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The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is a holiness Christian body with roots in Wesleyan pietism and also in the restorationist traditions.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 An Inside Look at the Church of God )〕 Founded in 1881 by Daniel Sidney Warner, the church claims 1,170,000+ adherents. While having some characteristics of a denomination, the Church of God considers itself Non-denominational Christianity. One of its more distinctive features is that there is no formal membership, since the movement believes that true biblical salvation, which will result in a life free from sin, makes one a member. Similarly, there is no formal creed other than the Bible. Accordingly, there is much official room for diversity and theological dialogue, even though the movement's culture is strongly rooted in Wesleyan holiness theology. This church movement is not historically related to other Church of God bodies such as the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) or the Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee). Though these bodies are also holiness Christian in outlook, the Church of God (Anderson) does not share their Pentecostal practices. It is distinguished from these other churches by the location of its central office in Anderson, Indiana. ==History== The history of the Church of God (Anderson) begins in 1881 with Daniel Sidney Warner and several others. Warner had been a member of John Winebrenner's General Eldership of the Church of God, whose members were called Winebrennerians. He differed with the Winebrennerians on the doctrine of sanctification, which he held to be a second definite work of grace, and on the nature of the church. The desire of Warner and the others was to forsake denominationalism and creeds. To this end, they determined to trust in the Holy Spirit as their guide and the Bible as their creed. Warner's vision was that the Church of God would "extend our hand in fellowship to every blood-washed one", rather than align themselves with a movement. In the beginnings of the Church of God, there was a commitment to pacifism. In the late 19th century, the Church of God used their journal, the ''Gospel Trumpet'', as a means to disseminate their interest in pacifism. In April 1898, the ''Gospel Trumpet'' responded to a question about the Church of God’s stance on a Christian going to war. The answer printed was "We answer no. Emphatically no. There is no place in the New Testament wherein Christ gave instruction to his followers to take the life of a fellow-man".〔"Should We Go to War?" ''Gospel Trumpet'', April 14, 1898, p. 4.〕 As time went on the Church of God was able to maintain their stance on pacifism, but as World War I was erupting across Europe, the church’s stance began to soften. As German Church of God congregants were drafted into the army, the ''Gospel Trumpet'' began running letters submitted about the conditions of training camps and on the battlefields. While encouraging their readers to pray for the German soldiers, the ''Gospel Trumpet'' made no reference to the apparent contrast between supporting the war effort and encouraging pacifism.〔See Merle D. Strege “The Demise () of a Peace Church: The Church of God (Anderson), Pacifism and Civil Religion, The Mennonite Quarterly Review, Vol. LXV April 1991, No. 2 pgs. 128-140.〕 As the United States entered World War I, the ''Gospel Trumpet'' restated the church’s official stance of pacifism but also reminded their congregants that they supported the authority of the state and should comply with local laws concerning the draft. There were articles run to help a pacifist request non-combat duty if they were drafted. For those who decided to volunteer, the church reported that the volunteer would not lose their salvation but would have to answer to God concerning their actions during the war. Strege writes that as the war waged on, "there occurs in print no condemnation of those who entered the army—whether German or American—and there is no questioning of their religious commitment".〔Strege p. 137〕 The Church of God had a strong pacifist element, reaching a high point in the late 1930s. The Church regarded World War II as a just war because America was attacked. Anti-Communist sentiment has since kept strong pacifism from developing in the Church of God.〔Mitchell K. Hall, "A Withdrawal from Peace: The Historical Response to War of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)," ''Journal of Church and State'' (1985) 27#2 pp 301-314〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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