The
Brethren originated in Plymouth ,
England USA
THE
EXCLUSIVE BRETHREN
Dr. Paul Garrard, formerly of Sidney ,
Australia , but now living at
Shillingford, Oxford , is interviewed by John
Davison, for "REFORMATION TODAY," 1976, Sussex ,
England British Isles .
Davison: "Would you give us a brief outline of
why the Exclusive Brethren, as they are called, take up the position they do?
Garrard: "The facts of the origins and history of
the Brethren are fairly well known, and the account you gave previously is
pretty much the story as I know it.
Firstly, I should say that I have quite an abhorrence for the term
'Exclusive' and if I use it in answering your questions it is mainly because I
cannot find a more suitable or more descriptive word to use. Still less do I like the concept of using a
leader's name as a kind of denominational tag, such as 'Darbyite' or
'Taylorite,' although I daresay they may have some use for identification. Without splitting hairs or raising too many
objections as to name, for my purpose these terms refer to that group of
Brethren who took their origin from the movement which started in Dublin Aberdeen Aberdeen
Davison: "Could you tell us about your own
background?"
Garrard: "My upbringing would be typical for a
person of my age (I am in my mid forties) who has spent his life in brethren
circles. Both my father and grandfather
come originally from Yorkshire and belonged to
one of the Brethren groups until the late 1890's when my father was about six
years of age. In the course of some trouble,
grandfather supported a brother over an issue and found himself 'out', so the
family forthwith linked up with the Church of England and stayed there till
1909 when they went to Australia Sydney
"My mother was brought up
in lukewarm Presbyterianism, later linked with Baptists and spent some years as
a missionary nursing sister in the Pacific
Islands
"The reasons for this last
move were interesting, because they felt that there was a tremendous dearth of
spiritual life where they were and a lack of a solid expository teaching
ministry. They were invited to hear some
visiting ministers of the Word and encouraged to read some of J. Taylor's
books. And so they were persuaded that
this was the place to be. There is no
doubt that for anybody who could accept what was (even then) an extreme
separatist position, there was a tremendous wealth of expository teaching
amongst Exclusive Brethren. In
retrospect, I can see that their tightly controlled legalistic form of worship
and practice suited my parents admirably, but it was not conducive to growth
and maturity."
"I must say however that I
was taught to diligently read the Word of God and respect authority and
inspiration, both by precept and example.
Many times I used to come home from school and find my mother ironing
with a leaf from an old tattered Scofield Bible pinned up on the wall beside
her, and she would say, 'Listen to this. . . .' and she would share with me
something she was enjoying."
"Despite respect for the
Word there developed the unfortunate overriding superior attitude that 'the
Brethren were always right'. But as I
grew older, and saw some of the terrible blunders that were committed, let
alone the downright wickedness that was often perpetrated on godly people, I
was more and more inclined to the view which I now hold that 'the Brethren are
mostly wrong.'"
"With the passing of years
one can see that individual conscience has been steadily overridden to impel
believers to conform to a rigid code laid down by whoever happens to be the
'universal leader' of the day. The
slightest deviation is made a 'test of fellowship' and the offender put
out. Any idea of an individual standing
up for some scriptural principle he has learned for himself is completely
foreign to Exclusive thinking, and such words as 'independency', 'compromise'
or 'tolerance' are anathema. One can be
thankful for such clear scriptures as Romans 14:12: 'So then, each of us shall
give an account of himself to God', which puts responsibility squarely on each
individual and should make us very hesitant to compel a belief or course of
action on others against their consciences."
Davison: "J. N. Darby was a decided
Calvinist. Are his views on this subject
still preached amongst Exclusives. If
not, what is preached?"
"I think if you asked the
average person in Exclusivism today what Calvinism was, particularly people of
middle age or young people, they would look at you with amazement. They would look more blank if you asked them
what Arminianism was. One of the clearest
statements in J. N. Darby's writings
occurs when he is writing comparing the doctrines of the Church of England at
the time of the Reformation with some remarks made by the Regius Professor of
Divinity in 1831, and I quote:
'I believe that predestination
to life is the eternal purpose of God, by which, before the foundations of the
world were laid, he firmly decreed, by his counsel secret to us, to deliver
from curse and destruction those whom he had chosen in Christ out of the human
race, and to bring them through Christ, as vessels made to honour, to eternal
salvation. I believe, therefore that
those who are endued with so excellent a gift of God, are called according to
his purpose working in due time: that they obey the calling through grace: that
they are freely justified: that they are adopted to be children of God: that they
are made conformed to the image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ: that
they do walk holily in good works: and that at length, through the mercy of
God, they do attain to everlasting felicity.'
