DOCSLIB.ORG

WORLDWIDE CHURCH of GOD: CRISIS and LESSONS by Samuele Bacchiocchi Divided the Worldwide Church of God, Give Rise to Two Ques- a Ph

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
WORLDWIDE CHURCH of GOD: CRISIS and LESSONS by Samuele Bacchiocchi Divided the Worldwide Church of God, Give Rise to Two Ques- a Ph Vol. 2, No. 2 A newsletter for servants of the Almighty Eternal Creator, wherever they may be February 1996 WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD: CRISIS AND LESSONS By Samuele Bacchiocchi divided the Worldwide Church of God, give rise to two ques- A Ph. D. and Professor of Theology and Church tions: (1) What factors contributed to this sudden split in the History at Andrews University (Seventh Day Adventist) WCG? (2) What lessons can we Seventh-day Adventists learn from the sad experience of a church that has shared The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) has lost about with us such beliefs as the Sabbath, clean and unclean meats, 50,000 members and 500 pastors during this past year as a and the importance of obedience to God’s law? result of doctrinal changes in such areas as Sabbath keeping, To find answers, I contacted some of the leaders of the holy days, distinction between clean and unclean meats, and newly formed United Church of God. During this past year tithing. The church’s top administrators introduced these it has been my privilege to become acquainted with most of changes to bring their church more in line with the Protestant their pastors, since they mainstream. Enormous financial losses have followed, called me from across the causing the suspension of the church’s telecast, The World country to order sup- Tomorrow, the reduction in circulation of their outreach plies of my three magazine, The Plain Truth, from seven million to less than Sabbath books to Church half-a-million, and a substantial drop in enrollment at their meet the chal- Ambassador University in Big Sandy, Texas. The campus of Continued Ambassador College with its famous auditorium, located in page of God— a prestigious section of Pasadena, has been put up for sale. 9 A group of ministers and elders of the WCG who could not in good conscience preach the new teachings convened Adventist! in Indianapolis on April 30-May 2, 1995 and formed the United Church of God (UCG). David Hulme, former pre- The con- ity, the history of the Church of God and senter of the telecast The World Tomorrow, was cho- ventional Church Seventh-day Adventists has been inter- sen as interim Chairman of the Board. About of God view of twined throughout the last 150 years. 20,000 former WCG members have already Church history goes We in the Church of God have much joined the newly formed United Church of something like this: in the more in common with SDA’s then has God, and their number is growing daily. 1860s, the “good guys,” the been generally believed. By recognizing These rapid developments, which Church of God, and the “bad our common past, we should realize that have so dramatically weakened and guys,” the Seventh-day Adventists, we should work together in the present separated over the issue of the validity and in the future. IN THIS ISSUE: of Ellen G. White’s visions, and the This commonality was brought to 2 CGI Update name for the Church. Since that time, light in December, 1995, when SDA Dr. the theory goes, there has been little Samuele Bacchiocchi released his book, 3 Intersabbatarian Cooperation interaction between the Church of God God’s Festivals in Scripture and History. (COG) and the Seventh-day Adventists In his article, “How I Came to Accept 5 Oh How I Love Your Law— (SDA). Since the 1930s, SDA’s have the Holy Days,” Dr. Bacchiocchi said Part IV become more and more Protestant in he was surprised to find that “In every 13 Beware of “Friendly” Visits doctrine and practice, while the COG [SDA] church in which I presented my 14 Non-Aligned Feast Update has largely remained stedfast to its dis- seminars during the latter half of 1995, I tinctive doctrines. met some fellow believers who had been 15 Letters While there is some validity to the studying, and in some cases observing 21 Good Questions on above general statements, there have privately the annual Feasts. In fact, Nicolaitanism also been notable exceptions. In actual- Continued page 11 father could make the CGI broadcasts. Action Taken at Church They left shortly after speaking. After much discussion, the final of God, International Sunday morning session was devoted to drafting the statement which appears on Meeting in Dallas page 4. It was signed by all ministers pre- Thirty-five ministers of the Church of given 12 minutes to address the confer- sent—68% of the total CGI field min- God, International met in Dallas for a ence and every host 6 minutes. A istry. Though the document does not conference February 9, 10, and 11. The spokesman’s