Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)
Church of God | |
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Region | 89 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia |
Founder | Daniel Sidney Warner and several others |
Origin | 1881 |
Branched from | General Eldership of the Church of God |
Separations | Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) Church of God (Restoration) |
Congregations | 7,800 |
Members | 887,000 |
Official website | jesusisthesubject |
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), also called the Church of God Ministries, is an international
One of its more distinctive features is that there is no formal membership, since the movement believes that true salvation through Jesus Christ, the son of God, makes one a member. Similarly, there is no formal creed other than the Bible. Accordingly, there is much official room for diversity and theological dialogue, even though the movement's culture is strongly rooted in Wesleyan holiness theology.
This Wesleyan-Holiness church movement is not historically related to other Church of God bodies such as the
History
The history of the Church of God (Anderson) begins in 1881 with
From its beginnings, the Church of God had a commitment to
As the United States entered World War I, the Gospel Trumpet restated the church's official stance of pacifism but also reminded their congregants that they supported the authority of the state and should comply with local laws concerning the draft. There were articles published to help a pacifist request non-combat duty if they were drafted. For those who decided to volunteer, the church reported that the volunteer would not lose their salvation but would have to answer to God concerning their actions during the war. Strege writes that as the war waged on, "there occurs in print no condemnation of those who entered the army—whether German or American—and there is no questioning of their religious commitment".[7]
The Church of God pacifist stance reached a high point in the late 1930s. The Church regarded World War II as a just war because America was attacked. Sentiment against Communism (which advocated for state atheism in the Eastern Bloc) has since kept strong pacifism from developing in the Church of God.[8]
Developments in holiness standards
The Church of God continues to see itself as a direct outgrowth of the original teachings of D.S. Warner's ministry that began the movement in the 1880s. Warner believed that every group of organized churches who had an earthly headquarters and an earthly creed, other than the Bible, was a part of
As an example of their emphasis on the nature of the true Church, the slogan of the Church of God paper, "One Voice", almost became "On Becoming the Church". The Evening Light Ministry of 1880-1915 believed that they taught the whole truth of Scripture and that they were setting the example for the true Church. In the process, they had placed a strong emphasis on what was seen as "holiness living." This led to a sense that certain cultural practices then common in late nineteenth and early twentieth America were out of bounds for the "sanctified Christian." Adherents saw it as non-conformity to the world, that is, that Christ had called them out of the "worldliness" around them, both internally and externally.[9]
Some re-thinking began in 1912 when men were permitted to wear long neck ties. By the 1950s, the movement no longer forcefully taught against the immodesty of mixed bathing (swimming) among the sexes or the addition of a television to the home. These twentieth century changes focused on the idea that the internal transformations of holiness deserved far more emphasis than debates over its proper outward manifestation, such as styles of dress and some forms of worship. In his 1978 work for the Church, Receive the Holy Spirit, Arlo Newell addressed his view of the nature of holiness for Christian living, emphasizing its internal requirements. Expressing the still dominant view in the Church of God, Newell stated that "holiness centers in completeness. Christ was and is the perfect sacrifice, none other need ever be made. Every believer in Christ has entered into the 'everlasting covenant,' and the extent of the work of redemption is limitless."[10] Emphasizing the point, Newell went on to give a definition of the man who is holy. He noted that "the holy man is the whole man, integrated, harmonized within by his supreme, inclusive purpose to realize in himself and others the moral image of God revealed in Christ, God incarnate."[11]
Thus, as the movement increasingly de-emphasized the importance of external manifestations of "holy living," teaching against the following list of practices, while still valued by some, is no longer emphasized by the Church of God:
- against outward adornment: wedding rings, ear rings, lipstick on women, or following "worldly fashions" (there is still an emphasis by some on "modesty", i.e. non-ostentatiousness in such things)
- women should always refrain from wearing clothing that pertains to men, e.g. pants
- women should not cut their hair but instead grow it long and men should keep their hair short
- ministers should not receive a set salary
The Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma), a body in the conservative holiness movement, was created in the 1910s as a result of schism with the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) over wanting to maintain traditional standards of outward holiness.[12][13]
Statistics
According to a census published by the association in 2020, it had 7,800 churches, 887,000 members in 89 countries.[14]
Beliefs
This article is a part of a series on |
The Church of God Anderson, Indiana |
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The denomination has holiness movement beliefs [15] and is a member of the Global Wesleyan Alliance[16] and the National Association of Evangelicals[17]
The church observes
Organization
There are 2,214 congregations in the United States and Canada which are affiliated with the Church of God with an average attendance of 251,429.[19] Worldwide, adherents number more than 1,170,143 in 7,446 congregations spread over nearly ninety countries. In Jamaica, Church of God is the first denomination with 24% of the population and 111 congregations. Personal conversion and Christian conduct, coupled with attendance, are sufficient for participation in a local Church of God congregation.
