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02 Why Study Denominationalism

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Just what is denominationalism? It comes from the Latin denominatus, past participle of denominare, “to name completely.”1 The infinitive “to denominate” means “to give a specific name.”2 Microsoft Encarta Dictionary defines the word “denomination” as (a) “a name or designation given to a class, group or type”; (b) “a religious grouping within a , for example, a section of the Christian church that has specific beliefs and practices that differ from those of other groupings and its own system of organization.”3 On the other hand, Webster dictionary editors define the term “denomination” as “a particular religious group,”4 and “denominationalism” as the “denominational spirit, the sectarian policy,” or “the tendency to divide into .”5 The word has thus taken a negative connotation.

I personally believe that denominationalism is evil and counterproductive to the spirit and purpose of ’ coming to this world. Denominations or sects, which many in the world call “churches,” are puny efforts of men to comprehend an inscrutable and to solve the puzzles of redemption. They show to the world a divided . And a divided Christendom is not fulfilling Jesus’ dying wish (John 17:11).

So why the need to study denominationalism? I. FIRSTLY, BECAUSE WE ARE TO EXAMINE EVERY MESSAGE AND EVERY TEACHING THAT WE HEAR. A. Acts 17:10, 11. The Berean Jews to whom Paul preached were not just called “more noble”6 for no reason at all: they received the word “with all eagerness”7 “examining”8

1See also Microsoft Encarta Dictionary. “Mid-16th century. From Latin denominat- , the past participle stem of denominare, literally ‘to name completely’, from nominare ‘to name’” (Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, art. “Denominate.” Microsoft Encarta Premium Suite 2005. Copyright by Microsoft . Four CDs). Henceforth abbreviated as MEPS 2005. 2 Webster’s Desk Dictionary of the English Language. (: Gramercy Books, 1990). Based on The Random House Dictionary, Classic Edition. Copyright 1983 by Random House, Inc. 3 Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, art. “Denomination”. 4 Webster’s Desk Dictionary of the English Language, art. “Denomination.” 5 Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language (New York, N.Y.: Portland House, 1989). Copyright 1989 by dilithium Press, Ltd. 6 Gr. eugenesteroi, “nobler,” comparative of eugenes, “noble birth, well-born, noble-minded.” “The word is used not only for noble birth, but also for noble sentiments, character, morals; thus the Jews of Berea were nobler than those of Thessalonica in their welcome and cordial treatment of the apostles” (Cleon Rogers Jr. & Cleon Rogers III, The New Linguistic & Exegetical Key to the Greek [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998], p. 274). 7 Gr. meta pases prothumias, “With all willingness, with all eagerness.” “It indicates a positive disposition, goodwill in the heightened sense of eagerness and ardor and is a compliment that honors its subject” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 274).

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“the Scriptures daily if these things are so.” To us this is not an encouragement to disbelieve what we hear, but to investigate, to be on a constant daily watch, and to accept as truths teachings that have logical and scriptural support.

B. 1 John 4:1. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (RSV). “Do not believe” 9 is a command. The other command is “test10 the spirits.” “Spirits,” plural form, “may indicate the spirit of error and spirit of truth.”11 “For many false prophets have gone out into the world.”12 The term “false prophets” translates the Gr. pseudoprophetai, plural noun, from pseudos, “lying” or deceiving, and prophetes, “one who tells forth a divine message,” hence a false messenger.13 The term includes not only those who make false predictions, but also those who proclaim false messages, those who preach false , and those who entertain people with false hopes. The passage is an admonition for us not to swallow everything that is proclaimed by these men, but to try every one of them, to see whether they are of God. “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11). “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20).

II. SECONDLY, BECAUSE WE ARE TO REJECT TRADITIONS, HUMAN DOCTRINES AND COUNTERFEIT GOSPELS. A. Mark 7:5-9; cf. Matthew 15:7-9. The passage is a reproof of traditionalists, those who teach and promote men’s tradition (Gr. paradosin ton anthropon), imposing it on the adherents as God’s commandments and will. They call this “tradition of the elders” (Mark 7:5; Matthew 15:2). By their question, “Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” they have given this tradition an authority that it surely does not deserve. Why this authority? Because it comes from older men on whom they have showered honor and respect.

8 “Examining,” Gr. anakrinontes, present active participle. “The kind of action in this tense is linear or progressive,” expressing continuous action. (cf. James Allen Hewett, New Testament Greek: A Beginning & Intermediate Grammar [Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 3rd printing 1992], p. 136). The verb anakrino means “to examine, to sift up and down, to make careful and exact research as in legal processes; to try to learn the nature or truth of something by the process of careful study, evaluation and judgment” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 274). 9 Gr. me pisteuete, present imperative active. “The present imperative with me, not, calls for the stopping of an action,” that of believing, “which is in progress” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 597). 10 Gr. dokimadzete, present imperative active. “Test, prove by trial.” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 597). 11 Rogers & Rogers, p. 597. 12 “Have gone out,” Gr. exeleluthasin, perfect active indicative. “Perfect expresses the continued agency, not the single fact, of their departure” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 597). 13 John Kohlenberger III, ed., The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1984), pp. 405, 894. The singular form of this noun, pseudoprophetes, means “one who falsely claims to be a prophet of God,” or, one “who prophesies falsely.” (Walter Bauer, Wm F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature [Chicago: Press, 2nd Edition, 1979], p. 892). Henceforth abbreviated as BAGD.