club timing light was specify action if the recommendations conference was organized independently used—a lot of men spoke into the red are not accepted, members discussed of the Tyler headquarters after repeated light (time is up), but none received the forming a new “international” group or requests for a conference were refused. buzzer (30 seconds overtime). Everyone working as locally autonomous congre- Local congregation hosts and brethren was allowed to ask questions during an gations. were welcome at the conference, with an open “question and answer” session. The Dallas conference is available on average of about 100 attending each The main purpose of the conference tape for $15 (15 audio tapes) or $75 (12 meeting. was to determine what to do about the video tapes) from Betty Martin, DFW In addition, eight letters of support for bad name that the Church of God, Church, 7415 Hillstart Circle, Dallas, TX the process were read from ministers International and the Church as a whole 75217. Call 800-687-0150 for more who could not attend, including letters are receiving from the activities of information. from England, Australia and Canada. Garner Ted Armstrong since the Tyler Just prior to the conference, seven CGI The initial Friday night session was board of directors has not decided to ministers and 3 other members were able used to determine the conference rules of remove him. to see the Robertson video. The ministers order and agenda. Each session began Vance Stinson and Mark Armstrong were Chuck Beyer, Topeka, Kansas; Bill and ended with three men each separate- spoke for 12 minutes each on behalf of Fowler, Wichita, Kansas; Ian Hufton, ly leading in prayer. A few times, when CGI headquarters. Stinson read six letters Tyler Texas; Jim Ingle, Lake of the the debate grew heated, the conference that opposed the conference and Mark Ozarks, Missouri; Tom Justus, Springdale, stopped for prayer. Every minister was Armstrong explained why he felt only his Arkansas; Gary Porter, Pocatello, Idaho; Bill Rollins, Des Moines, Iowa. The min- ister that we spoke with confirmed that the video was as the Robertson suit alleges. Since the attorneys for CGI are paid with the tithe-money from the members, CGI members may have legal rights to see any of the information in the attorney’s files, Vol. 2, No. 2 A newsletter for servants of the Almighty Eternal Creator, wherever they may be February 1996 including the video tape. They may con- Servants News is published monthly by Friends of the Brethren. Subscriptions are free tact CGI’s attorney’s: J. Shelby Sharpe, to individuals interested in obeying their Creator as described in the Bible. We believe His Dean Spurlock and Kimberly D. law is the basis for living a life that is pleasing to Him in harmony with our neighbors. We Norris; 2400 Bank One Tower, Fort believe the holy spirit gives us the power to live such a life as long as we continually repent Worth, TX 76102; 817-338-4900. of our sins and accept the salvation provided through our Messiah and Savior. We believe in living “by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Deut 8:3). Court documents may be obtained We believe the gospel should be given freely: you may copy any or all of this pub- by contacting Brad Burger, District lication and give it to others. Friends of the Brethren is financed by donations and has County Court House, 100 N. no ties with any of the other organizations listed in this publication. Broadway, Tyler, TX 75702, tele- Editor: Norman S. Edwards phone: 903-535-0613. Production Editor: Norman A. Brumm, III In a related matter, Ian Hufton was Associate Editors: Marleen Edwards, Phyllis Brumm, Robert & Christine Feith fired from his job as CGI mailing man- Contributors: Many!! And “Thanks” to everyone involved. ager on January 22. The reason given Servants’ News accepts articles for publication. Include a self-addressed stamped was his supposedly unbearable man- envelope for items that you want returned. We do not publish materials that attack indi- agement style, but we found this reason viduals or organizations, nor do we publish materials that claim there is only one human in conflict with the facts that within the organization through which the Eternal works. We are happy to print corrections for last year he had been placed on the any significant errors. Address articles, letters and subscription/literature requests to: executive committee, appointed co-pas- tor of the Tyler congregation, and made Friends of the Brethren Phone: 501-872-1003 director of the “Camp Challenge” pro- PO Box 6516 Fax: 501-872-1004 gram. From our perspective, it appears Springdale, AR 72766-6516 E-Mail: [email protected] that the firing was directly related to the Subscription and literature requests may also be sent to these addresses: letters sent out to the ministry and oth- Canada: Friends of the Brethren, R.R.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Roles of Women in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church Significance of Ellen G
