Background In 1871, the year of the death of
John Thomas in America,
Robert Roberts was editor of
The Christadelphian magazine in
Birmingham, England. Perhaps second only in prominence to Roberts was a Nottingham businessman,
Edward Turney. Turney was a prominent Christadelphian speaker at "fraternal gatherings". And editor of
The Christadelphian Lamp (later renamed
The Christian lamp). The "Renunciationist controversy" began with the teaching of
David Handley who first raised the idea that Christ was born with a "free life" – meaning that had he not submitted to his Father's will and death on the cross, he would still have been granted
immortality, but renounced this of his own choice. Turney had in early 1873 published a booklet
Diabolism which included the statement that "sin was an element of the flesh of the Son of God" but during the spring of 1873 came to renounce this view and came to support and promote Handley's view in his magazine, then on 28 August 1873 as guest lecturer for the Birmingham
Ecclesia, which met at
Temperance Hall, Temple Street, Birmingham, forcefully taught these views at the large influential Birmingham Ecclesia. In response Roberts and the other "Arranging Brethren" of Temperance Hall called together the general membership of the Birmingham Ecclesia and invited them to declare their rejection of Turney and Handley's teachings. Turney's views were roundly rejected but not everyone at Birmingham was happy with the way in which it was done. Turney's main writings were
The Sacrifice of Christ and
The Two Sons of God. Roberts' response to Turney is found in the booklet
The Slain Lamb. The fallout for Christadelphians was not significant outside Nottingham and Maldon. In October 1873 shortly after Turney had left, Roberts was able to declare that 'With the exception of Nottingham, Maldon and
Plymouth it [Renunciationism] has failed to establish a footing anywhere." However, Turney had been a very active
preacher, and in 1872 more
conversions to Christadelphian belief (as
baptisms) were recorded in Nottingham as a result of Turney's preaching than in Birmingham where Roberts was based. After 1873 the number of baptisms in Nottingham dropped off sharply, as the small remaining ecclesia carried on led by younger brethren such as
Henry Sulley – who had only been baptised two years prior to the 1873 split. The Christadelphian ecclesia in Nottingham did not regain momentum until the death of Turney five years later (1879) and the return of many, not all who had left during 1879–1882. A. Wilson notes that during the period between 1864–1885 "Apart from the Inspiration Controversy, which came to a head in 1885, no other
schism appears from official figures to have influenced the Christadelphian movement so much as the 'Clean Flesh'
heresy". And yet by 1881 the Nazarene Fellowship schism was effectively extinct. In Nottingham, Maldon and Plymouth, of the 200 who had left most returned within the next few years. Maldon had been a very active preaching ecclesia, and most of the baptisms prior to 1873 which occurred at Maldon had been as a result of Handley's preaching. Yet Handley had taken a less forceful role than Turney in the 1873 events. Following Turney's death in 1879, in March 1881 Handley, along with his brother Charles Handley, and Henry Howell, visited the London Ecclesia of John J. Andrew to indicate a change of position and to ask London to recommend Maldon Ecclesia's refellowship to the brotherhood – which the London Ecclesia did. A month later, Handley travelled again to London Ecclesia, and asked to be rebaptised, though the other members of Maldon rejoined the group without this action. The rebaptism took place at Handley's own request, and may have been inspired by Thomas and Roberts, both of whom were rebaptised some time after their initial baptisms when they came to a more detailed understanding of the Scriptures. ==Later influence==