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Culture

Who are Christadelphians?

By J. Beam
Updated May 17, 2024
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Christadelphians are members of a religious denomination within the Christian faith whose beliefs are based entirely on the Bible, which they hold as the only text inspired by God. Academically, Christadelphians are considered part of a new religious movement with roots being traced back to the United Kingdom and North America in the mid 1800s. The recognized founder of the Christadelphians is Dr. John Thomas, who registered Christadelphians as a church affiliation in 1865. Though some other religious affiliations deem Christadelphians as occult members, the sect affirms they are an official religious denomination.

Christadelphians believe God is the creator of all things and that he alone is the only God. Christadelphians’ beliefs differ from other Christian denominations in a few aspects, primarily in the denial of the Christian Trinity that combines God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit into one entity. Contrarily, Christadelphians believe God is the Father of all things and a separate entity from Jesus, the Son of Man, who took the form of a human. Additionally, the Holy Spirit is believed to be the power of God.

Christadelphians believe in the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth, at which time he will set up an earthly kingdom under God and will awaken the souls of all believers who are “sleeping” in death. Followers past and present will serve Christ in ruling an earthly kingdom.

Christadelphians practice organized religion, usually congregating on Sundays. Their doctrine is based entirely on their understanding of the Bible and no other text and the only way to become a recognized member is through a self-professed desire to be baptized. Thus, they do not practice infant baptism. There is no paid minister, but rather the roles of leadership and teaching tend to be shared between qualified male members.

Today, Christadelphian congregations, or ecclesias, are known to be present in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, Kenya, and India, as well as other locations. Though a true count of worldwide members has not been established, the estimate is less than 100,000. In addition to a number of localized ecclesias, Christadelphians also study through correspondence courses.

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Discussion Comments

By anon1006152 — On Feb 04, 2022

I belonged to their "sect." It is a cult, dressed up as Christianity, and pretending to have returned to Christianity's fundamental precepts.

I found it to be a place of misery, loneliness, and entrapment.

By anon1005706 — On Oct 31, 2021

The fact that it is not safe for me to post without anonymity also bespeaks the nature of this "religion."

By anon1005705 — On Oct 31, 2021

I was a Christadelphian for half a century, and it is very definitely a cult. Note that no one in a cult ever presents himself as belonging to a cult. Search up the defining criteria for cults, and then see if they apply to Christadelphianism. They indeed do. This is a rigid, intolerant, exclusive, controlling little group that tolerates no dissent, regards their "Truth" as the only valid one, and shuns the rest of the world. Marry outside their tiny worship groups without their consent, or get reported as having voted in an election, and you will usually be promptly excommunicated. Contradict their doctrine, or violate their social mores, and you will be expelled or shunned. If there is freedom of thought in this small and dreary bunch, I never encountered it. They have a stunted view of the world, and the members are hugely hobbled by the religion's demands on behavior and belief. On the surface, you'll see a pleasant bunch of ordinary looking people, dressed modestly and speaking politely about an apocalypse that they await with baited breath. Under that scenery is a prison of hellish proportions.

By anon942701 — On Mar 28, 2014

I would not call CDs a cult, but they most likely are an exclusive, elitist and fanatical sect. They preach that Jesus is just the son of God, they do not accept the trinitarian view. John Thomas, their founder, in his book "Phanerosis," said: "There are not three God's in the Godhead, nor are there three in manifestation, nevertheless the Father is God and Jesus is God, and we may add, so are all brother gods, and a multitude which no man can number." He refuted the Trinity because is not in the Bible. Christians see the references of the "Trinity" in the Bible. CD's are waiting for Christ's return, and have failed many times to predict that return. They watch the world with hawk eyes and try to attach the worldly affairs to the Bible.

Thomas said that Jesus would arise to his inheritance-kingdom of God between 1866-68. Mr. Roberts, who took over from JT, also said Christ will reign on earth in his worldly Kingdom in Jerusalem in 1910. The CD's did not learn anything from those two failed prophecies. CP Wauchope, a prominent Christadelphian guessed that Armageddon will happen in 1934. CD H.P. Mansfield claimed that the world lives in the very shadow of Christ's second coming in 1968. Again after that failure in 1985, Mansfield said that Russian growth is a witness to the imminent return of Christ.

Roger Stockes said in 1987, a massive coming of nations together against Israel will devastate the Jews. In 1999, Woodville ecclesia in S.A, placed an ad in the local paper saying that Russia will invade Turkey and proceed to demolish Israel thus Jesus will return. Now another person is saying the Syrian problem is the beginning which points to Christ's return.

Jesus said, "I will come like a thief in the night," so we should be ready but we will never know when. CD's are obsessed with end times, and the kingdom of God on earth for 1000 years. They believe that they have been called out by God and when Jesus returns, they will be taken to Mount Sinai for judgment, the worthy will get eternal life and they will rule with Christ in the Kingdom. I think these are religious fanatics.

By anon325671 — On Mar 17, 2013

What makes people say that is pretty much the fact we are a small religion. That is the technical definition of a cult.

The reason for the usual hatred or despising tone of other article writers is simple: they probably had a discussion with one of us at one time or another. The average christadelphian has studied the bible to a fair degree, and will bring up verses that conflict with what the other Christians learned about the bible growing up.

People tend to hate you when you tell them there is no immortal soul and the soul is the body, so therefore all their friends and family are really dead and planted in the ground. Atheists and agnostics generally respond favorably to that but usually hate the defined "God" idea anyway. So in a nutshell, that is why others hate us.

By anon180869 — On May 27, 2011

Here are a couple of facts about Christadelphians:

They do not believe in the Trinity, but they are not Unitarians. They believe that Jesus had no personal existence before his birth, but that he was the perfect and complete manifestation of the Father Almighty. He was a human being, was tempted to sin but didn't and that he died a sacrificial death which was just like the death of anyone else, but that after 3 days his Father raised him to immortal life. Christadelphians believe that the hope of the Christian is resurrection, rather than going to heaven when you die.

By dega2010 — On Feb 24, 2011

@grumpyguppy -- I have also read a lot of articles regarding Christadelphians. From what I read, there are several reasons that it is looked upon as a cult. One thing is that they supposedly deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. They also deny that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity (which is said to be a worldwide characteristic of cults).

Understand, these are not my opinions. It is just what I read. It also stated that Christadelphians preach that hell and heaven are myths and that man doesn’t have an immortal soul.

By chrisinbama — On Feb 23, 2011

@grumpyguppy -- There are many articles that suggest that Christadelphians (also known as Cristos) are members of a cult. I read a particular article that was written by a former member of the “Cristos” who decided to go public with his knowledge.

He stated that one thing that made them a cult was their isolation from the world and their fear of corruption by the world. In his particular group, it was considered a sin to miss a Sunday meeting. He went on to say that friends were selected by criteria. The lower class people were considered unacceptable and “of the world”.

I, like you, do not have enough information to form my own opinion. However, I do not doubt that the people of the Christadelphian fellowship are true believers of God.

By GrumpyGuppy — On Feb 22, 2011

I have no personal opinion on Christadelphians as I really don't know anything about them. However, I have heard people say that they were some type of cult. What makes people say that?

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