    VIII THE ROLES OF WOMEN IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH SIGNIFICANCE OF ELLEN G. WHITE COUNSELS E. Marcella Anderson Preface Although the Seventh-day Adventist Church draws its faith and doctrine from the Bible only (sola scriptura), it sees the work of Ellen G. White as a particular fulfillment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church and a special bestowal of the “spirit of prophecy” in the end of time. The fact that a woman—Ellen G. White—was chosen by God (after two men had declined the commission) to be His special messenger to the remnant, makes her writings on the roles for women in the church especially pertinent. No other person had a greater impact upon the form and character of this church. “In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the Testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue.”1 So this paper draws heavily upon Mrs. White’s writings as it attempts to portray God’s twentieth century counsel on the roles of women in this church. It will consider God’s call of women to positions of trust; it will canvass similarities and differences between the roles of men and women in the church; it will draw together counsel regarding specific callings for women; and finally it will attempt a summary and conclusions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of the Church of God Abrahamic Faith
    6 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH OF GOD ABRAHAMIC FAITH The Development of the Church of God Abrahamic Faith: 1845-1921 JAN STILSON, B.TH., B.S., M.A.L.S. Introduction Gary Land of Andrews University wrote, “After Christ failed to come in 1844 the Millerites splintered into several groups.”1 It is with those groups that we wish to begin and one of those groups will be the focus of this article. The non-Millerite groups that emerged after the Bitter Disappointment were primarily those who had not attended the Albany Conference, called by William Miller to salvage the splintered Adventist movement. The people who formed these groups had been part of the Adventist movement, but now wished to disassociate themselves from it. It might also be noted that the Millerite movement did not fail because “Christ failed to come.” Christ had not failed; rather, men erred by setting dates for his return. What were these groups? Several historians have defined and discussed them2 but this article is principally interested in the emerging groups as detailed by LeRoy Froom. Froom identifies three movements arising out of the Adventist movement: 1. The inheritors of the Millerite tradition, the Advent Christians; 2. Extremists from New England who eventually disappeared; 3. The Seventh Day Adventists who gained strength through the visions of Ellen White. I contend that there is a fourth branch, which Froom alluded to but did not thoroughly discuss. This branch began as the Age to Come movement, also 1 Gary Land, “Strangers Together: Adventism’s American Experience,” Newsletter of the Adventist Movements Historical Association, Pilot Issue 1993, Morrow, GA: Atlanta Bible College.
    [Show full text]
  • New Testament Church of God Declaration of Faith
    New Testament Church Of God Declaration Of Faith When Reilly retroact his templet bastinadoes not polemically enough, is Horatio remiss? Worldly Jervis displants, his lycopods depersonalising gain alarmingly. Tonetic and neologistical Ed never abets his zarzuelas! So apply the denominations. God faith in. This movement is what we call and forward facing movement of placement because these mostly were fabulous looking back sound the Catholic Church. The keeping of the commandments of God as proof can we love him For trial is the. Baptists teach the means plan for salvation. It has implications for how we live. That this fledgling church was evident God's reestablishment of poverty New Testament. Sunday Morning see New Testament Church and God. Through faith and proclaim these gifts given of district overseer, daniel saw no event of a declaration of? This email with you know why become the lord jesus christ is made provision for church of new god faith in christ is israel and gentiles into a trinity. The church of his kingdom to get started so many distinct persons. Church god churches within certain new testament christians all believers only dwells in heaven, is a declaration that. Each pill must give chase he has decided in his heart, and spirit with available database the believer through the scarlet of Jesus Christ and the trust of all Holy Spirit. Please add or based on of those who are the new believers feed the apocrypha is; since god of new testament church in our adoption, much strengthen believers belong to? That god churches also strike a testament.
