Christian Church International
| Christian Church International | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Christian, Evangelicalism, Christian Fundamentalism, Panentheism |
| Orientation | The Holy Bible |
| Founder | Central Committee of the Christian Church |
| Origin | 2007 Toronto, ON, Canada |
The Christian Church International, until October 2018 known as the Christian Universal Life Church (CULC),[1]is an independent global panentheist, evangelical Christian church with a messianic jewish wing[2] based in Fort Lauderdale (Florida). In 2007 the church was founded by Elias I. and a team of fellow panentheists in Toronto, Canada. In 2018 the denomination had 1.7 million members in more than 80 countries and 1.4 million followers on social media.[3] It is therefore one of the biggest grassroot and social media churches on a global scale.[4]
History[edit]
Elias I., born Achim Schmidt, a Canadian theologian with German roots was a member of a baptist church and the head of a small Christian ULC group in Toronto. Having been disappointed by both churches he founded the volunteers-only “Christian Universal Life Church”, setting it up as a grassroot movement and social media church on an international level. As of 2018 the Christian Universal Life Church had become a heavy weight in missionary work worldwide, especially in Asia and Africa.[5][6] In 2018 Elias I. handed over his worldly duties to his successor Lukas Emanuel. To avoid any confusion with the Universal Life Church, the Christian Universal Life Church officially changed its name to “Christian Church International”, which is now also an unregistered trademark to reduce the risk of further puzzlement.[7] In 2021 the Supreme Leader and the First Bishop passed away and the central committee could not agree about the future course of the church. So it was taken over by the philanthropic Jewish Messianic Fellowship International. Ever since internal discussions are not released to the press anymore.
Doctrine[edit]
The Christian Church International follows an evangelical, panentheist, old-apostolic and partly messianic jewish believe system.[8] It is moderately conservative and has two wings, a fundamentalist evangelical one as well as a socially progressive, apostolic one.[9] The Christian Church International believes in God as “the One and Threefold” and the teachings of the Holy Bible. As panentheists the Christian Church International believes that all beings are part of God. This is because God is thought to be “all that exists and all that exists is God”.[10]
Churches, schools and missionary work[edit]
As a grassroot and social media church, based in the United States of America, with a strong focus on missionary work, the Christian Church International is organized in house churches, bible groups and missionary teams.[11] Its entire international operations are controlled by the “Global Missionary Center” in Boston, Massachusetts. All clerical staff hold a university degree or are an alumnus of the élite school Arnulf Seminary of Theology which had to end operations and close due to the Corona virus pandemic (2020-2022). The missionary work led to an exponentially strong growth of the church, even in unlikely regions like Afghanistan, where now approx. two per cent of the population are a member of the Christian Church International.[12]
Organization and finances[edit]
The Christian Church International is led by a central committee of 12 theologians. The entire Christian Church International is a non-profit, volunteer-only church. It doesn't even accept monetary donations.[13]
External links[edit]
- Official website of the Christian Church International (currently under redesign work)
- Most prominent social media site of this church
References[edit]
- ↑ Section “Our Genesis’, retrieved March 12th, 2021
- ↑ Official website, retrieved March 9, 2021
- ↑ Social Media site with follower counter, retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ↑ The Blasting News: “The Christian Universal Life Church has enacted a new dogma”. Published March 31st, 2017. Retrieved November 7th, 2018.
- ↑ Craig D. Atwood, Frank S. Mead, Samuel Hill: Handbook of Denominations in the United States. Abingdon Press, 2010
- ↑ The Blasting News: “Russia: missionaries in trouble?”. Published April 4, 2017. Retrieved November 7th, 2018
- ↑ Reg. #WI/62529, issued Nov 5th 2018
- ↑ Official statement, “That's us” – second last paragraph, retrieved December 9, 2018
- ↑ The Huffington Post, German edition, article about gay marriage and the position of this very church (old name) in regard to that topic: “Ehe für alle? Ja, in Gottes Namen!”, published 30 July 2017, retrieved November 7, 2018
- ↑ Quotes retrieved from the official website on November 7, 2018
- ↑ Mark R. Gornik: Word Made Global. Stories of African Christianity in New York City. Eerdmans Publishing 2011
- ↑ Why two percent of all Afghans are now members of a church. Published in The Blasting News Section on April 1, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ↑ Information on the official website, retrieved November 7, 2018.
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