This is basically two letters I wrote recently to a brother who questioned whether we should speak against the name "Church of God" and D.S. Warner after reading Mike Atnips booklet, this is my answer.

The Name "Church of God", is it sacred?

Mike Atnip points out some very interesting facts about this movement started by D.S. Warner. The lifting up of this movement as some special move of God, is not real truth. God was working all over the earth.

We right now are exposing the Seventh Trumpet Movement of Danny Layne, the Church of God Restoration. Just because there are only a few brave souls among us non-CoGR-believers, does not mean we are wrong about that movement. So there may have only been a few in D.S. Warners time who saw the error. But we should not discount them either. So Mike's article is important and correct regarding this group.

I do believe that D. S. Warner made a lot of predictions... which did not come true... of which the end is what we are dealing with now. A lot of groups by his teachings claiming to have a corner on the truth.

We have created and some still want to create more Church of God's... We don't. We need to show the failure of this doctrine and help people not to think they have to go back to that doctrine to be saved. When you think that is the only way, you are setting yourself up to be sucked into the next one that comes along, or back into the same one. All because of the foundational lifting up of some old teachings by a minister long ago. Which end's up... if they carry out the doctrine to its end. Like the CoGR all over again.

Thus all these holiness movements do. They preach real high doctrine... which God never intended us to live. Then bang, out pop's another group... who are claiming the former is compromised. Some come out and realize that they are altogether false. Others come out because of hurts, but still think it is all OK.

No it is not all OK... people die there as a result of their teachings on divine healing. Your relatives may die pre-maturely because of their teachings.

I read in a statistical book that there are over 250 Church of God groups in the US, and that was before this one started.

I was a part of some of the others before I meet the Guthrie folks. Church of God Holiness in Kansas City, they are larger than the GoGR and Guthrie put together, probably by 10 times. The Fire Baptized Holiness People in Independence, Kansas they have a large campmeeting every year and are probably twice as big as the CoGR. Another Campmeeting at Happy Hill, Oklahoma way out in the country. This group is out of Quincy, IL., where they used to have a big camp ground, they have I think about 30 locations. And these all are larger than the CoGR. Guthrie itself is much larger. Another group is the Bible Missionary Church which has split several times.

All these groups started out with founders who had good intentions and accomplished much. But the real truth is most of these Holiness groups are pushing doctrines that do not hold up over time. Nor do they fit in with the real Christian life. They are always splitting and splitting. They are no better than any other Christian group. In most cases worse because of the divisions among them and so forth.

It is a total fact that D.S. Warner was just one man among millions who were coming to the Lord at that time. His group was no bigger than many others who started then and are still around.

Very strange that most people on the earth have never heard of D.S. Warner... and if it wasn't for the Faith Publishing House most of us would never have heard of him either. Most people in the Church of God (Anderson) have probably never heard of him. Let alone the rest of the world.

A real prophet of God would have been known to all in the world. If he indeed had the message for the times.

His special corner on truth has done none of us any good. Except to make us spiritually proud, and look down on others as not having the clear truth. Making us who subscribed to the teachings sectarian if we where not already.

If we give him the benefit of a doubt. Then he would not want to be lifted up. He would turn over in his grave if he could see the way people have took his teachings and used them to captivate people.

The so called Church of God Reformation, and the Restoration, are all lifted up so high that like the tower of Babel they must be brought down.

A final note: We don't believe it anymore. Otherwise we would have to go out and start another group to push it ahead. But we would be like all the others before us. Doomed to failure. Because it only has a 1% thread of truth in there, and the other 99% is not in keeping with general Christianity... then, or today.

I do like the one idea they had, "...we reach our hands in fellowship with every blood washed one." But if you take these group ideals on this, you must add, so long as her dress is so long, so long as he does not wear a tie, so long as you do not have lace curtains, so long as your women never cut their hair, so long as you only use the King James Bible, so long as you move to one of our congregation (otherwise you are strange and don't fit in), so long as you submit to our ministry, so long as you uphold our corner on the market of truth... and this can go on for days and even a life time.

That is why you need to go to a good church that teaches real Christian doctrine and not some holiness off shoot. We do not recommend you going to any "Holiness Group" to learn Christian Doctrine. You will learn "Holiness Doctrine", which in many causes has extra-biblical teachings for you to be considered a Christian. Some of my Holiness friends may be surprised by my stand on this but how can we tell them to go into all that bickering and fighting.

Holiness movements pick and choose what scriptures they teach from, and sure they seem to prove something, that they cannot ever get along.

We cannot keep lifting up something that God is not lifting.

Lifting up D.S. Warner and his book, "The Birth of a Reformation", is like lifting up and promoting the theology of the Book of Mormon.

We were told at one time that we should read the Birth of a Reformation at least once a year. Why? Because it was the foundation for their doctrine. Not the Holy Scriptures.

