Alexander Mack
1679-1735
Alexander Mack (1679-1735) is considered the founder of the
Brethren Movement, oftentimes called the Tunker Movement be-
cause of insistance upon trine immersion as a proper mode of
baptism. Following careful study of Scripture, Mack found
himself out of harmony with the three state churches of Ger-
many because of their formality, laxity in practice, and
failure to observe all the New Testament teachings. In 1708,
at Schwarzenau, Germany, with seven other likeminded persons,
he organized a new denomination with a Christo-Bible-centered
emphasis. Persecution caused flight from Germany by way of
the Netherlands. They followed others of like faith to Amer-
ica in 1729.
Germantown, Pennsylvania, became their American head-
quarters. From Mack’s initial efforts, three main groups have
emerged–the Church of the Brethren, the old German Baptist
Brethren, and a progressive Brethren church, recognized as
the Brethren Church, Ashland, Ohio, and the National Fellow-
ship of Brethren Churches (Grace Brethren), Winona Lake, In-
diana, whose motto is: The Bible, the whole Bible, and noth-
ing but the Bible.
Alexander Mack, 1679-1735, Brethren Movement
AUTHOR: Unknown
PUBLISHED ON: March 12, 2003
DOC SOURCE: CCN
PUBLISHED IN: Biographies
TAGS: Alexander Mack | Brethren Movement
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