Talk:The Living Word Fellowship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Will someone explain how Churches of the Living Word view other Protestant and Catholic denominations? Are other denominations considered "unsaved" or just confused?

The founder was a believer in the one true church idea. He said that all sectarian division is wrong and that "division" or denominations are wrong. To quote: "in the Bible there is only one true church, and it was not divided into denominations.”. However, like most of the one true church people he believes that a church founded on his ideas is the only correct church.

In answer to your question, he (the founder) didn't believe in denominations and considers all christians part of one big church but he also holds that any individual church not run in conformity to his ideas is a church in error. Being "saved" is in two phases. The first one depends on what they call a personal relationship with Christ which is (to them) independent of denomination or church. But the catch is that if you don't believe what the (Living Word) believes, its self-evident proof that you don't have a relationship and are therefore not saved. They also thought that Stevens was the only true leader of the one true church. The second salvation (turning into a christ-like immortal being or Elijah type being) they believe is a slow process of transformation which can only be accomplished in fellowship with an organzation and a leader to support the individual.

So in summary, there is one church. Those who follow the ideas of living word are the correct followers of that one church and everyone else is in error. Being saved doesn't depend on the church (including Living Word) but anyone who is saved will self-evidently understand and accept that Living Word is correct. And that final salvation can only be gained through group activity.

As a disclaimer, I'm not nor ever have been a member of Living Word. I put the above material together by reading their works and combining it with ideas they are with other evangelical christian groups.

What does the Church of the Living Word believe happens to its members who experience physical death?

I'm not sure they think about it much. The focus is always on creating the new spiritual kingdom where the leaders will be transformed into their immortal bodies as quickly as possible. Its possible that when that happens, the leaders will have the power to selectively raise the dead and then help them finish their transformation. Its an important question historically with them because they never really recovered from Stevens (their leader) himself dying (it was not supposed to happen).