|
The Move (also known as The Move of the Spirit or Move of God) is the unofficial name of a non-denominational charismatic Christian group that was started in the 1960s in Florida by Sam Fife, a former Baptist preacher. In his ministry in the early 1960s, Sam Fife used elements of charismatic ministry, first at his church in New Orleans, then in his prayer group in Miami, Florida. He was a former Baptist preacher and his theology has been related to the Body of Christ movement..〔Rudin, A. James & Marcia R. Rudin (1980). ''Prison or Paradise: The New Religious Cults'', Philadelphia: Fortress Press. pp. 72–73〕 At a time of searching by young people and social disruption, Fife's teachings inspired groups throughout United States, Canada and, later, other countries. Considered by some to be an apostle, under the concept of the Fivefold ministry, Fife attracted a group of ministers who believed his vision of the role of the church in the "end times". In the fall 1971, Fife began to preach what was referred to as the "Wilderness Message." Within a few years, thousands of his followers had moved to a number of communal farms, mostly in Alaska, Canada, and Colombia.〔"Samuel Fife and the Move of God", Iglesia de Jesus en La Linea Website, Nuevo Pacto 〕 They followed various practices in combining their resources in common. Sam Fife wrote numerous booklets about his beliefs, which were distributed among members of The Move. At the age of 54, he died with three of his followers in the "Body of Christ", in a plane crash in Guatemala on April 26, 1979.〔〔"Kingdom Triumphalism: The 3rd WAVE". Latter Rain. Let Us Reason Ministries. Quote: "Sam Fife () taught that the aging process had stopped for him and when asked his age, he would simply answer 'I AM'. He assured people that he would never die but was in the process of being changed into an incorruptible life."〕 Following Fife's death, his teachings were carried on by other ministers in The Move, notably C.E. "Buddy" Cobb. In 1982, Cobb and others founded Covenant Life College, with sites in Whitehorse and Yukon, Alaska and Fitzgerald, Georgia. The Move's traveling ministers operate under the name International Ministerial Association (IMA). Small groups of The Move continue to operate, primarily in rural areas, in the first decade of the 21st century, but their numbers have declined since the late 1990s. ==History== The number of people involved in The Move has been in a long, slow decline, which began in the early 1980s with the closing of some Move farms in British Columbia (BC), Canada. In the early 1990s, by contrast, farms in northern BC attracted new members, or groups set up new sites, with some of the communes numbering over 100 people, many of them youth. Don Murphy, a Hutterite, reported on visiting Blueberry Farm in January 1994, where 140 followers of the late Sam Fife had a commune. He noted the members gave half their income to the commune and generally dressed conservatively. Members needed the leaders' permission to go into town, even if using their own cars. He was favorably impressed with the communities in British Columbia in regard to their outlook and spiritual vitality, writing, "It seems to me that these people probably are like the Hutterites were at the time of Jacob Hutter and Peter Reidemann - very strong in faith and close to God." He faulted them for not adhering more strictly to New Testament rules about divorce and women's roles.〔Don Murphy (January 1994). "Canada Journal," ''The Anabaptist Voice'', Anabaptist Church〕 The apparent revival lasted about ten years, before people began to leave again in the late 1990s. Since then, some of the farms have closed, some are reduced in population, and some thrive. Some ex-members have criticized The Move, and reported suffering physical, sexual and psychological abuse by leaders and elders while involved with this group. More than 300 people formerly associated with The Move and a similar group, I'SOT, have traded stories in the Sam Fife/Move Yahoo! Group started in 2005. The forum has provided a venue for considerable discussion of widely varied views and experiences within the Move. Four members wrote an open letter to the ministry of The Move, which they published on the Internet to publicize the abuses that allegedly had occurred.〔("Letter to Move Leadership" ), ISOT Survivors〕 Many other members claim to have endured long-term social, psychological, and spiritual damage, usually stemming from the Move's teachings of complete submission to leadership, whose members have sometimes created an impure and corrupt system.〔 Reports have been made of financial exploitation in the form of work without pay and encouragement for members to turn over life savings to The Move.〔 Some critics and former members have characterized the Move as a cult.〔 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「The Move (Sam Fife)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|