Church of God (Anderson, Indiana):
Introduction
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is a non-denominational church. It came out of the Holiness movement, with roots in Wesleyan and Armenian pietism, and the Restored Anabaptist free-church traditions. There is no formal membership, and no formal creed other than precepts based upon the Bible alone, and no disagreements.
They believe the belief in Jesus Christ makes anyone a member. The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes the Holy Spirit is the guide and the Bible is their creed.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) shares the Holiness movement outlook but do not share the Pentecostal practices of the Holiness movement. They are charismatic from the standpoint of being empowered by the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church on mission in the world. They do not speak in tongues as the sign of a spirit-filled life. Speaking in tongues are not allowed to be used in their public worship.
They are ecumenical in spirit and are not members of the National Council or the World Council of Churches. They do not honor some of the actions and programs of these organizations.
The goal of The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is not a matter of conforming to a particular doctrine, but rather is committed to God in Christ and the Holy Spirit. The concerns of the Church on social matters are individual to each local church. They urge abstinence from sexual immorality, the use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco and drug use for pleasure or psychological escape.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) has their central offices in Anderson, Indiana. The Church government is local and independent with the congregational form of worship. Their seminary is the Anderson School of Theology located also in Anderson, Indiana.
History
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) came out of the movement that called attention to the unity of the people of God and holy living.
Daniel S. Warner and his followers did not set out in 1881 to establish another denomination. They wanted to abandon the denominational hierarchy and the formal creeds and rather rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them through the Bible. They wanted to use the Bible as their only statement of belief. They started this movement to restore the unity and holiness back to the church and strived to make Jesus Christ the center of the church instead of denominationalism.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is profoundly influenced by the theology and pietism of the Wesleyans. They accept the teachings of divine inspiration of the Scriptures, the kingdom of God as established in the here and now, the forgiveness of sins through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the repentance of believers, the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment where the righteous shall be rewarded and the wicked punished.
Belief
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes the Bible is the foundation, guidelines, and instruction for faith. They believe the Bible is the infallible and inspired Word of God and the very breath of God which He used for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness. They believe the Bible is the Book of life, and Jesus is the Christ and Savior, Jesus Christ is the Living Word to whom the Bible is written and witnessed to.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes in the forgiveness of sin through the atonement of Jesus Christ, repentance of believers, the experience of holiness, the kingdom of God has been established in the here and now, the resurrection of the dead along with the final judgment where the righteous will be rewarded and the wicked punished.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes in water immersion Baptism. They believe Baptism is a first step into the life of Christ and Baptism is the witness to the new believers in the regeneration in Christ and as a member of the family of God. They do not practice infant baptism.
They believe in the saving grace of God. They believe children are innocent and already in the grace of God. The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes as the child grows and is trained in the faith they will have an opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior and then they can receive baptism.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes the Lord’s Supper should be a reminder of the grace for the believers.
They believe in the practice of foot washing as the acknowledgement and the acceptance of the role of a servant all Christians should be to each other.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes marriage is a gift from God. They believe marriage should be entered into using wisdom. They believe a wedding is a worship service of the church which the couple and the entire families should be involved and should experience the commitment to Christ Jesus as their Lord in their lives and in their homes.
They believe in Divine healing, however, they also encourage that the medical professionals be consulted for physical illness and injury as these professionals can be used by God to bring healing. The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes at times God does have a direct intervenes in the life of individuals and can restore complete healing.
They believe their worship should be focused on the New Testament. They teach, preach and practice Biblical holiness, and the oneness of the body of Christ. Worshippers are allowed to come forward following the sermon and request an anointing from the pastor.
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) believes Jesus will come again, but they claim no time or date. They believe when Jesus comes to receive His bride, the church, the world will end. They believe those who believe of Jesus Christ as Savior will go with Him to live eternally.
They view the kingdom of God is present reality. They believe Jesus brought the kingdom of God with Him when He came to earth and is exhibited in the hearts of men and women who give Him their allegiance.
They believe the reference to the last things are more spiritual rather than temporal realities. They find little doctrinal compatibility with the establishment and success of the nation of Israel being an essential part of the plans of God. The embodiments of the anti-Christ are foreign to their understanding of Scripture.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Church of God (Anderson, Indiana):.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2006.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2636,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006, January) “Church of God (Anderson, Indiana):.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2636,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006) “Church of God (Anderson, Indiana):.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2636, (accessed).
