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width="1" height="1" alt=""/></td></tr></table><table width="635" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" style="margin:0px;" style="float:left;"><tr><td><a name="startcontent" id="startcontent"></a> <table width="635" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top">  <img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="9" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table width="452" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="9" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#C0994F" align="left" valign="middle" class="textwhite" height="18"> <a href="/web/20060715194030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/index.shtml" class="pathlink">Christianity</a> > <a href="/web/20060715194030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/index.shtml" class="pathlink">Subdivisions</a> > The Exclusive Brethren</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="3" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table width="452" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td class="numbersreligions" width="100">Page 2 of 5</td> <td width="334" align="right"><a href="/web/20060715194030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/print//religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/brethren/history.shtml">Printable version of this page</a></td> <td width="18"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/images/nav/printable.gif" width="18" height="18" alt=""/></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="3" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><a name="top"></a> <p><b>History</b><br/> The Brethren movement began in Dublin in the late 1820s with a group of men (John Nelson Darby, Anthony Norris Groves, John Bellet, Edward Cronin and Francis Hutchinson) who felt that the established Church had become too involved with the secular state and abandoned many of the basic truths of Christianity. <br/><br/> The first Brethren assembly in England was established at Plymouth in 1831 which is why Brethren are often called Plymouth Brethren.<br/><br/> In the late 1840s the Brethren split into the Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren. The split was the result of what Darby and his followers saw as the growth of 'clericalism' and "grave error as to Christ's persona and sufferings".<br/><br/> <b>John Nelson Darby</b> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="right" width="160"> <tr> <td width="10"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="10" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td width="200"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/brethren/images/jmderby.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" width="150" height="136" align="right" alt="John Nelson Derby"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="3" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td bgcolor="#FFFFCC"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="5" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td bgcolor="#FFFFCC"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="5" height="10" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td align="left" valign="top" class="disclaimer">J N Derby</td> <td><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="5" height="10" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td bgcolor="#FFFFCC"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="5" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> </table> <p>The leader of the Exclusive group was John Nelson Darby (1800-1881), an aristocratic Church of Ireland clergyman who left that Church when his bishop insisted that converts Darby had made from Roman Catholicism should swear allegiance to the British Crown. Darby rejected this as unscriptural.</p> Darby became disillusioned with the mainstream churches and wrote, <blockquote>"...the entire nature and purpose of the church has become so perverted that it is diametrically opposed to the fundamental reason for which it is instituted".</blockquote> He thought that the churches were reservoirs of earthliness rather than holiness. He was gloomy about the state of the world too. Evil was gaining power; nothing could prevent it except the return of Christ in judgement.<br/><br/> Darby believed not only the secular world was corrupt, but that the other Christian churches had gone astray as well by becoming involved with the secular world. By doing this they had taken on elements of sin and to some extent rebelled against the Lord.<br/><br/> The only way for believers to get right with God was to keep away from the sinful world and adopt a simple and straightforward relationship with Christ, that adopted much of the practice of the early Christians, before they were altered by the mainstream Churches.<br/><br/> Keeping away from the secular world was a serious business. Each Brethren Assembly was empowered to judge its members, and, if they were found to have become impure (or even to have spent time with people who behaved wickedly) they would be expelled in order to preserve the purity and holiness of the group.<br/><br/> Darby was a physically unattractive man, despite being an inspiring preacher. One of his supporters, Francis Newman, described him: <blockquote>"A fallen cheek, a bloodshot eye...a seldom shaven beard, a shabby suit of clothes and a generally neglected person, drew at first pity, with wonder to see such a figure in a drawing room."</blockquote> <p><b>After Darby</b><br/> J B Stoney became leader of the Exclusive Brethren when Darby died in 1882 and was followed soon afterwards by Frederick Raven. The movement divided shortly afterwards on theological grounds.</p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"> <tr> <td width="200"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/brethren/images/james_taylor_snr.jpg" vspace="0" hspace="0" width="200" height="131" align="right" alt="James Taylor Snr"/></td><td width="10"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="10" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="3" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFCC"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="5" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFCC"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="5" height="10" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td align="left" valign="top" class="disclaimer">James Taylor Senior</td> <td><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="5" height="10" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> </table> </td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#FFFFCC"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="10" height="5" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> <td></td></tr> </table> <p>Raven died in 1903 and his group was then led by James Taylor senior, who was succeeded by his son, James Taylor junior, after a 6 year period of disputed leadership. The group they led became known as the Taylorites. </p> Jim Taylor junior extended the rules for separation from the world. He decreed that members could not eat with non-members, be friends with them, or join a professional organisation with them. Their only 'safe' places were their own houses and the meeting-rooms. Children were brought up to fear the world outside. <br/><br/> James Taylor jr was found in bed with one of his female followers in 1970. He protested his innocence but the scandal damaged the movement and 8,000 members left, splitting many families.<br/><br/> James Harvey Symington followed James Taylor junior. He was followed by John Hales. On the death of John Hales in 2002, the leadership and the title 'Elect Vessel of God' passed to his son Bruce Hales. </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="15" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <table width="452" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="62"><a href="#top">Top</a></td> <td width="290"></td> <td width="100" class="numbersreligions" align="right"><a href="index.shtml"><<</a>2 of 5<a href="exclusive.shtml">>></a></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="3" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#C0994F" align="left" valign="middle" class="textwhite" height="18"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top" class="textwhite"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="13" height="15" align="left" vspace="0" hspace="0"/></td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top" width="170"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr><td width="170" valign="top">  <table width="170" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="3" height="8"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="20"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="20" height="1"/></td> <td width="150"> <table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#C0994F" class="textcream" height="18" valign="middle" colspan="2">  A-Z of world religions</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="1" height="3"/></td> </tr> <tr><form name="religions" method="get" action="/web/20060715194030/http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/openurl" onsubmit="self.location=this.link.options[this.link.selectedIndex].value; return false;"> <td align="left" valign="middle" height="46" bgcolor="#D1B47E" class="textreligions">  <select name="link" class="religions_dropdown"> <option selected value="">--Choose--</option> <option value="/religion/religions/atheism/">Atheism</option> <option value="/religion/religions/atheism/types/humanism.shtml">  Humanism</option> <option value="/religion/religions/bahai/">Baha'i</option> <option value="/religion/religions/buddhism/">Buddhism</option> <option value="/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/mahayana.shtml">  Mahayana</option> <option value="/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/theravada1.shtml">  Therevada</option> <option value="/religion/religions/christianity/">Christianity</option> <option 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value="/religion/religions/paganism/subdivisions/heathen.shtml">Heathenry</option> <option value="/religion/religions/paganism/subdivisions/wicca.shtml">Wicca</option> <option value="/religion/religions/rastafari/">Rastafari</option> <option value="/religion/religions/shinto/">Shinto</option> <option value="/religion/religions/sikhism/">Sikhism</option> <option value="/religion/religions/taoism/">Taoism</option> <option value="/religion/religions/unitarianism/">Unitarianism</option> <option value="/religion/religions/zoroastrian/">Zoroastrianism</option> </select> </td> <td align="left" valign="middle" height="46" bgcolor="#D1B47E"> <input type="image" src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/images/furniture/go.gif" value="go" width="29" height="25" border="0" alt="Go" name="Go"></td></form> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="/web/20060715194030im_/http://www.bbc.co.uk/furniture/tiny.gif" alt="" border="0" width="20" height="9"/></td> </tr>  <tr> <td 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