Talk:Open Brethren

From BrethrenPedia

"The Open Brethren (sometimes called Plymouth Brethren) are a group of Protestant Christian ..." Would Brethren necessarily be I understand as "Protestant." I could be wrong, but I thought that Protestant refered to denominations arrising as a direct result of the reformation, and that the Plymouth Brethren would be Evangelical. I'm not as certain as I would like to be on that, so I won't correct it in the article, but would like to hear some feedback. 65.92.121.175 19:44, 17 December 2006 (EST)

I know that in the South of Ireland, the Brethren like to teach that they are neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant. The connotation of the term "protestant" keeps some people away there. What is a "protestant"? I think it depends. Technically, they were the churches that formed during the reformation. I know some Baptists who refuse to be called protestant, because they say they can trace themselves back historically to pre-reformation times. After reading the Pilgrim Church, some claim the Plymouth Brethren are direct spiritual descendents of pre-reformation churches, but this is an obvious over simplification. The Brethren as we know them did arise from people within existing protestant churches who came out. However, the whole premise on which these people began to meet "outside the camp" was that the church was in ruins. The Roman Catholics AND the Protestants had gone strayed far from the New Testament Pattern. The early fathers of the Brethren believed they were restoring the truths of the apostles, and were leaving behind any protestant connection they may have previously had. I personally would not use the term "protestant" to describe the brethren, but I would forgive those that did. But the same could be asked of any sect that claims to be following the New Testament Pattern, such as the Apostolic Church started by Darby's once friend, Edward Irving, or the Churches of Christ formed by Campbell which (at least at one time) had a very similar arrangement as the brethren as far as weekly Breaking of Bread, women with their heads covered, etc. (differing greatly though on the meaning of baptism). Are any of these churches "protestant"? To an observer studying Christian "sects", I would think the answer would be Yes, but out of respect to what these various groups have tried to do, that is, go back to the original pattern, I would say No. But that's my opinion. 141.76.45.34 07:50, 18 December 2006 (EST)