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The Exclusive Brethren is a separatist Christian group whose current leader is Australian businessman Bruce D. Hales, known as The Elect Vessel and The Man of God. The group is a controversial offshoot of the Plymouth Brethren, a Protestant denomination. It has been deemed a cult by several sources in the English speaking world.** Followers must follow a strict code of conduct so that must associate only with other followers and are forbidden from activities such as watching television, reading newspapers, using the internet or voting.

Until about 1960, the people now referred to as the Exclusive Brethren, EB, or sometimes the Closed Brethren, comprised a quiet, conservative, fundamentalist, Christian group who desired to remain spiritually separate from the world surrounding them, and also from the divisions and confusion they perceived in Christendom. They did not support 'clericalism' (the making of a distinction between those who teach or lead and those who serve other functions within the church), but recognised John Nelson Darby, J B Stoney, F E Raven, C A Coates, James Taylor Sr and others as gifted of God to help "recover the truth" as to Christ and His Assembly (Church) (although none of these men would ever presume to have considered themselves as "world-wide leaders", nor would they have tolerated any person or persons assuming any official position).

The EB dislike the name "Exclusive" for themselves, but others have named the group in this way, particularly because of their claim to separation or exclusion from everything their leaders designate as 'evil'. Nicknames sometimes given to the EB by those outside the sect include "blue lights" and "the religion". EB believe that once one of their branches has excluded a person from Christian fellowship, that person remains excluded from all other branches, which must all treat the excluded person as a 'leper'. The adjective "exclusive" became a way to distinguish between those meetings which had separated over the Bethesda division of 1848, where the Plymouth Brethren became divided into two camps, one known as Open Brethren and the other as 'Closed' or 'Exclusive'. (Open Brethren allow each assembly to make its own decision about membership.)

Taylorite branch

Non-EB people sometimes call the main group of Exclusive Brethren 'Taylorites', after James Taylor Senior and James Taylor Junior, who led the church for much of the twentieth century. The Brethren themselves do not use or encourage the term 'Taylorite'.

The Exclusive Brethren have acquired a reputation for maintaining their privacy, so most of the information about the church comes from those people who have left the group (though some articles, such as that by Professor Bryan Wilson, do exist). As a result, the Exclusive Brethren often get a negative press, and commentators tend to refer to them using phrases such as "an exclusive and secret religious sect" or "a secretive church". Note that many of those with the most to say against the Brethren have first-hand experience of what they see as the increasingly dictatorial leadership of a cult. If people born into Exclusive Brethren families opt out of the highly restrictive lifestyle prescriptions and pronouncements of the so-called 'Man of God' (also known as the 'Elect Vessel' or 'Universal Leader'), even their parents, siblings, spouses and children sometimes disown them.

The issue of moral purity came to the fore when people allegedly discovered Universal Leader James Taylor Jr in bed with a married woman (not his wife) during a weekend Bible conference in 1970. "Taylorite" EB regard James Taylor Jr even today as "a pure man", despite the alleged discovery of this compromising situation.

1959 Central Hall conference

The annual summer conference at the Methodist Central Hall in London functioned as the de facto policy forum. At the Central Hall conference in 1959, a decisive confrontation took place between Gerald R Cowell of Hornchurch and the New York son of James Taylor Sr (known as Jim Taylor, James Taylor Jnr, or just JTJr). The members regarded Cowell as a saintly type with fine words and sermons in the best English tradition of Brethrenism, whereas JTJr appeared rather as a person who wanted power. JT Jr's offensiveness alienated nearly everyone who attended the conference, but by clever politicking (and possibly by behind-the-scenes corruption) JTJr persuaded key influential men to back him. The movement excommunicated Mr Cowell less than a year after the Conference, and judged him 'unfit for Christian fellowship'. Brethren received orders to burn all of Cowell's books.

Aberdeen incident of 1970

In 1970 JTJr exhibited erratic behaviour in meetings. This came to a head at Aberdeen in Scotland, where he called people "bums", "bastards" and other offensive names during services. After one of these Aberdeen gatherings, witnesses claim to have found JTJr in bed with a married EB woman. JTJr denied the charges as lies. The incident divided the EB flock. The traditionalists believed his accusers, whereas his supporters believe JTJr to be a pure man. The two groups split, and consequent divisions occurred around the world, with less schism in more distant parts. Note that at Aberdeen only two families remained supporters of J Taylor Jr after the 1970 incident. In Scotland, the majority of Brethren chose to listen to JTJr's accusers.

Recent developments

JTJr died in 1970 in New York after creating a turbulent decade for his followers. A new leader named James H Symington (JHS) arose from a piggery in Neche, North Dakota. Symington died in 1987 and shortly after, the leadership passed to John S Hales (JSH). In 2002, JSH died, and his son Bruce D. Hales (BDH), an Australian businessman, succeeded to the leadership. For the second time in EB history the position of "Man of God" or "the Lord's Servant" fell to a son to follow on from his father.