Just say no to D.S. Warner.

Just say no to Danny Layne.

They both claim or claimed some sort of corner on Gods truth in these last days, but by their fruit you shall definitely know them... look at the abuse and confusion that is still going on in their name.

That is why the scripture says, "...there is no other name where by we must be saved,...", Jesus Christ. That is the name.

"Church of God", is it what God named his congregation? Did God ever tell us to name ourselves?

Did God tell us to use this name?

Now where in the Holy Bible does it tell us, "Thou Shalt put the name, "Church of God", above your door, on your drivers lic, and on your business Card, thou shall not use any other name..."? Now that is not what it says. Does it? The only exclusive name that I read about is the name "Christ", there is no other name where by we must be saved.

Oh, "... they were called something back then... so that is what we better do".

The "Church" of God is more accurately interpreted as the, congregations of God. In other words God's people who are gathered together. Don't see there is a mandate as to using any certain name for local congregations or groups meeting together.

More accurately it seems to me that the name was, the church, "congregation", which is at Sardis and so forth. Did not say to the Church of God at Sardis.

We can easily get caught up in names. Wrongly dividing the word of truth.

This name exclusivity that these folks have used over the last 150 years has done more to divide the true Christians than almost any other group. Because of the exclusive teaching regarding this name, groups of well meaning Christians, have cut themselves off from the majority of all other Christians who just don't see it. Why don't they see it? Because it is not a mandate. Now when you make this "Church of God" mandate a rule, you have taken the first step of adding a "jot" to the Holy Scriptures, and where do we stop.

Note: Another Church that does this same doctrinal stand on the name is the Church of Christ in the US. They are just as bad, spending an inordinate amount of time and effort promoting the "name", rather than Christ himself.

Where do we stop when we start adding to what the Bible actually said?

The use of the "Church of God", or the "Church of Christ", in the bible was nothing more than a reference to the people of God. And it was not in reference to a name we are required to use. No more than the others mentioned, like the Redeemed. We are the redeemed, not just named the redeemed. We are the churches of God, the congregations of the people of God gathered together. Not just a name.

I prefer the no name brand myself. Those Christians who do not put a high priority on names and rather on the work of Christ in the hearts of men. There are a lot more of them today among the Christian community than ever.

When we visit groups in our local city we find that the majority are working not on exclusivity, but on winning souls to Christ. This is so right. This is what our focus is suppose to be as the body of Christ. And that is what the Bible was referring to when it spoke of the church. It was not speaking of some exclusive group hid in some corner off in some little hall down the road, but rather all the redeemed in all locals, all those who's hearts are right towards God, working together in their congregations toward the edification of the body they are meeting with, and the world at large.

Ok, we are now arguing CoG Doctrine. The bible calls us many things, ...ye shall be called the Redeemed, Called out, Holy Priest Hood, and the church's of Christ, and of course the church (congregation of God).

Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Romans 16:15-17 These people sure missed the boat didn't they? They got the name wrong. Strange the CoGR will preach on the holy kiss, but ignore the churches of Christ.

If for no other reason than because of the damage done to so many people by the exclusivity and very sectarian use of this name. We should avoid, at all cost, using this one. It is too easily mis-interpreted by nearly everyone. People are just too proud of that name "Church of God" to be any earthly good.

I am not promoting here... that if someone has this name up on their building, they should remove it. But they should however have several meetings a year explaining to their people that they are not the only one's. And they should invite other minister from various group's to examine their doctrines to see whether they be true or not.

Here is where the problem is, they believe they "ARE" the only one's, after all they have the name. At least most of these "Church of God" groups using this name exclusively believe this.

It is evident that using the name "Church of God" has not made anyone a Christian, but rather a sectarian, and I say that this is ironic because that is what they preach against so much. Sectarianism...

Out of all the holiness groups I was a part of for many years, I have come to the conclusion that the "Church of God" groups, which I have been a part of, are more sectarian than so any of the others who supposedly do not have the "Right" name or even know the doctrine of "Sectarian Division". In answer to that, I would say, if you do not want to be sectarian, then do not use an exclusive name. But one that includes all the redeemed.

What would that name be? I don't know... it is whatever you want? But make sure you include all Gods people of every race, color, nationality, and different doctrinal views, all the saved in your teaching of who is your brother. Who is the Church?

This name "Church of God" has ceased to have meaning. It has become a label. Just like "Coke". It is now a brand. A brand I am very scared of. It seems to mean poison to me, because several times I have been made almost sick unto death by its very taste in my mouth.

When you use this "Church of God" name today, you are branding yourself as exclusive, and no God did not intend his church to be exclusive, as taught by the CoGR. Get that thought right out of your mind. It is entirely a false doctrine that leads to division and strife. Come out from among them.