C H R I S T A D E L P H I A N R E S E A R C H

An exhaustive and authoritative investigation into the Christadelphians with links from their own sources as well as insights from former
members. Complete examination of their history, organisation, theology, practices, and the challenges they face.
Adventist Influences
The Christadelphian founder lived in a time in America where there was a strong expectation by many on the imminent return (or Second Advent) of Christ. This is not a new belief and there are many references in the New Testament which show early Christians believed Christ would return soon too. Many groups through history have focused on the advent as the prime focus of scripture (particularly in times of abrupt change) and the 1800s was a period of intense speculation about the date of Christ’s actual return to the earth. Using time periods referred to in the books of Daniel and Revelation and using principles of “a day for a year” and various starting points, various dates were suggested for when he would return. One in particular was an event now called The Great
Disappointment when thousands believed Jesus would return in 1844.
Many new denominations, including the Adventist movement, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Worldwide Church of God and the Christadelphians have links to this period and the various movements which emerged from it when the expected return never occurred. In the case of the Adventists and the Jehovah’s Witnesses belief in a spiritual (or invisible return of Christ have emerged) that has been fitted into date scenarios to explain why Christ never returned at certain times expected.
In “The Rise of the Cults,” Branson Hopkins, a former Christadelphian has researched some of these links in detail and has documented the fact that many of the leaders of the various emerging denominations had links, corresponded with each other and were sometimes in the same churches. I suggest a huge amount more work will subsequently be necessary to fully understand major links. Many of these will be found because all of these movements have significant archives of material relating to their origins.
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- SITE MAP
- RESEARCH BLOG
- NEW STUFF!!
- SITE RELEVANCE
- HELPS FOR RESEARCH
- CHRISTADELPHIAN HISTORY
- ORGANISATIONAL SYSTEM
- SOCIAL ASPECTS
- BELIEF SYSTEM
- DOCUMENTS
- JOHN THOMAS
- PROVE ALL THINGS
- PROPOSAL FOR ADVOCATE
- CONFESSION AND ABJURATION, JOHN THOMAS
- JOHN THOMAS ON THE BIBLE AS THE ONLY AUTHORITY
- JOHN THOMAS ON REPENTANCE
- DISFELLOWSHIPPING QUOTES
- PRE-ADAMIC CREATION
- JOHN THOMAS ON FORMER BRETHREN
- EARLY CONSTITUTION
- ON BEING EXCLUSIVE
- RETURN BY 1866
- ROBERT ROBERTS
- EXACT KNOWLEDGE AND OBEDIENCE
- INTRODUCTION BIBLE COMPANION
- PROVIDENCE AND THE INDEPENDENT MIND OF JOHN THOMAS
- ROBERT ROBERTS ON WHY THE TRUE DOCTRINES WERE LOST
- THE RETURN OF THE LAW
- ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
- BRYAN R WILSON
- PATRIARCHALISM AND WOMEN
- POVERTY AND RECRUITMENT
- INTRODUCTION TO PHANEROSIS
- DEMONS AND PIGS, BY BRANSON HOPKINS
- CREEDAL FLEXIBILITY
- HIGH CHURCH CHRISTADELPHIANS
- DR THOMAS - FREE ENQUIRY
- BELIEFS OF FORMER BRETHREN
- ALTERING THE STATEMENT
- HISTORY MYSTERY
- REDISCOVERY OF THE TRUTH
- ONLINE BOOKS
- THE EARLY HISTORY-NORRIE
- GOSPEL BANNER 1867
- SATAN THE DEVIL
- PICTURES
- FORMER CHRISTADELPHIANS
- SPIRIT AND TRUTH
- LINKS
- MEDIA
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PAGE VISITS FROM 16/09/13
UnBELIEVABLE
THE TRINITY HURDLE
NOVEL: HOLY BIBLE
Christadelphian Quotes
You lay a great stress upon facts throughout your letters, and are incessant in your demand that I should attend to them. This is good; but facts have to be rightly put together, and then you must have all the facts. I do not think you put the facts rightly together, and you leave out some, I am sure.
(Robert Roberts, a Christadelphian Pioneer, quoted
by Ruth McHaffie in Brethren Indeed)
The Spirit of liberty, based upon the law of faith, is the Spirit of Christ; and this spirit all the Sons of God are privileged to possess, and having it, to breathe. I claim the right of exercising this privilege, as well as my contemporaries; and I require of them that they should do to me as once they loudly required others to do to them…
(written by John Thomas, the founder of the Christadelphians, when he was against creeds in
The Apostolic Advocate magazine, August 1836)
(John Thomas, from Apostacy Unveiled, p. 137,
quoted in The Christadelphian Magazine, January 1906)
Must a man never progress? If he discovers an error in his premises, must he for ever hold to it for the sake of consistency? May such a calamity never befall me! Rather let me change every day, till I get right at last.
(from a letter written by John Thomas in 1848, quoted by Robert Roberts, in Dr. Thomas: His Life and Work)
Do what is right; be valiant for the Truth; teach it without compromise, and all lovers of the Truth will approve you. For all others you need not care a rush!
(from a letter written by John Thomas to Robert Roberts and published in The Christadelphian magazine, February 1866)