Iglesia ni Cristo
|
Iglesia ni Cristo's first chapel |
The
Iglesia ni Cristo (
IPA: ) (also known as
INC or
Iglesya ni Kristo ;
Filipino for
Church of Christ) is a nontrinitarian independent religious organization which originated in the
Philippines.
[Sanders, Albert J., "An Appraisal of the Iglesia ni Cristo," in Studies in Philippine Church History, ed. Anderson, Gerald H. (Cornell University Press, 1969)]The INC was incorporated in the Philippines by
Felix Manalo on
July 27,
1914;
[Tipon, Emmanuel 'Iglesia Ni Cristo celebrates 90th anniversary' PhilippineNews.com (Jul 28, 2004) Retrieved August 19, 2005] The church professes to be the reestablishment of the original church founded by
Jesus and does not accept the doctrine of the
Trinity, including the
deity of
Jesus.
[ Aromin, Rubin D. 'God's Own Special People', God's Message (Manila: Iglesia ni Kristo, July 2001) cited by Student621. Bible Students Page at tripod.com. Retrieved July 6 2005.]The Iglesia ni Cristo's
architecture is notable for the narrow-pointed
spires of its chapel buildings. In the Philippines, these are considered
landmarks of major cities and provincial capitals.
[About the Philippines: The Official Government Portal of the Republic of the Philippines] |
Felix Manalo on the cover of the Pasugo |
The historical context of the Iglesia ni Cristo lies in a period of the early
20th century characterised by a variety of rural anti-
colonialism movements, often with religious undertones, in the
Philippines. At this time, U.S.
missionary work was exposing
Filipino culture to many alternatives to the
Catholicism installed under earlier
Spanish rule.
[Partridge, Christopher (Ed.) (2004). Encyclopedia of new religions, new religious movements, sects and alternative spiritualities. (Oxford: Lion Publishing, 2004) ISBN 0745950736.]After
Felix Manalo joined and left many religious organizations as a young adult,
['25 Years in the West, God's Message (Manila: 1993)]he proclaimed that God gave him a mission to preach the
gospel and to reestablish the first
church founded by
Jesus.
[Crisostomo, Isabelo T. 'Felix Y. Manalo and the Iglesia ni Cristo', Pasugo (May-June 1986)]The INC began with a handful of followers on
July 27,
1914 in Punta, Santa Ana,
Manila; with Manalo as its head minister.
[Suarez, E. T. 'Iglesia ni Cristo turns 91 today' Manila Bulletin (July 27, 2005)] Manalo propagated his message within his local area, growing the Iglesia ni Cristo and converting members of other
religions. As membership increased, he delegated others to spread the teachings of the INC and it eventually spread throughout the
Philippines and to other countries. After Felix Manalo's death in 1963, his son
Eraño took over duties as executive minister and
Eduardo V. Manalo is the deputy executive minister. The
Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity mentions that the church has sometimes been called
'quasi-Christian'.
[McManners, John (Ed.) (2001). The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. p. 503, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) ISBN 0192854399.]By 1988, INC has grown to about 2,635 congregations called locales, in which 220 of them cover sixty-seven countries outside the Philippines.
['Who Are They' Let Us Reason Ministries (2002); cited by the Adherents.com religious geography citations database] According to various sources, including the
1997 Britannica Book of the Year, INC had a worldwide population of over one million members by the early 1980s.
[1997 Britannica Book of the Year; pg. 781-783; cited by Adherents.com religious geography citations database][Turner, Harold W. "New Religious Movements in Primal Societies " in Hinnells, John R. (ed). A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin Books: New York (1991) [reprint; 1st published in 1984]; pg. 449; cited by Adherents.com religious geography citations database]According the 2000 census of the Philippine National Statistics Office, 2.3 percent of the population in the Philippines are affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo.
[Results from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, NSO]The Manila city government recently declared July 27th a holiday, and allowed members of the Iglesia ni Cristo paid leave, in order to celebrate the anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo. On
July 27,
2006, the
Philippine House of Representatives passed a resolution commending the INC on its 92nd anniversary.
[ 'Special holiday today for INC in Manila,Malabon' The Manila Bulletin Online (July 27, 2006)] [ name="House greets Iglesia ni Cristo on its 92nd anniversary"> 'House greets Iglesia ni Cristo on its 92nd anniversary' The Manila Bulletin Online (July 27, 2006)].
INC members actively try to spread their beliefs, primarily by inviting people to Bible Studies and evangelical missions (known as
Pamamahayag in Filipino), and by distributing religious magazines and pamphlets.