[Collected Writings of J. N. Darby edited by William Kelly, vol. 3, pg
3]
"Ostensibly, the 'gospel'
as preached among Exclusives is aimed at leading men to the knowledge of
salvation in Christ Jesus. Practically,
how this is to come about is a mystery, for whilst such activities as outreach
in street preachings has gone on in most places, 'outsiders' are now never
invited to come under the sound of the Word in meeting-halls, and the notice
boards which used to carry the 'All Welcome' message have been gone for some
years. Right down the decades, though,
there have been many able Exclusive evangelists. The number declined because of the numerous
divisions of the late 1800's and early 1900's but even so there have been some
outstanding preachers of the gospel since that time. Going back to the latter part of the last
century, you hear stories of people like C. A. Coates who put everything they
had into their message, so much so, that on one occasion (I was told this by my
grandmother who heard him often) his starched cuffs flew off as he waved his
arms around, much to his discomforture and the amusement of his
congregation. C. A. Coates remained in
Exclusivism all his life although his 'Outlines' of various books of the bible
have had wide circulation outside. Also,
many Christian people even today would have heard of the tract 'Safety,
Certainty and Enjoyment' which has sold in millions and is still being
circulated. This tract was written by
George Cutting, a well-known Exclusive preacher. There are other names that come to mind, but
just to finish, one of the most colourful figures of recent years, who died in
1968, was a man named F. J. Fletcher of Johannesburg ,
South Africa
"Another thing, whilst I am
on this subject, there is a tragic failure amongst them (and I think this
applies to certain other Christian groups too) of confronting their children
with the necessity of the new birth, the reality of conversion, and the
subsequent requirement of total dedication to the Lord and wholehearted faithfulness
to his Word. As you know, 'household
baptism' is practiced, which is a variation of infant baptism, but the child is
immersed and the ceremony is carried out at home. Also the baptismal formula used is Matthew
28:19 plus Acts 19:5 'to the name of the Lord Jesus'. The essence of this is really the parents
making a dedication of the child, in faith, to the Lord. Children automatically partake of the Lord's
Supper as soon as they are physically able to, and are regarded from infancy as
'in fellowship' with all the privileges and penalties which that involves. Mostly the young people are told that all
will be well if they keep within the confines of the current edicts of the 'man
of God' and that the 'Assembly' is a sphere of salvation."
Davison: "The point is often raised as to the
significance of the centrality of the Lord's Supper in all Brethren
groups. Just how do Exclusives regard
this?"
Garrard: "You are asking me to comment on a very
wide subject. The simplicity of the
Lord's Supper was an important part of the early Brethren's activities and was
in direct contrast to the ritualism and sacramentalism of the High Anglicans
from whom most of the early Brethren came.
It is true that Exclusive Brethren regard everything as leading up to
and flowing out from the Supper, and will tell you, if they are prepared to
talk at all about their faith, that over the last seventy years there has
probably been more change in the teachings and procedure of 'the Lord's Supper
and the service of God' than any other matter.
It would be quite impossible to go into all the changes that have
occurred even in my own lifetime, some of which could be described as new
doctrinal view, others more procedural.
As it is now, there is a fairly inflexible, albeit unwritten, procedure
laid down which is carried out the world over.
Very briefly, the service would go something like this: first of all,
everyone sits in a circle, brothers in the front row, sisters in the back, and the
numbers are kept down to under fifty if possible. The collection basket is on the table when
you come in but the 'elements' or 'emblems' are only placed at the other end of
the table by themselves after all are seated.
There is only one loaf and one cup and these are put on the table by a sister. The meeting begins with the announcements,
followed by an opening hymn to the Lord, after which some brother who feels
'led' gets up and offers the prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus for the
'loaf' (never referred to as the 'bread') after which it is broken and passed
around, sisters first. the same brother
gives thanks for the 'cup' (never referred to as the 'wine') and, after a brief
pause, the offering is taken up.
Thereafter a hymn is sung (they are only given out by the sisters) and
there are roughly alternate thanksgivings and hymns to the end of the
service. A hymn, but no thanksgiving, is
always sung to the Holy Spirit. The
latter part of the service is taken up with the worship of the Father, and,
unless there has been some recent modification, worship to God as Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. Quite recently a new
hymnbook was issued to Exclusives because it was found that since the last
revision, a large proportion of the hymn-writers were no longer in
fellowship! Such are persona non grata
and however good the hymn it would not be acceptable for corporate
worship."
"What has just been
described to you is very sketchy, I know, and I could go on for hours with the
detail of how the present procedure has evolved through the years and the
various modifications and variations that have been introduced. Most of what is known as 'the order of the
Service of God' was developed during J. Taylor, Sr.'s time, but J. Taylor, Jr.
also made his contribution, and it was he, in fact, who suspended any word of
formal ministry being given on the occasion for worship as well as introducing
the 6 a.m. time for everybody to come together all over the world for the
Supper. I was actually present at the
meeting in Australia
Davison: "You used two expressions, 'universal
position' and 'universal leader'. Could
you please enlarge?"