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In condemning them, Jesus calls them “hypocrites” (Mark 7:6). The word is from Gr. hupokrites, literally, “one who speaks from under a mask.” Rogers and Rogers say, “The word comes from the theater where the actors were only men and wore masks to portray the character.”14 Says W. E. Vine, “It was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice; hence the word became used metaphorically of a dissembler, a hypocrite.”15 Jesus calls them “hypocrites” because they honor God with their lips but their heart is far from Him. (Mark 7:6). Their heart is far from Him because they have more respect for men’s traditions than for His Word.

Jesus quotes scripture, written by an older man, even much older than the elders invoked by traditionalists, Isaiah himself. Now, the contrast here is between Isaiah’s written scripture and the elders’ unwritten tradition, between the objective and the subjective, between the inspired and the uninspired. Jesus says, “It is written” (Mark 7:6). The Gr. gegraptai literally means “It stands written.” The term is “often used to indicate the continuing authority of a binding document.”16 The book of Isaiah, as scripture, has binding authority.

In Mark 7:7, Jesus calls their worship “vain,” from the Gr. maten, an adverb that means “in vain, to no purpose.”17 What makes their worship “vain, empty, ineffectual, worthless”? Because they “teach for doctrines the commandments of men.” The Gr. phrase didaskontes didaskalias entalmata anthropon literally means “teaching [for] teachings [the] commands of men.”

B. Galatians 1:6-9. Paul here is saying, “I was astonished, I marveled, at the speed with which you responded to a counterfeit gospel.” The Gr. thaumadzo, “to wonder, to marvel, to be astonished” indicates irritation and rebuke.18 “You are so soon removed from him who called you.” The word “removed,” Gr. metatithesthe, “to transfer, to remove, to desert, to change one’s opinion, to change sides” “was used of desertion or revolt in a military or political defection and frequently had the idea of a change in , philosophy or morals.”19

“Unto .” What is the gospel? It means “good .” But to define it simply as “the news of the death, burial and resurrection” of Jesus is quite restrictive. For example, Paul speaks about “obeying the gospel” (2 Thess. 1:8), which would mean that the gospel is more than just the “good news of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection”; it may include commands, so anyone who hears it could obey it.

14 Rogers & Rogers, p. 82. 15 W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 17th Impression 1966), p. 242. 16 Rogers & Rogers, p. 82. 17 Rogers & Rogers, p. 82. 18 Rogers & Rogers, p. 421. 19 Rogers & Rogers, p. 421.

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The “other gospel” is not actually “another” but the gospel of Christ twisted and perverted (v. 7). The Gr. metastrepsai, aorist active infinitive, means “to turn about, to change from one thing to another, to change to the opposite, to pervert.”20 The aorist indicates the complete and thorough change of the nature of the gospel: It is a different gospel, a gospel corrupted, transmuted, altered. No longer the saving gospel.

Curse or condemnation is reserved for the preacher who forsakes the true gospel and preaches the perverted one (v. 9), and makes people obey it. This condemnation does not exempt us Christians, nor does it exempt (v. 8), be he Felix Manalo21 of the “ 1914,” Moroni22 of the Mormons, or the so-called “Gabriel”23 who revealed himself to Mohammed and told him he would be a prophet. III. THIRDLY, BECAUSE WE ARE WARNED AGAINST FALLING AWAY FROM THE FAITH. A. 1 Timothy 4:1-3. This is a declaration from the Holy Spirit Himself. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,” lit. “Now the Spirit says in words.”24 The Spirit warns: “Some will depart from the faith”25 The word “some” (Gr. tines) implies that the would not be total. “Some,” not all, “will depart from the faith.” “The faith.” What does it mean? (1) It is the faith that can be preached (Rom. 10:8; Gal. 1:23). (2) It is the faith that can be obeyed (Rom. 1:5). (3) The faith where one could continue (Acts 14:22; 1 Tim. 2:15). (4) The faith which anyone could deny (1 Tim. 5:8). (5) The faith from which one could err (1 Tim. 6:10, 21).

