Church of God (restoration)
The Church of God (Restoration) ( English Church of God (Restoration) ) is a free church in 1988 by Daniel Layne was founded. It sees itself as an anti-sectarian movement that has its roots in the sanctification movement and in the evening light reformation movement led by Daniel Sidney Warner at the end of the 19th century . The Church of God (Restoration) has about 25 local churches in Germany , Austria , the United States , Canada , Mexico , Kenya, and the Philippines . The membership of the Church is unknown.
history
The Church of God (Restoration) has a very long tradition of radical Protestant nonsectarian movements. It is a church within the sanctification movement that grew up in the United States in the 19th century from Methodism there , which goes back essentially to the English church reformer and revival preacher John Wesley . The sanctification movement places particular value on a holy lifestyle. During the 20th century, however, the specifics of the sanctification movement eroded in most of the movement's churches, whereas the Church of God (restoration) maintained or restored them.
In the Methodism, especially through John Wesley influences of the German Pietism and through the Moravian Brethren also of the Moravian Brothers flowed. Specifically, the tradition of the Church of God (restoration) goes back to the Church of God (Anderson) or its conservative separation from the Church of God (Guthrie). The Church of God (Anderson) was organized in 1881 by Daniel Sidney Warner, who came from a church in the tradition of John Winebrenner. Winebrenner's church had its roots in the Reformation tradition of Ulrich Zwingli and Johannes Calvin , plus influences from the Pietist-Anabaptist Schwarzenau brothers .
Today's Church of God (Restoration) came into being in the 1980s under the direction of Daniel (Danny) Layne († 2011) as a split from the Church of God (Anderson). Many members of the Congregation of God (Restoration) of European descent have an Anabaptist , that is, Russian Mennonite , Amish or South German-Swiss Mennonite background or come from the Old German Baptist Brethren , who are a stream of the Anabaptist-Pietist Schwarzenau brothers, whose first leader Alexander Mack from Schriesheim was not to be confused with the Baptists , who have Dutch-English roots and who spread mainly through the USA.
Teaching
The group believes in the restoration of the divine church to its original state as described in the Bible , relying in particular on the Revelation of John . It teaches that God's will calls for a final union of his children on earth before Jesus Christ comes to the Last Judgment to bring his church. In your own words it sounds like this:
“After many years of apostasy and compromise, God is restoring His church in this end time. This is a divine movement of the Holy Spirit, ordained by God and foretold in the book of Revelation and other scriptures. God in turn calls all of his true children out of every sect and division, back to the one flock, the dear church of God. The glory of God dwells in our midst, there is unity among one another and young and old find help for their souls. The bride is now preparing for the early return of the Lord and Savior. "
The teaching is similar to that of the original Church of God (Anderson) (in Germany today the Free Church Covenant of the Church of God ), but the Church of God (restoration) attaches greater importance to sanctification and separation from the world. There is no formal membership because, according to their teaching , every true Christian is a member of God's church.
practice
The Church of God (Restoration) practices a style of clothing that was very common in the North American sanctification movement, especially between 1850 and 1950. The men's costume is very similar to the clothing style of North American Mennonites of southern German-Swiss origin ( Altmennonites ), the women's costume of the rather independent tradition of the sanctification movement. Men typically wear white or light blue shirts without ties and black collarless suits, sometimes with wide-brimmed hats. Most men wear short, full beards, some without a mustache. Women wear long black, dark blue or gray skirts and a vest-like top of the same color, including a white or light blue blouse. The long hair of women is gathered in a knot at the back, which is not covered with a hood or the like. Both sexes always wear long sleeves.
The song of the Church of God (Restoration) is four-part a cappella both in worship and in public singing in streets and squares . Alcohol abstinence is practiced in accordance with many North American Christian communities .
The children of the member families either receive lessons in their own schools or home schooling . In Germany, the state-ordered closure of the community school in Stein am Kocher in 2009 led to an emigration of school-age children with their mothers or the whole family to Vorarlberg in Austria, where home schooling is allowed. In a similar case at the religious community of Twelve Tribes in Bavaria, however, a compromise was reached so that the school there did not have to be closed.
Publications
The Church magazine is called Gospel Trumpet and is published every other month. The Gospel Trumpet is currently being distributed free of charge in 58 countries in German, English and Russian. It is not linked to the Church of God (Anderson) magazine of the same name , but uses its historical editions as a template.
criticism
In Germany , the church ran its own private school through the association Die Evangeliums Posaune eV in Neuenstadt - Stein , but it was closed in July 2009 because the state authorities lacked a teaching permit. In the same year, the Heilbronn public prosecutor began investigations into suspected dangerous bodily harm . Students are said to have been mistreated with sticks and leather straps. The investigation was later closed.
The church often rejects conventional medical treatment, saying that faith alone can cure their illnesses.
Web links
- The Church of God , own German-language website of the Church of God (restoration) .
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Gospel Trumpet on YouTube
- ↑ Heilbronn voice: Church of God fails with private school application from February 11, 2010.
- ↑ Der Spiegel: Children of the "Church of God" have to go to school from November 30, 2009.
- ↑ Violation of compulsory schooling "Church of God" has to pay ( Memento of November 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), Stuttgarter Zeitung of November 10, 2009
- ↑ Public prosecutor's office determined: Beatings with sticks in an illegal religious school. Die Welt, accessed on May 10, 2010 .
- ^ Gertrud Schubert: Schools prohibited . In: Heilbronn voice . July 25, 2009 ( from Stimme.de [accessed on May 11, 2010]).
- ↑ Carsten Friese: Serious allegations against God's church . In: Heilbronn voice . September 3, 2009 ( from Stimme.de [accessed on May 11, 2010]).
- ↑ https://www.krone.at/2023708