In the
Philippines,
radio and
television programs are produced, and they are broadcast on 1062
kHz DZEC-
AM radio, the
Net 25 television station operated by Eagle Broadcasting Corporation, the broadcast division of the Iglesia ni Cristo and GEM TV, the sister station to NET 25, also owned by the INC and broadcast on cable.
In
North America, a
television program called
The Message is produced by Bro. Edward Maranan on behalf of the Iglesia ni Cristo in the
San Francisco Bay Area. It is currently aired in the
United States and
Canada and some parts of
Europe. The 30-minute program is hosted by different INC ministers (alternating each show) who share the main beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo with a
television audience.
['Mosaic Christian Programs', Vision TV (2005). Retrieved August 13 2005.]The official INC
magazine available to INC congregations worldwide is entitled
God's Message or
Pasugo. For many years the INC published the bilingual
Pasugo for the Philippines and a separate all-English
God's Message International Edition for usage abroad. In January
2004, the administration of the INC began to publish only one magazine both in the Philippines and abroad bearing the name
God's Message. While predominantly English, the latest version contains a Filipino Section. The
magazine consists of letters to the
editor,
news from locales worldwide, religious
poetry, articles relating to INC beliefs, a
directory of locales outside the
Philippines and would also feature a schedule of worship services until recently.
The INC does outreach work for the poor. Its housing developments such as "Tagumpay Village" and others are models of similar programs of the government
['2006 State of the Nation Address' ]. It provides free medical and dental services through its "Lingap Sa Mamamayan" project. It also conducts community service acts such as street cleaning, blood drives and tree-planting activities.
[Keith, Gaby B 'City Congratulates INC on 90th Founding Anniversary' bagiw.com (Jul 26, 2004) - Retrieved October 23, 2005]Membership in the INC is conferred through
baptism. People who wish to be baptized in the INC must first submit to a formal process taking at least six months. Once someone officially registers with INC, the person is given the status of indoctrinee (or Bible Student, as they are called within the Iglesia ni Cristo), and taught the twenty-six lessons concerning fundamental
doctrines of the INC. In the
United States, there are an additional three lessons taught for a total of twenty-nine, which mainly contain information about the Church and its beginnings in the Philippines. These lessons are contained in the doctrine manual written by
Eraño G. Manalo entitled
Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ). This book is only given to ministers, evangelical workers, and ministerial students of the INC. Each lesson is usually thirty minutes to one hour in length.
After hearing all of the lessons, the indoctrinees enter their probationary period during which they are required to attend fifteen once a week
group prayer meetings wherein they are taught to pray and guided in their adjustment to the INC lifestyle.
When the sixth month comes, indoctrinees who have been active in attending the twice a week worship services and whose lifestyles are in accordance with INC doctrines are screened before being baptized. During the screening they are asked questions about the doctrines taught to them. Those who pass the screening are scheduled to be baptized.
Since understanding is necessary before being baptized in the INC, the minimum age for baptism is set at around eleven and at least the 6th grade. Newborn children of members are instead "offered" during the worship service. The child offering in the INC is done through a prayer led by an ordained minister of the INC.
[Manalo, Eraño G., 'Baptism', Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Leksyon #22 (In Filipino, the corresponding lesson is lesson #19, 'Ang Bautismo' (Manila: Iglesia ni Cristo, 1989)]Members who are not living in accordance with the doctrines taught in the INC are admonished. Those who continue in violation of INC doctrines after being admonished are expelled from the INC. Certain violations, such as eating blood, marrying non-INC members, and not uniting judgement with the church such as voting for political candidates selected by the INC administration, usually result in mandatory expulsion after the first proven offense.
[‘Ang Pinakamabigat Na Parusa Na Maaaring Igawad Sa Isang Iglesia Ni Cristo', Leksyon #10, Doktrina 3b (Doctrinal lessons for third year ministerial students), 1998 Iglesia ni Cristo]The INC's Central Administration is the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Office; a large, secured complex located on
Commonwealth Avenue, New Era,
Quezon City,
Philippines. An editorial in the
July 25,
2004 issue of
Philippine Panorama Magazine described the complex as including: the six-story Central Office Building; the 7,000-seat
Central Temple; the
Tabernacle, a multi-purpose hall; the 30,000 seating-capacity Central Pavilion; the College of Evangelical Ministry; the New Era General Hospital; and the
New Era University. There is also a residence for the family of Executive Minister,
Eraño G. Manalo on the premises as well as one for the family of
Eduardo V. Manalo, the Deputy Executive Minister.