20 Rogers & Rogers, p. 421. 21 Felix Manalo founded an indigenous Filipino religious group, called the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), in 1914. The present hierarchy of the Iglesia ni Cristo, including its ministers and lay people think the 5th of Revelation 7:2 refers to Felix Manalo. But this Filipino “angel” preached a gospel that differs from what Paul had preached; therefore no one should listen to him, under pain of condemnation! 22 Joe Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, claimed it was an “angel” named “Moroni” who told him God had a work for him to do, and this was the same angel who showed him the plates that became the Book of Mormon (See Writings of , 2:27-35, 52; cf. Smith’s account, Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Introduction, The Book of Mormon). That angel proclaimed to him a gospel other than what the apostle Paul had preached. Paul says: “Let him be accursed!” 23 “ [or Mohammed, ETM] is said to have been about 40 when he had his first prophetic experience. It is not always described in the same way, but one of the most widespread traditions is that it occurred while he was in a state of solitary withdrawal in a cave on Mount Hira outside Mecca. Here he had a vision of the angel Gabriel and an experience of great pain and pressure, so that he thought he was going to die… After a short period during which he received no further revelations, they then began again and continued until the end of his life... ” These revelations were collected together to form the Koran (MEPS 2005, art. “Muhammad”). 24 Alfred Marshall, The Interlinear Greek -English New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, First Zondervan Printing 1975), p. 826. The adv. rhetos, “in words,” means “expressly, clearly, unmistakably; ‘in express terms.’ The word indicates that the elements of future events have been distinctly made known” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 493). 25Gr. apostesontai tines tes pisteos, “Will depart from the faith.” Gr. apostesontai, future indicative middle deponent of aphistemi, “to go away, to withdraw, to fall away, to become apostate” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 493).

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(6) The faith from which one could depart (1 Tim. 4:1). The faith thus refers to the body of beliefs, the teaching of Christ. Christians are warned not to depart from the teaching but to abide in it (2 John 9). These disciples would fall away from the faith by “giving heed to26 misleading spirits27 and teachings of demons,28 of [men who are] speaking lies in hypocrisy, 29 forbidding to marry, 30 and bidding to abstain from foods.31”

B. Acts 20:28-30. Elders have been urged to “take heed to yourselves and to all the flock...to shepherd (to pastor, to feed) the church of God” (v. 28). The exhortation carries a warning about the grievous wolves who would enter the church and not spare the flock (v. 29). Wolves eat the flock; shepherds care for them. It is a serious warning and more urgent, since the wolves will themselves come from the eldership (“of your own selves,” v. 30a). They will be speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them, that is, to convert church members to their cause.

C. 2 Peter 2:1. False prophets (Gr. pseudoprophetai) are here mentioned with false teachers (Gr. pseudodidaskaloi). They would bring in “damnable ” (Gr., haireseis apoleias, lit. “opinions of destruction”). The heresies32 would be brought in from the outside. Their heretical beliefs are symptomatic of either their lack of conversion or their lack of teaching. The heretics themselves are men of great status, people who exercise a higher position in the church, and may include bishops, teachers, preachers, or just anybody who claims to have a hotline to the Godhead! IV. FOURTHLY, BECAUSE WE ARE TO REBUKE THE ERRORISTS THAT THEY MAY BE SOUND IN THE FAITH. A. Titus 1:13, 14. cf. Titus 2:15. A command to rebuke, to reprove 33 the errorists sharply, or severely, and with all authority (cf. 2:15). “Severely”34 is understood by some

26 Attending to, Gr. prosechontes, from prosecho, “to take heed, to give heed.” “It suggests devotion of thought and effort to a thing” (W. E. Vine, p. 87). 27 Misleading spirits, Gr. planois pneumasin, spirits who are deceiving, deceptive, seducing, leading astray (Rogers & Rogers, p. 493). 28 Gr. didaskaliais daimonion, teachings of demons, demonic teachings, doctrines of devils. 29 Lit. “of men who speak lies in hypocrisy” (Alfred Marshall, p. 826). Gr. pseudologos, false speaker, speaker of that which is not true. “The word expresses more than ‘liar’ by the notion of definite false statements” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 493). 30 Forbidding to marry, Gr. koluonton, present active participle of koluo, “to hinder, to forbid.” Gr. gamein, present active infinitive of gameo, “to marry.” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 493). 31 Gr. apechesthai, bidding to abstain from; holding oneself apart from; Gr. broma, “that which is eaten, foods” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 494). 32 In the New Testament, says Philip Schaff, the word “” designates “a chosen way of life, a school or or party, not necessarily in a bad sense, and is applied to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and even the Christians as a Jewish sect (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5; 28:22); then it signifies discord, arising from difference of opinion (Gal. 5:20; 1 Cor. 11:19); and lastly error (2 Peter 2:1)... The term heretic... occurs only once, Tit. 3:10, and means a factious man, a sectary, a partisan, rather than an errorist” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church [Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1910, reprinted Sept. 1989], 2:513). 33 Gr. elenche, present active imperative, “to reprove, to rebuke.” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 509).

