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 PrintableVersion Gathering to his nameThe story of Open Brethren in Britain and IrelandIchabod: the glory is departed?GATHERING TO HIS NAME When this volume landed with a thud on my doormat I was delighted and excited. Here, I hoped, would be the account of the Brethren which earlier books had provided only in part. Would it provide an explanation for the disproportionate achievements of a relatively small Christian grouping? Would it help to clarify the various groupings among Brethren? Would there be an account of the apparent disappearance of Brethren churches in the past 50 years? As the commendations on the cover referred to the book as ‘definitive’, ‘comprehensive’ and ‘authoritative’, I suspected it might. The author, formerly a Baptist pastor and now an evangelical Anglican, has family connections with the Brethren and aims to give a sympathetic but objective assessment. Birth of movementThe Brethren movement began in the 1820s and 1830s when the principal early leaders left the Church of England because of its alignment with the state, which meant that it treated all within its jurisdiction as true believers and rendered church discipline impossible. They wanted to return to the simplicity of the New Testament church. The condition of the world and of society seemed to indicate that the return of Christ was imminent. This led to an absorption with prophecy, and J.N. Darby-developed Dispensationalism, a scheme by which God is said to deal with people differently in different eras of biblical history. Early assemblies consisted largely of Christians who had left other denominations, but often these evangelised surrounding areas and formed new assemblies of converts. In a desire to conform to the New Testament pattern, they rejected an ordained ministry and any liturgy, but were presided over by several ‘elders’, and celebrated the ‘Breaking of Bread’ weekly. Women were excluded from participating in public worship. A number of prominent leaders, such as George Mller, adopted the practice of ‘living by faith’, by which they meant making no public appeal for funds but asking God alone. Early divisions and growthHowever, in 1848 the Brethren movement divided over the treatment of believers from an assembly where ‘unsound’ teaching had been given. The assemblies led by Darby ‘excluded’ the others, thus giving rise to the names of ‘Exclusive’ and ‘Open’ Brethren. This book concentrates on the latter, though it provides a useful ‘family tree’ of the various branches into which the Exclusive group divided. The 1859 Revival brought many new converts into assemblies and led to fresh assemblies being formed, now frequently called ‘Gospel Halls’. Fewer leaders were now educated ex-Anglicans. The primary raison d’tre was now evangelism. Separation from ‘the world’ was strongly emphasised. Influence beyond numbersAt their peak, Open assemblies numbered about 1,775, with about 53,000 members. Between the two World Wars, they conducted numerous large-scale missions and tent campaigns. No other British denomination was engaged in so much overseas missionary work, with 1,020 workers in 1939. Women found scope for service here, and constituted well over half of this number, including many single women. Among distinguished Brethren leaders were Arthur Rendle Short (professor of surgery and apologist), F.F. Bruce (biblical scholar), Sir John Laing (building contractor), and Major-General Orde Wingate. Jean Strain (later Mrs. Donald Coggan) was the first women’s travelling secretary of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (now UCCF) and Patricia St. John’s novels for children were (and are) deservedly popular. Brethren played an influential part in the founding of the Tyndale Fellowship and of the London Bible College. Tragic declineThe story since 1945 is nothing short of tragic, as the movement polarised inexorably between ‘conservatives’ who maintained traditional Brethren practice, and ‘progressives’ who looked for some change. The author describes the course of the conflict in detail. He suggests as one factor the increased contact with non-Brethren believers through university Christian Unions and through the Billy Graham campaigns, which showed that God was working in other circles and raised doubts about Brethren separatism. The revival of Reformed thinking challenged dispensational views and Brethren typological interpretation of the Bible. The story is not all bleak, as there are today some vibrant congregations, often now with full-time leaders or pastors, though the words ‘Gospel Hall’ and ‘Brethren’ are seldom used. Many other denominations have benefited from the accession of former Brethren. This is a formidable work of scholarship, with a bibliography running to over 40 pages, appendices, tables and an index which includes references to more than 450 individual assemblies. It answered my questions, but left me profoundly sad. Joy Horn, © Evangelicals Now - January 2007 |
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