The Primitive Christian - Groups In 1720 forty brethren families left schwarzenau for Holland, settlingin Surhuisterveen in West Friesland. There the settled among http://www.primitivechristian.info/groups/groups.html
Extractions: The Brethren movement officially started in 1708, when eight adults were baptized in the Eder river. But the movement actually had it's beginnings in the small village of Schriesheim, in the home of Alexander Mack. Influenced by the growing Pietist movement, the early Brethren came to reject among other things, the state control of religion and baptism of infants. These first Brethren were encouraged by Ernest Christopher Hochmann von Hochenau, a traveling pietist "minister" and friend of Mack's. Fleeing persecution in Schriesheim, Mack and the others settled in Schwarzenau, under the protection of Count Henry Albrecht, the ruler of Wittgenstein. It was in Schwarzenau that the differences between Hochmann's belief that there could be no formal Church and Mack's insistance that a Church structure was necessary came to a head. So it was that in August of 1708 eight adult believers were baptized through trine forward immersion, the method that they believed to be outlined in Scripture. In 1720 forty Brethren families left Schwarzenau for Holland, settling in Surhuisterveen in West Friesland. There the settled among the resident Mennonites where they remained until 1729, when all but a handful emigrated to America.
Heritage In Donald F. Durnbaugh's book, European Origins of the brethren, the separatistJohn Christopher Edelmann describes the schwarzenau Valley It lies oneand http://www.bright.net/~cob1/herit.htm
Extractions: BRETHREN HERITAGE Brethren Beliefs In a climate of centuries of religious turmoil in Europe, and especially Germany, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Cathedral door in 1517. What followed were many reactions one of which resulted in the Protestant Reformation. Emerging from this turmoil were the three State Churches: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvanists. A fourth group was the Waldensians, a common people who first appeared in the 14 th century. During the 16th century, a group emerged from the Waldensians and lived in fear of persecution in Moravia. These people, known as the Moravins. The Moravians later came to America where they had a settlement in Zoar, Ohio (in the northeastern part of the state). In the 16th century, the Hutterites arose from the Anabaptist group in Moravia, Slovakia, and Transylvania. After 100 years, they fled to Russian Ukraine for religious freedom, where they lived for 100 years, then moved to America and Canada in the 1870's. In the early 16th century, the Reverend Monsignor Menno Simons, a Catholic Priest, became disturbed by the slaughter of Protestant "heretics" and began to preach according to his conscience. His followers became known as Mennonites.
Brethren Origin, History Of The Meyersdale COB schwarzenau is located in one of the most beautiful parts of the Etter Valley and,according to tradition, was the home of those who became the first brethren. http://www.meyersdale.org/cob/origin.html
Extractions: Acknowledgements Our Brethren Origin Born out of chaos and religious upheaval, following the Reformation started by Martin Luther and other activists of this period, the Church of the Brethren was founded by those who studied the New Testament with great zeal and were determined to follow the true teachings of Jesus Christ as they saw them and to adhere to all the ordinances instituted by Him. The highlights were the trine baptism, the complete love feast, the practice of the simple life, and the teachings and the total observance of the Ten Commandments. In understanding the origin of the Brethren, one must have some idea of the conditions that prevailed in the German homeland in the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. When speaking of Germany during that period, we're talking about all the German-speaking areas of modern Germany and the German-speaking people also of France and Switzerland. The religious struggle of that period was tied to the unrest and political struggles for control of the populace. There were literally hundreds of large and small principalities and territories which were controlled by noble crowned heads of state and bureaucratic rulers who made life impossible. The practice of religious freedom was nonexistent. The theory of the divine right of kings had become firmly established. These rulers felt that they were not responsible to anyone but God. And even from Him they would tolerate no dissent. All of these territories were loosely organized in what was to be known as the Holy Roman Empire. This, in theory, was to be a united Europe under one Temporal ruler and kept together by the one true church, the Roman Catholic Church.