8 02 Why Study Denominationalism to mean that “the rebuke must be sharp to the extent that sometimes we have to forget being civil,” but I don’t think this is what the passage means. “Correct them rigorously” is another meaning from the lexicon. 35 According to Vine, apotomos “signifies abruptly, curtly, literally in a manner that cuts (apo, “from,” temno, “cut”), hence sharply, severely.”36 A sharp rebuke is one that cuts the heart, urging the subject to repent. Shouting, scolding, and insulting have no place in a sharp rebuke; these cut human pride, not the human heart .

Paul gives the reason for the command: “That they may be sound, or healthy37 in the faith,” “that they may not give heed to fables38 and commandments of men (Gr. entolais anthropon).”39 The men who propagate these doctrines, which Paul calls “commandments of men” and “fables”— these men are actually perverting the truth. The Gr. apostrephomenon,” [who are] perverting,” also means they “who are rejecting, repudiating, turning away from the truth.”40

Gr. meta pases epitages, translated “with all authority,” means “with all impressiveness.”41 Now, what does it mean to “rebuke with all authority”? Firstly, let me say what it does not mean: It does not mean to rebuke with all human authority that one has, if he has it. Of human authority, the apostles have no fear (Acts 5:29).42 Human authority includes both political (such as the authority of civil governments, the police officers, revolutionaries, guns and machetes) and religious (such as the authority of church councils, the heads of churches, religious editors and church papers, pastors and preachers). Religious authority is the authority of men in religion, which they sometimes pass on as God’s. Jesus once gave his disciples “power”43 and “authority”44 over demons and to cure diseases (Luke

34 Gr. apotomos, adv. “severely, sharply” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 509). 35 BAGD, p. 101. 36 W. E. Vine, p. 68. 37 Gr. hugiainosin, from the verb hugiaino, “be in good health, be healthy or sound.” Figuratively used in the Pastoral Epistles with reference to Christian teaching (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, & Danker, p. 832). 38 Fable, Gr. muthos. In the NT, it is “found only in the Pastoral Epistles [1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14] and 2 Peter [1:16], and always in a disparaging sense. Timothy is told to forbid ‘certain persons’ at Ephesus to ‘occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations’ (1 Tim. 1:4)… These myths are set in contrast to the ‘truth’; they are subversive of sound faith. The gospel belongs to quite a different category; it is a record of fact, for ‘we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses…” (2 Peter 1:16) (Colin Brown, general editor, The New International Dictionary of New Testament [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publis hing House], 2:644). My emphasis. 39 Commandment, Gr. entole, “denotes, in general, an injunction, charge, precept, commandment. It is the most frequent term, and is used of moral and religious precepts” (W. E. Vine, p. 210). entolais anthropon are commandments that originated with men and imposed by men who are perverting the truth. 40 [Who are] perverting, Gr. apostrephomenon, present middle participle, from apostrepho, “to turn away; mid. to turn oneself from something, to reject, to repudiate” (BAGD; Rogers & Rogers, p. 509). 41 Gr. epitage, “with all impressiveness” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 510). 42 Acts 5:29, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” (KJV). 43 Power, Gr. dunamis, “force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself)”; might, ability, abundance (Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries).

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9:1). Pentecostals and charismatics also claim to have that power and that authority. I’d say they are claiming something that the Lord had not even promised them. Pilate had authority (John 19:10).45 To him Jesus said, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.” (John 19:11).

Men have authority, but the final authority is that which God alone possesses. Jesus has been given this authority. He has authority both in heaven and on earth. This authority also resides in His word (cf. John 12:48). The Word then, not the person nor the position, is the authority that any man could invoke. The job of preaching and teaching is one that impresses in the minds of men the importance of obeying God, and respecting His authority as found in in the Word.

B. 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 4:2. Here the command is “rebuke46 them that sin.” (1 Tim. 5:20). This does not mean one should rebuke them if he thinks they sin; but sometimes this is what happens. We rebuke, and criticize, loudly, without even examining properly the position of those whom we criticize. The Greek slave Epictetus has one good word to say: “God has given man two ears and one tongue, in order that he will listen twice more than he speaks.” (My paraphrase).

