According to the New Zealand Cult List, the Christadelphian church is a dangerous cult that forcefully imposes false doctrine, indoctrinating its members from a young age and causing lasting harm. There are many testimonials on the internet written by ex-Christadelphians who feel they have suffered emotionally as a result of being a Christadelphian.
On the other hand, there are thousands of Christadelphians world-wide who would disagree with this so-called cult status. They have read the Bible for themselves, rather than having been indoctrinated, and do not feel under pressure from the church, but instead strive to obey God's commandments.
Whilst reading an online discussion entitled ' Are Christadelphians a Cult ', I came across a list of reasons as to why the Christadelphians are considered to be a cult. Let's look at each of the statements in turn.
Christadelphian Beliefs
Whilst some of the more traditional, conservative Christadelphians believe that only Christadelphians can be saved and inherit eternal life, this is not a Christadelphian doctrine. The majority of Christadelphians believe that those who have heard the gospel message will be judged and that God will decide who will receive eternal life and a place in his Kingdom. The extent of God's mercy and grace cannot be comprehended by man.
Christadelphians do not regard themselves as superior to non-Christadelphians, because Christ himself certainly didn't consider himself to be superior to others. He served others (Philippians 2:7; John 13:4-16) and associated with sinners (Matthew 9:10).
Christadelphian Isolation from the World
Christadelphians try to surround themselves with good influences rather than worldly distractions. As a result, they tend not to go out drinking and partying, and try to keep their minds focused on pure things (Philippians 4:8). However, there are no fixed rules about this. Each person must listen to their own conscience and all are encouraged to act prayerfully and in accordance with what is written in the Bible.
Christadelphians by no means isolate themselves from the world. They are allowed to have non-Christadelphian friends. By following the example of Jesus Christ and trying to live like he did, it is hoped that Christadelphians will have a positive impact upon their friends. Preaching and missionary work is also encouraged, which allows those who are not familiar with the Christadelphians to learn more about them.
Christadelphians do not fear that they will be corrupted by the world, because they know that the 'antidote' is to read God's word, the Bible, and to follow the example of Jesus Christ. They look forward to the day when 'the dead shall be raised incorruptible' (1 Corinthians 15:52, KJV).
Christadelphians' Fear of Spiritual Doom and Armageddon
A fear of an impending Armageddon does seem to be the definition of a cult. The difference between Christadelphians and "the end of the world is nigh!" cults is that Christadelphians do not scare people into joining their church, using the ideas of spiritual doom and Armageddon. Instead, Christadelphians focus on the coming Kingdom of God. They tell people about Jesus Christ and preach to them the good news about the Kingdom of God. Doom and gloom is not on the menu and although there are always going to be a small minority of members who prefer to take the doom and gloom approach rather than the positive one, they really are not representative of the Christadelphians as a community. Christadelphians do not fear Armageddon: they look forward to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
The Dependence on Fellow Christadelphians
Of course it is always good to have friends who have the same values and beliefs as yourself, but all Christadelphians ultimately look to God to meet their emotional needs. The Bible says God loves us (1 John 3:1), that through Christ we are 'more than conquerors' (Romans 8:37, ESV) - a self-esteem boost if ever there was one - and a sense of belonging comes not from belonging to the Christadelphian church per se, but from belonging to God's family and having unity in Christ (Romans 12:5).
The Christadelphian Leadership
Christadelphians do not have any other leader than Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church and the members are the figurative body (Ephesians 4:15-16). There is no 'charismatic leader' of the Christadelphian church.
The Strict Christadelphian Rules and Regulations
The only rules and regulations Christadelphians have are those found in the Bible. The Christadelphian statement of faith makes no mention of anything that is not strictly biblical (for example, TV watching, ear piercing, tattoos, dress code). Some individual churches may have rules about clothing, usually because the majority of members find it offensive and distracting when women wear revealing clothes, but these are not 'Christadelphian' rules. The rules and regulations Christadelphians go by are only only as strict as God's rules and regulations are.
Leaving the Christadelphian Church
Members may leave the church if they wish and are not forced to remain a part of the Christadelphian church. Of course there will be disappointment and upset amongst the other members, but the member who wishes to leave may do so. Some have interpreted the disappointment of other church members as a cause of their own emotional distress about leaving, and feel that they are being pressured into staying. This does not make Christadelphians a cult.
To use an example from my own experience, when I was at school I decided to drop Psychology halfway through my final year due to the workload. Both teachers were disappointed and upset that I had chosen to leave their classes because they had hoped that I would do well in the exams. They both cried when I told them (really!) and I felt a great deal of distress at their reactions, which made my decision to leave even more difficult. Does that mean my Psychology classes were a cult?
Christadelphians: Church or Cult?
The Christadelphians follow the example of Jesus Christ, trying to lead life in a manner that mimics Jesus' life. They read the Bible and believe that it is the true word of God. Most non-Christadelphians who attend a Christadelphian church service remark that it seems similar to other churches. Those who leave the Christadelphian church do not generally believe the church to be a cult, but the few who do believe this are the few who voice their opinions, and often they sound very convincing. If the above categories are really what define a cult, then it seems quite clear that Christadelphians do not fall into the 'cult' category.
Sources
- The New Zealand Cult List. Accessed June 2011.
- Are Christadelphians a Cult? Accessed June 2011.
- The Christadelphians (official website). Accessed June 2011.
Amy Parkin - Amy Parkin is a freelance writer with a particular interest in history, psychology and theology.
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