Brethren: A Precious Name Other groups descended from schwarzenau, including the Old German Baptist brethren,the Dunkard brethren, the brethren Church, the Fellowship of Grace brethren http://www.brfwitness.org/Articles/2002v37n2.htm
Extractions: Volume 37, Number 2 Two years ago, a committee that was appointed by Annual Conference to review the structure of the General Board, decided to send out a questionnaire to church leaders across the denomination. Among the many questions on the survey, was one asking for their level of interest in changing the name of the Church of the Brethren. In all the responses, there were only a very few who marked that issue as being an item of major concern. We on the committee concluded that the matter of denominational name change, for all practical purposes, was a "nonissue." A few people have been trying to stir up interest in this item, but with limited success. During past Annual Conferences those persons have tried to collect possible new names to be used instead of "Church of the Brethren." One of their problems is that to date no suggestion for a new name has really caught on with wide acceptance. We should expect that some will try to keep this matter alive as we move toward the 300th Anniversary of our denomination in the year 2008. Don't be surprised if an even more concerted effort to do something about the name change, will unfold over the next few years. There would be a fairly major legal expense attached to changing the name of every congregation and agency of the church. Would this be a good use of the Lord's money? The name change issue could very well cause some people (and entire congregations) to leave the denomination. Do we want to see this happen? It may cause others to be so disappointed over the issue that their level of support will be diminished. Do we want giving to the church to decline?
The Gist Of The Church Of The Brethren and until she resumed her ancient form, in the year 1708, at schwarzenau, Germany,and of body which we know at the present time as the Church of the brethren. http://www.brfwitness.org/Articles/gistCOB.htm
Extractions: Main News Views Links The following document is from 22 February 1936. It is included for historical reference to show that some of the concerns of the BRF were in evidence over twenty years before the organization of the BRF in 1959. Not all the concerns listed in this paper are the concerns of the BRF today or even in 1959. This largely mirrors the concerns of the Dunkard Brethren, who withdrew from the Church of the Brethren in 1926. Many sympathized with the concerns of the Dunkard Brethren, but thought the Church could be revived, and so did not withdraw in 1926. This is a slightly edited version (the Bible books are spelled out in full.) FOREWORD For many years there has been a feeling on the part of a great Many brethren and sisters that the Church of the Brethren is departing more and more from the Word and Spirit of the Master and the faith of our fathers. Some of these faithful brethren and sisters of both Eastern and Southern Pennsylvania simultaneously petitioned Annual Meeting of 1926, held at Lincoln, Nebraska, through the District Meetings of both State Districts, to make a strong effort to regain the unanimity of faith and practice in the church. The Annual Meeting considered their petition and gave the following answer. See pages 11 and 12 of 1926 A. M. Minutes. Realizing that in many ways the members of our beloved church are prone to drift into worldly thought and conduct, and desiring to do all possible to keep our church true to the teachings of our Lord and his Word, therefore the Annual Meeting of 1926 reaffirms some of her fundamental teachings and urges renewed faithfulness to them.
The History Of The Brethren Church In 1720 Alexander Mack led the schwarzenau group to Surhuisterveen in West occasionedboth by continuing governmental pressure on the brethren and economic http://www.brethrenchurch.org/home/history.cfm?Article=European Phase.htm
Church Of The Brethren The brethren Church began in schwarzenau, Germany in 1708 primarily out of a desirefor religious freedom and in reaction to the government controlled churches http://www.bibleviews.com/brethrenchurch.html
Extractions: This page is still under construction The Brethren Church began in Schwarzenau, Germany in 1708 primarily out of a desire for religious freedom and in reaction to the government controlled churches of the day. By the mid 1700's the Brethren Church had migrated to America in pursuit of that same religious freedom. The heritage of the Brethren church would be similar to that of other "Anabaptist" denominations such as the Mennonite, German Baptist Brethren, Church of the Brethren and Grace Brethren. The Brethren maintain that the entire Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) is the inspired Word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. We also believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and that He has ascended into heaven where He intercedes on our behalf. Having ascended into heaven, Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of His people as our comforter, counselor and friend. We believe that those who have acknowledged Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior will have the assurance of a home in heaven with Christ for all eternity. The Brethren Church seeks to live out their faith in Christ on a daily basis. Obedience to Christ is demonstrated through a commitment to a daily relationship with God and involvement in the ministries of the church. We believe that God empowers His people to this obedient service through the gifts of His Holy Spirit. Each person who believes in Christ is equipped by God to perform some meaningful function within the context of the Body of Christ.
