Christadelphians: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:24, 7 September 2002

Revision as of 21:15, 20 November 2002

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Most male members are eligible to teach and perform other duties, and these are usually assigned on a rotation, rather than having a designated preacher or minister. Governance is handled with a democratic model, typically with an elected board.

There isare adifferent smallroles amountfor ofmen bias againstand women. Women are not eligible for the elected offices or to lead the services. They are allowed to participate in all discussions, to teach the children, and do most other activities. They do not however believe that women are inferior.

In attempting to get back to the original teachings of the Bible, Christadelphians take issue with a number of standard Christian doctrines.

They believe that Jesus is the son of God, born of a woman and fully human. They believe that he possessed originalthe same sin-prone nature as mankind, but had no personal sins, and was thus suitable as a perfect sacrifice on behalf of others. They absolutely reject the doctrine of the Trinity.

Christadelphians believe that at the end of time, Jesus will return to earth, destroy his enemies, and set up a kingdom on earth. They do not believe in an immortal soul, or hell.

They do not believe in ana actualfallen-angel devil or Satan, looking instead at the literal meaning of the words. Depending on context, the word "Satan" can refer to human (sin-prone) nature, or to some specific adversary.

[As an outsider, I have not presented their beliefs in the same way a Christadelphian would. I do not believe I have made any mistakes in what I have presented, but these are not the beliefs they would focus on or consider foundational to explain; I have mostly drawn distinctions between their beliefs and the beliefs of mainstream Christianity.]

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There are several schisms in the Christadelphian faith; the Amended Christadelphians, the Unamended Christadelphians, and the Berean Christadelphians. Contact between these groups is limited, though various reunion efforts have been tried.

Christadelphians can be primarily found in the United States, England, and Australia. Ecclesias are small compared to the major denominations, ranging in size from a few families to a few hundred members at most. Most ecclesias have fewer than one hundred members. Membership is growing rapidly in the non-English-speaking world, particularly Africa, India and Eastern Europe.