Exclusive Brethren

Brethren Church
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationPlymouth Brethren
PolityConnectional
Region19 countries
FounderJohn Nelson Darby
Origin1848
London
Separated fromPlymouth Brethren (N.B. The Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren, which emerged from the schism, dispute which party was responsible for it).
Separationsnumerous schisms

The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848.[1]

The Exclusive Brethren are now divided into a number of groups, most of which differ on minor points of doctrine or practice. Perhaps the best-known of these, mainly through media attention,[2] is the Raven-Taylor-Hales group, now known as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, which maintains the doctrine of uncompromising separation from the world based on their interpretation of 2 Corinthians 6 and 2 Timothy 2, believing that attendance at the Communion Service, the 'Lord's Supper', governs and strictly limits their relationship with others, even other Brethren groups.

These brethren have one fellowship in some nineteen countries – including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Argentina, Jamaica, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, but they are more numerous in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and North America,[3][4] where they are referred to as the Exclusive Brethren or just the Brethren.

  1. ^ "Exclusive Brethren". Reachout Trust. 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  2. ^ The Exclusive Brethren – Cult Documentary, retrieved 12 July 2021
  3. ^ "Who are the Exclusive Brethren Christian Fellowship?". The Exclusive Brethren official website. The Exclusive Brethren. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
  4. ^ Halpin, Tony (21 March 2005). "Top marks for sect schools that shun the modern world". The Times. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2010.