Garrard: ""It sounds a bit Romish, doesn't
it? Let me explain. I think there are two concepts which people
outside Exclusivism would find it very difficult to grasp. The first one is 'absolute separation'. I must deal with this one before directly
answering your question. The emphasis on
this principle goes right back to J. N. Darby's and I cannot do better than
refer you to his classic exposition Separation from Evil, God's Principle of
Unity [Collected Writings of J. N. Darby edited by William Kelly, vol. 1]. The emphasis in that paper was particularly
on separation - both physical and spiritual - from what Darby regarded as
ecclesiastical evil, and in his mind this eventually came to include every form
of worship from Roman Catholicism to Dissent.
He felt that when he left the Establishment, he came out to a 'position'
to end all 'positions', but unfortunately his original intentions boomeranged
and his successors in Exclusivism now find themselves in a position in
Christendom which is an ever diminishing circle of not only separation but in
fact isolation from everything else around.
The scripture used to back up this concept is 2 Timothy 2:19-22, and the
idea of 'departing from iniquity' is applied in the widest possible sense, to
include not only heretical doctrine but also every 'vessel to dishonor' (vs 21)
- by their definition, of course - and this scripture is called their 'Magna
Carta'. As time has gone on, the
definition of 'worldliness' and 'wickedness' has been extended and extended to
cover every aspect of living, and once something has been defined as such by
the 'man of God' of the day, it becomes absolutely binding on everyone
throughout the world, and those who do not come into line can quite quickly
find themselves 'out of fellowship'. The
list of prohibitions is so long it would be impossible to give it now, but it
includes such everyday things as no membership of any clubs, societies, medical
or hospital benefit funds or trade-unions; no organized sport or entertainment
of any kind; no university education; no eating or mixing with anybody not 'in
fellowship'; no women must take the 'pill'; and no radios, record-players or TV
sets are allowed. There are a few
minimal concessions, for example, extensive whisky drinking is allowed to help
people cope with the frustrations generated by their particular way of
life! Newspapers are allowed provided
you don't buy one on Sunday. Obviously
Exclusives are quite free to engage in commerce - because no system can even
survive, let alone thrive, without money."
"Exclusivism holds that all
links or contacts of any kind with persons outside their circle constitute
'unclean associations', and a great deal of effort has been expended,
particularly since 1959, in trying to make and keep 'the church' as they call
it, 'pure for Christ'."
"So this brings me to the
answer of what is the 'universal position' and 'universal leader'. Looking backwards from the times of J.
Taylor, Sr., to the early humble beginnings, I believe any such presumption to
being a universal leader could not be further from the minds of those who
actually led, until we come to the late 1950's.
Even if you disagree with the early leaders on doctrinal grounds, you
would have to admit they were outstandingly gifted persons of uprightness and
moral integrity. Their influence was
considerable but limited. J. Taylor,
Sr., who followed later, traveled extensively during a ministerial lifetime of
over fifty years and this resulted in a general consolidation of Exclusive
views, although there was a fair amount of resistance to change in many parts
of the world. When you come to the
period from 1959 on when J. Taylor, Jr., firmly took the saddle (after a period
of uncertainty and hesitation following his father's death in 1953) an entirely
different set of circumstances arose.
Mainly due to the advances in communications and travel, there was a
gradual but definite tightening in control of the assemblies generally, and J.
Taylor, Jr., soon openly avowed that his was a ministry of 'enforcement' and
'compliance'. While it had been held for
many years that each local church was responsible for administering its own
affairs, the carrying out of instructions from New York soon extended to all
parts of the globe, usually through 'local cabinet ministers', 'approved
persons' or the 'local priesthood'. This
same form of control right down to minute details is exercised to the present
day through the 'universal leader', Jim Symington, of Neche , U.S.A.
"Anybody who has even a
vague acquaintance with totalitarian political systems of government will
realize that a setup like this has to work on the well-known principles of
fear, terror, punishment, repetitive indoctrination and purges. This is exactly what has been happening for
years. The full extent of this rarely
comes to the public view. It is claimed,
naturally, that the purges are God's deliverance for his people to bring about
a 'purer state'. And now so much purging
has been done that even purgers have themselves been purged!"
Davison: "In a previous issue of 'Reformation
Today', Wayne Mack wrote an article entitled 'The Attraction of the Cults'
which I think you have read. Would you
class the Exclusive Brethren as a cult in the context of that article?"
Garrard: "No I could not put any Brethren groups
with people like Mormons, Christian Scientists and the like. Brethren generally have taken a very strong
stand against the doctrines of such cults.
