The Christadelphians are Adventist and Unitarian theologically, but their origins are in the Disciples of Christ.
Christadelphians differ from mainstream Christianity in a number of ways. They reject a belief in the devil, holding that the unrighteous will be annihilated rather than punished in an eternal hell, and that eternal life is only for the righteous. Christadelphians also teach that Christ did not exist until He was born of Mary by the Holy Spirit. In concert with most Christians, they believe that humankind is mortal by nature, and that salvation comes through Christ alone.
The Christadelphian movement originated through the teachings of Dr. John Thomas, who came to the United States from England in 1832. He joined the Disciples of Christ, but came to believe that the Disciples erred in some important biblical doctrine, largely as discussed above. Through his teaching, a number of Christian groups were organized in 1844 which warned of a need for a return to primitive Christianity, and for pacifism. These groups were loosely organized and without a common name until this was made necessary by the outbreak of the American Civil War. Their adoption of pacifism and nonresistance prompted them to organize, and to adopt a name, in order to avoid the draft. They chose the name Christadelphians, which meant Brothers of Christ.
Loosely organized, congregation-centered, and maintaining a low profile, the Christadelphians grew slowly, but they eventually spread to other parts of the English-speaking world. Lacking a strong central organization, Christadelphian congregations were tied together through several periodicals that were circulated.
A split came about in the 1890s after a controversy arose over the destiny of individuals in the Final Judgement, particularly over those who died without having heard the Gospel. Robert Roberts, the editor of one of the major Christadelphian magazines, argued that those who died without having had the opportunity to hear the Gospel would not be denied salvation because they couldn't be held responsible for that which they did not hear.
Attempts to heal the divide were unsuccessful. Followers of Roberts, now known as Amended Christadelphians, believe that Christ will raise all responsible people, rewarding the righteous and annihilating the unrighteous, while those who have not heard the Gospel will not be raised. Unamended Christadelphians believe that Christ will raise only those who died in the faith, while all others will simply remain dead. Given a lack of a central authority, several Unamended congregations have adopted positions similar to that of the Amended group, yet fellowship with the Unamended Christadelphians.
Both groups believe that the righteous will be gathered together after the Final Judgement, and that the world will be ruled from Jerusalem for a thousand years. Some Christadelphians believe that Christ will rule over the whole earth, while others believe that the Kingdom of God will be restricted to the Holy Land. Christadelphians reject the doctrine of an assurance of salvation, believing that salvations comes through remaining in Christ. After death, believers and non-believers alike are in a state of non-existence until Christ returns. They believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and inerrant as originally written.
Christadelphians do not vote in local, state, or federal elections, and they do not agree to hold public office or to participate in war.
The church is congregational in nature, without a national or international headquarters. There are no associations or conventions, but there are occasional gatherings for the purpose of inspiration and fellowship. Local congregations are known as ecclesia, and often meet in rented halls, schools, or private homes, although some ecclesia own their own buildings. Membership is through a profession of faith, and baptism is by immersion. There are no paid or ordained ministers, although compensatory payments are sometimes made.
Given the lack of a central organization or ruling body, differences may be found between one ecclesia and another.
Topics related to the Christadelphians are appropriate for this category, including those offering a negative opinion of the denomination. Sites representing local ecclesia should be submitted to the appropriate Local & Global category.
Recommended Resources
Created by Kevin Hunter and maintained by Scott Stewart, of the San Francisco Ecclesia in San Rafael, California, the site offers an overview of the denomination's beliefs and doctrines, including refutations of misunderstandings, as well as a daily reading plan, Bible quizzes, pamphlets available on request, and other study aids. Christadelphian locations are featured, and a library of resources is included.
http://www.christadelphia.org/
Based in Belgium, the site offers general information about the beliefs, and practices of the Christadelphians, as well as member testimonies, daily readings, prayer requests, downloadable pamphlets and a monthly magazine, available in PDF format, a photo gallery, news, and other informational articles. An online discussion forum allows discussions of issue related to the denomination and related topics.
http://www.christadelphia.webs.com/
Located in Detroit, Michigan, the book supply offers, of course, books and other printed material, as well as audio-visual media, electronic books, Bible marking materials, hats, logos, and Bible software, including foreign language materials, information for Bible schools and ecclesial librarians, children's materials, and information about the Christadelphians. Purchases may be made online.
https://www.christadelphianbooks.com/
The site presents a not entirely complimentary look at the Christadelphians, with links from their own sources, as well as insights from former members, an examination of the history of the denomination, its organizational system, theology, practices, and other matters. Documents, photographs, video, audio, and testimonies and stories from former Christadelphians are included. Written by a former Christadelphian, the author's own story is also presented.
http://www.christadelphianresearch.com/
Intended for Christadelphian women, the site includes articles, short stories, and tips on serving the ecclesia, poems and tips on helping and loving husbands, content for children, from birth to adulthood, covering such topics as schooling, discipline, and activities, cleaning and organizing tips on home keeping, recipes, and articles, stories, and poems on a variety of inspirational, light-hearted, or educational subjects.
http://www.christadelphiansisters.org/
The site serves as a repository for media relating to Christadelphian topics, including PDF files, text files, MP3 files, and perhaps some others. Its content can be sorted by filename or the date it was uploaded. In some cases, files are named for the topic of the content, in other cases for the person who submitted it. Topics cover a wide range of topics, from Bible study material, to doctrinal discussions, to charts and tables, and so on.
http://www.christadelphianvault.net/
The monthly magazine is published in the United Kingdom, along with weekly exhortations, both of which may be downloaded in PDF format. Books on Christadelphian topics may also be purchased through the site. Selected articles from the magazine may be found through a keyword search or alphabetically, along with booklets, MP3 downloads, and other resources. Frequently asked questions about the denominations are presented and answered.
http://www.christadelphian.uk.com/
Designed specifically for Christadelphian ecclesias, the service offers email notifications of ecclesial appointments for Sunday services, reducing confusion by reminding members of their upcoming responsibilities. Features include schedule management, generation of ecclesial responsibilities, custom descriptions, day and time reminders, maintenance of an ecclesial directory, and visiting speaker additions. Its pricing and trial policies are posted.
http://www.ecclesialnotifications.com/
Maintained by former Christadelphians, the site's stated goals can be summarized as to provide support for other former members of the denomination and to share information as to why they left the group, but their secondary purpose appears to be to promote atheism as an alternative, as many of their arguments are against the Bible and faith in general. Topics include failed Bible prophecies and arguments against various Christadelphian positions.
https://www.ex-christadelphians.com/
Published monthly by the Christadelphian Magazine and Publishing Association, the Bible magazine reflects the teachings and beliefs of the Christadelphians. The print magazine and other publications are available for purchase online, and an official writers guide offers instruction to prospective authors, covering the desired submission and formatting of articles and books. A blog is also available, along with booklets and other resources.
https://thechristadelphian.com/
Featuring a variety of topics related to Christadelphian doctrine, including Bible basics, what the Bible says about various topics, and Scriptures that are difficult to understand, as well as the place of Israel and the Jews in the Kingdom of God, and a history of the Christadelphians, an overview of its beliefs and practices, audio lecture on Bible topics, and links to additional information.
http://www.christadelphians.com/