In business, EBs were not allowed to own computers or fax machines. It has recently been reported by Australia's ABC* that they have in their possession a letter from July 2005 from the Brethren leadership. The letter states "no authority is given for individual businesses to purchase their own computer equipment." National Office Assist is an accountancy company that operates out of the same business address as two other companies owned by Bruce D. Hales. The sole director and secretary is a senior member of the Exclusive Brethren, John Kenneth Anderson. This National Office Assist is permitted to own computers for the EB businesses.

Sociology

EB members retain a strong sense of belonging to a desirable community; they commonly refer to it as 'The Position', and to their leaders as 'The Men of the Recovery'.

The EB have a reputation for good entrepreneurial skills and for a low rate of dependency on state welfare programs. They have a reputation for caring for their own, in particular for their own young, sick and aged. Few people not born into the EB world become Exclusive Brethren members, and relatively few of those born into EB families ever leave. Most members find a way to live with the EB system and get on with life.

The church encourages marriage and family life; children often times do not leave the family home until they marry. Contraception is not acceptable by many, but used by some.

Meetings occur once a day on Monday through to Saturday, and four or five times on Sunday. These meetings include the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion at 6am Sunday), a prayer meeting, scripture readings, and gospel preachings. The church encourages general participation by all adult males, with a family atmosphere prevailing. In reality, many men ('brothers') do not contribute, apart from a prayer at the non-voluntary Supper (communion) and the Monday-night prayer meeting. Women ('sisters') may only 'give out' (choose and announce) the hymn for singing at the beginning and end of each meeting and during the communion service.

In 2005, a web-site appeared, describing itself as "the only site endorsed by the Exclusive Brethren". The site provides basic information about the Exclusive Brethren way of life.

Politics

EBs have eschewed the politics of secular society. They do not vote, even in countries which have compulsory voting. However, in 2004 the EBs held prayer meetings and donated money for the re-election of George W. Bush as President of the United States. In this they aligned themselves with the "religious right" of that country. A committee formed by EBs in Florida raised $530,000 for the re-election of Bush and of United States Senator Mel Martinez of Florida. $377,262 of this amount came from a single donor, Bruce Hazell, from England. The committee raised none of the money in Florida, according to a report filed with the Federal Elections Commission.

In the 2004 Australian election the Exclusive Brethren were linked to advertisements campaigning for the re-election of John Howard. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-influence-of-hidden-prophets/2006/07/01/1151174401719.html

In the 18 months leading up to the 2005 New Zealand General Election, a group of EB met with and lobbied many members of Parliament, particularly MPs of the centre-right National Party but also including the parliamentary leaders of the centre-right New Zealand First and United Future parties and the right wing ACT party. Late in the election campaign they spent approximately NZ$500,000 producing and distributing to letter boxes at least eight pamphlets attacking the policies of the socially liberal and left-wing Labour and Green parties. Though not mentioning the National Party, the wording and colour of the pamphlets hinted at support for National. The leaflets appealed for the election of a "government that would prosper the country economically and govern in a morally upright way". The pamphlets caused some controversy and seven EB held a press conference in front of television cameras to explain themselves. [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10344402

In March 2006, members of EB placed advertisements and distributed leaflets attacking the Australian Tasmanian Greens in the Tasmanian state election. *

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, an EB member explained how they could support political parties and not vote: "I see it as a sin and you don't. So I'm very happy for you to vote because to you it's your obligation to the community. But to me, it's my conscience that doesn't allow me to vote." *

Former members

When the Exclusive Brethren split in the 1970s, many former EBs who lived in London went to Westminster Chapel where Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was the minister*. Ex-EB people are to be found in most denominations, and some are agnostics or atheists.

Other branches of Darbyite Brethren

There were several other branches of Brethren who generally followed the teachings of J.N.Darby, yet who are to be distinguished from the Taylorite branch described above. Neither would they have classified themselves along with the Open Brethren. The article on Plymouth Brethren refers to these as Closed Brethren. They included:

  • Glanton Brethren
  • Kelly Brethren
  • Lowe Brethren
  • Tunbridge Wells Brethren
  • Brethren from 1827
Many of these once separate groups were reunited in 1974 and now have fellowship with one another. Their main publisher and bookseller in the UK is Scripture Truth Publications based in Morpeth, Northumberland. A fuller historical account of how this reunion came about is posted in The "Brethren" Since 1870 by W R Dronsfield.

External links

Christian evangelicalism | Christian denominations

Raven-Brüder | 闭关弟兄会

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Exclusive Brethren".

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