Ever since former
Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon created a lasting friendship after asking
Felix Manalo for advice, the INC has been known for its strong
political influence. It was well-known for its support of President
Ferdinand E. Marcos until his ousting during the
EDSA Revolution of
1986.
[Mangahas, Malou; "Church at the Crossroads", Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, April 29, 2002]INC members are noted for their
bloc voting in
Philippine elections[an article in Pasugo (Manila: Iglesia ni Kristo, 1986) cited by "Pepe" 'Iglesia ni Kristo - religion and politics in Philippine society' Pepeslog (Berkeley: University of California, 21 February 2001). Retrieved July 3 2005] ['Indigenous Christian Churches' Philippines: A Country Study, (Washington, DC: US Library of Congress, 1993 4th ed.) A representative of the INC Administration states that this site contains gross inaccuracies.][Tubeza, Philip C. 'SC ruling sought on sects' vote', Inquirer News Service, (Manila: April 1, 2004). Retrieved February 6, 2006], although INC has the biggest conversion turn-out, between sixty-eight and eighty-four percent of their members voting for candidates endorsed by its leadership, according to comprehensive surveys conducted by
ABS-CBN.
[Day-of-Election Survey, ABS-CBN/SWS, May 14, 2001. Retrieved February 6, 2006.] This is in part due to their doctrine on unity, which puts the penalty of expulsion on anyone found to sway from the doctrine. Some Philippine media credit the INC bloc vote for the presidential
campaign victory of
Joseph Estrada in
1998 , and the re-election of
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in
2004 ['INC throws support behind Macapagal, De Castro' Inquirer News Service, (Manila: May 6, 2004)].
This has given INC strong political influence on elected officials. Newspaper reports say that the Philippine Congress decision to uphold the decision on September 2005 to reject the Arroyo impeachment complaint was swayed by largely by INC influence. One newspaper reported that
Erano Manalo personally called each and every lawmaker.
[Tubeza, Philip C.; Cabacungan, Gil Jr., 'INC tipped balance for GMA, says solon' Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila: September 7, 2005) p. A1]. However, Behn Fer. Hortaleza Jr. claims otherwise. He wrote an op-ed piece for The Sun·Star Pangasinan claiming that Representative Joey Salceda "had wanted to pit the INC against the Catholic church by so timing the congressman's "news" with another expose on the bishops' receiving Pagcor "sin money" for their projects."
[Behn Fer. Hortaleza Jr, 'Hortaleza: Salceda's gambit on Iglesia role' SunStar Pangasinan Sun·Star Pangasinan (Sunday, November 20, 2005]] Others, however, argue that the INC vote is only significant in close-run elections, noting that INC-supported candidates,
Senator Sergio Osmeña Jr. lost in
1969 to Marcos and businessman
Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. lost to
Fidel Ramos in
1992.
[Danao, Efren L.; Cruz, Maricel V., 'INC vote may be overrated factor' The Manila Times (Manila: May 04, 2004)]Not all candiates in Philippine politics embraced support from INC. Macapagal-Arroyo's father,
Diosdado Macapagal has refused INC's preferred support during his runs for
Vice President in
1957, and re-election for
President in
1965 – in which he incidentally lost to
Marcos. According to Macapagal's official website, he delined support in order to "advance the maturization of Philippine democracy."
[Macapagal, Diosdado 'Autobiography']From religious groups
The Iglesia ni Cristo has come under criticism from other
religions mainly due to disagreements over their doctrines and beliefs regarding the interpretation of the
Bible.
Dr.
Karl Keating, the founder of
Catholic Answers, an
apologetics group, claims that Dr. Jose Ventilacion, an INC minister and one of their chief debaters, broke an agreement in 1990 for a one-on-one debate made by the two organizations in
National City, California. Instead of a one-on-one debate, Keating states that Ventilacion had three helpers assisting him, and that they were shouting at him during the debate.
[Keating, Karl 'Into the Maw of the Cult' This Rock (San Diego: Catholic Answers, February 1990) - Retrieved May 17, 2006] However, all debates are preceded by a pre-debate conference in which rules concerning the debate
Keating also states that an INC claim that that the
Pope's title is "
Vicarius Filii Dei," which is engraved on a tiara, and translates to the Roman numerals "666", is a fabrication. He counters with the fact that the last
pope to have worn a tiara,
Paul VI, wore an unengraved tiara and that the official papal title is not "
Vicarius Filii Dei," but "Vicarius Christi."