    [Show full text]
  • 6Uprtmt Court Manila
    i\epublit of tbt .tlbilipptne• 6uprtmt Court manila TIDRD DIVISION J'uo 0 CL "'""' .,. > oJ)@ NOTICE Sirs/Mesdames: Please take notice that the Court, Third Division, issued a Resolution dated October 1, 2014, which reads as follows: "G.R. No. 204839 (Eliseo F. Soriano v. People of the Philippines and Daniel Veridiano) - Eliseo Soriano is known as the supreme head of the Church of God International or Ang Dating Daan. One of his followers, Daniel Veridiano, who worked as the assistant general-secretary of said church, filed two criminal cases for Rape against him docketed as Criminal Case Nos. 06-3898(M) and 06-3899(M). However, on the date of the scheduled arraignment, Soriano did not appear. On June 2, 2009, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Macabebe, Pampanga issued an Order for the cancellation and forfeiture of the cash bonds which Soriano posted, and for the issuance of a warrant for his arrest. Thereafter, Soriano moved to quash the two Informations on the grounds that: 1) the crime of anal intercourse, without consent, does not constitute the crime of Rape under Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code (RPC); 2) the Informations violate the rule against duplicity under Section B, Rule 110 in relation to Section 3(f) of Rule 117 of the Rules of Court; and 3) the Informations violate his constitutional right to be informed of the charge against him. On August 3, 2009, the RTC issued another Order, this time, ordering the forfeiture of the cash bonds, denying Soriano' s motion to quash for lack of merit, and ordering the issuance of warrants of arrest.
    [Show full text]
  • Armstrongism and the Worldwide Church Of
    Armstrongism and the Worldwide Church of God I. WHERE THIS CULT ORIGINATED A. This cult can be traced back to a man by the name of Herbert W. Armstrong and his supposed divine appointments. 1. Herbert Armstrong started out his career asa promotional and advertising man in Des Moines, Iowa in 1912. But in 1920 his advertising business failed in what he described as a flash depression 2. In 1924 Armstrong moved to Oregon and on two more separate occasions his business enterprises `failed because of what he described as "forces beyond his control". 3. Sometime between 1924 and 1931 Armstrong was supposedly converted and began to write and do evangelistic work. 4. It is interesting to note that Armstrong's conversion came about through his wife's discovery and it was a conversion to what she had found. She believed that obedience to God's spiritual laws which were summed upin the ten commandments was necessary for salvation. 5. Armstrong at first set out to prove that his wife was wrong but later he concluded that she had indeed found the truth which meant to him that most of Christendom was not proclaiming the truth. 6. Armstrong was ordained in Eugene, Oregon in 1931 and began to conductevangelistic campaigns there. 7. In January 1934 Armstrong began a radio program in Eugene~ Oregon entitled "The World Tomorrow" and with his incredible speaking and promotional abilities he launched his cultist career filled with all kinds of false and heretical teachings. 8. At exactly 10A.M. on January 1934 Armstrong declared this to be the starting point of the fulfillment of 90% of all Bible prophecies.
    [Show full text]
  • 2016-Ok-Bylaw-Online-Version
    BYLAWS of the PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF GOD OKLAHOMA DISTRICT INC. DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS 1841 Exchange Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73108 (405) 681-6942 Mailing Address: P. O. Box 83347 Oklahoma City, OK 73148 www.pcgok.org PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF GOD INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 2705 Brown Trail Bedford, TX 76021 (817) 554-5900 Mailing Address: P. O. Box 211866 Bedford, TX 76095 Revised 2016 1 2 CONTENTS SECTION 1: DIRECTORY District Leadership………….………………………………………. 6 Church Directory…………..……………………………………….. 7 SECTION 2: DISTRICT BYLAWS Doctrinal Statement ………………………………………………..13 Moral Values ………………………………………………………17 Legal Values ……………………………………………………….21 Organizational Structure and Government ...………………………24 District Leadership ...……………………………………………….28 Ministerial Credentials ……………………………………………..34 Ministerial Relationships …………………………………………. 36 Finance ……………………………………………………………..38 District Ministry Meetings…...……………………………………. 41 District Missions …………………………………………………...42 Men’s Ministries …………………………………………………...43 Women’s Ministries ………………………………………………..45 Youth Ministries …………………………………………………...49 Senior Adult Ministries …………………………………………….52 Campground ………………………………………………………..53 Local Church ……………………………………………………….53 SECTION 3: RULES & PROCEDURES Standing Rules for District Convention …………………………...60 Addendum I ………………………………………………………..65 3 4 SECTION 1: DIRECTORY 5 DISTRICT LEADERSHIP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE District Bishop/President. Richard Talley Phone: 405.204.0259 Email: [email protected] District Secretary-Treasurer . Carroll Smith Phone: 918.695.5462 Email:
