1. Fundamental Cause of Separation
the United States. As the country
increased in population, and new
Cause
of Sepa- means of speedy communication with
ration. the world, with all that it implies,
became available, the former
isolation
of the Dunkers in the
wilderness was destroyed.
Traditions and customs of the Church which could
be defended neither by the Bible nor reason fell
into disfavor, and dissatisfaction grew especially
with the dogmatic type of mind characteristic of
many of the older and more ignorant. The neces
sity was felt of bringing the Church as rapidly as
possible into line with the knowledge and culture
of the times. On the other hand, congregations
and individuals isolated from the influences which
affected the more advanced communities were con
trolled by traditional beliefs and usages, and aimed
at uniformity on the basis of tradition all the more
strenuously because they knew of differences which
had grown naturally in widely separated parts of
the Church. Thus the social conditions of the
United States created two radically different tend
encies in the bunker Church; and by 1880 these
tendencies had come into open conflict which re
sulted in the division.
The immediate cause of the separation was sympathy with Henry R. Holsinger, of Berlin, Pa.,
because of what his friends considered
ill treatment by the Annual Meeting of 1882. He was a radical
"Progressive" and was expelled by the Annual
Meeting, charged with speaking and writing dis
respectfully of certain leading members of the Church
and of the Annual
Meeting. Large numbers of
his
sympathizers in many congrega-
2. Orgasiand
Lions went out with him, in some
places the separation being made by
Present mutual consent, in others the Progress-
tatue, ives being expelled. The work of organ
izing Progressive congregations went
on
rapidly under a committee appointed for the pur
pose by a convention at Ashland, O., in 1882.
Hope of a reconciliation with the Conservatives was
finally dissipated by the failure of the Annual Meeting
of 1883 to take steps looking to that end, and
the Progressives then formally organized as the
Brethren Church at a convention at Dayton, O.,
in June, 1883, representatives being present from
about fifty congregations. In 1887 State organ
izations were formed and a national Sisters' Society
of Christian Endeavor was organized. ):n 1892 a
denominational Young People's Society was formed,
which later was affiliated with the Christian En
deavor movement. In 1895 the General Mission
Board was organized; it has city missions in Chi
cago, Philadelphia, and Washington. About 1900
a Foreign Missionary Society was organized, which
maintains stations in Montreal, Canada, and Urmia,
Persia. Following the Dayton convention the
college at Ashland, O., was turned over to the
Progressives on condition that they assume its
indebtedness. It now has an endowment of about
$60,000 and in 1905-I16 had an enrolment of 150
students. The publishing house is at Ashland,
O. In 1895 there were 138 congregations re
ported with a membership of 10,031. In 1905 the
membership was
14,117 in 144 congregations in
eighteen Staten of the Union. The States having
the largest membership are Pennsylvania, 3,357;
Indiana, 3,275; Ohio, 2,443; Virginia, 880; and
Iowa, 841. The church periodical is the
Brethren Evangelist.
In doctrine the Progressive Dunkers differ from
the Conservatives in but few points. They hold
that the decisions of no conference are
