Welcome to the Kettering
Christadelphians
As one
of our members said recently, "As
Christadelphians we take our Christianity very
seriously". This is very true of all
Christadelphians worldwide, and also of those in
Kettering.
Using The Bible daily to guide our
thoughts, we try to act in a way that shows God's love
in everything we do. We are also very active in trying
to tell the people of Kettering the great news about the
peace and hope to be discovered in Jesus, and the
exciting news that we believe he will soon return to the
earth.
Each local meeting of
Christadelphians is independent
and self regulated, and yet in agreement with all other
Christadelphian groups'
scriptural understanding.
We have
around 75 members plus children, and hold a public
meeting every Sunday evening at
6pm at Isebrook School in
Kettering.
Free Six Week Bible Reading Seminar

Wednesday 8th Sept - 13th Oct
7.30pm - 8.30pm
Interested in the Bible’s message but don’t know where to start?
Why not learn about the basics of the Bible in a relaxed and informal
setting? Six concise and informative sessions will help you to learn and
develop the skills required to understand the Bible for yourself. Learn
techniques to help you to understand difficult passages and discover the
Bible’s consistent message.
We don’t put anyone on the spot and with all our talks, you are free to
leave at any time and no one will attempt to ‘convert’ you.
If you are interested in attending please click on the link below or email or phone us. Contact details are here
Click here to register for the seminars, to receive more information, or to receive a free monthly Bible magazine with topical articles about Bible prophecy linked to current world events.
Our Beliefs
As Bible reading Christadelphians,
we believe that Jesus the Christ is the son of God.
Jesus came to fulfil the Old Testament promises and
covenants of God with mankind: primarily the covenants
with Eve, Abraham and David.
We believe that Jesus is a man,
who was tried and tempted as we are; yet who resisted
sin even untill death. Three days later the only true God,
the Father, raised him to eternal life; after which
Christ ascended to his Father's side to await the
appointed time of his return.
The Christadelphians embrace the
hope of resurrection to eternal life at the return of
Christ. We believe that this will take place soon. At
that time, the Kingdom of God will be established from
Jerusalem, growing to encompass the whole world and
offering freedom, hope and salvation to all mankind. The
people of Israel, as the literal descendants of Abraham,
will have a special place in this Kingdom.
The Christadelphians believe that
salvation is attained through faith in Christ. It is
through faith that we are baptized into Christ for
forgiveness of sins, and thereby participate in the
promises to Abraham: to inherit the earth for ever.
Doctrinally, the Christadelphians
are unique in Christendom in our understanding of the
nature of Christ, and the way in which we are redeemed
by his death. We reject as un-Biblical the idea that
Christ could die as a replacement sacrifice for us, thus
covering all our sins forever with that one act.
Certainly it is through his sacrifice that we may be
forgiven, but only if we walk the path of self-denial
that he marked out for us.
If you wish to know more about what we believe and
preach, a detailed Statement of Faith is online. We also
have a compiled list of the Commandments of Christ.
The
Christadelphians World-wide
The Christadelphians became a
distinct group about the middle of the 18th century. Since then, we have grown
across the world, with core communities in the U.S.,
Canada, Great Britain and Australia. There are also
smaller groups throughout the rest of the world,
including Central and South America, Africa, Eastern
Europe and the Pacific Rim. For the location of the
ecclesia closest to you, just drop us an e-mail with
where you are, and we'll get right back to you.
A
Community of Bible Students
The Christadelphians believe that
The Bible (consisting of 66 books) is the inspired word of God,
complete and self-sufficient to instruct us in the way
of salvation. We do not believe that any Christadelphian,
past or present, has received any type of special
revelation. It is only through sustained and prayerful
reading of the Scriptures that we come to an
understanding of the purpose of God in our lives, and
how He would have us conduct ourselves day to day.
How we are
Organized
The Christadelphians have no
central leadership. The highest level of organization is
the ecclesia (i.e. local church) which is typically led by
a rotating selection of the more mature members. It is
our distinct beliefs that
have enabled us to survive as a separate community,
though in most places we are quite thinly spread.
