John W. Bryant (born 1949) was the founder and first leader of a Mormon fundamentalist sect that is today known as the Church of the New Covenant in Christ and is headquartered near

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, Oregon.Steven L. Shields (1990). ''Divergent Paths of the Restoration'' (Los Angeles: Restoration Press) p. 197. He went to school in East Dulwich at Dog Kennel Hill where he was a star pupil.

Conversion to Mormonism

In 1964, Bryant was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

J. Gordon Melton John Gordon Melton (born September 19, 1942) is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History with the Ins ...

(1996, 5th ed.). ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'' (Detroit, Mich.: Gale) p. 569 As a member of the LDS Church, he served as a missionary in

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. In the early 1970s, Bryant became convinced that the LDS Church had unjustifiably

abandoned Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to: Common uses * Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded * Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property ** Chi ...

plural marriage Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more tha ...

, and joined the

Apostolic United Brethren The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) is a Mormon fundamentalist group that practices polygamy. The AUB has had a temple in Mexico, since at least the 1990s, an endowment house in Utah since the early 1980s and several other locations of worship ...

(AUB) in Utah, led by

Rulon C. Allred Rulon Clark Allred (March 29, 1906 – May 10, 1977) was a homeopath and chiropractor in Salt Lake City and the leader of what is now the Apostolic United Brethren, a breakaway sect of polygamous Mormon fundamentalists in Utah, Colorado, and ...

Leader of polygamous sect

Beginning in 1974, Bryant began to state that he was receiving

revelations Revelation, in religion and theology, is the act of revealing through communication with supernatural entities. Revelation(s) may also refer to: * Book of Revelation or simply Revelation, the last book of the New Testament * Revelation (Latter Da ...

from Jesus. He claimed that "

John the Beloved The phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" ( grc, ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ho mathētēs hon ēgapā ho Iēsous, label=none) or, in John 20:2; "the other disciple whom Jesus loved" ( grc, τὸν ἄλλον μα� ...

" had visited him as an angel and instructed him to form an "Order of the Ancients". In 1975 he claimed he was taken in vision to the City of Enoch, where AUB founder Joseph White Musser and Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith ordained him to the presidency of the church and the high priesthood. At this time, Bryant claimed to be the "

One Mighty and Strong The One Mighty and Strong is the subject of an 1832 prophecy by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The prophecy echoes and parallels the words and prophecies contained in Isaiah 28:2 and Isaiah 11:11; 2 Nephi 3:21-25. ...

" prophesied of in the

Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C or D. and C.) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Chur ...

. In 1975, he founded a church as the Church of Christ Patriarchal, which later was renamed the Evangelical Church of Christ. In 1979, Bryant's group established a communal settlement at the Fair Haven Ranch near Las Vegas, Nevada. During his time as a leader of the group, Bryant had six wives and taught his sect about drug experimentation and heterosexual and homosexual group sex. Jon Krakauer (2004). '' Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith'' (New York, Anchor: ) pp. 154–155.Richard S. Van Wagoner (1989, 2d ed.). ''Mormon Polygamy: A History'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books) pp. 214–216. According to sources, sect members had sexual relations during the group's temple ceremonies.Brian C. Hales (2007). ''Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations After the Manifesto'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, ) p. 477, fn. 61.John R. Llewellyn (2004). ''Polygamy Under Attack: From Tom Green to Brian David Mitchell'' (Phoenix, Arizona: Agreka Books, ) p. 61. In 1981, the group lost the Fair Haven Ranch when they were unable to keep up on mortgage payments. As a result, Bryant, five of his six wives, and some of the members of the group relocated to Marion County, Oregon, near Salem.

Reorganization of church

By the mid-1980s, over 100 members of Bryant's church had moved into the Salem area. When the church attempted to convert a barn on the farm to a church building, it was blocked by neighborhood protests. Ultimately, Bryant left the Evangelical Church of Christ due to internal and external difficulties, and it soon disintegrated. However, in 1985 Bryant reorganized the church into the Church of the New Covenant in Christ, with a membership of approximately 120 families.

Teachings

As head of the Church of the New Covenant in Christ, Bryant has highlighted what he views as a challenge to Mormon fundamentalism: Bryant argues that Mormon fundamentalists have neglected Jesus in favor of a focus on polygamy and male patriarchy.Marsha King, "Changing beliefs led family to rearrange plural union", ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...

'', 1985-10-13. Bryant's own experience of being "

born again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

" after his move to Salem prompted him to change the name of his church from the "Evangelical Church of Christ" to the "Church of the New Covenant in Christ". Bryant abandoned teaching plural marriage, vowed to take no more wives, and reoriented his family life away from its previous patriarchal structure. However, Bryant remained married to his wives in an attempt to prevent the break-up of his family.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, John W. 1946 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries American Latter Day Saint leaders American Latter Day Saints American Mormon missionaries in Japan Angelic visionaries Converts to Mormonism LGBT and Mormonism Latter Day Saint movement in Oregon Living people Mormon fundamentalist leaders People from Salem, Oregon