Peculiar People
Encyclopedia
For the book by Rodney Clapp
see: A Peculiar People
.
"The Peculiar People", is also a Quaker novel by Jan de Hartog
.
The Peculiar People were originally an offshoot of the Wesleyan
denomination, founded in 1838 in Rochford
, Essex
, by John Banyard, a farm worker's son born in 1800. They derive their name from an alternate translation of the phrase "Chosen people
" taken from the book of Deuteronomy
.
The Peculiar People is also a phrase used to describe the Quakers, which they adopted with some pride.
In the mid 1850s they spread deeper into Essex, much of which was agricultural land occupied by a naturally conservative population. The Peculiar People preached a puritanical form of Christianity which proved popular and numerous chapels sprang up throughout rural Essex. They also practised faith healing.
There is a fascinating account of the Peculiars in nineteenth century Plumstead
in "Unorthodox London" by C. M. Davies. In Blunt's
Dictionary of Sects and Heresies (1874), the Peculiars were described as 'a sect of very ignorant people'.
The Peculiar People practiced a lively form of worship and considered themselves bound by the literal interpretation of the King James Bible. They did not seek immediate medical care in cases of sickness, instead relying on prayer
as an act of faith. This led to judicial criticism when children died due to lack of treatment. In response to the concern about refusing medical care, which led to some parents being imprisoned after a 1910 diphtheria outbreak in Essex, the sect split between the 'Old Peculiars', who still rebuffed medicine, and the 'New Peculiars', who somewhat reluctantly condoned it. The split healed in the 1930s, when in general the New Peculiar position prevailed. During the two World Wars, some Peculiar People were conscientious objector
s, believing as they still do that war is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Churches. The movement continues with regular worship at 16 remaining chapels in Essex and London. Some of the traditional distinctive features mentioned have been abandoned, so that UEC churches today are similar to other Evangelical churches.
The UEC maintains its structure as a connexion of churches, but is associated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
and Affinity
. It has its central office at Eastwood Road Evangelical Church, 36 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7JQ.
Rodney Clapp
Rodney R. Clapp is a Christian editor and author.He was an associate editor for Christianity Today and until 1999 was the senior editor for academic and general books at InterVarsity Press...
see: A Peculiar People
A Peculiar People
A Peculiar People: The Church As Culture in a Post-Christian Society is a book by Rodney Clapp.In the book Clapp explores the changing role of the Christian Church in light of a changing North American culture. Clapp argues against a church that has been co-opted by the larger culture...
.
"The Peculiar People", is also a Quaker novel by Jan de Hartog
Jan de Hartog
Jan de Hartog was a Dutch playwright, novelist and occasional social critic who moved to the United States in the early 1960s and became a Quaker.- Early years :...
.
The Peculiar People were originally an offshoot of the Wesleyan
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
denomination, founded in 1838 in Rochford
Rochford
Rochford is a small town in the Rochford district of Essex in the East of England. It is sited about 43 miles from Central London and approximately 21 miles from the Essex county town, Chelmsford...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, by John Banyard, a farm worker's son born in 1800. They derive their name from an alternate translation of the phrase "Chosen people
Chosen people
Throughout history and even today various groups of people have considered themselves as chosen by a deity for some purpose such as to act as the deity's agent on earth. In monotheistic faiths, like Abrahamic religions, references to God are used in constructs such as "God's Chosen People"...
" taken from the book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
.
The Peculiar People is also a phrase used to describe the Quakers, which they adopted with some pride.
Foundation and spread
Banyard was frequently drunk until his wife asked him to attend a service in the local Wesleyan Methodist chapel. The preacher's message had a profound effect on Banyard so that he became teetotal and regularly attended the church. Before long he became a reputable preacher on the Wesleyan circuit. In 1837 he and William Bridges took a lease on an old workhouse at Rochford which became the first chapel of new group which Banyard and Bridges called the Peculiar People, a name taken from Deuteronomy 14:2 and 1 Peter 2:9.In the mid 1850s they spread deeper into Essex, much of which was agricultural land occupied by a naturally conservative population. The Peculiar People preached a puritanical form of Christianity which proved popular and numerous chapels sprang up throughout rural Essex. They also practised faith healing.
There is a fascinating account of the Peculiars in nineteenth century Plumstead
Plumstead
Plumstead is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. Plumstead is a multi cultural area with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities, in similarity to local areas such as Woolwich and Thamesmead...
in "Unorthodox London" by C. M. Davies. In Blunt's
John Henry Blunt
John Henry Blunt was an English divine.Before going to the university of Durham in 1850, he was for some years engaged in business as a manufacturing chemist. He was ordained in 1852 and took his M.A. degree in 1855, publishing in the same year a work on The Atonement...
Dictionary of Sects and Heresies (1874), the Peculiars were described as 'a sect of very ignorant people'.
The Peculiar People practiced a lively form of worship and considered themselves bound by the literal interpretation of the King James Bible. They did not seek immediate medical care in cases of sickness, instead relying on prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
as an act of faith. This led to judicial criticism when children died due to lack of treatment. In response to the concern about refusing medical care, which led to some parents being imprisoned after a 1910 diphtheria outbreak in Essex, the sect split between the 'Old Peculiars', who still rebuffed medicine, and the 'New Peculiars', who somewhat reluctantly condoned it. The split healed in the 1930s, when in general the New Peculiar position prevailed. During the two World Wars, some Peculiar People were conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
s, believing as they still do that war is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Union of Evangelical Churches
Church membership had peaked in the 1850s with 43 chapels, but it declined until 1956, when the Peculiar People changed their name to the less conspicuous Union of EvangelicalEvangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Churches. The movement continues with regular worship at 16 remaining chapels in Essex and London. Some of the traditional distinctive features mentioned have been abandoned, so that UEC churches today are similar to other Evangelical churches.
The UEC maintains its structure as a connexion of churches, but is associated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches is a network of over 500 independent, evangelical churches mainly in the United Kingdom that preach an evangelical faith...
and Affinity
Affinity (Christian organisation)
Affinity describes itself as "a growing network of many hundreds of Bible-centred churches and Christian agencies throughout Britain and Ireland". It was founded in 1953 as the British Evangelical Council and in 1981 numbered over 2,000 churches. The organization stagnated in the 1980s following...
. It has its central office at Eastwood Road Evangelical Church, 36 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7JQ.