Thomas Williams (Christadelphian)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Williams was a Welsh Christadelphian who emigrated to America and became editor of the Advocate magazine of the Unamended Christadelphians
.
, near Swansea. Having apprenticed as a carpenter in Parkmill, he then found work with a William Clement, later his father-in-law, a member of the Christadelphian Ecclesia in Mumbles
, and was immersed on Sunday January 15, 1868. He married Elizabeth Clement and the couple had eight children - Clement, William, Katherine, in Wales, and Gershom, Fred, May, George and Bessie in America.
In 1872 he moved from Wales to Riverside, Iowa
where he worked as a carpenter and joined the local "ecclesia" of 12 members In March 1885 he commenced publication of The Christadelphian Advocate Magazine at Waterloo, Iowa
. In 1888 he met Robert Roberts
in Wauconda, Illinois
and again in Lanesville, Virginia
for the first time since leaving Wales. In 1891 Williams began to publish a second magazine, The Truth Gleaner aimed at non-Christadelphians, and in 1892 relocated to Chicago. In 1893, in response to the expected visitors to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition
, Williams published 10,000 copies of the booklet The Great Salvation. By 1972 105,000 copies had been published. In 1905 J.G. Miller of Waterloo, Iowa
translated the booklet as Die grosse Erlösung.
Williams was also active travelling throughout North America as a preacher and Christadelphian speaker. As was typical of religious speakers of the period Williams participated in lengthy public debates with other religious groups.
to include an extra bracketed sentence specifying that God could and would raise at least some unbaptised believers at the resurrection
. Although 10 members had already been "disfellowshipped" for not accepting this teaching in Sydney, Australia in 1883, and some British ecclesias already had similar amendments, the status of Birmingham as, then, in the words of sociologist Bryan R. Wilson
, primus inter pares
, led to an escalation which saw many ecclesias without similar amendments being isolated, particularly in areas directly affected by the controversy such as London.
Following the death of Robert Roberts
in 1898 the role of editor of The Christadelphian Magazine in Britain was taken by Charles Curwen Walker
. From May to August 1900 Williams visited Britain, meeting Walker and Henry Sulley
in Birmingham and John James Andrew, in London. Walker was reluctant to speak as any kind of "representative" of the British Christadelphians, but strongly counselled Williams to support and accept the amendment.
From October 1903 to June 1904 Williams visited Britain again at the invitation of Albert Hall of the Sowerby Bridge
ecclesia in Yorkshire., and of John Owler of the Barnsbury Hall, Islington
ecclesia in London. Hall and Owler had previously followed Andrew in the "resurrectional responsibility" controversy, although by 1903 Andrew himself would not fellowship with his previous supporters and reportedly been rebaptised in 1901. At a lecture in Leeds, which 40 visitors from those aligned with Birmingham Temperance Hall attended, Williams failed to state clearly that God could and would raise some unbaptised, and this was taken as supporting Andrew's teaching. However the next year Williams in print rejected Andrew's views as "extreme". Correspondence with Andrew continued till the latter's death in 1907. The result of the visit was a further distancing of the two sides.
In 1906 Williams held a public lecture in Toronto against the "Hell-fire" teaching of R. A. Torrey which drew an audience of 4,000, and was later published as a booklet "Hell Torments". Notes of an earlier debate in 1888 with the atheist Charles Watts led to publication of "The Divinity of the Bible" in 1906.
From June 1907 to August 1908 Williams made a third visit to England, leaving James Leask to run the magazine. In Wales he persuaded four ecclesias which were in fellowship with the "Fraternal Visitor" magazine of J.J. Hadley ("Suffolk Street") to separate into a third grouping having fellowship neither with Birmingham Temperance Hall or Birmingham Suffolk St. groupings., but with Owler and Hall of the "Up and Be Doing Movement".
The process of division was cemented in November 1909 when Williams published an Unamended Statement of Faith, which was in effect the old 1878 Birmingham Statement of Faith (BSF) with 7 minor changes, and naturally the omission of the 1898 Clause 24 Amendment, causing the new statement to colloquially be known as "BUSF" till today (though the 'B' for 'Birmingham' had in fact been dropped) and defining the Unamended Christadelphians
.