    [Show full text]
  • What Motivated Terry Ratzmann's Shooting Spree in the Living
    What Motivated Terry Ratzmann’s Shooting Spree in the Living Church of God? Peter Ditzel On March 12, 2005, 44-year-old Terry Ratzmann walked into the services of the Living Church of God. They were being held in the Sheraton Hotel near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ratzmann stood near the back of the room where he was spotted by 12-year-old Robert Geiger. The boy later described Ratzmann, whom he had known most of his life, as looking enraged, and "his eyes were real dark." Robert also saw Ratzmann’s gun. Ratzmann opened fire with a 9mm handgun. He fired 22 shots, immediately killing four people. One bullet was intended for Robert, but the bullet whizzed past his face. Ratzmann ended the shooting spree by killing himself. Three more people died in hospital. Police have still not figured out Ratzmann’s motive. At first, they focused on the possibility that Ratzmann was about to lose his job. This now turns out not to be the case. He was near the end of a temporary assignment through an employment firm, and would likely have received a new assignment. Police and media at first assumed the Living Church of God to be an evangelical church. But both have now finally realized that the Living Church of God is no ordinary church. They now believe that Ratzmann’s motives were directly connected with the church. The Living Church of God is one of the most extreme of the many offshoots of the Worldwide Church of God, a church founded in the 1930s by the late Herbert W.
    [Show full text]
  • 200 Years of Sabbath-Keeping in Australia
    200 YEARS OF SABBATH KEEPING IN AUSTRALIA A paper presented by Bruce Dean, Pastor, United Church of God, at the Friends of the Sabbath Conference held in Sydney, 5–8 July 1996. Contents Our Beginnings ..................................................................................... 2 The Jews................................................................................................ 2 The Seventh-Day Adventists ................................................................ 3 The Remnant Church of God................................................................ 5 The Worldwide Church of God ............................................................ 5 The Church of God (Seventh Day)....................................................... 6 The Churches of God............................................................................ 6 Seventh Day Baptists............................................................................ 6 Personal Experience.............................................................................. 7 Hebrews 12: 1–2 ................................................................................... 8 Extra Information?................................................................................ 8 2 200 Years of Sabbath Keeping in Australia My aim is to outline the history of sabbath The Jews keeping in Australia. My personal history is very Australian: my family came out from There were at least eight and possibly fourteen England early in the 1800’s; we were at the Jews on the First Fleet.
    [Show full text]
  • Seven Restorations of the Work of the Church of God
    SEVEN RESTORATIONS OF THE WORK OF THE CHURCH OF GOD Version 3 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith to the churches” Note: we must take note of what the spirit says to the churches (plural). However, we must also take notice of what it is saying to one’s current church phase. Which phase are we entering NOW? And just what is the spirit saying to us? How do phases of the Church’s Work commence and how does this impact YOU? [this paper should be read in conjunction with the paper Roots of Our Beliefs] Seven Restorations of the Work of the Church of God Prologue 5 Introductory Remarks 5 The Candlestick Symbolism in the Old and New Testaments 6 Seven Restorations of the Work 8 A Modern Example of Restoration 10 The Increase in Biblical Knowledge (Dan 12:4) 15 The Doors opened to Philadelphia (Rev 3:8) 16 The 6th Era Proclaims a Warning to the House of Israel 18 A Seventh Restoration Now Forming 19 The Future of Laodicea - who is the Daughter of Zion in 21 Prophecy? Concluding Remarks 23 Appendix 1: Extract from Mystery of the Ages by Herbert W 26 Armstrong, Chapter 6 – The Mystery of the Church Appendix 2: Chart - Possible Relationships to Church Eras 28 Appendix 3: Revelation 2 & 3 29 Appendix 4: Some examples of works by Protestants and others 31 who are rediscovering Bible Law and Hebraic Truth References 32 Suggested Reading 32 2 Seven Restorations of the Work of the Church of God "Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival.
