Ten Things the Workers Don't Want You to Investigate

 

  1. Most workers have taught that they and their "way" of ministry and church in the home have continued down from the commissioning of the original 12 Apostles in Mathew 10. They vehemently deny that it was founded by a man. Other workers teach that "this way" is from creation itself, is "from the beginning," or that "no one knows when it started." However, their religious movement was founded by one William Irvine at the end of the nineteenth century.
  2. They teach that their "way" is unchanging, citing "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever." However, their doctrines and practices have changed considerably over their short history.
  3. They don't want you to know where their money comes from, how much they receive, and what they do with it. They claim to be penniless and without possessions, but this is rarely (if ever) the case.
  4. The workers have always publicly claimed to have no name and to be non-denominational. Yet they have taken official names over the years and registered under these names with governments around the world. In the U.S.A. they are the "Christian Conventions," in Canada they are "Assemblies of Christians," etc.
  5. They try to appear orthodox in their doctrines and terminology. However, this is not the case. They teach that God the Father and Jesus are not one and the same God, but that Jesus was only a man. Some will say that He was "from God" (i.e., divine), or "a god" (small "g"). Their "gospel" also in no way corresponds with the good news as one sees it preached in the pages of the Bible (their ministry and tradition of worship is the "gospel" they preach). They are exclusive, holding that salvation is impossible unless one hears their "gospel" preached through the mouth of one of their workers, and unless one continues in fellowship with them until death. These are but three of the many cases in which their doctrines differ widely from what is stated in the Bible. They have their own definitions for many terms, which allow them to appear to agree with orthodox doctrine -- without betraying their true, secret tenets.
  6. They want outsiders to believe that they have no written rules, traditions or codes. Technically, this is generally true, as they have only rarely put anything down on paper. However, new members eventually learn that their conformity to their unwritten traditions and rules is expected and rigidly enforced.
  7. They do not want you to know about their organization and hierarchy. They pretend to have neither -- yet they are highly organized, with a definite, formal hierarchy.
  8. They want you to believe that the Bible condemns any goup of believers who meet in or own buildings (for religious purposes) other than homes. This is not the case -- the Bible gives no instruction as to where believers may gather, and indeed gives several examples of meeting in buildings other than homes. They themselves hypocritically construct and maintain buildings for their annual conventions. The Church certainly is not required to meet in a "church" building, and there is nothing wrong with meeting in homes. However, not a single Scripture commands that believers should only meet in private homes.
  9. They do not want you to examine or question the words of the workers. It is held that God speaks to the world through the mouths of these men and women. To examine or question, thus becomes evidence of a lack of faith. In contrast, the Bible extolls those who "examine everything."
  10. They don't want you to know who Jesus is, or what the true Gospel is, as clearly stated in the Bible. They tell stories, cite examples, change the subject -- anything to keep you coming to their meetings. Once human relationships have developed, they know that peer pressure and a desire to hold these new friends in a positive light will cause many to stifle questions and to submit to their authority.

The workers will say that anything printed about them is a lie, that "bitter" people have made up stories about them, that it is Satan who causes questioning, etc. However, the truth can easily bear examination -- if it is indeed truth.