In the United Kingdom, there are 2 congregations: Church of God, Egan Road (Birkenhead, Merseyside) under the leadership of Pastor Zach Langford and Community Church of God (Tottenham, London) under the leadership of Pastor Mickell Mascall.
In East Africa Bunyore is home to the national headquarters of the Church of God in Kenya, Bunyore Girls’ High School and Kima School of Theology all of which are located at Kima. A significant town in Bunyore is Luanda, Kenya located on the Kisumu-Busia Highway. Maseno University, in the neighboring Maseno town is less than 6 miles from Kima which was under Archbishop Rev Dr. Byrum A. Makokha until his death on 25/08/2020.
Affiliated schools
The church's seminary is Anderson School of Theology in Anderson, Indiana. It is also affiliated with several colleges across North America, including Anderson University, Mid-America Christian University, Warner Pacific University, Warner University and West Indies Theological College as well as Kima International School of Theology (KIST) in Maseno, Kenya, and IBAO (Institut Biblique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire.
The church also supports Triple C School, a primary and secondary school located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
References
- ^ "An Inside Look at the Church of God" (PDF).
- ^ "History of the Church of God". Archived from the original on 2006-06-17. Retrieved 2004-12-10.
- DOCX) on October 21, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8308-2586-8.
- ^ "Should We Go to War?" Gospel Trumpet, April 14, 1898, p. 4.
- ^ See Merle D. Strege “The Demise [?] of a Peace Church: The Church of God (Anderson), Pacifism and Civil Religion, The Mennonite Quarterly Review, Vol. LXV April 1991, No. 2 pgs. 128-140.
- ^ Strege p. 137
- ^ Mitchell K. Hall, "A Withdrawal from Peace: The Historical Response to War of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)," Journal of Church and State (1985) 27#2 pp 301-314
- ^ John W. V. Smith. The Quest for Holiness and Unity: A Centennial History of the Church of God. (Warner Press: Anderson, IN, 1980) p. 194
- ^ Receive the Holy Spirit. (Warner Press: Anderson, IN, 1978) p. 31
- ^ Receive the Holy Spirit. (Warner Press: Anderson, IN, 1978) p. 32-33
- ^ Thornton, Wallace Jr. (2008). Behavioral Standards, Embourgeoisement, and the Formation of the Conservative Holiness Movement. Wesleyan Theological Society. p. 177.
The CHM thus resulted from the desire of mid-century holiness conservatives to perpetuate the radical cause which dominated the movement at the beginning of the century. ... The first significant conservative "comeouter" group was the Church of God (Guthrie, OK), which pulled radical constituents from the Church of God (Anderson) in the early 1910s.
- ISBN 978-0-8103-2133-5.
In doctrine and practice the Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) is almost identical with the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), but it is stricter in its practice of holiness and refusal to compromise with the world.
- ^ Church of God, Our History, jesusisthesubject.org, USA, retrieved May 9, 2020
- ^ Church of God, Our beliefs, jesusisthesubject.org, USA, retrieved August 27, 2021
- ^ Global Wesleyan Alliance, About Us, wesleyanalliance.com, USA, retrieved August 27, 2021
- ^ "National Association of Evangelicals", Wikipedia, 2022-10-18, retrieved 2022-10-24
- MS Word) on October 7, 2007.
- ^ 2009 Yearbook of the Church of God, p. 353.