Brethren Reformed Church
Encyclopedia
The Brethren Reformed Church was formed in May 2007, near Dayton, Ohio
. Families previously affiliated with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches
, the Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International
and the Southern Baptist Convention
formed this new fellowship of Christians.
A fundamental catalyst to the formation of the Brethren Reformed Church was a rejection of the Purpose Driven
movement as unsound teaching which had gained wide acceptance, as a Church model, among the mainline Brethren denominations in the early 21st century. The new fellowship also viewed the philosophies of postmodernism
and the emerging church
as unsound characteristics of the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), and subject to the warnings issued by the Apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-4:5.
With specific regard to the Grace Brethren denomination, the Brethren Reformed Church essentially grew out of a convictional rejection of the Grace group's variations on Free Grace Theology
, dispensational
theology, and "cultural relativism
". The Brethren Reformed Church also reaffirmed the historic Brethren commitment to the threefold communion as the most complete, biblical form of communion; the doctrine of non-resistance against religious persecution; and non-aggression against fellow man.
On the other end of the spectrum from the progressive Brethren, the Brethren Reformed Church also found that its doctrinal perspective was well-received by many persons in the Old German Baptist Brethren
Church (New Conference) who were embracing certain evangelical characteristics of missions, the sufficiency of Scripture, and group Bible Study.
Biblicism (as opposed to a creedal framework) regarding the Bible
, salvation
, the return of Jesus Christ, the Church
, communion
, baptism
, nonconformity, and nonresistance
. Systematic theology is encouraged as long as the authority of a given theological position rests in the Bible, and not a systematic confession, creed or customary precedent.
The Brethren Reformed Church accepts the Bible's declaration that man is already dead in his trespasses and sins, and consequently possesses only a dead faith at birth. Therefore, man has no animated will with which he can, or would even be inclined to, seek God. Mankind therefore has no inherent "saving faith".
The church further teaches that Adam, being the first man, exercised his free will on behalf of all mankind in disobedience to God. On that basis, the church concludes that it is inevitable that every human being, as a descendent of Adam, is born spiritually-dead, mortally existing only in opposition to God, unless God Himself intervenes to draw and change the person's heart.
Despite the use of the word "reformed" in its name, the church does not teach classical reformed or covenant theology
. It bases its doctrine of salvation on the Biblical expression that God has sovereignly called people to Himself and, had He not done so, no man would ever be disposed to seek God. Accordingly, the church teaches that the Father alone graciously elected to provide salvation; that salvation is made available through Jesus Christ alone; and that salvation is appropriated through faith alone bestowed by the Holy Spirit alone. According to the theology taught by the Brethren Reformed Church, no man can be reconciled to God by his own works, merit, or effort.
With respect to the doctrine of limited atonement, the Brethren Reformed Church holds to a view that Christ died for a world of sinners, but rose again only for those who would live with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15.) The church maintains that the Bible teaches that God Himself preserves the saints, and that one who is truly saved cannot fall from, and cannot abandon, that salvation at some future time in their life.
Of particular note is the Brethren Reformed Church's view on cessationism
and dispensationalism
.
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. Families previously affiliated with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches
Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches
The Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches is a theologically conservative fellowship of Brethren churches descended from the Schwarzenau Brethren movement of Alexander Mack of Germany.-History:...
, the Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International
Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International
Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International is a conservative group that separated from the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches....
and the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
formed this new fellowship of Christians.
Origin
Organization was formalized on August 14, 2007, with the Ohio Secretary of State. The Articles of Incorporation declared that the Brethren Reformed Church is a continuation of the Brethren Church which originated in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708. The articles further establish the church as a Peace church.A fundamental catalyst to the formation of the Brethren Reformed Church was a rejection of the Purpose Driven
Purpose Driven
The trademarked term purpose driven comes from the teaching of Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. It originally came into use as a paradigm taught to pastors and other Christian leaders worldwide to help them be more effective in leading their churches...
movement as unsound teaching which had gained wide acceptance, as a Church model, among the mainline Brethren denominations in the early 21st century. The new fellowship also viewed the philosophies of postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
and the emerging church
Emerging Church
The emerging church is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, post-evangelical, anabaptist, adventist, liberal, post-liberal, reformed, charismatic,...
as unsound characteristics of the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), and subject to the warnings issued by the Apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-4:5.
With specific regard to the Grace Brethren denomination, the Brethren Reformed Church essentially grew out of a convictional rejection of the Grace group's variations on Free Grace Theology
Free Grace theology
Free Grace theology is a soteriological view within Protestantism teaching that everyone receives eternal life the moment they believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. "Lord" refers to the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and therefore able to be their "Savior"...
, dispensational
Dispensation (period)
In certain religions, a dispensation is a distinctive arrangement or period in history that forms the framework through which God relates to mankind.-Protestant dispensations:...
theology, and "cultural relativism
Cultural relativism
Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. This principle was established as axiomatic in anthropological research by Franz Boas in the first few decades of the 20th century and...
". The Brethren Reformed Church also reaffirmed the historic Brethren commitment to the threefold communion as the most complete, biblical form of communion; the doctrine of non-resistance against religious persecution; and non-aggression against fellow man.
