Founder Daniel Layne | Founded 1988 | |
Headquarters South Carolina, United States Similar Grace Communion International, Open Bible Standard Churches, Pentecostal Church of God, Church of Our Lord Jesus Ch, Philadelphia Church of God | ||
The Church of God (Restoration) is a Christian denomination that was founded in the 1980s by Daniel (Danny) Layne (died September 21, 2011). In a booklet written by Mr. Layne in the early 1980s, he 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. 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.
Contents
- Church government
- Beliefs and Doctrines
- Controversies
- Growth
- Bimonthly publication
- Eschatology
- Literature
- References
The group believes that they are ordained by both prophecy and Divine command to restore the church of God as it was in the Book of Acts, and believes that it alone is the only true church. Most of Daniel Layne's beliefs in Revelation originated from some ministers who had left the Church of God (Anderson) reformation movement 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) 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" had been taught in other Churches of God for approximately 50 years prior to this point.
Church government
Daniel Layne was held to be an Apostle in the Church of God (Restoration). He died at his residence in Upland, California, United States, on September 21, 2011. There is also a sizable General Ministerial Body, consisting of male and female ministers, who call themselves "The Seventh Trumpet Angel Ministry". Everyone who is saved and sanctified and is not in a second marriage can be a Minister based upon biblical teaching, as long as they feel called of God and have the approval of the Ministerial Body. There are currently approximately 70 ministers within the USA, Canada, and Mexico, with numerous ministers in the Philippines, Africa, India, Myanmar, Haiti, Bolivia, Germany, Austria, and Nepal.
Since Daniel Layne's passing, the church's chief apostle is Ray Tinsman of Greenville, Ohio. Other apostles currently include: Randall Hargrave (Greenville, Ohio USA), Elizabeth Oppel (Warsaw, Indiana, USA), Henry Hildebrandt (Aylmer, Ontario, Canada), Patrick O'Shea Jr (Greenville, Ohio, USA), Ernest Benion Jr (Ontario, California, USA), Stephen Hargrave (Warsaw, Indiana, USA), and Addison Everett (Columbus, Ohio, USA).
Beliefs and Doctrines
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 19th century. 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 and real interpretation of the Bible and actively work against the group. They believe and teach that they are the one and only body and that anyone outside of their group who is saved, will eventually join them.
The doctrines of the Church of God (Restoration) are similar to the original doctrines of the Church of God (Anderson), although the "Anderson" churches have now almost fully modernized and liberalized a large proportion of themselves. The following is a list of some of the emphasized doctrines and practices:
Controversies
The Church of God Restoration remains the focus of controversy, with many accusations leveled by ex-members across the world. Most of the accusations stem from well-known doctrines of the Church of God (Restoration) such as divine healing, shunning, excommunication, and insistence of the Church that spouses are individually accountable to God for their souls.
For a number of years, they did not believe in accessing any medical help, nor using medicine, but divine healing from God. 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 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.
Growth
The Church of God (Restoration) has a growing number of congregations worldwide and promotes outreach and mission work in various countries. They heavily encourage all Christians to unite and bind into one visible body of believers. Congregations are located in several States and countries.
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.
Bimonthly publication
The Gospel Trumpet is a bi-monthly publication that is published in English, German, and Russian. 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. There is also a bi-monthly paper, The Shining Light, published for the spiritual benefit and growth of children.
Eschatology
Daniel Sidney Warner and the earlier ministers of the Church of God (Anderson) taught that the restoration of the church was prophesied by the Old Testament Prophets, in the New Testament, and in the book of Revelation. They taught that 270 to 1530 was the Papal age and 1530 to 1880 was the Protestant age with 1880 being the year the church of God was restored with the full message of salvation, sanctification, and unity of Gods people. Warner describes how he came up with these dates in Birth of a Reformation. From a number of scriptures in Daniel and Revelation he took "time, times, and half a time", "42 months" or "1260 days" (Dan 7:25; 12:7, Rev 11:3; 12:6; 12:14; 13:5;) to mean 1260 years of the Papal age holding that in symbolic language one day is one year. The 1260 years of the Papal age is added to the time that the church lost its unity and purity which gives the end of the Papal age as 1530 AD. Then using the symbol from Revelation of "three days and a half" (Rev 11:11) with each day equaling a century they held that the duration of the Protestant age was 350 years which brings them to 1880. This date was the beginning of the full restoration of the church of God and called the Evening Light age.
The Church of God (Restoration) builds their movement dating on the same dates the Church of God (Anderson) earlier ministers did. They also hold that in about 1930 the Church of God (Anderson) Movement as a whole became apostate and there was silence in the spiritual heavens for "the space of half an hour" (Rev 8:1). This one half-hour taken to mean 50 years using one hour in symbolic language as one century. The time of the silence period ended in 1980, which was about the time of the beginning of Daniel Layne’s ministry.
Some reject the date of 1880 and claim the dates 270 and 1530 hold no historical significance and were only obtained by back dating from 1880. They also point out that while there is Biblical authority to use the symbol of one day for a year (Num 14:34; Eze 4:6) there is no Biblical authority to use one day as a century or one hour as a century which the Church of God (Restoration) uses to get the 350 years of the Protestant age and the 50 years of the silent time.