Members Church of God International

For other organizations with the same name, see Church of God International

For other uses, see Church of God (disambiguation).

Members Church of God International Mga Kaanib Iglesia ng Dios Internasyonal (tl) Membros da Igreja de Deus Internacional (pt) Miembros de la Iglesia de Dios Internacional (sp)
Logo used by the Church; note the use of the Tetragrammaton.
Classification	Restorationism, Independent [1]
Orientation	Nontrinitarianism
Geographical areas	Worldwide, Concentrated in the Philippines
Founder	Nicolas Perez
Origin	1980 (registration in Philippine Government) Apalit, Pampanga
Separated from	Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi't Suhay ng Katotohanan
Congregations	5,000+
Members	(no official count)
Hospitals	1 [2]
Nursing homes	1
Aid organization	Kamanggagawa Foundation [3]
Tertiary institutions	2
Official website	www.mcgi.org

The Members Church of God International is an independent Christian organization with headquarters in the Philippines. The Church of God International is colloquially known through its flagship international television program, Ang Dating Daan (English translation: The Old Path). The church originally rooted from a similar denomination, the "Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi't Suhay ng Katotohanan" which was founded by Nicolas Perez in 1936. The church has Restorationist characteristics in theme but denies being part of the Restoration Movement.

In 1980, Eliseo Soriano registered the group as "Mga Kaanib Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan sa Bansang Pilipinas" (Members Church of God in Christ Jesus, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth in the Philippines) at the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission with himself as its Presiding Minister.

The church has a Nontrinitarianism orientation, meaning that they reject the doctrine of the Trinity, which is considered is the central dogma of mainline Christianity,^[4] It is not related to the many Church of God groups that descended from the Barney Creek Meeting House revival of the late 19th century in the United States.

History

Ora's Disputed Exodus

In May 1922, former members a similar Philippine-based denomination, the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ; INC), Teofilo Ora, Januario Ponce and Basilio Santiago gathered some members of the Iglesia ni Cristo to formally separate from the church; dubbed as "Ora's Exodus" by critics of INC.^[5] This was during the time INC leader Felix Manalo was attacked with numerous controversies. Several months later, they name the Church Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus (English Translation: Church of God in Christ Jesus). That same year, Nicholas Perez became a member and preacher of this group at Maragondon, Cavite.

In 1928, Nicholas Perez became its General Evangelist and soon sought the leadership of the group but was denied by Teofilo Ora.

Some other members of the Teofilo Ora's exodus left and established their own churches.^{[citation needed]} Ponciano Bungay established the "Iglesia Ni Cristo sa Ibabaw ng Bato" in 1932 while Basilio Santiago established the Church of God in Christ Jesus in 1949 and Salvador Payawal established the Most Holy Church of God in Christ Jesus (Tagalog: Kabanal-banalang Iglesia Ng Diyos).

Nicholas Perez's split with Ora

In 1931, Nicholas Perez with Avelino Santiago left and started their group called Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan (English Translation: Church of God in Christ Jesus, Pillar and Support of The Truth). The reality of this event was disputed. According to Eliseo Soriano, Nicholas Perez was already preaching this Church way back in 1928 at Pulilan, Bulacan but according to INC sources, Nicholas Perez was still with the Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus founded by Ora.

It was not until December 10, 1936 that the Church of Nicholas Perez, Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan was officially registered in the Philippines' Bureau of Commerce and Industry. In 1954, Avelino Santiago, Nicholas Perez’ co-founder persecuted Perez and finally left the group and established his own church, Iglesia ng Diyos na Buhay kay Kristo Hesus.