Gr. tous hamartanontas enopion panton elenche. Lit. “Them that sin before all, reprove thou” (1 Timothy 5:20). Gr. tous hamartanontas, the ones who are sinning, the ones who are living in sin. Gr. enopion panton, “before all”; enopion meaning “within one’s sight or hearing.”47 Gr. elenche, present imperative active, from elencho, “to bring to light, to expose, to demonstrate, to prove to convince or to convict someone, to reprove or correct.”48

There are two possible interpretations to what Paul is saying in 1 Timothy 5:20: (a) “Them who are sinning before all, reprove thou”; or (b) “Them who are sinning, reprove before all.” I think the second interpretation is correct: The reproving is to be done before all so “that others also may fear.” “Fear” here means the fear of God. Critics “sow fear” in the hearts of those whom they rebuke, by scolding them, by shouting at them, and sometimes by adding “muscles” to the fears they want to instill. Hailing their enemies to court, making evil reports of them, threatening to kill them, or shooting them (literally and figuratively speaking) is the way of Cain, not of Abel. Sinners would know the fear of God, if the ones who rebuke them would meet with them, and in a brotherly way, in fact

44 Authority, Gr. exousia, “ability, privilege, that is (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, mastery; delegated influence, authority, power, right, strength” (Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries). 45 John 19:10, “Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” (KJV). The word “power” here is a translation from the Gr. exousia, authority. 46 Gr. elenche, present imperative active, from elencho, “to bring to light, to expose, to demonstrate or to prove to convince or convict someone, to reprove or to correct. Here it may have the connotation of refuting” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 497). 47 W. E. Vine, p. 108. 48 Rogers & Rogers, p. 497.

10 02 Why Study Denominationalism in the most gentle way, talk to them about repentance. Correcting the erring brothers using the Lord’s method is an art we still need to learn. 2 Timothy 4:2 teaches that the reproving, 49 rebuking50 and the exhorting51 should be done with all long-suffering. 52 V. FIFTHLY, BECAUSE OF THE DANGERS OF HERESIES AND UNORTHODOX TEACHINGS. What would be the dire consequences to the human soul if one listens to heretics or if one preaches heresies? They include the following:

(1) / destruction to its listeners (2 Peter 3:17; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4). (2) Destruction to the ones who teach it (Galatians 1:8; 2 Peter 2:1; 2 Peter 3:17; Revelation 22:18-19). (3) Causes division in the church, which is contrary to Jesus’ will (John 17:11; 1 Cor. 1:10; Romans 16:17). (4) One’s worship becomes vain (Matthew 15:9). (5) Separation from God or Christ (2 John 9-11). VI. SIXTHLY, BECAUSE AND SECTS ATTRACT A BELIEVER WHO IS UNGUIDED BY THE WORD.

A. The current trend in religion is toward cultism and sectarianism. (1) The major religious groups-cults53 in the world include the Roman (relatively the most ancient) and .54 There are others:

49 Aorist imperative active of elencho, “to prove with demonstrative evidence, to convict, to reprove. It is so to rebuke another with such effectual feeling of the victorious arms of the truth, as to bring one, if not always to a confession, yet at least to a conviction of sin” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 506). 50 Gr. epitimeson, aorist active imperative of epitimao, to rebuke. “The word denotes the idea of censure and sharp rebuke” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 506). 51 Gr. parakaleson, aorist imperative active of parakaleo, “to encourage, to exhort, to admonish” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 506). 52 Gr. makrothumia, “longsuffering, patient endurance” (Rogers & Rogers, p. 506). 53 “Narrowly defined, a is a set of religious practices. For example, Roman citizens of all were required to perform the cultus of the Roman god (a ritual offering) as an act of political obeisance. In modern colloquial use ‘cult’ can also imply extreme veneration of a leader (for example, Stalin’s ‘personality cult’) or a group organized around unusual or extreme beliefs and practices (as in UFO cults…). Some scholars distinguish religious cults from sects by defining cults as organizations built around a novel spiritual or ethical belief and sects as groups that hold heretical or unorthodox beliefs derived from established religious doctrines” (Year 2000 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, art. “Religious Cults.” Copyright 1999, Grolier Interactive, Inc. Henceforth, this reference shall be abbreviated as GME 2000). Mic rosoft Encarta editors say, “Sect, when used in the context of the sociological study of religion, generally means a group that has splintered from orthodox or mainstream religion on grounds of doctrine” (MEPS 2005, art. “Sects and Cults”). 54 The word “Islam” literally means both “surrender” and “peace” — “surrender to the will of Allah and the peace that is entailed with that surrender.” This religion was founded by Mohammed in Arabia in the 7th century” (GME 2000, art. “Islam”). Islam has three major divisions-- “Sunnis, Shiites and the Kharijii…The

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(2) The Jehovah’s Witnesses, formerly known as “International Students Association,” or Russellites.55 The group was founded in 1872, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by an American “clergyman” named .56 Russell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. “Although his parents were Presbyterians, he joined a Congregational church and, being unable to defend his beliefs before a skeptic, [he] himself became skeptical of the Christian faith”57 Microsoft Encarta editors say Russell rejected orthodox “because he could not accept their belief in the concept of eternal damnation.”58 One day in 1870, “he dropped into a basement hall near his store where a Second Advent Bible study group was meeting. What he heard there was enough to reestablish his faith in the Scriptures.”59