Communication is sustained between ecclesias through
much travel, mail, and several magazines which publish
not only articles, but also ecclesial news and
announcements of ecclesial study days, fraternals and
young people's gatherings.
God's
Covenants
The Christadelphians believe that
the Christ and his mission can only be understood in the
light of a clear comprehension of the covenants he came
to fulfil. Christ fulfilled the promise to Eve, that
one of her seed would crush the serpent (Gn. 3:15). He
fulfils the covenant with Abraham, that in his seed
would all the nations of the earth be blessed (Gen
22:18, Gal. 3:16). And he will fulfil on his return
God's promise to David, that one of his descendants
would sit on his throne in Jerusalem for ever (2 Sam
7:12-16).
It was always the understanding of these men and women
that the Messiah would be their descendant. To present
that Jesus was born more than a man, or that he existed
as a person before Eve, Abraham and David, is to reject
the clear presentation of God's purpose to these people
of faith.
Jesus is a
Man, not God!
We believe that The Bible is quite
clear in its presentation that Christ is a man. The Son
of God, but certainly not God Himself. The bulk of
mainstream Christianity has staked its life on the
assertion that Jesus is God. However, this is to be
rejected for the following inescapable reasons, and many
more:
God is one. There can only be one true God. It is
undeniable that Jesus referred to himself and the Father
as separate. To fly in the face of this the most
fundamental of Biblical teachings, in any way, is to
venture out onto very thin ice.
Mortality and immortality
Mortality and immortality are mutually exclusive
characteristics. God is immortal, and cannot die. Jesus
died. If you alter this, all Scripture is inexorably
weakened.
Jesus always very clearly pointed out his subservience
to God; in power, teaching and life itself. To assert
their equality is untenable.
The God of
the Bible
The Christadelphians believe that
the God of The Bible is one, the Father alone (1 Cor.
8:6). God stands alone and unrivalled in the universe,
the source of all good and evil (Is. 45:5-7). We reject
the idea that the devil is one of God's Angels that was
permitted to rebel in the very heavens (thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven) and now wrestles with God
for control of the world. We likewise reject the idea of
a God with multiple independent personalities as not
being in harmony with the teachings of scripture.
The Hope
of Resurrection
The Christadelphians believe that
the covenant of God with Abraham laid the framework for
our hope. To Abraham and his descendants was promised
the World as an inheritance (Gen 26:3-4 [to Isaac], Rom
4:13, Ps. 37). Hebrews points out that Abraham received
nothing, and that the covenant will be fulfilled in the
resurrection (Heb. 11:39-40). We believe then that the
literal earth, restored and renewed, is the inheritance
of the Abraham and his descendants in faith. While
awaiting this inheritance, all await resurrection in the
sleep of death, where there is no consciousness (Ps
146:3-4, Ecl. 9:10).
The
Kingdom of God
We believe that God will establish
a Kingdom on earth at the return of Christ. This kingdom
will be a restoration of the kingdom of David, with
Jerusalem as its' capital, in fulfilment of II Sam. 7.
Israel
Israel, as the literal descendants
of Abraham, will always have a place in the plans of
God. This is not through any particular righteousness of
theirs, on the contrary, both The Bible and history have
shown them to be a stubborn and wilful people (much
like us all). However, God is bound by his promise to
Abraham his friend to care for his descendants for ever.
Those who believe in Christ, the seed of Abraham, join
the ranks of his descendants, but do not replace the
people of Israel. (Rom 11:1, 11, 25-29; Jer 33:25-26)
Baptism
The Christadelphians believe that
baptism is the outward sign of a repentant and contrite
heart, of a person convicted of their sinfulness, and
desiring redemption. We believe that through baptism you
participate symbolically in the sacrifice and
resurrection of Christ, and thereby attain forgiveness
of sins. We do not believe that baptism is optional.
(Mark 16: 15-16; Jn. 3:3-5)
Get
in touch
Please feel free to get in touch through e-mail, and
we'll happily send you some material on any of the above
topics. We do not bite and would never pressure you in
any way.
To read more about our beliefs and how they are fully supported by Scripture click here |