In 1911 Williams relocated both home and magazine from Chicago to Orlando, Florida
In 1913 he made a fourth visit to Britain visiting Sowerby Bridge, Heckmondike, Leeds and Huddersfield in Yorkshire arranged by Hall, then London for meetings arranged by Owler. Heading back by train from London to Mumbles he collapsed and died on December 8, aged 66. After William's death his role of editor passed to A.H. Zilmer, formerly a Lutheran pastor, then a Church of God Abrahamic Faith minister, then as a Christadelphian the associate editor of The Faith magazine, which he resigned on taking up William's position. After two years he was replaced with John Owler, mentioned above. Some years later editorship also passed to Albert Hall, also mentioned above, who had emigrated to British Columbia
.
Biography and selected works:
Unamended Christadelphians
The Unamended Christadelphians are a "fellowship" within the broader Christadelphian movement worldwide, found only in the United States and Canada. They are, like all Christadelphians, millennialist and non-Trinitarian...
.
Life
Williams was born on April 7, probably in ParkmillParkmill
The village of Parkmill is a small rural settlement in the Gower Peninsula , South Wales , midway between the villages of Penmaen and Ilston , about eight miles west of Swansea , and about one mile from the north coast of the Bristol Channel...
, near Swansea. Having apprenticed as a carpenter in Parkmill, he then found work with a William Clement, later his father-in-law, a member of the Christadelphian Ecclesia in Mumbles
Mumbles
Mumbles or The Mumbles is an area and community in Swansea, Wales which takes its name from the adjacent headland stretching into Swansea Bay...
, and was immersed on Sunday January 15, 1868. He married Elizabeth Clement and the couple had eight children - Clement, William, Katherine, in Wales, and Gershom, Fred, May, George and Bessie in America.
In 1872 he moved from Wales to Riverside, Iowa
Riverside, Iowa
Riverside is a city in rural Washington County, Iowa, United States, along the English River on Iowa Highway 22. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 928 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Highland Community School District.Riverside proclaimed...
where he worked as a carpenter and joined the local "ecclesia" of 12 members In March 1885 he commenced publication of The Christadelphian Advocate Magazine at Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
. In 1888 he met Robert Roberts
Robert Roberts (Christadelphian)
Robert Roberts is the man generally considered to have continued the work of organising and establishing the Christadelphian movement founded by Dr. John Thomas...
in Wauconda, Illinois
Wauconda, Illinois
Wauconda is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,448 at the 2000 census, estimated to be 12,614 in 2006, and is projected to reach 13,811 by 2011. It is the site of the Wauconda Bog Nature Preserve, a National Natural Landmark...
and again in Lanesville, Virginia
Lanesville, Virginia
Lanesville is an unincorporated community in King William County, Virginia, United States....
for the first time since leaving Wales. In 1891 Williams began to publish a second magazine, The Truth Gleaner aimed at non-Christadelphians, and in 1892 relocated to Chicago. In 1893, in response to the expected visitors to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
, Williams published 10,000 copies of the booklet The Great Salvation. By 1972 105,000 copies had been published. In 1905 J.G. Miller of Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
translated the booklet as Die grosse Erlösung.
Williams was also active travelling throughout North America as a preacher and Christadelphian speaker. As was typical of religious speakers of the period Williams participated in lengthy public debates with other religious groups.
The 1898 division
In 1898 a controversy in London, England caused the Birmingham Central Ecclesia meeting at Temperance Hall to amend its statement of faithStatement of faith
A statement of faith is a statement of the core beliefs of a religious group.A typical statement of faith is said to be a non-comprehensive summary of the core beliefs of a particular faith within a tradition . Even religious organizations without affiliation will use a statement of faith for...
to include an extra bracketed sentence specifying that God could and would raise at least some unbaptised believers at the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
. Although 10 members had already been "disfellowshipped" for not accepting this teaching in Sydney, Australia in 1883, and some British ecclesias already had similar amendments, the status of Birmingham as, then, in the words of sociologist Bryan R. Wilson
Bryan R. Wilson
Bryan Ronald Wilson, , was Reader Emeritus in Sociology at the University of Oxford and President of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion 1971-75.-Academic life:...
, primus inter pares
Primus inter pares
Primus inter pares is Latin phrase describing the most senior person of a group sharing the same rank or office.When not used in reference to a specific title, it may indicate that the person so described is formally equal, but looked upon as an authority of special importance by their peers...
, led to an escalation which saw many ecclesias without similar amendments being isolated, particularly in areas directly affected by the controversy such as London.
- See the history section of the article ChristadelphiansChristadelphiansChristadelphians is a Christian group that developed in the United Kingdom and North America in the 19th century...
for background information.