Russell resolved to study the Bible independently. “In 1872, he organized a group devoted to biblical study. In the same year he published a small book stating that Christ would return, invisibly, in 1874 and that the world would end in 1914. Russell quickly gained a wide following, and in 1878 he established an independent Church in Pittsburgh, taking the title of pastor. The next year he began publishing The Watchtower, a journal espousing his views. In 1884 he founded the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Soon congregations of ‘Russellites’ began to form, establishing the core of the International Bible Students Association.”60

Russell’s major writings were collected in the six-volume work Millenial Dawn (1886- 1904).”61 Upon the death of Russell in 1917, Joseph Franklin Rutherford,62 a lawyer, succeeded him. Their legal governing body is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, incorporated in 1884.63

(3) The Manson cult. Charles Manson,64 the founder, believed himself to be Jesus Christ and put up a -type cult “based on the worship of God and the devil,” 65 that fundamental issue which divides the three groups is that of authority—who should be the source of authority in Islam and what sort of authority they should have” (MEPS 2005, art. “Islam”). 55 MEPS 2005, art. “Charles Taze Russell.” 56 MEPS 2005, art. “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” 57 Platt, p. 73. 58 MEPS 2005, art. “Charles Taze Russell.” 59 Platt, p. 73. 60 Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, art. “Russell, Charles Taze.” (Colu mbus, OH: Funk & Wagnalls Corp., 1993), 22:448; henceforth abbreviated as FWNE. See also MEPS 2005, art. “Charles Taze Russell.” 61 FWNE, 22:448; MEPS 2005, art. “Charles Taze Russell.” 62 The second leader of the Jehovah's Witnesses, he was born in Missouri, on Nov. 8, 1869. A lawyer by profession, he frequently defended the Witnesses in court when they were prosecuted for such offenses as refusal to do military service. Rutherford himself was imprisoned (1918-1919) because of his opposition to World War I. He made effective use of modern advertising methods to spread the message of the Witnesses, whose numbers increased from 3,000 to 50,000 under his leadership. He died on Jan. 8, 1942 (GME 2000, art. “Joseph Franklin Rutherford”). 63 MEPS 2005, art. “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” 64 This “notorious mass-killer” was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 12, 1934 (GME 2000, art. “Charles Manson”). 65 GME 2000, art. “Charles Manson.”

12 02 Why Study Denominationalism deceived many. Manson and his followers were responsible for the killing of the actress Sharon Tate and six of her friends on August 9, 1969.66

(4) Rev. Jim Jones and the People’s Temple. Jones formerly belonged to the Disciples of Christ group, but later separated himself from it and founded a family-type community of believers called the People’s Temple,67 as well as a commune in Jonestown, Guyana.68 Having killed a US congressman, newsmen and other innocent people, he and his disciples committed suicide by drinking Julep laced with cyanide. More than 900 of his followers died with him.69

(5) The Children of God cult, founded by David, or . This cult teaches free love (that is, group sex and free cohabitation with anyone without benefit of wedlock). They live by begging alms and asking donations. The cult had also “developed a policy – ‘’ -- under which members provided sexual services in order to attract potential recruits to the group.”70

(6) The , founded by the Korean charismatic .71 The sect is “officially known as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World and also referred to as the Moonies.”72 They attract people because of their practice of promoting marital unions between Korean nationals and the women of other countries (clearly this is a method of proselytizing). The Unification Church, according to MEPS 2005 Encyclopedia, “is highly disciplined, active in and practical work, and communally based: one renowned practice is mass ceremonies for

66 It is said that Manson exerted total control over the so-called Manson “family,” “mostly women, through repetitious preaching, drugs, and fear,” such “that the Tate murders were committed at his direction but without his presence.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia further says: “The bloody rampage on the night of August 9, 1969, was the culmination of Manson’s cult philosophy…” On April 9, 1971, after a widely publicized trial, Manson was sentenced to death “but the sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment in keeping with the change in law eliminating the death penalty” (GME 2000, art. “Charles Manson.” See also MEPS 2005, art. “Roman Polanski”). 67 The group was founded in Indianapolis, Ind., in the late 1950’s, and was first called the “Christian Assembly of God.” Jones “preached a gospel of social and racial equality to his integrated congregation, at the same time presenting himself as the only source of survival in a hostile and soon-to-be-destroyed world” (GME 2000, art. “Jonestown.”) 68 In 1965, Jones and his followers moved, first to Redwood Valley, then to , in Calif., where his revival style meetings drew large crowds and their membership swelled to several thousand. In 1976, Jones was appointed chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority. A year after this, “allegations were heard that he exercised a sinister power over his follo wers, extorting money from them, encouraging sexual promiscuity, and enforcing discipline by beatings and blackmail. As these stories — soon to be proved true — broke in the press, Jones and 800 followers fled to Guyana, where Jones had acquired the Jones town in 1974” (GME 2000, art. “Jonestown.” See also MEPS 2005, art. “Jonestown”). 69 It is stated that “although some were forced [to commit suicide with Jim Jones], many apparently followed the order without question” (GME 2000, art. “Jonestown”). 70 GME 2000, art. “Cults.” 71 Moon was born in 1920 in a province that is now part of North (MEPS 2005, art. “Moon, Sun Myung”). 72 MEPS 2005, art. “Moon, Sun Myung.”

