Keith Sisman is living in Huntingdon, Cambs
England. He is writing a history of the Lord’s church during the
dark ages. Brother Sisman writes in the current issue of The Voice
of Truth International: “From the various available records, the
following summarization can be made of the state and beliefs of the Lord’s
people in Europe from the 1200s onwards:
They believed that baptism was by immersion
for believers for the remission of sins, whereby entry is made into Christ’s
church (the only true church). They taught that children are innocent,
rejecting the teaching of original sin and proclaiming free will.
They rejected the use of special buildings, altars and other paraphernalia.
They rejected the idea of the clergy, teaching that all believers were
of the universal priesthood of believers.
Each congregation was autonomous and, wherever
possible, had elders and deacons. The Lord’s supper was taken each
Sunday and was served as a memorial, not as an ordinance. They rejected
the use of special holy days. They taught the triunity of the Godhead.
These believers were spread throughout Europe, including Britain, and were
also present in the east. They used their own vernacular versions
of the Scriptures and were strongly evangelistic in promoting the true
faith. They referred to themselves as Christians and members of the
true church, in spite of the fact that other ‘names’ of identification
were sometimes used by others in reference to them.”