Succession woes and Soriano's schism

On April 7, 1964, Eliseo Soriano was baptized and became a member of the Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan where his parents were also members.^[6]

In 1969, Nicolas Perez, who was then the church's Presiding Minister, bestowed upon Soriano the title Minister making him the only minister in the Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan at that time. Rumors were circulating that Soriano is going to be Perez's successor.^[6]

After the death of Nicholas Perez, a woman named Levita Gugulan was appointed by a Board of Directors to lead the Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan (Church of God in Christ Jesus, the Pillar and Support of the Truth) as the Church Presiding Minister. Eliseo Soriano was a signatory on July 11, 1975 to the appointment of Gugulan. A month after, he again signed a memorandum stating that anyone who opposes their Church administration will be suspended and expelled.^{[citation needed]}

On January 2, 1976, Eliseo Soriano was then appointed by Levita Gugulan as one of their church’s Board of Directors. There were fifteen members of the Board. On February 21, 1976, he was expelled together with sixteen other members for inciting rebellion inside the church and teaching doctrines contrary to their beliefs. Soriano maintains that he was not expelled but voluntarily left his church as he firmly believes that a woman should not lead the church according to the bible.^[7]

Establishment of the Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan

On March 30, 1977, two years after the death of Perez, Eliseo Soriano and followers registered his own group and called it the Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan (English Translation: Church of God in Christ Jesus, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth) claiming that the name reflects the exact translation in Tagalog of the word hedraioma [3] of 1 Timothy 3:15 [4] in the Greek Scriptures instead of the word Suhay used by Gugulan's group.^[8] According to Soriano, the most exact translation of hedraioma is Ground or Saligan in Tagalog and not Support or Suhay in Tagalog.^[9] A year later, one of his members Filomeno Hizon left him and established his own church, the Mga Mananampalataya sa Iglesia ng Diyos Kay Kristo Hesus, Incorporated which was registered only on June 20, 1984. The Iglesia ng Diyos na Buhay kay Kristo Hesus, Santiago's sect, became inactive.

Change of Name

It seemed to Gugulan that Soriano had simply substituted the word “Suhay” to “Saligan”. Gugulan’s church then filed a lawsuit against Soriano on July 16, 1979 for using a similar church name. While the case was in progress he managed to register another church name, Ang mga Kaanib sa Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan sa Bansang Pilipinas, Incorporated (English Translation: The Members of The Church of God in Christ Jesus, Pillar and Ground of the Truth, Philippines, Incorporated) on January 20, 1980. Soriano's group lost in 1988 and was ordered by Securities and Exchange Commission to change its church name to one that is not similar to Gugulan's group.^[10]

In 1993, Levita Gugulan’s successor Maximino Nieto found out that the name Soriano registered in 1980 is almost identical to his church. Soriano, aware of the possibility of being sued, registered the church name Bayan ng Katotohanan Incorporated (English Translation: City of Truth Incorporated) in December 1993 before Nieto’s group was able to file another complaint against him. Nieto subsequently filed a complaint against Soriano's group in 1994 but while the case was still in progress, Soriano reserved another name, the Iglesia ni YHWH at ni YHWSA HMSYH, Inc. (English Translation: Church of YHWH and of YHWSA HMSYH, Inc.). In 1995, Soriano's group lost and was ordered to change its church name not similar or identical to a name already used by Nieto's Group. The Court of Appeals denied Soriano's appeal in 1997 and Soriano was forced to change his church name to “Bayan ng Katotohanan”. The decision was finalized by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in 2001.^[10] Despite the name change, Soriano maintains that they are still the Iglesia ng Dios Kay Kristo Hesus Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan that Nicholas Perez preached.

Name changed to Members Church of God International

On January 13, 2004 Soriano registered and used the name, Members Church of God International because of international expansion and because locals were founded in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and in Africa. Soriano maintains that the Members Church of God International is the continuation of the past churches he led.

Currently, the Church has a growing local churches and congregations in South America, particularly Brazil. Ang Dating Daan now airs in 73 countries worldwide including United States, Latin America, Papua New Guinea, Portugal (as "O Caminho Antigo"), Spain (as "El Camino Antiguo"), India, South Africa, Saipan and Canada.^[11]

Ministers

Formally, the Members Church of God International is led by a Presiding Minister (Tagalog: Tagapangasiwang Pangkalahatan); MCGI teachings, however, state that Jesus Christ is the original founder of the church. According to their doctrine, the Members are simply adhering to the teachings of original Christianity.

