Church of the Brethren
The Church of the Brethren (German Church of the Brethren , or Church of the Brethren ) is a larger Protestant Church in the United States that the 18th century in Germany Schwarzenau incurred Schwarzenau Brethren (also Tunker , English called Dunkards ) back. The Schwarzenau Brethren combined Anabaptist - Mennonite approaches with the ideas of radical Pietism . It was created when the first Tunkers were baptized in the Eder near Schwarzenau under Alexander Mack in 1708 . The first congregations in America emerged around 1723. Until 1908 the Church of the Brethren was still called the German Baptist Brethren Church .
Characteristic of the Church of the Brethren are among other things the baptism of believers , which is practiced through complete immersion, and the non- violence derived from the Sermon on the Mount , as it is also characteristic of the Mennonites. The Church of the Brethren is heavily involved in diaconal activities. Many members of the Church of the Brethren lead a relatively simple lifestyle, for example without alcohol or tobacco. In addition to the Church of the Brethen, there are now other churches, such as the Brethren Church or the Dunkard Brethren , which also see themselves as the successors of the Tunkers who emigrated to America. Today the churches are networked with one another worldwide via the Brethren World Assembly . In 2008 the Brethren World Assembly took place for the first time at the place where the movement was founded, in Schwarzenau. The Church of the Brethren had over 122,000 members in the United States and Puerto Rico in 2009 . The Church is a member of the US National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches .
The hymn book Hymnal: A Worship Book used in the congregations of the Church was created in an ecumenical collaboration with North American Mennonites . In 2005, the Brethren published Hymnal Supplement .
The Church of the Brethren is also widespread in Nigeria under the name Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria . There she was the target of the Islamic terrorist organization Boko Haram several times . By mid-2013, 149 church members had died in attacks and 14 churches of the Nigerian Church of the Brethren had been set on fire. In the spring of 2014, over 200 students were kidnapped from a school in Chibok established by the church in the 1940s. Many of the students were from the Church of the Brethren. In October 2014, the headquarters of the Nigerian Church of the Brethren was taken by the Islamists .
The Church of the Brethren is not to be confused with the German Brethren Movement , which is referred to in English as Plymouth Brethren .
literature
- Marcus Meier: The Schwarzenau new baptists. Genesis of a church formation between Pietism and Anabaptism . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-525-55834-8 , ( work on the history of Pietism 53), (also: Marburg, Univ., Diss., 2003).
- Donald F. Durnbaugh : The Church of the Brethren. Past and present . Evangelisches Verlagswerk, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-7715-0119-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Church of the Brethren membership experiences decline in 2009. Church of the Brethren, accessed March 14, 2011 .
- ^ Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN). Evangelical Mission in Solidarity eV, accessed on January 14, 2015 .
- ^ Brethren rally to support kidnapped Nigerian girls. Mennonite World Review, accessed January 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Nigeria: Boko Haram assaults Bread for the World Partner. Weltsichten magazine, accessed on January 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Terrorist group attacks Mission21 partner church. Idea Switzerland, accessed on January 14, 2015 .