General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh-Day)

For other uses, see Church of God (disambiguation).

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The General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh-Day), or simply Church of God (Seventh-Day) or CoG7, is a seventh-day Sabbath-keeping Christian denomination. Like the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), the Church of God (Seventh-Day) observes Sabbath on the seventh day of the week (Saturday).

History

The General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh-Day) represents a line of Adventist Christians that rejected the visions and teachings of Ellen G. White before the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1858, five years before the founding of the SDA Church, a group led by Gilbert Cranmer (1814–1903) of Michigan separated from the Adventists that supported White. Another independent Sabbatarian Adventist body formed in Iowa in 1860, and joined with the Church of God (Seventh-Day) in 1863.

A publication called The Hope of Israel (now The Bible Advocate) was started in 1863, and this publication extended the influence of the body into other areas. Through this publication, the doctrines of the second advent and seventh-day Sabbath were promoted, and other Christians were invited to gather for meetings. This extended the movement into Missouri, Nebraska and other places, and in 1884 the General Conference of the Church of God was organized. They incorporated in 1899, and "(Seventh-Day)" was added to the name in 1923. Offices were established in Stanberry, Missouri.

The most well-known member of the 7th day Churches of God was evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong (1893-1986). Armstrong was challenged, in 1927, by his wife Loma to find a Biblical justification for keeping Sunday as the Christian Sabbath day. Loma had come under the influence of Mrs. Runcorn, a member of the Seventh Day church in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Emma Runcorn and her husband Ora were lay leaders in the Oregon conference. Armstrong soon became a minister for that church and a popular writer for the Bible Advocate journal. Within a few years Armstrong began teaching the British-Israel Theory - the alternative history that regarded the nations of Western Europe and North America as the literal descendants of the "Lost Ten Tribes" of Israel - and the mandatory keeping of the Feast Days in Leviticus 23. Armstrong was ultimately disfellowshipped over these two issues, which were not originally doctrinal teachings of the Church of God. Armstrong sided with Rev. Dugger and supported the Salem, WV. group during the great split, also he was summarily disfellowshipped from that group.

The Church of God (Seventh Day) split at their conference meeting on November 4, 1933, creating a smaller body headquartered in Salem, West Virginia, and known as the Church of God (7th day) - Salem Conference^[1].

In the work of A. Dugger and C.O. Dodd (1935)^[2] the church once traced its history back to the Apostles through various medieval groups which they believed were Sabbath-keeping. In the case of some of these groups that claim is disputed, such as in the case of the Waldensians^[3] and Paulicians.^[4]

Membership

As of 2001, the Church of God (Seventh Day) had 200 congregations in the United States and Canada, with an estimated 11,000 members.^[5] Worldwide membership is over 125,000 members, with affiliated ministries in more than 20 other countries. Headquarters are located in Denver, Colorado as of 2004, with Whaid Rose serving as General Conference President. The church is a member of the Bible Sabbath Association (org. 1943), an organization promoting "fellowship and cooperation between Sabbath-keepers of various groups."

Doctrine and practices

The Church of God (Seventh Day) Statement of Faith states the following:

• According to the Statement of Faith of the church, "God is revealed in Scripture as Father and Son."^[6]
• Christ pre-existed as the Son from eternity.^[7]
• Mankind is mortal, and the soul is unconscious in death.^[8]
• The Devil: It was Satan who tempted our first parents in the Garden of Eden,The Devil is still Capable of transforming himself into an Angel of light but will finally be destroyed in the lake of fire.^[9]

According to the Church of God (Seventh Day), salvation is by grace, received by faith in Jesus Christ, apart from good works.^[10] Obedience to the law, while not a means of salvation, is encouraged as an important part of Christian living. The church observes two ordinances - baptism by immersion and an annual Lord's supper (which is accompanied by feet washing), observed annually on Passover, the day of Jesus' death. The eating of unclean meats such as pork and shellfish is discouraged. The church also opposes the observance of traditional holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday because of their pagan roots. Conscientious objection is the official position of this group.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Adventist
• Millerites
• Sabbath in Christianity

References

1. ^ http://www.churchofgod-7thday.org/
2. ^ A history of the True Religion Traced From 33 A.D. to Date, A. Dugger and C.O. Dodd Bible Advocate 1935
3. ^ Giorgio Tourn You are my Witnesses: The Waldensians Across Eight Centuries. Torino, Italy: Claudiana Editrice, 1989. ISBN 8870160890
4. ^ Frederick Cornwallis Conybeare "Was the Sabbath observed in the early Armenian church?" p.clxii in The Key of Truth. A Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia.
5. ^ [1] Data from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches
6. ^ Church of God (Seventh Day) Statement of Faith Section 2 "He is one in nature, essence and being. God is revealed in Scripture as Father and Son."
7. ^ Church of God (Seventh Day) Statement of Faith Section 2 "From eternity, the Son was with the Father, shared the Father’s glory as the pre-incarnate Word, and with Him created and sustains all things."
8. ^ Church of God (Seventh Day) Statement of Faith Section 3 "The penalty for our sin is alienation from God, physical death (without consciousness), and, ultimately, eternal death for those who do not receive the salvation offered by Christ."
9. ^ Church of God (Seventh Day) Statement of Faith Section 3 "It was Satan, the adversary of God, who tempted our first parents in the garden. The Devil is still capable of transforming himself into an angel of light but will finally be destroyed in the lake of fire."
10. ^ Church of God (Seventh Day) Statement of Faith Section 4 "Sinful humanity may be saved from the penalty of eternal death and receive eternal life instead, solely by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from human merit, works, or ceremonies."

http://cog7.org/

External links

• Church of God (Seventh-Day)
• Church of God (Seventh-Day) - UK
• Profile of the Church of God (Seventh-Day) on the Association of Religion Data Archives website
• Iglesia De Dios (7o Dia) A.R. Mexico
• Church of God (Seventh-Day) - Jamaica
• A history of the True Religion Traced From 33 A.D. to Date

Other groups:

• Church of God (7th Day)
• General Council of the Churches of God, 7th Day
• Meridian Church of God Seventh Day
• Iglesia de Dios en México A. R.
• Congregaciones Unidas de la Iglesia de Dios (7° Día)