NRW-Archive - Bestände schwarzenau - the early historyof the Church of the brethren in Europe (hs. Manuskript http://www.archive.nrw.de/archive/script/bestand/haupt2.asp?nr=424&B_Id=42
Ask Jeeves: Search Results For "brethren" The official homepage of the Church of the brethren Official homepage of the Churchof the brethren. Christian denomination founded at schwarzenau, Germany, in http://webster.directhit.com/webster/search.aspx?qry=brethren
Wittgenstein Translate this page Für die brethren ist schwarzenau anziehend als der Ursprungsort ihrer Kirche, imvergangenen Jahr besuchten ca. 700 Amerikanerinnen und Amerikaner das Museum. http://www.arbeitsstelle-moewe.de/Dekade/wittgenstein.htm
Extractions: von Westfalen On an August morning in 1708, five men and three women gathered at the small Eder Brook near the village of Schwarzenau in central Germany. Their purpose: to obey the command of Jesus Christ as they understood it by accepting baptism. In so doing they covenanted with each other to form a congregation of committed believers. By this simple but daring act they began a religous movement which numbers in 1985 some half-million adherents around the world within several denominations. The largest is called the Church of the Brethren..." Mit diesen Sätzen beginnt der Kirchenhistoriker Donald F. Durnbaugh seine Schilderung der Anfänge der Church of the Brethren, neben den Mennoniten und Quäkern die dritte der Historischen Friedenskirchen. Unter den acht Personen, die sich zur Taufe durch dreimaliges Eintauchen in die Eder versammelten, war auch Alexander Mack, der Erste Geistliche der neu entstehenden Gemeinschaft, der - nachdem er selbst durch einen Bruder die Taufe empfangen hatte - die anderen sieben taufte. Diese acht Menschen gehörten zu den insgesamt 300 Menschen, die in ihrer Heimat in der Schweiz, in Frankreich, Holland und Deutschland ihres Glaubens wegen verfolgt wurden und zwischen 1685-1720 zur Zeit der Wittgensteiner Grafen Henrich Albert und Casimir Zuflucht fanden in Schwarzenau und Umgebung, das dadurch bekannt wurde far and wide just as Pennsylvania in America ... as a place of religous liberty".
Covington Church Of The Brethren - About Us , The Church of the brethren was formed in schwarzenau,Germany in 1708 withthe baptism of the original 8 members which included Alexander Mack. http://www.covington-cob.org/About-Us.html
Extractions: Symbolism of the Logo Who are these Brethren? The cross The circle The wave The Church of the Brethren logo is comprised of these three elements which makes a distinctive statement reflecting: our unity in Christ, our compassion for a world in spiritual darkness, our mission to serve others, our responsibility to teach and baptize, and our hope of reward for faithfulness. The Church of the Brethren was formed in Schwarzenau,Germany in 1708 with the baptism of the original 8 members which included Alexander Mack.
Living Word Brethren -Who Are The Brethren brethren Beginnings. The brethren movement began in 1708 in schwarzenau,Germany, with a group of eight men and women, led by Alexander Mack. http://members.core.com/~colijn/LWBF/who_are_the_brethren.htm
Extractions: Living Word Brethren Fellowship is a congregation of the Brethren Church , headquartered in Ashland, Ohio. So who are the Brethren? Brethren Beginnings The Brethren movement began in 1708 in Schwarzenau, Germany, with a group of eight men and women, led by Alexander Mack. They had become dissatisfied with the established state churches of their day because they emphasized correct doctrine but did nothing to change peoples lives. Although they had been influenced by Radical Pietists who criticized all organized religion, they became convinced that they must organize in order to be obedient to the commands and example of Christ in Scripture. In particular, they believed that obedience to Christ required the practices of believer baptism, church discipline, and threefold communion. In 1708, the eight received believer baptism and established a congregation. They adopted much of their doctrine and practice from the Anabaptists specifically, the Mennonites. Their dissent from the established churches led to their persecution.
Brethren tour featuring historic Anabaptist sites and the original hometowns of the firstBrethren and includes contact with members of the schwarzenau Heritage Society http://www.masthof.com/pages/catalogpages/brethren.html
Extractions: An encyclopedia of Brethren life, belief, practice, and history. This three-volume set is a comprehensive work of reference with more than 230 articles on family history. It contains the most up-to-date information ever assembled on all of the Brethren bodies and many illustrations never before published. This is a must for Brethren genealogists who will gain an overview of surnames, history, life, and thought.