• Present Presiding Minister: Eliseo Soriano
• Present Vice-Presiding Minister: Daniel S. Razón

Beliefs and Practices

The Members of the Church of God International believe that all teachings and interpretation of doctrines should be based upon the 66 books of the Bible alone, which can only be done through their leader Eliseo Soriano^{[citation needed]} and to the founder of the real church, Jesus Christ and his disciples. They adhere to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy including scientific and historical accuracy of the Bible.

They reject the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity, as well as the doctrines of Oneness, Original Sin, eternal security, personal relationship with Christ, tithing, first-day Sabbatarianism, Christmas Day (along with other Christian holidays) among others.

Indoctrination classes are required prior to joining the organization. The classes are composed of at least 7 lessons concerning church doctrines prepared by Eliseo Soriano. Indoctrinees must wholeheartedly accept the doctrines taught during the indoctrination, before they will be baptized.

Members are expected to be modest in dress and grooming. Women are prohibited from wearing short hair, jewelry, and pants, while men are prohibited to have long hair. They are strictly prohibited from drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, using drugs and gambling. Members are required to attend church service called Pasalamat, or Thanksgiving every Saturday/Sunday usually in Apalit, Pampanga or in selected locales which have satellite access to the thanksgiving (elders and the disabled are excused in going to Apalit and will be required to go to the selected locales with satellite access). The service involves singing hymns, hearing sermons, offering prayers, and giving to the church. Bending the knees, facing the ground ("panikluhod") is the posture of prayer observed throughout the service.

Members Church of God International Teachings

Teachings about God

• There's God, YHWH (God of Israel) or God the Father who is the Creator of the universe with YHWSA HMSYH, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. God is not omnipotent (he cannot do certain things like lying).^[12] God is not omniscient (he doesn't foreknow all future human actions and choices). God is not omnipresent (he created hell but he is not there).
• Jesus Christ (Yhwsa Hmsyh) is God the Father's only begotten son (in Romanized Greek: monogenestheos). He is that Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. He is recognized as the Apostle and High Priest of the church. He is the sent savior of mankind and the way, the truth and the life.^[13]
• The Holy Spirit came from the Father and part of the Godhead.

Teachings about the Church

• The Members Church of God International affiliates to the only true church of God first preached in Jerusalem during the 1st century A.D.and brings the message of salvation to the world. The church of God is the Kingdom of God on earth and is necessary for one's salvation. Those who have heard of the gospel and of the church must join this church in order to be saved..
• A member of the Members Church of God International can lose his salvation if he doesn't persevere until the end.
• The official name of the true church in the Bible is Church of God in Christ Jesus.^[14]
• The laws of Moses, the 10 Commandments including Shabbat and tithing have been abolished and replaced with the laws of Christ in the New Testament.
• Salvation can only be attained by following all the laws of Christ in the New Testament * A person may be saved even though he has not heard of the Gospel. He will be judged by God according to his conscience.
• The establishment of the Members Church of God International in the Philippines is the fulfilment of Zachariah 8:3, Isaias 24:15 and among other prophecies in the Bible because geographically, the Philippines is an archipelago located in the East.
• Zechariah 13:7-9 was fulfilled in the Members Church of God International when the Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan, founded by Nicholas Perez, split into three groups: Levita Gugulan's group, Filomeno Hizon's group and Eliseo Soriano's group.
• Women should not be allowed to lead the church.^[7]

