* Heritage Colleges ( Australia ) a group of Christadelphian schools in Australia

Robert Roberts was certain that John Thomas had rediscovered the truth, and it is largely down to Roberts ' organisation that the Christadelphian body exists in its present form.

Today the Christadelphian body remains divided into " fellowships " ( of which in the UK it is estimated that there are 23 ), the largest being the Central fellowship, named after the now-defunct Birmingham Central ecclesia, once its largest and most influential ecclesia.

Since his medium for bringing change was print and debate, it was natural for the origins of the Christadelphian body to be associated with journals and books, namely the Herald of the Kingdom and The Ambassador ( which later became The Christadelphian ).

The history of this process appears in the book Dr. Thomas, His Life and Work ( 1873 ) by a Christadelphian, Robert Roberts.

Nevertheless, all the distinctive Christadelphian doctrines, down to interpretations of specific verses, can be found particularly among 16th century Socinian writers ( e. g. the rejection of the doctrines of the trinity, pre-existence of Christ, immortal souls, a literal hell of fire, original sin ) Christian Thomasius ( 1704 ), Arthur Ashley Sykes ( 1737 ), Nathaniel Lardner ( 1742 ), Dr. Richard Mead ( 1755 ), Hugh Farmer ( at least in the account of Christ's temptation ; 1761 ), William Ashdowne ( 1791 ), John Simpson ( 1804 ) and John Epps ( 1842 )

Dr. John Thomas ( April 12, 1805 – March 5, 1871 ) was the founder of the Christadelphian movement, a Restorationist religion with doctrines similar in part to some 16th-century Antitrinitarian Rationalist Socinians and the 16th-century Swiss-German pacifist Anabaptists.

Thus in 1864, Dr. Thomas coined the name Christadelphian to identify members of the movement.

Although the Christadelphian movement originated through the activities of John Thomas, he never saw himself as setting up his own disciples.

Roberts was prominent in the period following the death of John Thomas and helped craft the structures of the Christadelphian body.

One criticism of the Christadelphian movement has been over the claim of John Thomas and Robert Roberts to have " rediscovered " scriptural truth.

In many Christadelphian hymn books a sizeable proportion of hymns are drawn from the Scottish Psalter and non-Christadelphian hymn-writers including Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, William Cowper and John Newton.

* Peter Hemingray, John Thomas, His Friends and His Faith ( Canton, Michigan: The Christadelphian Tidings, 2003 ISBN 81-7887-012-6 ).

* John Thomas ( Christadelphian ) ( 1805 – 1871 ), British Christian theologian, and founder of the Christadelphians

St Patrick's Catholic Church, St John the Baptist Anglican Church, St Andrews Presbyterian Church, Sutherland Uniting Church, Sutherland Christadelphian Church and Shirelive Church ( Pentecostal ).

* John Carter ( Christadelphian ) ( 1899 – 1962 ), editor of The Christadelphian from 1937 to 1962

At that time, church affiliation was required to register for conscientious objector status, and in 1865 Thomas chose for registration purposes the name Christadelphian.

In North America those who continued to associate with Britain on the basis of the amended 1898 statement became known as the Amended Fellowship, in contrast to the Unamended Fellowship, who took their lead from the Christadelphian Advocate Magazine of Thomas Williams of Chicago.

Modern Christadelphians generally believe he was right and adhere to the positions he established as defined within the Christadelphian statements of faith ; Christadelphians feel, too, that Thomas ' example of an inquiring attitude is also an important legacy.

The Christadelphian community in Britain effectively dates from Thomas's first lecturing tour ( May 1848 – October 1850 ).

In 1849, during his tour of Britain he completed ( a decade and a half before the name Christadelphian was conceived ) Elpis Israel ( elpis being Greek for " hope ") – in which he laid out his understanding of the main doctrines of the Bible.

In Germany the small Christadelphian community founded by Albert Maier went underground from 1940 – 1945, and a leading brother, Albert Merz, was imprisoned as a conscientious objector and later executed.

The leader of the Cleveland congregation from 1922 – 1927 was a Christadelphian.

Following his return to America he made one final tour of the Christadelphian congregations prior to his death on 5 March 1871 in Jersey City.

Estimates for the main centres of Christadelphian population are as follows: United Kingdom ( 18, 000 ), Australia ( 9, 987 ), Malawi ( 7, 000 ), United States ( 6, 500 ), Mozambique ( 5, 300 ), Canada ( 3, 375 ), New Zealand ( 1, 782 ), Kenya ( 1, 700 ), India ( 1, 300 ), Tanzania ( 1, 000 ), and Philippines ( 1, 000 ).

The post-war, and post-reunions, period saw an increase in co-operation and interaction between ecclesias, resulting in the establishment of a number of week-long Bible schools and the formation of national and international organisations such as the Christadelphian Bible Mission ( for preaching and pastoral support overseas ), the Christadelphian Support Network ( for counselling ), and the Christadelphian Meal-A-Day Fund ( for charity and humanitarian work ).

This was replaced only five years later by the first " Christadelphian Hymn Book " ( 1869 ), compiled by J. J. and A. Andrew, and this was revised and expanded in 1874, 1932 and 1964.

Despite success in reuniting large sections of the wider Christadelphian community and periodic efforts at reuniting smaller offshoots, there are still a number of groups who remain separate from other bodies of Christadelphians.

There is also a Christadelphian Ecclesia in Linden, as well as a traditional Catholic chapel, run by priests from the Society of St. Pius X, who are based in Wanganui.

The name " Christadelphian " was chosen as it is believed that those who believe and obey the Commandments of Christ and the Bible as the inspired word of God, are " Brethren in Christ ".

At the same time, common participation by CGAF and Christadelphian members on discussion forums has helped to make many Christadelphians, even outside North America, aware of the common beliefs shared with CGAF, and the differences with CoGGC.

The Churchlea development to the side of the Olivet Christadelphian Chapel was built on the site of the disused North Wales Mineral Railway Company railway track.

Although the grouping which later took the name " Christadelphian " had largely separated from the Campbellite movement in Scotland and America after 1848, it was conscription in the American Civil War which caused their local church in Ogle County, Illinois to register as conscientious objectors in 1863 under the name " Christadelphians.

Most of the divisions still in existence within the Christadelphian community today stem from further divisions of the Berean fellowship.

According to Bryan Wilson, functionally the definition of a " fellowship " within Christadelphian history has been mutual or unilateral exclusion of groupings of ecclesias from the breaking of bread.

Many ecclesias in the " Central " grouping would not refuse a baptised Christadelphian from a minority " fellowship " from breaking bread ; the exclusion is more usually the other way.

Some Christadelphian groups which are separated to a greater or lesser degree from the main body of Christadelphians use statements of faith which differ in some regard from the BASF and from each other.

Inter-ecclesial organisations co-ordinate the running of, among other things, Christadelphian schools and elderly care homes, the Christadelphian Isolation League ( which cares for those prevented by distance or infirmity from attending an ecclesia regularly ) and the publication of Christadelphian magazines.

In this way, Eyre was able to demonstrate substantial historical precedents for individual Christadelphian teachings and practices, and believed that the Christadelphian community was the ' inheritor of a noble tradition, by which elements of the Truth were from century to century hammered out on the anvil of controversy, affliction and even anguish '.

The term Christadelphian comes from Greek and means ‘ Brethren in Christ ’.

* Harry Tennant, The Christadelphians: What they believe and preach ( Birmingham, England: The Christadelphian, 1986 ISBN 0-85189-119-5 ).