I92: William Steele BROWN (4 SEP 1846 - 20 MAR 1909) Westphalia) Germany. The church they belonged to, the Church of The brethren,was founded in schwarzenau in 1708. The original brethren http://www.dsolar.com/myfamily/d0000/g0000022.html
The People Known As Brethren The brethren movement had definite pietistic influences and origins Alexander Mackas their leader, went to the Eder River in schwarzenau, Wittgenstein, Germany http://www.saintjamesbrethrenchurch.org/history/known_as_brethren.htm
Extractions: The Brethren movement originated in the Rhine River valley of western Germany in the early eighteenth century. The Thirty Years' War in Europe concluded with the Treaty of Westphalia (1648). This treaty allowed for a limited religious liberty, recognizing the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed branches of Christendom only. Under the arrangements of the treaty, the religious preference of the local government became the recognized religion of those under that jurisdiction. Thus, if a local prince was Lutheran in orientation, his constituency became Lutheran as long as he was in power. However, one local provincial ruler, Prince Henry of Wittgenstein, refused to adopt such strict ruling and allowed, instead, full religious freedom within his province. Of course, that would serve to attract refugees and dissidents from other parts of Germany. So, the province of Wittgenstein became a haven for Anabaptists (Mennonites) and Pietists, as well as many others who promoted 'radical' views regarding religion. Open discussion and traveling preachers characterized the area in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Alexander Mack (1679 - 1735) was born at Schriesheim,Germany, of devout parents who were identified with the Reformed Church. He was a miller by trade but was also a student of Scripture and church history. His studies led him to an increasing dissatisfaction with the Reformed Church and with state religion in general. He organized a small group of fellow-inquirers for Bible study, discussion and prayer. Sometimes their meetings included the presence of Ernst Christoph Hochmann, a Pietist preacher.
Brethren - Wikipedia The Church of the brethren is an AnabaptistPietist Christian denomination.It originated in 1708 in schwarzenau, Germany, in the Palatinate. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brethren
Extractions: Main Page Recent changes Edit this page Older versions Special pages Set my user preferences My watchlist Recently updated pages Upload image files Image list Registered users Site statistics Random article Orphaned articles Orphaned images Popular articles Most wanted articles Short articles Long articles Newly created articles Interlanguage links All pages by title Blocked IP addresses Maintenance page External book sources Printable version Talk Log in Help From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Church of the Brethren is an Anabaptist-Pietist Christian denomination. It originated in 1708 in Schwarzenau, Germany, in the Palatinate. Early leaders included Alexander Mack, Peter Becker, and John Nass. After enduring persecution for a time, the Brethren migrated to America in three separate groups from 1719 to 1733. In America, they established themselves at Germantown, Pennsylvania, and from there moved south and west along with other pioneers. Brethren beliefs are commonly found in the statement of faith known as the "Brethren Card." The Church of the Brethren Formerly Called Dunkers 1. This body of Christians originated early in the eighteenth century the church being a natural outgrowth of the Pietistic movement following the Reformation.
10/14/1999: Church Of The Brethren Mack and six others, inspired by the followers of Menno Simon (Mennonites) beganwhat became the brethren in a baptismal ceremony in 1708 at schwarzenau. http://www.mrcranky.com/movies/wizardofoz/18.html
Extractions: A tiny little denomination (U.S. adherents about 140,000) that began in the early 1700s in Germany in the area just outside the Black Forest that had been fought over by the French, German princes, and the Holy Roman Empire for years and years. Alexander Mack and six others, inspired by the followers of Menno Simon (Mennonites) began what became the Brethren in a baptismal ceremony in 1708 at Schwarzenau. The congregation I belong to is an isolated outpost in Portland, the only one for a hundred miles around. We're pretty much regarded (affectionately) as kooks by the rest of the denomination. This is due to our publicly affirming stance as regards gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons, as well as certain other "liberal" interpretations of our understanding of scripture and tradition. Whew! That got surprisingly long sorry. Responses to this message: Post a response to this discussion thread Back to the Wizard of Oz forum
Who Are The Anabaptists, Mennonites, Amish And Brethren? of these people led by Alexander Mack formed a church in schwarzenau, Germany in asthe Deutch Taufer or German Baptists and later the German Baptist brethren. http://www.jdweaver.com/Anabhist.html
Extractions: Home Genealogy Music, Poems, and Writings Computing Goodies ... Thought for the Week I am a member of the Church of the Brethren, and grew up in the Mennonite Church, so I guess you could call me a true Anabaptist. The word itself means to be re-baptized and was originally a derogatory nickname given by outsiders. The German word is Taufer. One of the main tenets of the Anabaptist movement was Believer's Baptism. They believed that Baptism should take place when one becomes an adult. Incidentally, I was re-baptized when I joined the Church of the Brethren in 1955. The Mennonites baptize by pouring and the Brethren by trine immersion. The Brethren no longer require re-baptism for those who were previously baptized by other methods. Tour Group in Zurich, Switzerland In October of 1995, my wife and I spent 11 days on a tour of Europe with what is called the Brethren Heritage Tour . The tour was conducted by Drs. Donald and Hedda Durnbaugh. He is considered the pre-eminent Historian within the Church of the Brethren. The purpose was to tour sites of the early Anabaptists and Radical Pietists from which the Church of the Brethren sprang. Through the experience of being there, I really felt like I had become part of what my ancestors went through in standing up for their beliefs.
