Church of God (Restoration) - Main Doctrines and Practices

Main Doctrines and Practices

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:

• The Church of God (Restoration) claims to be the actual church that Jesus built and dates back to the early Apostles in the New Testament, although there is no actual historical proof to substantiate this claim, but what they believe by saying that all the truly saved are all part of the body of Jesus Christ.
• Salvation from sin. As with most Holiness Churches, they believe that one willful sin causes a person to lose his salvation.
• Entire Sanctification as a second work of grace after justification by faith
• Unification of the children of God in one body. They teach that God's will is to unite His people one more time in one visible Church, before He returns to take them home. Every person that is a true Christian will become a part of the movement, once they hear the sound of the 7th Trumpet, which is interpreted to be the preaching and teaching of God through the body of Christ .
• Divine, physical healing and anointing with oil by the Elders, taking the following as its scriptural mandate: Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
• Holy kiss when greeting each other with the same sex, in a non-sexual way.
• Separation from the world by dress and actions, including:
  • Men wear primarily black dress clothes with white shirts to worship services, but casual dress is worn during the week, although jeans and similar casual clothes are considered worldly
  • Neck-ties, wedding rings, and jewelry are forbidden, as are other superfluous and unneeded articles of dress
  • Bright colors, such as red, orange, yellow, bright green and bright blue, are not worn, as the church believes that they portray a potentially worldly spirit and draw unnecessary attention to themselves.
  • Women wear dark-colored panty hose and girls wear thick stockings, skirts with wide pleats to the ankles, and long vests to cover their waistline and hide their female shape. They are expected to wear at least three layers of clothing over their torsos.
  • Sandals and bare feet are forbidden.
  • Most male adherents wear beards.
  • Women and girls do not cut their hair, and wear it tied back at all times in a plain bun (women) or braids (girls)
• Church worship is a capella.
• Ministers are allowed to exercise their calling to preach within the Church, unless the General Ministerial Body decides otherwise
• Outreach and missionary endeavors
• No discrimination based on race, language, culture, or social status
• Strong teaching against sexual immorality, including homosexuality
• Pacifism, precluding all military
• No remarriage following divorce, although reunification with a first spouse is permitted, if that relationship was not adulterous for both spouses, somewhat different than the viewpoint of Daniel Sidney Warner.
• Belief in corporal punishment of children. This practice has resulted in a court case in Ontario. They believe that the Bible instructs them to spank their children with an object such as a wooden stick or a leather belt. They believe that they are forbidden to spank their children by hand, because the hand is considered an instrument of love, guidance and comfort.
• Excommunication of those that leave the Church and actively attempt to help others leave the Church, or are a threat to the body
• The group is officially presbyterian-hierarchical in polity, with the General Ministerial Body having the greatest authority in doctrine and practice. However, many ex-members claim that it is actually episcopalian, with Daniel Layne acting as de facto arch-bishop until his death. While there is no official "headquarters", individual congregations are expected to be more than a loose association, and submit to the decisions of the Ministerial Body. There is no formal membership, but those who attend regularly are expected to strictly adhere to the standards taught by leaders in the movement. Membership is based upon the soul's status.