Posted on 09/05/2025 9:34:43 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
While on a 6 mile walk between villages in the Cotswolds, England today, I spotted this sign on a back street in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England.
”Christadelphians”? What in the world? So I looked it up when we got back to our cottage and this is what I learned.
The Christadelphians, a non-Trinitarian Christian denomination, were founded in the mid-19th century by John Thomas, a British doctor who emigrated to the United States. The name means "brothers and sisters in Christ," derived from Greek. They base their beliefs solely on the Bible, rejecting the Trinity and the immortality of the soul, and aim to replicate the practices of the first-century Christian church. Key practices include believer’s baptism, anticipation of Jesus' second coming, and the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. Ecclesias, their autonomous congregations, lack central leadership or paid clergy, with worship centered on simple services like the memorial service commemorating Jesus’ death and resurrection.
By the late 19th century, Christadelphians had grown in England, including the Cotswolds, a rural region in South West England known for its limestone villages. Influenced by John Thomas’ 1849 lecture tours, the movement found traction among non-Trinitarian groups. Around 1900, small ecclesias likely existed in towns like Cirencester or Chipping Campden, meeting in modest venues for Bible study and prayer. The 1898 schism led to the Central Fellowship (Amended Christadelphians) becoming dominant in England, a group that included those with sufficient gospel knowledge in their resurrection beliefs. With an estimated 20,000 members and 300 ecclesias UK-wide by the early 20th century, their presence in the Cotswolds reflected a minority committed to biblical literalism and pacifism, distinct from the region’s Anglican traditions.
A Christadelphian Meeting Room in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, bears a stone sign dated 1904, indicating a dedicated space for the local ecclesia. Located 50 miles south of Birmingham, a hub of Christadelphian activity, this modest stone building reflects the movement’s growth and the Central Fellowship’s influence post-1898 schism. It likely served for Bible study, prayer, and the memorial service, supported possibly by nearby ecclesias. The structure’s simplicity aligns with their avoidance of ornate architecture, marking a significant community effort in a small market town.
As of September 5, 2025, the Christadelphians have not died out. With approximately 50,000 members across 120 countries, and around 20,000 in the UK historically, they remain active. In the UK, they maintain about 300 ecclesias, including potential continued use or legacy of sites like the Bourton-on-the-Water meeting room. Their online presence, including publications like The Christadelphian magazine, and focus on autonomous community activities sustain their small but enduring global presence.
Darn! I blew the post title. Should be “The Christadelphians.” Mods, can you please fix?
Bourton-on-the-Water is, to me, a most idyllic English village. Were England not Englandistan, with no free speech, I’d move there asap.
It’s nice, but WAY too crowded w tourists. Nearby villages are as nice and uncrowded.
An interesting group of believers. Thanks.
So, they recognize God and Christ, but not the Holy Spirit?
It sounds like they see the Holy Spirit as just God, or God’s own spirit.
𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
If a denomination denies the Trinity, it is not Christian.
The Christadelphians are a cult, at best. Like the JWs or the Mormons.
They are not Christian.
"When Martin Luther nailed his protest up to the church door in fifteen-seventeen, he may not have realised the full significance of what he was doing, but four hundred years later, thanks to him, my dear, I can wear whatever I want on my John Thomas..."
I'd never heard a penis referred to as a 'John Thomas' before or since, and thought it must be some English thing. Now I wonder if Christadelphianism's John Thomas is who they were talking about.
Uh Oh...
I’ll bet Mick Jagger knew all about that.
“Life is secure with Lady Jane.”
As long as you pledge your troth.
Great connection. That CANNOT be just a coincidence.
Thanks. It is very interesting what sola scriptura wrought.
Once humanity opened up the flood gates where each person would interpret completely on their own the sacred texts, we soon ended up with myriad interprtations.
Even during Luther’s lifetime we had anti-trinitatians like the brethren.
The Christadelphians are an interesting sect
the Christadelphians have historical ties to the Adventist movement. John Thomas had connections with early Adventists, and the group drew some initial support from Adventist circles in the mid-19th century, sharing millennial expectations rooted in the Millerite movement’s “Great Disappointment” of 1844.
However, they developed as a distinct denomination, differing from groups like the Seventh-day Adventists in beliefs such as nontrinitarianism and rejection of a supernatural devil.
Your credibility: ZERO.
Umm, there was quite a diversity in opinion before Martin Luther. Just suppressed.
Christadelphians base their beliefs entirely on the Bible, which they consider the inspired, infallible word of God.
They are a nontrinitarian, millennial Christian group emphasizing personal Bible study, adult baptism, and a literal interpretation of scripture
They saw the Bible as saying Jesus Christ was a created, mortal man subordinate to God with no pre-existence,
"Cult" is kind of a loaded term in our time because people usually use it casually to refer to, basically, "a religion I don't like."
More accurately, as non-Trinitarians who claim to profess Christ, the Christadelphians are a pseudo-Christian sect.
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