But Wayne Mack did make some general observations which would apply to
Exclusivism. After reading that article
I read W. J. Schnell's book Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave [q.s.] and was
jolted to find I had seen many of the same things he describes enacted before
my own eyes over the last twenty years in Exclusivism. I listed over twenty specific points to which
Schnell refers that I had also experienced or seen in recent times. The most important of these were, firstly,
that personal responsibility before God tends to be replaced with authoritarian
thinking from the top down. Secondly,
uniformity and conformity of behaviour are all-important, on the line of, 'this
is my rule in all the churches' (1 Corinthians 7:17). Thirdly, while Exclusivism teaches autonomy
of the local assemblies, it practices centralized control from a 'universal
lead'. Fourthly, they believe, like
Jehovah's Witnesses, that they are God's chosen people on earth, and say, 'We
are the Church'. Lastly, because of
their views on 'separation', there exists a clannishness and intolerance
towards other believers, and they refer frequently to those 'inside' and
'outside' of their 'fellowship'."
"On the 'inside' and
'outside' question, my earliest recollection of this distinction was in 1939
when the question of 'mixed marriages' came up as a test of fellowship. Up till that time, a person could marry
someone 'outside' without being put out of fellowship, although it was actively
discouraged and very definitely frowned upon.
A very important conference was held in Sydney in that year at which J.
Taylor, Sr., laid down that a person 'inside' could not marry a person
'outside' even if the latter gave evidence of being a truly regenerate
believer. The main scripture used was
'let them marry whom they wish, only in the Lord' (1 Corinthians 7:39) and
other scriptures such as the daughters of Zelophehad only marrying within their
tribe (Numbers 36) and the idea of 'wholly a pure seed' (Jeremiah 2:21) were
used to support the stand taken. The expression
'in the Lord' would mean, as I understand it, that persons have fully
recognized the Lordship of Christ over their lives practically and have
submitted their wills to his Word, but Exclusivism takes it to mean, 'let them
marry whom they wish, only in our fellowship'."
"Davison: "You have mentioned those who are put
out. What happens to an Exclusive,
mentally and spiritually, when this happens?"
Garrard: "It is hard to answer that in general
terms, because individuals vary so much.
A few, particularly hard-core adherents of the older age group, try to
get back and some of them are let back provided it is approved by the
'universal lead'. The requirement is
'one hundred percent repentance' and this includes going back over one's whole
history and coming up with satisfactory answers. Most of the older people just seem to fade
away and deteriorate mentally, physically and spiritually in the despair of
ever making the grade to get back. Very
few link with other churches. In the
middle-aged group, some try to go back, it depends on who you are and whether
you are likely to toe the line in future, but some seem able to make a fresh
start elsewhere provided they find a good church atmosphere. A number of ex-Exclusives that I know of in
different countries are making quite a valuable contribution in their churches,
particularly those who have linked with [English] Baptists and Open
Brethren."
"The young people are
different. Few are really established in
the truth or knowledge of Christ, and are exasperated with the spiritual
hypocrisy and double standard of what they have been brought up in. Often they just want to have a fling or else
live a normal life."
"The main weapon in the
armory of Exclusivism is a big buildup of how terrible it is to be 'out of
fellowship'. For so long now there has
been a constant drum-beating on this subject to instill feelings of fear,
rejection, worthlessness, doubt of salvation, guilt and so on. Any believer who has the Spirit and who
prayerfully considers the Word of God will find that church discipline is to be
exercised upon wicked and unrepentant people, and it should be clear what
really constitutes wickedness [The New Testament Order for Church and
Missionary, Alex R. Hay, ch. 27].
Exclusivism claims that a church judgment for discipline is 'ratified in
heaven'. And so it is if on just grounds
but they 'withdraw from' people for such things as 'despising the assembly',
'speaking against the Lord's servant', 'self-will', 'rival ministry', 'being in
an unclean association' (house, business, trade-union or whatever),
'worldliness' - the list of trivialities is almost endless!"
Davison: "Is there any hope for the
movement?"
Garrard: "The main trouble is that Exclusivism
thinks it has it all. It has need of
nothing. It is completely self-contained
and self-sufficient. There might be some
hope for the younger generation, but the danger is they will rebel against
established religious order without anything of Christ in their souls to take
its place."
"As far as older persons
and those in the lead are concerned experience from the past would seem to
indicate that things will continue much as before, with the exercise of greater
and harsher control as time goes on.
There was enough filth and blasphemy thrown up at Aberdeen U.K.
Books about the Exclusives:
If We walk In The
Light, Aberdeen and New York
There is a lesson here to be
learned, especially in view of the experiences of the International Church of
Christ. Certainly our heritage from
Stone and Campbell is faintly remembered or perhaps not even known by many in
the Brotherhood. We can see in the Exclusives
some of the current thinking in certain circles of those who consider
themselves to be Conservatives. Consider
Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 5:1. "For
freedom did Christ set us free!" [ASV].
R. D. Ice 3/14/96
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