Old German Baptist Brethren
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Schwarzenau Brethren (the German Baptists or Dunkers) |
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| Background | |
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Christianity · Protestantism · Anabaptism · Pietism · Radical Reformation |
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| Doctrinal Tenets | |
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Non-Creedalism · Triune Baptism · love feast · feet washing · Holy kiss · Anointing for healing · Non-Resistance and pacifism · The Brethren Card |
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| Persons | |
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Alexander Mack · Louis Bauman · Conrad Beissel · Donald F. Durnbaugh · Christoph Sauer · John C. Whitcomb |
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| Groups | |
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Brethren (Ashland) Church · Brethren Reformed Church · Church of the Brethren · Conservative Grace Brethren · Dunkard Brethren · Grace Brethren · Old German Baptist Brethren · Old Order German Baptist Brethren |
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| Related Movements | |
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Mennonites · Amish · Community of True Inspiration · River Brethren · Religious Society of Friends · Christian Peacemaker Teams |
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Old German Baptist Brethren (OGBB) descend from a pietist movement in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708, when Alexander Mack founded a fellowship with 7 other believers. They are one of several Brethren groups that trace themselves to that original founding body. These emerged from the German Reformed and Lutheran Churches, and are historically known as German Baptists rather than English Baptists. Other names by which they are sometimes identified are Dunkers, Dunkards, Tunkers, and Täufer, all relating to their practice of baptism by immersion. They are part of the post-reformation Anabaptists (which include, among others, the Amish and Mennonites), who rejected baptism of infants as a biblically valid form of baptism. Because of persecution, many Brethren emigrated to America with the greatest influx being in the 1719 and 1729.
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[edit] History
The first American congregation was founded near Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1719. Originally known as NeuTäufer (new Baptists), in America they used the name "German Baptist" and officially adopted the title German Baptist Brethren at their Annual Meeting in 1871. The Old German Baptist Brethren represent a conservative faction that would not tolerate certain modern innovations of the 19th century. In 1881, they broke away from the main body in order to maintain older customs, dress, and forms of worship. OGBB are noted for several ordinances like believer's baptism by trine immersion, feet washing, the love feast, communion of the bread and cup, the holy kiss, and anointing of the sick with oil. Baptism is by trine forward-immersion in water. They hold an Annual Meeting associated with Pentecost, and cooperate in publishing a monthly periodical called The Vindicator. According to The Directory of Officials (2009), the Old German Baptist Brethren had 6,149 members in 56 churches at the end of 2008. The largest concentration of congregations is in Ohio (16), followed by Indiana (9), California (4), Kansas (5), Pennsylvania (5), Virginia (4), Washington (3), Florida (2), Wisconsin (2), Georgia (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), Oregon (1) and West Virginia (1). Almost 54% of the members live in Ohio and Indiana.
From 1881 to 1883, the Old German Baptist Brethren and the The Brethren Church left the German Baptist Brethren over several matters including Sunday Schools, higher education, plain dress, revivalism, and church discipline. The German Baptist Brethren changed their name to the Church of the Brethren in 1908.
The advance of modernity is connected to two early 20th century divisions among the Old German Baptists. In 1913 a group broke away in Indiana and formed the Old Brethren. In 1915, another congregation of Old Brethren was organized in California. The issue which is often given as the cause for the division was the acceptance of telephones and automobiles by the Old German Baptist Brethren, but generally the Old Brethren also wanted a more uniform adherence to annual meeting decisions and wanted to uphold the old order form of annual meeting which was simpler than had developed among the Old German Baptist. After 1930, they placed less stress on annual meeting authority than did the parent body, believing it to be more for edification and teaching. Moral persuasion rather than legislative decisions of annual meeting is the basis for adherence to the church's order. Their membership, among 3 congregations (California, Indiana, and Ohio), in 2000 was 250. As the original Old German Baptist Brethren body became more accepting of automobiles, another group withdrew in 1921 to become the Old Order German Baptist Brethren. They do not use automobiles, electric power or telephones. In 2000, the Old Orders numbered 125 from one congregation in Ohio. Two other minor divisions occurred in the 1990s resulting in 3 congregations of 185 total members. Currently, they do not officially support use of the internet, although its use is common in some areas.
There are several different Brethren groups that are not related to the Schwarzenau movement, such as the Plymouth Brethren that arose in England and Ireland early in the 19th century through the labors of Edward Cronin and John Nelson Darby. However, the teachings of Darby, called Dispensationalism, have been influential among many in the OGBB.