Catholic Answers has also rejected the INC's doctrines of
apostasy within the
Catholic church and does not consider the verses used to support the doctrine of the Iglesia ni Cristo being prophesied nor the apostacy of the Catholic church are used in the right context. It contends that other verses are difficult to reconcile with the views of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
['Iglesia ni Cristo', Catholic Answers (San Diego: Catholic Answers, August 2004). Retrieved July 5 2005.] However, the Iglesia ni Cristo claims through biblical prophesies, that it was elected to be "the nation of God," as the Israelites were, and that God chose them to serve him.
Let Us Reason ministries criticised the INC for holding the belief that it has the sole authority from
God to interpret and preach the Bible, while other religions do not. They also claim that the INC intentionally misinterprets and misappropriates verses to agree with their doctrines.
['How the Church teaches', Let Us Reason ministries (2002). Retrieved July 27, 2005.] They also reject the INC's doctrine that one can only be saved if they are a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
['Salvation', Let Us Reason ministries (2002). Retrieved July 28, 2005.] According to the The Bereans Apologetics Research Ministry, some of the beliefs of INC are contrary to mainstream Christianity.
[ 'Iglesia Ni Cristo' The Bereans Apologetics Research Ministry. Retrieved July 9, 2006].
Dr.
Charles Caldwell Ryrie has criticized the INC for allegedly misquoting his Ryrie Study Bible regarding John 1:1 in the May/June
1984 issue of the
Pasugo. Ryrie has been quoted as saying, in a letter to Robert Elliff, the author of the book,
Iglesia Ni Cristo: The Only True Church? "Anyone can look in my Study Bible and see how conveniently this author [the INC] omitted the last phrase in the note of John 1:1."
[Elliff, Robert 'Iglesia Ni Cristo: The Only True Church?' (1989) - Retrieved September 10, 2005]Secular criticism
The main accusation of restraint of
press freedom arises from the church's seeking of
prior restraint on
Ross Tipon's book,
The Power and the Glory: The Cult of Manalo) for alleged gross inaccuracies,
[Echeminada, Perseus. 'Iglesia seeks TRO vs publication of 'blasphemous' book', The Philippine Star (Manila: May 24, 2005)][Robles, JoJo. 'INC against free press?', Manila Standard Today Online (May 25, 2005). Retrieved July 3 2005.] Critics claim that the INC is stifling free speech by banning an unpublished book, and Tipon claims infringment on his free speech rights. An
attorney representing the INC, Abraham Espejo states
"The publication of the criminal manuscript will trigger social unrest, Millions of people may come out in the streets and this may lead to violence." and the Iglesia ni Cristo alleges that the book has defamed its organization and
Felix Y. Manalo. The INC seeks PHP1,000,000 in damages from Tipon and the unknown publisher.
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Religion in the Philippines*
Protestants in the Philippines*
Nontrinitarianism*
List of groups referred to as cults*
Fundamental Beliefs of the Iglesia ni Cristo
The Iglesia ni Cristo does not currently have an official public website. Instead of posting INC-related material online, members are encouraged to refer anyone with questions about the Iglesia ni Cristo to a minister or other church officer. The e-mail address for INC's
God's Message magazine is [mailto:pasugo@inc.org.ph pasugo@inc.org.ph].
Pro
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Truthfinder's INC Page Site by INC member: INC profile, basic teachings, history etc.
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Pasugo Articles Online Selection of scanned articles, editorials, news, etc (English and
Tagalog)
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Food for the Soul Poetry and reprints of God's Message articles
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INC Pasugo Website Unofficial website of articles published by the Iglesia Ni Cristo
Con
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Examine Iglesia Ni Cristo - Evangelical critique of INC based on Pasugo texts
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LetUsReason.org: Iglesia Ni Cristo - Articles about INC and their beliefs
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The Iglesia ni Cristo and evangelical Christianity - article by Anne C. Harper. Her description
"The purpose of this paper is to explore the INC's view of Evangelicals and to consider whether [evangelicals] need to reassess [their] apologetic and evangelistic approach to this group". (
PDF reader required,
HTML version via Google)
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Iglesia ni Cristo in a nutshell - Doctrines exposed - Postings by Cultic Research, made in 2002/2003 on an unmoderated forum about all aspects of INC.
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INCWorld at FaithWeb.com - An unofficial website featuring articles critiquing the INC, not to be confused with the
Intranet site,
INCWorld.org.
Other related links
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DZEC live audio webcast - religious programs in Tagalog are broadcast weekdays, 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight Philippines local time.
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Worship Schedules and Locations - Unofficial, possibly outdated.
