What You Should Know About United Church of God-AIA

United Church of God, An International Association, is one of the major breakoffs from the Worldwide Church of God. It was founded in 1995, within six weeks of the WCG changes, by Bob Dick and David Hulme in Arcadia, CA. In December 2007 UCG-AIA announced that their headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio would be moved to property near the town of Denton, Texas that they purchased for $1.6 million dollars.1 Clyde Kilough (former Ambassador College graduate) was the new President of UCG in 2009; however, in April 2010 he was asked by the UCG Council to resign and Roy Holladay became the acting President. Then in June 2010 Dennis Luker (former minister in WCG) became the new president. (UPDATE: Dennis Luker died March 14, 2013 of cancer.)

(Note: UCG-AIA is not the same as United Church of God, Birmingham,2 which was founded in 1995 by Ray Wooten; however, when the initials "UCG" are used in this article they refer to UCG-AIA.)

United Church of God teaches that they are the "continuation of the one and only true church of God" (tracing their origins to "the church that Jesus founded in the early first century" and following "the same teachings, doctrines and practices established then.").3 What they actually follow are the teachings, doctrines and practices of Herbert W. Armstrong who founded the Worldwide Church of God in 1934e. They believe they are "God's true church" evidenced by their "obedience to God's Laws" and being a "small flock." Members are admonished to "find out where God is working" and to "finish the Work of God" (which members are to support through their tithes and offerings).

While they say they are "a continuation of that body Jesus Christ founded," have a "distinct identity" but "do not claim that all Christians are among our fellowship,"4 they believe those in "counterfeit" Christianity (who UCG says are teaching a "false gospel") "remain blinded to the real meaning of sin, repentance and conversion" but "God's special people" "understand the Scriptures" and "strive" to obey God's Law.5

They affirm they are "committed to understanding and practicing New Testament Christianity"6 when, in fact, it is nothing but old covenant theology given to the nation Israel (along with scriptures redefined by Herbert Armstrong). By not understanding the New Covenant (including the book of Galatians), they are in essence denying Christ's finished work for them on the cross.

Members are not to observe Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc., calling them "pagan" (similar to the Jehovah's Witnesses' teachings, which is one group that HWA plagiarized from). However, birthdays are an exception.

United Church of God believes God is a "family" composed of only Father and Son, and members in "God's Church" who "endure to the end" will, in the first resurrection, become part of this "God family" (a doctrine HWA copied from the Mormons). At that time, they will rule with Christ as spirit beings ("kings and priests") in the Kingdom ("Government") of God on earth in order to teach mankind "God's way of life" which is to bring worldwide peace

They believe in a second resurrection to mortal life for "all those who died and never had a chance to receive an opportunity for salvation" and a third resurrection for those who have "willfully rejected the truth."8 These last ones are to be thrown in the Lake of Fire and cease to exist (annihilation). They do not believe man has an immortal soul that lives on after death; neither do they believe anyone goes to heaven or hell after dying, but that everyone "sleeps" in the grave until their time to come up in the resurrections. (This, again, is identical to Jehovah's Witnesses' and other religious cults' teaching.

America: the Land of Opportunity, where any rube who feels like it can incorporate his’n own Church.

21 posted on 04/18/2013 6:48:26 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (I think, therefore I am what I yam, and that's all I yam - "Popeye" Descartes)

though the way that they deny the Holy Spirit is God is a pretty big non-Truth, right?

22 posted on 04/19/2013 4:43:35 AM PDT by Cronos (Latin presbuteros->Late Latin presbyter->Old English pruos->Middle Engl prest->priest)

Not a very strong article about UCG, doesnt even mention that they are not trinitarian. Which would be the largest heretical doctrine of theirs that needs to be talked about.

Correct...

23 posted on 04/19/2013 4:45:46 AM PDT by Cronos (Latin presbuteros->Late Latin presbyter->Old English pruos->Middle Engl prest->priest)

24 posted on 04/19/2013 4:47:37 AM PDT by Cronos (Latin presbuteros->Late Latin presbyter->Old English pruos->Middle Engl prest->priest)

One need only read the attempts of non-Catholics to "prove" the doctrine of the Trinity from a literal interpretation of scripture to see how that comes up short.

Your logic falls a bit short...

How do you explain that those of us (and there are/were hundreds of millions) who don't believe a thing put out by your religion actually believe in the Trinity???

And since your religion couldn't find the Trinity (and tons of other doctrines) in the scriptures, how did your thinkers come up with the idea??? When??? From whom???

Also, it strikes me as amazing that we are assured all the time that non-Catholic Christians belong to an “invisible church” that allegedly enjoys as much if not more unity in doctrine as the Catholic.

And what strikes me as even more amazing is there are people who call themselves Christians and reject the idea of the invisible church...

As a Catholic, is your body and soul a part of the body of Christ or do you just attend the body of Christ???

As a Catholic, is your body and soul a part of the body of Christ or do you just attend the body of Christ???

I honestly don't know how to answer your question, but I can say this with assurance: if I am excommunicated, say by cooperating with an act of abortion, for example, then I am no longer part of the body, obviously. What I'm not sure of is, if I'm in a state of mortal sin, if I'm still considered part of the body or not, theologically speaking.

That's as much as I can answer, because that's as much as I know. Sorry. Maybe another will be more helpful.

Catholics don’t reject the invisible Church; but we include the visible one which others reject.

How do you explain that those of us (and there are/were hundreds of millions) who don't believe a thing put out by your religion actually believe in the Trinity???

You got it from us. Period.

And since your religion couldn't find the Trinity (and tons of other doctrines) in the scriptures, how did your thinkers come up with the idea??? When??? From whom???

It came down to the Catholic Church directly from her first bishops and priests, the apostles and disciples, silly.

When I was growing up, we used to refer to him as The Turtle, and pranked each other by sending each other's name and address in to receive WWCOG literature. But only if we were really angry at the guy whose address we sent in...

Reminds me of when I was younger, signing an obnoxious guy on the dorm floor up to 1)join the communist party, and 2)get calls from the Army recruiter.

30 posted on 04/20/2013 1:39:52 PM PDT by Lee N. Field ("You keep using that verse, but I do not think it means what you think it means." --I. Montoya)

It came down to the Catholic Church directly from her first bishops and priests, the apostles and disciples, silly.

I would not call Iscool silly. There are other adjectives.

31 posted on 04/20/2013 1:54:46 PM PDT by MarkBsnr (I would not believe in the Gospel, if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)

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