    [Show full text]
  • Foundation Institute Class of 2019-2020 Arrives Journeys and Reflections Larry and Judy Salyer
    OneAccordOctober/November 2019 2019 CYC Overview Journeys and Reflections Larry and Judy Salyer Foundation Institute Class of 2019-2020 Arrives personal from the president Retirement In the early days of my ministerial career, retirement you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among was a negative word. A minister was encouraged to you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish work until he couldn’t work anymore. The example you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their we had was Herbert Armstrong, who worked right work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves” up until his death in 1986 at the age of 93. One term (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). that we heard often in those early years was “the gun We are admonished to “esteem them very highly lap,” which conveyed the idea of a runner coming to in love for their work’s sake.” We have not always the final lap of a race when a gun would be fired to let been good in the Church at recognizing those who everyone know that this was indeed the last lap. While have served us tirelessly for many decades. These Iwe must all live our lives as though Christ will return are couples who have moved dozens of times, today, the concept of the gun lap was to inspire us to sometimes to a different country, leaving family do more work because the end was coming soon. behind to serve a new congregation. I don’t write the above to criticize our past, but In my position as president, one of my goals is to simply to acknowledge that maturity and experience make sure that all the men retiring from the full- have taught us something different.
    [Show full text]
  • Construction Underway on New Video Recording Studio God Is Listening
    NEWS OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, AN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION • P.O.Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027 (513) 576-9796 Vol. 24, No. 2 UCG.ORG ⁄ MEMBERS MARCH-APRIL 2018 Construction Underway on New Video Recording Studio by Peter Eddington Media and Communications Services During the last week of January construction began on the Church’s new video recording studio. This is an excit- ing time for us at the home office, and in particular for the Media and Communications Services department. The building site has been cleared, the concrete foot- ers (which will support the pre-cast concrete walls) have been poured, and now the steel frame is in place. In addi- tion, the sewer line has been connected underneath our warehouse over to the new drains for the studio. The concrete walls are being manufactured off-site and will be delivered and put in place using a very large crane during the first or second week of March. The project is on schedule and will take about six months for a July building completion date. It will then take about another three months or so to outfit the build- ing with the new equipment, cameras, lighting and on- camera set. We are currently in discussions with profes- sional set-building companies. Your prayers for the ongoing work on this project are very much appreciated as we prepare for much needed space for video production capabilities in preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. We pray that our Beyond Today Photos of the progress of the new recording studio at the home video production and output will reach a new level of Photos by Peter Eddington, Jonathan Magee, & Tim Sipes office.
    [Show full text]
  • Sabbatarian Groups a Scattered and Little Flock
    SABBATARIAN GROUPS A SCATTERED AND LITTLE FLOCK By C M White Version 2.2 The Church of God sabbatarian groups have always been a scattered into various remnants. However, this century, due to the nature of organised nations and governments, and to enable it to do an end-time witness, it is essential for the Church of God to be united. Yet there have always been various branches and eras of the Church. This century, the WCG stood out and proclaimed a major Work. Yet it is now more important than ever to do a Work, yet the remnants of this group just refuse to cooperate. The genesis of this era are particularly interesting and serves to give us insights into the early WCG. Sabbatarian Groups. A Scattered and Little Flock Ever since the scattering of God’s sabbatarian church (Acts 8:1), it has not been one composite organisation, but has consisted of many groups related to one another. Some of those groups have died out; some seem spiritually without life; but some are alive and well, doing a Work to bring many to salvation. This article is about some of these groups today. The Historical Links Between Adventists and Churches of God Both Adventists and Churches of God are familiar with their roots and beginnings last century. With the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, some individuals and fellowships either never joined and remained outside of the SDA Church, withdrew in 1863 or withdrew in 1866 (see Linden, 1844 and the Shut Door Problem, pages 80-81; Bjorling, The Churches of God, Seventh Day.
    [Show full text]