Following the death of Robert Roberts
Robert Roberts (Christadelphian)
Robert Roberts is the man generally considered to have continued the work of organising and establishing the Christadelphian movement founded by Dr. John Thomas...
in 1898 the role of editor of The Christadelphian Magazine in Britain was taken by Charles Curwen Walker
Charles Curwen Walker
Charles Curwen Walker was a Christadelphian writer and editor of The Christadelphian Magazine from 1898 to 1937.-Life:C. C. Walker was born near Diss, Depwade Rural District, Norfolk on February 18, 1856, son of a landowner. His middle name "Curwen" indicates his descent from the aristocratic...
. From May to August 1900 Williams visited Britain, meeting Walker and Henry Sulley
Henry Sulley
Henry Sulley was an English architect and writer on the temples of Jerusalem.Sulley was born to English parents in Brooklyn, Long Island, USA, January 30, 1845, but relocated back to Nottingham when still young....
in Birmingham and John James Andrew, in London. Walker was reluctant to speak as any kind of "representative" of the British Christadelphians, but strongly counselled Williams to support and accept the amendment.
From October 1903 to June 1904 Williams visited Britain again at the invitation of Albert Hall of the Sowerby Bridge
Sowerby Bridge
Sowerby Bridge is a market town that lies within the Upper Calder Valley in the district of Calderdale in the county of West Yorkshire, in northern England.-Geography:Sowerby Bridge is situated on the edge of Halifax, about three miles from its centre...
ecclesia in Yorkshire., and of John Owler of the Barnsbury Hall, Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
ecclesia in London. Hall and Owler had previously followed Andrew in the "resurrectional responsibility" controversy, although by 1903 Andrew himself would not fellowship with his previous supporters and reportedly been rebaptised in 1901. At a lecture in Leeds, which 40 visitors from those aligned with Birmingham Temperance Hall attended, Williams failed to state clearly that God could and would raise some unbaptised, and this was taken as supporting Andrew's teaching. However the next year Williams in print rejected Andrew's views as "extreme". Correspondence with Andrew continued till the latter's death in 1907. The result of the visit was a further distancing of the two sides.
In 1906 Williams held a public lecture in Toronto against the "Hell-fire" teaching of R. A. Torrey which drew an audience of 4,000, and was later published as a booklet "Hell Torments". Notes of an earlier debate in 1888 with the atheist Charles Watts led to publication of "The Divinity of the Bible" in 1906.
From June 1907 to August 1908 Williams made a third visit to England, leaving James Leask to run the magazine. In Wales he persuaded four ecclesias which were in fellowship with the "Fraternal Visitor" magazine of J.J. Hadley ("Suffolk Street") to separate into a third grouping having fellowship neither with Birmingham Temperance Hall or Birmingham Suffolk St. groupings., but with Owler and Hall of the "Up and Be Doing Movement".
The process of division was cemented in November 1909 when Williams published an Unamended Statement of Faith, which was in effect the old 1878 Birmingham Statement of Faith (BSF) with 7 minor changes, and naturally the omission of the 1898 Clause 24 Amendment, causing the new statement to colloquially be known as "BUSF" till today (though the 'B' for 'Birmingham' had in fact been dropped) and defining the Unamended Christadelphians
Unamended Christadelphians
The Unamended Christadelphians are a "fellowship" within the broader Christadelphian movement worldwide, found only in the United States and Canada. They are, like all Christadelphians, millennialist and non-Trinitarian...
.
In 1911 Williams relocated both home and magazine from Chicago to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
In 1913 he made a fourth visit to Britain visiting Sowerby Bridge, Heckmondike, Leeds and Huddersfield in Yorkshire arranged by Hall, then London for meetings arranged by Owler. Heading back by train from London to Mumbles he collapsed and died on December 8, aged 66. After William's death his role of editor passed to A.H. Zilmer, formerly a Lutheran pastor, then a Church of God Abrahamic Faith minister, then as a Christadelphian the associate editor of The Faith magazine, which he resigned on taking up William's position. After two years he was replaced with John Owler, mentioned above. Some years later editorship also passed to Albert Hall, also mentioned above, who had emigrated to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Works
- The Great Salvation. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, 1893.
- The World's Redemption. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, 1898.
- Man: His Origin, Nature and Destiny. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, undated.
- The Devil - His Origin and End. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, undated.
- Adamic Condemnation and the Responsibility Question. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, undated.
- Rectification. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, undated.
- Regeneration - What it is and how it is effected. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, undated.
- Hell Torments - a failure, a fallacy and a fraud. The Christadelphian Advocate, Chicago, undated.
Biography and selected works:
- The Christadelphian Advocate Committee: Life and Works of Bro. Thomas Williams The Christadelphian Advocate, 1974.