Categorizing the Brethren

[Josh]

Grace Brethren are generally not considered Anabaptist but rather a Reformed group.

[ohio jones]

Brethren in Christ (BIC)
...
Then there are River Brethren and German Baptist, Depending on the wind direction, they may or may not affiliate themselves in the Brethren fold.

Shouldn't BIC be classified with River Brethren rather than with the COB-Dunkard-German Baptist grouping?

[steve-in-kville]

Brethren in Christ (BIC)
...
Then there are River Brethren and German Baptist, Depending on the wind direction, they may or may not affiliate themselves in the Brethren fold.

Shouldn't BIC be classified with River Brethren rather than with the COB-Dunkard-German Baptist grouping?

Not as I know them Those are very separate groups at two very different ends of the spectrum. At least the groups represented here in my area.

[Josh]

River Brethren originated from Mennonite groups and have very little to do with Schwarzenau Brethren in terms of doctrine.

Most RBs eventually ended up part of the United Methodist Church.

[ohio jones]

River Brethren originated from Mennonite groups and have very little to do with Schwarzenau Brethren in terms of doctrine.

Most RBs eventually ended up part of the United Methodist Church.

This grouping would be summarized (liberal to conservative):

United Brethren in Christ (merged into United Methodist)
Brethren in Christ
OO River Brethren

[Josh]

Except UMC is no longer a unified group and much of it is more conservative than the more liberal wings of BIC.

[Heirbyadoption]

Brethren in Christ (BIC)
...
Then there are River Brethren and German Baptist, Depending on the wind direction, they may or may not affiliate themselves in the Brethren fold.

Shouldn't BIC be classified with River Brethren rather than with the COB-Dunkard-German Baptist grouping?

By way of origin, yes. RBs and BIC were together once, and historically come from an revival branch off of the Mennonites, not from the Schwarzenau "Brethren" movement originating in 1708 under the influences (but not direct links) of Radical Pietism and Anabaptism. Having said that, they tend to share more theology and practice with said Brethren. On that note, things get abbreviated when names get too long, but what some of you call "German Baptist" are actually part of the Brethren (not Menno) strain, and their several groups (including a few splinters) almost all go by some variation of the name Old German Baptist BRETHREN.

[joshuabgood]

Conservative Brethren
and
Conservative Baptist Brethren

[Heirbyadoption]

There are also Old Brethren which are essentially similar to Old German Baptist Brethren - New Conference.

The term Old Brethren has a few different meanings, depending. Some may lump everything from the Bible Brethren on down as "old Brethren." And then there is the reference you gave.

As a casual reference to historical or more conservative Brethren groups, they sometimes get called "old Brethren" back here in the motherland, but as a formal title, the actual moniker of the "Old Brethren Church" belongs to the group that broke off of the Old German Baptist Brethren in 1913 and 1915, and split again in the early 2000s over whether marriage is defined by intercourse or a vow... The group pushing for the "intercourse" position are now referred to as the Yellow Creek Old Brethren, I believe, and consists mostly of a couple families. Ernie is correct that the rest of the Old Brethren are most similar to the OGBBC-NewConference.

[HondurasKeiser]

Grace Brethren are generally not considered Anabaptist but rather a Reformed group.

There probably isn’t much anabaptism at work there today, but inasmuch as they were a split from the Brethren Church who themselves were in an earlier, 3-way split with the COB and the Old German Baptist Brethren. I think it would be fair to rank them on their “brethren-ness” today……and clearly they’d be the least Brethren of them all.