lglesia Ni Cristo

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Iglesia ni Cristo[4] (Tagalog for Church of Christ) also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian[5] religious organization that originated from the Philippines[6] and the largest independent church in Asia.[7] Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in outlook and theme.[8] INC, however, does not formally consider itself to be part of the Restoration Movement.

Felix Y. Manalo officially registered the church with the Philippine Government on July 27, 1914[9] and because of this, most publications refer to him as the founder of the church.[10] However, the official doctrines of the church profess that Jesus Christ is the founder of the INC[11] and that Felix Manalo was the last messenger, sent by God to re-establish the Christian Church to its true, pristine form because the original church was apostatized. INC teaches that the apostatized church is the Roman Catholic Church,[12] and proclaims that Catholic beliefs[13] shared by most Christians, such as the Trinity are proof of this apostasy. The church teaches that the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit are not biblical.[14][15][16] As of 2010[update], the Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo is Eduardo V. Manalo, the grandson of Felix Manalo.[17]

Contents

1 History

2 Architecture

3 Organization and administration

4 Beliefs

4.1 Church

4.2 Bible

4.3 God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit

4.4 Felix Manalo

4.5 Eschatology

5 Practices

5.1 Worship and prayer

5.2 Evangelization

5.3 Outreach

5.4 Political involvement

6 Membership

7 Responses

7.1 Religious responses

7.1.1 Catholic Church response

7.1.2 Charles Caldwell Ryrie

7.1.3 Evangelical apologetics response

7.1.4 Members Church of God International response

7.2 Secular response

7.2.1 Ross Tipon

7.2.2 Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption

8 References

9 External links

[edit] History

Felix Manalo, born on May 10, 1886 in Taguig, Philippines, was baptized a Roman Catholic. In his teenage years, Manalo became dissatisfied with Roman Catholic theology. According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church was his major turning point but Manalo remained uninterested since its doctrines were mainly Catholic. He started seeking through various denominations, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1904, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church,[18] entered the Methodist seminary, and became a pastor for a while.[3] Manalo left the Methodist church in 1913, and associated himself with atheist and agnostic peers.[19][20]