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The Brethren in Christ began as the result of a spiritual awakening in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Inspired by the preaching of Philip Otterbein and Martin Boehm in the 1760s, the group referred to themselves simply as the Brethren, but others called them the River Brethren because they lived mostly along the Susquehanna River. The group was part of the United Brethren in Christ before that group officially organized as a church. They separated from the Mennonites over the issue of triple immersion in baptism. They saw no need of an organizational structure until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1860s. Because they were pacifists, they needed the protection of an established religion in order to avoid bring drafted into military service. They organized under the name of the Brethren in Christ Church. Although they retained some of the principles of the Anabaptists, other theological influences included Pietism, Wesleyanism, and Evangelicalism. From the Anabaptists, they inherited an identity as a peace church, as well as the principles of separation of church and state, and baptism of believers. The BIC once wore plain dress similar to that of the Amish. From the Pietists, they inherited the importance of personal conversion and a renewed life in Christ. The American Wesleyan movement gave them a belief in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon conversion, and daily growth in holiness. Struggling with declining membership, the church embraced the evangelical wave that swept across America through such leaders as Billy Graham, as well as an embracement of the saving work of Jesus Christ. During this period, many within the body shifted focus from the things that separated the church from the culture, such as dress and lifestyle, although some congregations and individual members continue to dress plainly. Congregations within the Brethren in Christ are largely autonomous, but there are eight regional conferences and a general conference with ultimate authority.

 

 

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