13 02 Why Study Denominationalism believers.”73 Of late, we have seen televised mass of Filipino women to Korean men.

In 1930, when Moon was about ten years old, his family converted to , but of a type that encouraged visions and other practices thought to stem from spiritual gifts. In 1936, at the age of 16, he claimed to have a vision in which Jesus Christ announced that Moon had been chosen by God to “complete the restoration of the Kingdom of God on Earth.”74 In 1948, Moon was excommunicated by his denomination for preaching his own peculiar doctrines and visions.75 In 1952, two years before Moon began his church, he wrote his book The Divine Principle, in which he had mixed Bible doctrines, ancient Korean shamanism, and Chinese tai ji lore. Moon too preached the “establishment of a holy kingdom on Earth through the Lord and Lady of the Second Advent”76 (which means himself and his wife). “The precursor of this kingdom,” according to Moon, “was Jesus, whose crucifixion had prevented him from establishing it through marriage and procreation. Moon and his wife would fulfil Christ's purpose and save the world from Satanic .”77

The Unification Church employs high-pressure method in recruiting followers. Its fundraising, which enjoys the tax-exempt status granted to religious groups, has made the movement extremely controversial. Moon was tried for evasion, and in 1982 he began his 18-month prison sentence.78

(7) Hare Krishna or International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). “Hare Krishna” is a popular name for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a Hindu movement founded in 1966 in the by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabuphada.79 The name derives from the mantra80 “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama”81 chanted by members of the group. Devotees of the Hindu god Krishna, members try to reach self- realization and Krishna consciousness through vegetarianism, bhakti-yoga, and meditation. They are divided into two classes: (a) brahmacarin ("students"), who live in temples and vow to abstain from sex, meat, intoxicants, and gambling, and (b) grihasta, or lay members

73 MEPS 2005, art. “Unification Church.” 74 MEPS 2005, art. “Moon, Sun Myung” 75 MEPS 2005, art. “Unification Church.” 76 MEPS 2005, art. “Unification Church.” 77 MEPS 2005, art. “Unification Church.” According to Unificationist beliefs, “the Romans killed Jesus Christ before he could form a sinless, perfect family for the world to imitate. Moreover, Jesus was only one in a succession of biblical figures who have attempted to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth, beginning with and and continuing to the present day. During the 1970s Moon’s followers hinted that he was the Lord of the Second Advent—that is, the new elected to carry on where Jesus had failed. Today the Church openly acknowledges Moon as Jesus’ successor.” (MEPS 2005, art. “Moon, Sun Myung”). 78 MEPS 2005, art. “Moon, Sun Myung.” 79 MEPS 2005, art. “Hare Krishna.” 80 “Mantra” is a late 18th century Sanskrit word, which literally means “thought,” from man, “to think.” “It is a sacred word, chant, or sound that is repeated during meditation to facilitate spiritual power and transformation of consciousness” (Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, art. “Mantra”). 81 “Hare Krishna” means “O Lord Krishna” (MEPS 2005, art. “Hare Krishna”).

14 02 Why Study Denominationalism who marry and have . They are proselytizers who actively seek converts. In the early 1990s the Hare Krishna movement had more than 300 centers worldwide.82

(8) The Iglesia ni Cristo (1914), founded in Taguig, province of Rizal, , by the late Felix Manalo.83 Leaving Catholicism, at age 18 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, attended Bible training classes, and became its lay preacher.84 Upon the death of his mother,85 he joined the Presbyterian church, receiving his training at Ellinwood Bible Training School; he remained with this group for about three and a half years. Then he joined the Church of Christ86 (instrumentalist group), with whom he had four years of study in Bible Science, and became an evangelist. In early 1912, Manalo attended a Bible class conducted by a missionary from the Seventh Day Adventist Church, “in order to refute the Adventist teaching.”87 Instead, Felix himself became convinced of the “correctness” of the Adventist position; and after a few months of study with the group, he became a full-pledged Sabbatarian. He only left this group in the middle of 1913, firstly, because he had already entertained some doubts about Seventh Day Adventism, and secondly, because this group had disciplined him for “moral indiscretion.”88

Donald Platt further says, “In November 1913, Felix secluded himself in a room in his house for two days and three nights. He emerged convinced that he was to start a new Church of Christ and to end disunity among Christians. He and his wife left for Punta, Sta. Ana, where he began his preaching at the Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Company. By the beginning of 1914, the first twelve converts were baptized. In order to stop criticism that he was propagating an illegal religion, on July 27, 1914, Felix had the society duly incorporated and registered as the ‘Iglesia ni Kristo,’ whose aim was to preach the gospel.”89

(9) The PBMA (Philippine Benevolent Missionary Association),90 founded by the late Ruben Ecleo91 of Dinagat, Surigao del Norte, Philippines.