On the other end of the spectrum from the progressive Brethren, the Brethren Reformed Church also found that its doctrinal perspective was well-received by many persons in the Old German Baptist Brethren
Old German Baptist Brethren
Old German Baptist Brethren descend from a pietist movement in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708, when Alexander Mack founded a fellowship with seven other believers. They are one of several Brethren groups that trace themselves to that original founding body...
Church (New Conference) who were embracing certain evangelical characteristics of missions, the sufficiency of Scripture, and group Bible Study.
Doctrine
The Brethren Reformed Church espouses a foundation of teaching based on historical AnabaptistAnabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
Biblicism (as opposed to a creedal framework) regarding the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
, the return of Jesus Christ, the Church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
, communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
, nonconformity, and nonresistance
Nonresistance
Nonresistance is generally defined as "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy...
. Systematic theology is encouraged as long as the authority of a given theological position rests in the Bible, and not a systematic confession, creed or customary precedent.
The Brethren Reformed Church accepts the Bible's declaration that man is already dead in his trespasses and sins, and consequently possesses only a dead faith at birth. Therefore, man has no animated will with which he can, or would even be inclined to, seek God. Mankind therefore has no inherent "saving faith".
The church further teaches that Adam, being the first man, exercised his free will on behalf of all mankind in disobedience to God. On that basis, the church concludes that it is inevitable that every human being, as a descendent of Adam, is born spiritually-dead, mortally existing only in opposition to God, unless God Himself intervenes to draw and change the person's heart.
Despite the use of the word "reformed" in its name, the church does not teach classical reformed or covenant theology
Covenant Theology
Covenant theology is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall flow of the Bible...
. It bases its doctrine of salvation on the Biblical expression that God has sovereignly called people to Himself and, had He not done so, no man would ever be disposed to seek God. Accordingly, the church teaches that the Father alone graciously elected to provide salvation; that salvation is made available through Jesus Christ alone; and that salvation is appropriated through faith alone bestowed by the Holy Spirit alone. According to the theology taught by the Brethren Reformed Church, no man can be reconciled to God by his own works, merit, or effort.
With respect to the doctrine of limited atonement, the Brethren Reformed Church holds to a view that Christ died for a world of sinners, but rose again only for those who would live with Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15.) The church maintains that the Bible teaches that God Himself preserves the saints, and that one who is truly saved cannot fall from, and cannot abandon, that salvation at some future time in their life.
Of particular note is the Brethren Reformed Church's view on cessationism
Cessationism
In Christian theology, Cessationism is the view that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues, prophecy and healing, ceased being practiced early on in Church history. The opposite of Cessationism is Continuationism...
and dispensationalism
Dispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
.
- Cessationism
- Mainline Brethren have generally embraced cessationism largely on the basis of the fundamentalist reaction against CharismaticCharismatic movementThe term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
"sign gifts". The Brethren Reformed Church questions fundamentalism's definition of, and biblical support for, cessationism. However, the church likewise questions Pentecostalism'sPentecostalismPentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
definition and purpose of certain "sign gifts" (e.g., tonguesGlossolaliaGlossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
) and their teaching regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, the Brethren Reformed Church would teach that there is little, if any, biblical basis for suggesting that any of the gifts ever bestowed by the Holy Spirit have ceased and, at the same time, spiritual gifts have been manifest more and more as works of faith, and less of sight, since the Apostolic generation. The church would also teach that every believer receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion by which he or she is sealed unto the day of redemption, but Christians can be filled with the Holy Spirit in greater or lesser degrees throughout their earthly life according to their maturity and obedience as a Christian.
- Mainline Brethren have generally embraced cessationism largely on the basis of the fundamentalist reaction against Charismatic
- Dispensationalism
- Almost all Brethren, whether of German or English origin, have taught dispensationalism since the late 19th century. A dispensational view delineates time since creation into distinct periods where God ostensibly worked in a unique way with regard to the affairs of the world. Ultimately, the dispensational view attempts to synthesize the Second Coming of Christ, the Rapture of the Church, the Wrath of God, and the redemption of Israel into one eschatological period called "The Tribulation". The Brethren Reformed Church rejects that synthesis as inaccurate, and views the Second Coming and the RaptureRaptureThe rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
as certainly pre-millennial, but not in juxtaposition to a dispensational period called "The Tribulation".
- Almost all Brethren, whether of German or English origin, have taught dispensationalism since the late 19th century. A dispensational view delineates time since creation into distinct periods where God ostensibly worked in a unique way with regard to the affairs of the world. Ultimately, the dispensational view attempts to synthesize the Second Coming of Christ, the Rapture of the Church, the Wrath of God, and the redemption of Israel into one eschatological period called "The Tribulation". The Brethren Reformed Church rejects that synthesis as inaccurate, and views the Second Coming and the Rapture
See also
- Official Website
- The Brethren Reformation Blog
- Brethren Revival Fellowship
- PrewrathPrewrathThe Prewrath rapture is one of several premillennial views on the end-times events among evangelical Christians, and states that Christians will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation, and before the day of the Lord's wrath , sometime during the second half of the seventieth week of Daniel...
Eschatology - Peace church
- Simple livingSimple livingSimple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...