April 21 – Brethren
But, what (you might ask) is happening in Ireland?
In Ireland, it was still improper to meet outside of the church for worship, and to share communion without a clergy member present was abhorrent! But, as rebels would have it, there was always a group ready to test the waters and try new ideas.
John Nelson Darby was a member of one of those groups who met in Dublin, Ireland in 1829. As spiritual excitement continued to grow, Catholics converted to the Anglican other churches as they searched for ways to be free with their worship. Many Christians were beginning to look to the Bible as their guide, apart from the Church. Men who were training to be in the pastorate began asking themselves why they were going through all of that training, when what they most wanted to do was teach the Bible. Disillusionment with the organized church was growing.
Darby was a lawyer, but became ordained within the church. He grew tired, though, of the church’s emphasis on membership and numbers as well as the closed door policies that the church held. Following an accident, he left the church to recuperate and began hanging out with different groups of people. As he listened to them speak, he began formulating ideas for change within the church.
As he studied scripture, he decided, though that one of the main aspects that had been ignored was prophecy. He was intrigued by the teachings of the end times and in the 1830s, a series of conferences on prophecy were held.
At the time, the prevailing view on the end times was post-millennialism – a belief that the church would bring the era of peace and then Christ would return. Darby felt that a pre-millennial return of Christ was closer to the truth. The world would head for destruction, Christ would return and set up a thousand year reign. The teaching that Darby was reading also taught that Christ would remove the faithful before the worst of the tribulation.
Darby and B.W. Newton were the founders of a new church, one that believed in simplicity and stripping away anything that was unbiblical. The Brethren Church emphasized that everyone was welcome, there were no ministers, communion was celebrated weekly, they were pacifists and prophecy as well as the other gifts of the Holy Spirit were lifted up.
Divisions grew between different members and separations occurred within the Brethren, but the Plymouth Brethren Church has continued to grow throughout the world.
But, what (you might ask) is happening in Ireland?
In Ireland, it was still improper to meet outside of the church for worship, and to share communion without a clergy member present was abhorrent! But, as rebels would have it, there was always a group ready to test the waters and try new ideas.
John Nelson Darby was a member of one of those groups who met in Dublin, Ireland in 1829. As spiritual excitement continued to grow, Catholics converted to the Anglican other churches as they searched for ways to be free with their worship. Many Christians were beginning to look to the Bible as their guide, apart from the Church. Men who were training to be in the pastorate began asking themselves why they were going through all of that training, when what they most wanted to do was teach the Bible. Disillusionment with the organized church was growing.
Darby was a lawyer, but became ordained within the church. He grew tired, though, of the church’s emphasis on membership and numbers as well as the closed door policies that the church held. Following an accident, he left the church to recuperate and began hanging out with different groups of people. As he listened to them speak, he began formulating ideas for change within the church.
As he studied scripture, he decided, though that one of the main aspects that had been ignored was prophecy. He was intrigued by the teachings of the end times and in the 1830s, a series of conferences on prophecy were held.
At the time, the prevailing view on the end times was post-millennialism – a belief that the church would bring the era of peace and then Christ would return. Darby felt that a pre-millennial return of Christ was closer to the truth. The world would head for destruction, Christ would return and set up a thousand year reign. The teaching that Darby was reading also taught that Christ would remove the faithful before the worst of the tribulation.
Darby and B.W. Newton were the founders of a new church, one that believed in simplicity and stripping away anything that was unbiblical. The Brethren Church emphasized that everyone was welcome, there were no ministers, communion was celebrated weekly, they were pacifists and prophecy as well as the other gifts of the Holy Spirit were lifted up.
Divisions grew between different members and separations occurred within the Brethren, but the Plymouth Brethren Church has continued to grow throughout the world.
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