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The Church of God (7th Day) – Salem Conference is a seventh-day Sabbath-keeping Christian denomination. The Church of God (7th Day) observes the seventh-day Sabbath, which is (according to Genesis 2:2-3Exodus 20:8)) the Biblical Sabbath for the Judeo-Christian tradition.
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The Church of God (7th 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 followed White. Another independent Sabbatarian Adventist body formed in Iowa in 1860, and joined with the Church of God (7th Day) in 1863.
A publication called The Hope of Israel, then The Bible Advocate and now The Advocate of Truth, 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 Church of God (7th Day) split at their conference meeting on November 4, 1933, creating another body headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
In the work of A. Dugger and C.O. Dodd (1935)[1] the church traced its history back to the Apostles through various medieval groups which they believed were Sabbath-keeping.
The Church of God (7th Day) has congregations in the United States, Canada, Philippines, India, Mexico, Ukraine, Caribbean, Africa, etc. Headquarters are located in Salem, West Virginia.
The Church is organized in respect for the apostolic teachings[2]. According to the Church of God (7th Day), salvation is by grace, received by faith in Jesus Christ, apart from good works. The Church believe in one true God who is the creator of all. He is omnipotent, omnicient, and omnipresent. He sent his son to Earth to be a sacrifice for our sins. He is a separate being from his son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and not a separate being with a separate consciousness[3].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 forbidden. The church discourages its members from the use of alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs (see Christianity and alcohol). The church also opposes the observance of traditional holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday because of their pagan roots[4][5]and does not practice the Jewish Feast Days. Conscientious objection is the official position of this group.