John Nelson Darby
Although not published until 1864, this collection of letters between Rev. Kelly and J.N. Darby commences in 1839 and the views of Darby are therefore significant in the light of his later actions and attitudes.
Topics covered include Darby’s own feelings regarding the Roman church as well as the C of E.
Darby outlines his belief in the importance of having one (Darby-approved) church in a town – an aspect of the Exclusive Brethren that remains to this day.
Darby used this principle notably in the English town of Plymouth, from where the Plymouth Brethren gained their name. Following a doctrinal dispute with an old friend, Darby forced a split in the Plymouth congregation by setting up a second communion table. This action precipitated a chain of events that led to the entire Plymouth Brethren being ripped apart during the mid 1840′s … an event known as the Bethesda Division.
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AN Groves & JN Darby
This is a facsimile of an 1836 letter written to John Nelson Darby (JND) by the man who many credit as being the originator of the movement that became known as the Plymouth Brethren: A. N. Groves.
The letter indicates clearly that Anthony Norris Groves (ANG) was concerned by signs of sectarianism and rigidity in Darby’s teachings and he gently remonstrates with his old Trinity friend before returning as a missionary to India. Unfortunately, history proves that Darby ignored the warnings.
The Exclusive Brethren today treat Darby’s theory and interpretation of ‘Separation from evil’ as their foundational principle. It has led to heartache, ripped-apart families, suicide and even murder.
It is not often that a historical document such as this one can point so clearly to a moment when a future cult could have been avoided.
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Criticizing the doctrinal origins of the Exclusive Brethren can be a dangerous ambition. The history and objectives of this strange seclusionist cult are intentionally steeped in the mists of tradition, conscience and the horror of even suggesting that any existing, or former, ‘Man of God’ (one of the internal titles given to Exclusive Brethren leaders) could possibly do something wrong! Today, the very concept of criticism is in the process of being carefully bred-out of the group. One of the irrefutable symptoms of being a cult is this intolerance toward internal questioning and criticism.
The following December 2009 blog entry presents in a refreshingly clear and concise manner exactly what is wrong with the Exclusive Brethren interpretation of what it is to be ‘separate from the world’. The author Milt Rodriguez (never an Exclusive Brethren member) also portrays a perfect summary of why Brethren divide so many times – how many ex-Exclusive Brethren have heard the dread words: ‘I can no longer walk in fellowship with you… I therefore withdraw from iniquity‘ …
“My view is fact; your view is opinion. My view is correct; your view is incorrect. And since your view is incorrect, that makes it erroneous. Therefore, I cannot fellowship with someone who is in such obvious error.”
- Milt Rodriguez in ‘ The Dominion of Opinion’
The Dominion of Opinion that follows is recommended as one of the better doctrinal explanations of where the Exclusive Brethren went wrong with their malformed hypothesis of what ‘Separation from Evil’ really entails.
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The Exclusive Brethren were formed when they broke away from the Plymouth Brethren in 1848 – not the other way round. It is estimated that there are approximately 1.5 million Plymouth Brethren meeting around the world today. They were once the main force behind missionary activity in many parts of the world. The Plymouth Brethren – often called Open Brethren to ensure their distinction from the notorious Exclusives – are easily distinguished by their friendly welcome, their evangelical bias, the windows in their Gospel Halls, the sound of a piano or organ accompanying their hymns and their sincere ‘All are welcome’ signs outside their indisputably tax-exempt premises.
There has been much confusion in various parts of the world between the Exclusive Brethren cult and the truly evangelical Plymouth Brethren. The Exclusives have encouraged this confusion, often calling themselves ‘Christian Brethren’ or the ‘Exclusive Brethren Christian Fellowship’ ! They also have started referring to their Meeting Rooms as ‘Prayer Halls’ and ’Gospel Halls’ – a blatant attempt to mislead the Planning Authorities into thinking that this is to be the prime purpose of the sought permissions. Indeed, there has been a trend in physically renaming the legal names of their Meeting Rooms to Gospel Halls – even though tradition and legal documentation has historically always referred to the premises as a ‘Meeting Room’.
Probably the best way to ensure who you are dealing with is to simply look at the Trust Deed for the Meeting Room in question.
All Exclusive Brethren Meeting Rooms are owned by a Trust.
All Exclusive Brethren Meeting Room Trusts follow an identical template.
It is therefore entirely possible to recognize an Exclusive Brethren Meeting Room by checking the clauses within the Trust document. You will discover they are unlike any ‘church’ or ‘Christian organization’ you have ever seen:
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The Allbrook Education Trust (UK 1056053) is a Hampshire, UK Exclusive Brethren charitable trust, connected to the UK’s huge Exclusive Brethren Focus Learning Trust (UK 1099725). Allbrook has had a difficult couple of years in finding suitable alternative accomodation for its growing educational needs.
Since the cult realized that its only future asset was their children in the 1980′s, the Exclusive Brethren have been implementing a home-school operation which evolved into an impressive world-wide chain of EB-only schools and educational trusts.
There is a component of desperation involved in the EB educational structure. Their current worldwide leader, Australian Bruce Hales is quoted as admitting the Exclusive Brethren do not evangelize in order to recruit. As far as they are concerned, growth will come from within – and that means the children must be protected from The Enemy. By careful shifting of the limited genetic pool components, the EB have seemingly slowed a high tendency toward Downs Syndrome but still suffer from a very high incidence of Autism judging by their frequent Special Ed advertisements in various teaching journals.
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Reproduced with permission from:
Breakout: How I escaped from the Exclusive Brethren
by David Tchappat (2009)
The following chapter was written by a former Exclusive Brethren member who wishes to remain anonymous.
A Short History of the Exclusive Brethren
There are many Christians known as “brethren” who trace the origins of their movement to John Nelson Darby who lived just over 200 years ago in Dublin. Schism and division has been a consistent feature of the movement almost from the start. The following summary relates to the Taylor-Symington-Hales Branch of the Exclusive Brethren (signified by the more recent leaders of this group); arguably the most radical and perhaps controversial of all the groups in the Brethren movement.
The Brethren trace the origins of the movement to John Nelson Darby who was born in London in 1800 into an aristocratic Anglo-Irish family. Lord Nelson, a friend of his uncle, Admiral Sir Henry Darby, was a sponsor at young Darby’s christening.
Darby’s mother died when he was five years old and at the age of 15 his family moved to the ancestral estate in Ireland. He took an honours degree at Dublin University and studied law for three years at the Dublin Chancery Bar. But he never practiced law. To the annoyance of his family, he abandoned his legal career and became a priest in the Irish Church of England in 1826, serving in the parish of Calary in the mountains of County Wicklow.
Almost immediately John Darby fell out with church leaders over matters of doctrine and by 1827-28 he was meeting to “break bread” in the home of one of four other dissenting young men in Dublin. The group believed that the existence of an established church and ordained clergy was contrary to scripture. “I can find no such thing as a national church in Scripture”, Darby wrote at the time. In 1832, he had a major disagreement with Archbishop Magee about a requirement for converted Catholics to swear allegiance to King George IV and, in the same year, disagreed with Archbishop Whately about matters of church doctrine.
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We have been contacted by several media and other interested parties who are a little confused by the current row in Australia over a Christian Brethren decision not to allow a self-help gay/lesbian group to use a church-run summer camp facility.
A gay youth support group trying to meet to talk about homophobia has had its booking at a Phillip Island camp ground blocked because the resort owners, the Christian Brethren church, deplore their lifestyle.
The confusion stems from a perceived relationship between the Christian Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren.
The Christian Brethren church is historically linked to the infamous Exclusive Brethren, but broke away in the mid-1800s.
That is quite a statement! The quotation refers directly to ex-Plymouth Brother Aleister Crowley. Much has been written about this man, who was brought up in a strict Plymouth Brethren home full of rules and enforced piety. It is a psychologist’s dream – the study of what could turn a member of a Plymouth Brethren home into one of the most influential Paganists of the 20th century.
Most professional opinion seems centered upon a simple rebellion against a restrictive childhood. It is a topic that strikes home with any person who was born into the Exclusive (Plymouth) Brethren and who decided one day that they were not sheep, not to be forced into submission and gradually begin to summon the courage and energy to break free …
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Q: When is a public house no longer a public house? A: When the Exclusive Brethren own it.
Now watch for security fences, steel padlocked gates, CCTV and blocked-out windows.
Exactly what persuaded Staffordshire’s Development Control Committee to grant approval for the conversion of a local pub to a very non-public house last week remains unclear. It seems, in a highly controversial decision, that the Lynton Tavern, Bodmin Avenue, Stafford, UK has now passed into the hands of a local cell of the Exclusive Brethren.
The Development Control Committee members cannot complain that they have no idea whom they are dealing with! There has been excellently-organized community support in attempting to prevent this example of community self-mutilation. As always with the Exclusive Brethren, there are ‘wheels within wheels’ and only time will tell whether the town officials maintain their ‘ostrich-in-the-sand’ posture.