still
had no fixed name although they were known in some places as ‘Thomasites.’
However he resisted this, as he was not a man who sought a following or wanted
to have his name associated with a newly formed religious group.
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
It was the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 that
made Dr. Thomas choose a name for those who had accepted his understanding of
the Bible’s teaching. It seems little thought had been given to a name, as it
was not considered to be a necessary part of their faith. They followed the
teaching of Jesus and like the 1st Century believers, they simply regarded
themselves as his brethren and sisters.
The war between the Northern and Southern States of America resulted in
believers living in ‘opposing camps’ and this raised the question as to whether
the followers of Jesus should serve in the armed forces. Should they obey the
call to take up arms if the Authorities ordered them to do so? After much
thought and by searching the Scriptures they came to the conclusion that they
had no alternative but to become conscientious objectors if they were to follow
the commandments of Christ and the apostles (Matthew 5:43,44; John 18:36).
Conscription was resorted to by the Authorities in both the Northern and
Southern States and the rules for exemption were different on both sides.
Negotiations were necessary with the Authorities, who would only consider the
cause of conscientious objectors who belonged to a recognised religious group.
The brethren asked Dr. Thomas for help in adopting a name that would be
recognised by the military authorities and so he set his mind to the task and
decided to adopt the name ‘Christadelphians’.
He later wrote, ‘I did not know a better denomination that could be given to
such a class of believers than ‘Brethren in Christ.’ This declares their true
status, and as officials prefer words to phrases, the same fact is expressed in
another form by the word, ‘Christadelphians’, or Christou adelphoi’ which means
'Christ’s
brethren.’
With this new name, the Christadelphians now had official recognition in
America. Dr. Thomas travelled widely, even into battle zones to represent those
who were having difficulties with the Authorities, but generally the adoption of
the name Christadelphian gained the exemption they sought in their desire to
uphold the teaching of Christ. The name was also accepted as an established
religious denomination in the U.K. from about the same time.
AN APOSTOLIC FELLOWSHIP
For the enquiring reader it is perhaps already noticeable
that the Christadelphians look back to the first century to the teachings of
Christ and his apostles to see what they originally preached and to what we can
only describe as true Christianity. We would hope that the circumstances that
led us to adopt the name ‘Christadelphians’ do not divert your attention from
the fact that the basic beliefs of our community are apostolic. The same
fundamental teaching of the first century believers forms the basis of
Christadelphian beliefs. The fact that the established churches have strayed
from first century Christianity is the reason for our position today.
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