82 GME 2000, art. “Hare Krishna.” 83 Born in Bo. Calzada, Taguig, Rizal, on May 10, 1886, Felix was the first child of Mariano Ysagun and Bonifacia Manalo (Donald Platt, Counterfeit? Mandaluyong, Metro Manila: OMF Literature, Inc., Reprinted 1992, p. 86). 84 Platt, p. 86. 85 By this time, he must have stopped using his father’s surname-- Ysagun – but must have now been using the surname of his mother, to express his affection for her (Platt, p. 86). 86 It is worthy to note that when Manalo started his church, he also had appropriated the name of this group which, translated in Tagalog, means “Iglesia ni Cristo.” Some writers erroneously call this group the “Christian Mission” church. In truth however, this was that segment among Churches of Christ that believes in the use of instrumental music in worship. 87 Platt, p. 87. 88 In early 1913, Felix Manalo (now a widower) began courting an Adventist girl named Honorata de Guzman. “They eloped and were married on May 9, after which they proceeded to Malolos, Bulacan, where Felix was assigned as an evangelist.” For this elopement, the SDA Church disciplined him (Platt, p. 87). 89 Platt, p. 87. 90 The author is presently collecting information concerning the origin and doctrines of this sect.

15 02 Why Study Denominationalism

B. What are the dangerous results of cultism? Generally speaking, they include the following: (1) Loss of many lives in a needless way (Example: People’s Temple,92 Mormon church in its early years,93 Islam, the Catholic Church in the days of the Inquisition94). (2) Loss of life’s savings for many people (Examples: PBMA, Iglesia ni Cristo, etc.). (3) Separation of children from parents (People’s Temple); destruction of family as an institution (Children of God, People’s Temple), making a mockery of marriage (Mormon church in the days of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, who both taught and practiced plural marriage). (4) The prevalence of many errors in the world. Some of the basic errors committed by cultists include the following: (a) Erroneous hermeneutics and misunderstanding of the basic dividing line between the Old and New Testaments. (b) Misplaced authority. Their authority no longer resides in God and His word, but in them as persons, in their traditions, doctrines, and in their so-called visions or revelations. (c) The belief that the Bible is no longer sufficient for man. (d) Lack of proper study. Founders of sects are basically ignorant of the Bible. (e) Dishonesty. Many would not admit their errors when proven wrong. CONCLUSION: Therefore it is needful to study denominationalism: 1. To protect Christians from grievous wolves. 2. To show to the people what is right, true and correct. 3. To stop the mouths of the gainsayers, and to refute their arguments. 4. To make the Christians’ calling and election sure.

91 The present head or “Divine Master” of this group is the founder’s son, Ruben Ecleo Jr., who has been accused and is being tried (as of this date, July 10, 2005) for the murder of his wife, Alona Bacolod-Ecleo, in a court in Cebu City, Philippines. 92 The Jonestown, Guyana massacre of 1978. “After a visiting US congressman was shot dead, Jones enforced mass suicide on his followers by instructing them to drink cyanide; some followers who resisted were murdered by other sect members. More than 900 people died, including over 240 children and Jones himself” (MEPS 2005, art. “Jonestown”). 93 One example is an incident in Mormon history that scholars and historians often referred to as the “Mountain Meadows Massacre,” which happened in the days when Brigham Young was president of the Mormon church. Immigrants from Arkansas and Missouri were passing by on the way to California. “The arrival of non-Mormons to the territory [of Utah] was viewed by the Mormons with disfavour, and in 1857 a party of non-Mormon immigrants was attacked by a band of Mormons and Native Americans. The immigrants surrendered, but all except 17 children were thereupon killed” (MEPS 2005, art. “Utah”). Brigham Young knew of it, and approved it. The leader of the Mormon attackers, John D. Lee, became the scapegoat. Federal soldiers executed him for murder at the scene of the massacre (Juanita Brooks, The Mountain Meadows Massacre [Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1962. The first edition was published in 1950], pp. 219-223. Mrs. Brooks is a Mormon). See also Donald Platt, Counterfeit, pp. 12-14; James D. Bales, Latter-day Saints? (Dallas, TX: Gospel Teachers Publications, Inc., 1982), pp. 109-110. 94 The was a “judicial institution established by the papacy in the Middle Ages, charged with seeking out, trying, and sentencing people guilty of heresy.” It is one dark blot in the history of the Roman Catholic Church; Microsoft Encarta editors say that in alone “thousands of reputed heretics” had been put to death by the Roman Catholic Church (MEPS 2005, art. “Inquisition”). The “Holy Inquisition” is discussed in a separate folder.

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