Other teachings

• The Whore of Babylon in Revelation represents the Catholic Church. The Beast of Revelation is the papacy because they said the pope's alleged title Vicarius Filii Dei adds up to 666 and is allegedly engraved on papal tiara.^[15] The mark of the beast is the sign of the cross. However, the Roman Catholic Church states that Vicarius Filii Dei is not an official title of the pope and there's no evidence that Vicarius Filli Dei is inscribed on papal tiara.^[16]
• The Last Supper is not to be commemorated literally. The bread symbolizes the teachings of Jesus and the cup of wine symbolizes the sufferings that Christians must endure.
• The Bible does not condemn the hormonally imbalanced persons or the gays and the lesbians but the sodomites. Sodomites are heterosexuals who practice homosexual sex because of their perversion. However, homosexuals are prohibited from having same-sex intercourse.
• The soul is a combination of spirit (breath of life) and body including the emotions, memory, faculties. When a person dies, his soul is in the hands of God and will be restored in the resurrection to face judgement.

Propagation and Missionary Works

Different logos of the Members Church of God International's programs and services.

MCGI uses radio, television and the World Wide Web in its missionary and propagation labors. Flagship program Ang Dating Daan is primarily hosted by Eliseo Soriano, the Church Presiding Minister. The flagship program currently airs in 73 countries worldwide including United States, Brazil, Portugal (as "O Caminho Antigo"), Spain (as "El Camino Antiguo"), India, South Africa, Saipan and Canada.^[11] Aside from free channels in the Philippines, MCGI airs English-format programs such as Biblically Speaking, Truth in Focus and Bible Guide through the TOP (The Old Path) Channel, carried by satellite and direct-to-home (DTH) service provider, GlobeCast. TOP Channel is available in the United States and Canada.

The MCGI, through the TV program Good Morning Kuya hosted by Vice-Presiding Minster Daniel Razon, provides various public service projects through free clinics and free bus rides. Also, Bro. Daniel Razon has been spearheading many projects for the indigent. These include "Clinic ni Kuya", a free clinic located in the UNTV studio, a free Transient house for the homeless and a free College school simulataneous in Apalit & Caloocan City.^[17][18]

See also

• Conflicts between Iglesia ni Cristo and Members Church of God International

References

1. ^ Bevans, Stephen B.; Schroeder, Roger G.. Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today (American Society of Missiology Series). Orbis Books. pp. 249. ISBN 1-57075-517-5. 
2. ^ Garcia, Raymond C (February 26, 2008). "Ang Dating Daan failed to pay taxes". Sun.Star Pampanga (Sun.Star Publishing, Inc). http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2008/02/26/news/ang.dating.daan.failed.to.pay.taxes.html. Retrieved 2008-11-12. 
3. ^ To Serve not to Be Served - Philippine Star
4. ^ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press, 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Trinity, doctrine of the
5. ^ Donald Platt (Counterfeit? 1981, page 87-88)
6. ^ ^{a b} Elesterio, Fernando G.. Three essays on Philippine religious culture (Monograph series). De La Salle University Press. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Ang Dating Daan - Biblical Topics
8. ^ Eli Soriano Biography
9. ^ Soriano said The Greek word Hedraioma does not mean "support". Strong's Concordance however defines hedraioma(from a derivative of edraioV - hedraios 1476) as stay, prop, support. Eliseo Soriano claims succession rights from Perez's group and designates Perez as the first leader of this group. [1][2]
10. ^ ^{a b} G.R. No. 137592
11. ^ ^{a b} Saipan Tribune - Members Church of God International Worldwide Bible Exposition
12. ^ Ang Dating Daan - Biblical Topics
13. ^ Ang Dating Daan - About Us
14. ^ Ang Dating Daan - Biblical Topics
15. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53YryfSKq6k
16. ^ http://www.catholic.com/newsletters/kke_030930.asp
17. ^ Daniel Razon's second album out - Philippine Star
18. ^ Free Bus Ride of UNTV

External links

Official links

• Official Members Church of God International Website
• Official Ang Dating Daan Website
• Official Website of Bro. Eli Soriano
• Official Website of Bro. Daniel Razon
• Bro. Eli Soriano's Official Blogsite
• The Old Path TV
• Christian Community Portal
• Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel Foundation Web Site
• UNTV Channel 37