Church of God (Restoration)

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For other uses of "Church of God", see Church of God.

The Church of God (Restoration) is a Christian denomination that was founded in the 1980s by Daniel (Danny) Layne. ^[1] According to a booklet written by Mr. Layne in the early 1980s and originally printed by Faith Publishing House, Guthrie Oklahoma, but now out of print, Mr Layne claimed to be an ex-heroin addict who spent years dealing drugs and living a life of crime and sin on the streets of San Francisco. According to his booklet, he attempted to commit suicide numerous times, one time by allegedly attempting to cut off his arms with an ax. Layne was originally raised in the Church of God (Anderson), where his father was a minister. Layne began preaching in the Church of God (Guthrie, OK) after his conversion.

The claim of this group is that they are personally ordained by both prophecy and Divine command to restore the church of God as it was in the Book of Acts.^[2] Most of Daniel Layne's beliefs in Revelation originated from some Ministers who had left the Church of God (Anderson) denomination thirty or so years earlier. This teaching is upheld by the official eschatology, which is a form of church historicism. This Church of God(Restoration)^[3] teaches that the 7th Trumpet in the book of the Revelation began to sound around the year 1980 when Daniel Layne was saved, alleging that there was a general discontent among many of its current adherents that were in various Churches of God at that time. A variation of this "7th Seal message"^[4] had been taught in other Churches of God for approximately 50 years prior to this point.

1 Church Government
2 Beliefs of the Church
3 Church Growth
4 Monthly Publication
5 Main doctrines and practices
6 Similar denominations and congregations, but not affiliated with the Church of God (Restoration):
7 Historical and doctrinal viewpoints
8 Notes
9 References
10 External links

[edit] Church Government

Daniel Layne is now held to be the Apostle within the Church of God (Restoration).^[3] There is also a sizable General Ministerial Body, consisting of male and female ministers, who call themselves the "The Seventh Trumpet Angel Ministry". Everyone who is saved and sanctified and is not in a second marriage can be a Minister, as long as they feel called of God and have the approval of the Ministerial Body. There are currently approximately 50 ministers within the fellowship.

[edit] Beliefs of the Church

The group considers itself to be "anti-denominational", with roots in the holiness movement and Evening Light Reformation of whom D.S. Warner was one of the leading ministers in the late 1800s. Daniel Sidney Warner had been associated with the Church of God (Winebrennarian), and was greatly influenced by the "anti-denominational" teaching of that denomination.

This group also claims to closely follow all the teachings of the Bible, and practices excommunication to some former members it considers to be errant from its very strict interpretation of the Bible and actively work against the church.

Legal Problems

This group has been alleged to be a cult,^[5] as some feel that it meets all of the eight criteria discussed by Robert J. Lifton, to qualify it as a thought reform/mind control cult. The Rick A. Ross Institute (led by Rick Ross, a nationally recognized cult expert)^[6]^[7] lists the Church of God (Restoration) in its directory and contains a collection of articles^[8] outlining some of the legal issues that the movement has encountered due to its teachings.

For a number of years, they did not believe in accessing any medical help, nor using medicine. There have been a number of deaths within the group, of newborns, children, and adults, which normal medical procedures may have prevented. However, due to political and judicial pressure in 2001, a resolution^[9] was approved by the General Ministerial Body that now recommends that all under-age children be provided with appropriate medical care. Adults are free to choose for themselves.

[edit] Church Growth

The Church of God (Restoration) has a growing number of congregations^[10] worldwide and promotes outreach and mission work in various countries. They heavily proselytize from other Christian churches. Established congregations are located in:

Canada
Germany
Kenya
Mexico
Philippines
USA

Although the group draws most of its members from various Anabaptist and Church of God churches, its adherents represent a broad diversity of backgrounds, both religious and cultural. One method of outreach has been to have a large group of adherents attend conventions or services of other churches (often churches from which members have been previously gleaned) with the apparent goal of gaining new members.

[edit] Monthly Publication

The Gospel Trumpet^[11] is a semi-monthly publication of this church. Some of its clip-art and writings are copied from the original century-old Gospel Trumpet, with which it has no other continuity. The current publishers claim to follow in the steps of the original Gospel Trumpet by publishing strongly against denominationalism and sin.

[edit] Main doctrines and practices

The doctrines of the Church of God (Restoration) are similar to the original doctrines of the Church of God (Anderson, IN), although the "Anderson" churches have now modernized a large proportion of them. The following is a list of some of the emphasized doctrines and practices:

The Church of God (Restoration)claims to be the church that Jesus built and dates back to the early Apostles in the New Testament, though there is no actual historical proof to substantiate this claim.
Salvation from sin. As with most Holiness Churches, they believe that one willful sin causes a person to lose their salvation.
Total Sanctification as a second work of grace after justification by faith
Unification of the children of God in one body. They teach that God's will is to unite His people one more time in one visible Church, before He returns to take them home. Every person that is a true Christian will become a part of the movement, once they hear the sound of the 7th Trumpet, which is interpreted to be their preaching and teaching.
Divine, physical healing and anointing with oil by the Elders, taking the following as its scriptural mandate: Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Holy kiss when greeting each other, in a non-sexual way.
Separation from the world by dress and actions, including:
Men wear primarily black dress clothes with white shirts to worship services, but casual dress is worn during the week, although jeans and similar casual clothes are considered worldly, i.e. "sweats"
Neck-ties, wedding rings, and jewelry are forbidden, as are other superfluous articles of dress
Bright colors, such as red, orange, yellow, bright green and bright blue are not worn, as the Church believes that they portray a potentially worldly spirit and draw unnecessary attention
Women and girls wear thick stockings, skirts with wide pleats to the ankles, and long vests to cover their waistline and hide their female shape. They are expected to wear at least three layers of clothing over their torso.
Sandals and bare feet are forbidden
Most male adherents wear beards.
Women and girls do not cut their hair, and wear it tied back at all times in a plain bun (women) or braids (girls)
Public worship is a capella
Ministers are allowed to exercise their calling to preach within the Church, unless the General Ministerial Body decides otherwise
Outreach and missionary endeavors
No discrimination based on race, language, culture, or social status
Strong teaching against sexual immorality, including homosexuality
Pacifism, precluding all military
No remarriage following divorce, although reunification with a first spouse is permitted, if that relationship was not adulterous for both spouses, some what different than the viewpoint of D.S. Warner.
Excommunication of those that leave the Church and actively attempt to help others leave the Church
The group is officially presbyterian in polity, with the General Ministerial Body having the greatest authority in doctrine and practice.^[9] However, many ex-members claim that it is actually episcopalian, with Daniel Layne acting as de facto arch-bishop. While there is no official "headquarters", individual congregations are expected to be more than a loose association, and submit to the decisions of the Ministerial Body. There is no formal membership, but those who attend regularly are expected to strictly adhere to the standards taught by leaders in the movement.

[edit] Similar denominations and congregations, but not affiliated with the Church of God (Restoration):

[edit] Historical and doctrinal viewpoints

A library of books and articles that were written by the Ministry of the Reformation. These writings and websites clearly show the teachings of D.S.Warner and the Reformation Ministry: