Brunstad Christian Church: Difference between revisions
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The denomination has little or no contact with other Christian groups. |
The denomination has little or no contact with other Christian groups. |
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The main focus of this fellowship is now to collect money. They organize competitions with phrases like:<ref name="BrunstadBanks">[http://groups.google.no/group/smiths-venner/web/brunstad-banks ''Information on the sale of tickets the Brunstad "Piggy" Banks'', Mark Kloosterman, 11.04.2005]</ref> <blockquote> |
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{{quote|«The team that purchases the most Brunstad Banks, will be declared to be the team that loves Brunstad the most!»|Mark Kloosterman - (Brunstad is Smith's Friends conference center)}} |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 23:46, 29 January 2008
Smith's Friends is a worldwide Christian fellowship with no official denomination. Established in Norway early in the 20th century, they are called The Christian Church in official correspondence, but are also referred to as Brunstad Christian Church, 'the friends', 'the fellowship', 'the Norwegian Brethren', or 'the Norwegian Movement.'[1]
The group has more than 220 churches in over 50 countries[2]. The Norwegian researcher Knut Lundby has estimated that in the late 1990s, its membership at 25,000 to 30,000 and growing[3]. As many as two thirds of its members live outside Norway.[2].
Background
Johan Oscar Smith (1871-1943), credited as the founder of the group, was originally a member of the Methodist church. After a religious conversion in 1889 Smith began preaching to small gatherings. In 1905, his brother Aksel Smith (1880-1919) joined him and for nearly a decade, beginning in 1906, they were associated with the Norwegian Pentecostal movement. The two groups drifted apart as the Pentecostals became more structured, and some time after the split Smith's followers started to be referred to as "Smiths Venner", which translates in English to Smith's Friends. In 1908, Johan Oscar Smith met Elias Aslaksen (1888-1976) while serving in the Norwegian Navy. Under the leadership of Johan Oscar Smith, Aksel Smith, and Elias Aslaksen the group began to grow quickly, especially during the wartime years, and established their first congregation.[4]
Today, Smith's Friends still centers around Norway and a conference center called Brunstad Conference Center. There are fellowships in more than 50 countries which identify themselves as being part of The Christian Church (Norwegian Den Kristelige Menighet).
The church has its own publishing house, Skjulte Skatters Forlag, publishing books and distributing audio-visual media intended for edification and spiritual help. The monthly journal Skjulte Skatter, (in English, "Hidden Treasures") has been published every month since 1912.
Teachings
Faith in victory over sin plays an important role in the beliefs of Smith's Friends. They preach that Jesus was tempted, but did not sin and that it is possible now by faith in him to follow his example. The birth and life of Jesus and his crucifixion and resurrection are central to their doctrine.
Organization
Smith's friends have no membership rolls. A frequently quoted criteria for being a 'member' is Galatians 5:24 (NKJV), "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Leaders are not elected, they are appointed based on a combination of their virtues and their natural abilities.
After Johan Oscar Smith died in 1943, leadership passed to Elias Aslaksen and after Aslaksen's death in 1976, leadership passed to Sigurd Bratlie. After Sigurd Bratlie's Death in 1995, leadership passed to Kaare Smith.
Criticism
They emphasize self-sacrifice, denial of self, unquestioning acceptance of the wisdom of the brothers, and social separation from other organizations and the world at large. Some of their more extreme attitudes and practices, e.g., explicit anti-homosexuality, have moderated since leadership of the group shifted in a "revival" in the early 1990's.
The denomination has little or no contact with other Christian groups.
The main focus of this fellowship is now to collect money. They organize competitions with phrases like:[5]
«The team that purchases the most Brunstad Banks, will be declared to be the team that loves Brunstad the most!»
— Mark Kloosterman - (Brunstad is Smith's Friends conference center)
References
- ^ Kjell Arne Bratli, The Way of the Cross: An Account of Smith’s Friends. p.4.
- ^ a b The Christology Among Smith's Friends: A Misunderstood Impulse from the Keswick Tradition?, Lie, Gier, Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 7:2 (2004), p.305
- ^ Knut Lundby, Religion, medier og modernitet. Kommunikasjonsmønstre i sekt og kirke i en norsk kommune, Sosiologisk tidsskrift 4 (1996), p.266
- ^ http://www.brunstad.org - A site in Norwegian by Smith's Friends.
- ^ Information on the sale of tickets the Brunstad "Piggy" Banks, Mark Kloosterman, 11.04.2005