The OGBB are the root of several other Brethren denominations, including the Old German Baptist Brethren (New Conference), Old Order German Baptist Brethren (Petitioners), the Old Brethren Church, and the German Baptist Brethren (a later and more conservative group). Other denominations with roots to the German Baptist Brethren/Church of the Brethren are the Dunkard Brethren, The Brethren Church, the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (FGBC), the Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International (CGBCI) and the Brethren Reformed Church.
On July 3, 2009 a historic conference of approximately 2,000 OGBB members from across the nation assembled in Troy, Ohio to discuss and form what they called a "New Conference", thus creating the largest divide of the Old German Baptist Brethren since 1881. The 21st century schism was a result of four fundamental disagreements across the brotherhood: group Bible studies outside of the worship setting; outreach & missions; use of the Internet; and the application of Matthew 18. Of central concern to the New Conference was the authority of the church as embodied in the decisions of Annual Meeting. The New Conference Polity Statement of July 3, 2009 states that "the church must never be elevated to a place of equality with Jesus Christ," reflecting the New Conference's more individualistic approach to faith.
[edit] Theology and worship
The theology of the Old German Baptist Brethren Church is not well documented, largely due to their lack of literary works and tightly-knit interaction. The 2009 New Conference segment is expected to produce a clearer statement of its faith over time. In general, the theological position of the OGBB can be diverse, and often represented geographically. A Doctrinal Treatise was published in 1952, primarily for the sake of young men who went abroad in Civilian Public Service camps or other work programs, and it presents many doctrinal distinctives of the OGBB, but it is not a creed or formal statement of faith to which members must subscribe, as members interpret and apply some of its various points differently. When asked for a creed, most Old German Baptist Brethren claim that the New Testament is the closest thing they have to a creed.
Generally, the OGBB believe in Free Will, and that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is required for salvation, to be followed by a life of literal obedience to His word (the result of that faith). When there is a question of applications for a specific issue or area of life for which Scripture has no clear mandate, the members gather once a year at their Annual Meeting and consider the issue in light of Scripture, past practices, and current contexts, then voice (or vote) on it. While the Brethren strive for unanimity in any decision, such a reality is difficult with several thousand individuals, and often the vote is decided by a very strong majority voice. If such cannot be reached, the issue is laid down (closed) or deferred until the following Annual Meeting. These decisions are kept on record as "Minutes of the Annual Meeting", and referred back to for consideration when there is any significant deviation from them. They touch on many things, including but not limited to: dress, permissible use of technology, political involvement, entertainment, and more.
Historically, the theological position of the OGBB was largely established by Peter Nead and William J. Shoup, both of whom were prolific Brethren authors and preachers. Nead, in particular, was a schooled Lutheran who converted to the Brethren and brought a refined system of teaching to the fellowship.
Some OGBB believe in baptismal regeneration, while others do not.
The OGBB are a non-resistant sect, whose young men usually file as conscientious objectors in times of war. They are not pacifists, however, in the same way as Quakers; although the OGBB is one of the historic Peace Churches.
The form of worship is fairly consistent from church to church, with acappella singing, kneeling in prayer, sermons by congregationally-elected ministers (called the plural ministry due to having several ministers in each congregation), and provision for divided seating with women and men assembled on opposite sides of the meetinghouse. The OGBB use their own hymn book, of which most members maintain a personal copy. The hymns have been written by both OGBB members and many well-known authors from the 18th and 19th centuries.
[edit] References
- Anabaptist World USA, Donald B. Kraybill and C. Nelson Hostetter, (2001) Herald Press
- Roots by the River, Dr. Marcus Miller, (1973) Independently Published
- Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People, Carl F. Bowman (1995) Johns Hopkins University Press
- Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I-III, Donald F. Durnbaugh, editor (1983) The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc.
- Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, Donald F. Durnbaugh and Dale V. Ulrich, editors, Carl Bowman, contributing editor (2006) The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc.
- Fruit of the Vine, A History of the Brethren 1708-1995, Donald F. Durnbaugh (1997) Brethren Press
- On the Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren, Donald B. Kraybill and Carl D. Bowman (2001) Johns Hopkins University Press.
[edit] External links
- Pietism - an overview of Pietism, of which the Brethren Movement is a part.
- About German Baptists
- German Baptist Brethren
- OGBB New Conference
"Tunkers". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Tunkers.
