The UCG was legally incorporated in 1995. But it didn't magically appear in 1995, it began as one of the factions in the WCG that were created by Armstrong's death.
I'm sorry, I assumed you were asking about the organization "United Church of God." As you recognize, it was organized and established in 1995. I have no way of going back in time and verifying and/or confirming whatever "factions" you're referring to.
If you would like to you can once again follow this link for more information on the genesis of United.
From the linke: "Many of the current ministers and members of the United Church of God were once members of the Worldwide Church of God, a nonprofit corporation under the leadership of Herbert W. Armstrong until his death in 1986. A subsequent unwarranted shift toward nonbiblical practices and beliefs led numerous ministers and members to leave the fellowship of that organization.
Concerned with uneven administrative practices of the former assembly, more than 100 ordained ministers developed a new administrative structure that was more directly accountable to members and the ministry. A new 12-person Council of Elders, elected by a general assembly of all ordained ministers in United, was tasked with reviewing and independently documenting all core beliefs and doctrines of the Church, which above all must be true to the biblical record and not reliant on later divisive philosophical and theological traditions that were developed centuries after the original apostles. That task has been largely completed, and the Church's formal Statement of Fundamental Beliefs is published for all to see on our website.
The early Church upheld the Trinity (Matthew 28:19), the lack of necessity for festival observances (Colossians 2:16) and the abrogation of dietary laws (Acts 10:15).
These are incorrect traditional interpretations of holy scripture. Jesus Christ taught none of these things neither did his disciples.
Armstrong's book The United States and Britain in Prophecy forms the core of this belief in the UCG and WCGA.
It's certainly not a topic that can be covered in a post or summed up and dismissed with a couple of words. If you (or anyone else) is interested in taking on a study of this topic you can read:
The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy
It's quite fascinating and will show you that some of the turmoil and troubles we're experiencing today were predicted long ago in the pages of the bible.
Dennis Luker has died Are you arguing that once someone dies, his followers stop supporting his views? The UCG exists because of ongoing dedication to Armstrong's views after his demise.
I'm not arguing that at all. Dennis Luker was but one of many Presidents (an administrative role) within the organization "United Church of God". It's an appointed position through the 12 man council of elders, who are elected by the larger body of elders. He has no "following" and he's not the head of the church. Jesus Christ is the head of the church!
Kilough did not join someone else's group - he split the UCG by founding the Church of God Worldwide Association, or CGWA. His view is that the UCG has been corrupted and that the CGWA upholds the original UCG teachings.
Certainly Clyde Kilough was part of a group of ministers that (apparently) didn't like the how United was set up. My understanding was that this group thought that United should be MORE like the old Worldwide Church of God under Herbert Armstrong in structure and philosophy. When they started their organization they greatly strengthened the responsibilities of the office of the President...more in line with how they saw Herbert Armstrong. Clyde Kilough isn't the President of the new group so I'm not sure where you're getting your information from. I didn't know many of these people personally so I'm just reporting scuttlebutt a bit.
The UCG exists because its founders believe that it upholds the true WCG beliefs and that the current GCI has corrupted the old WCG.
That's just factually incorrect. UCG purposely set itself up differently administratively to avoid some of the abuses and mistakes in administration that the Worldwide Church of God had.
All three groups derive their worldview from Herbert Armstrong, are all factions of Armstrong's organization, and all claim to be the original and authentic upholders of 1st century Christianity. Armstrong himself split off from the CGSD.
The Church of God of course has existed since Christ created it. As the article points out, it's a spiritual organism that has existed throughout time and through many organizations. It's members certainly have existed in the Church of God 7th day, United, the Catholic church, Baptists, and probably any other organization one can think of.
Again, thank you for providing the opportunity to clarify some of the information you have. I'm sure it's helpful to you and many others.
You're basically making two contradictory arguments here: that the United Church of God is the first century Church and that UCG came into existence in 1995.
These are incorrect traditional interpretations of holy scripture. Jesus Christ taught none of these things neither did his disciples.
I see.
And the UCG's interpretations are the correct ones.
And we can rely on this assertion that the UCG is correct and others are incorrect because . . . you say so?
It's certainly not a topic that can be covered in a post or summed up and dismissed with a couple of words.
Yet you attempted just that upthread.
Thanks for posting the link - people should look for themselves to find Armstrong's ahistorical, racialist arguments about the Scythians.
He has no "following" and he's not the head of the church.
He indeed has a following. Specifically, persons like yourself who agree that his position on Armstrong's teachings was more reliable than that of the GCI or of the CGWA.
And while he was not the head of the Church, he was the head of the UCG until a few weeks ago.
Clyde Kilough isn't the President of the new group so I'm not sure where you're getting your information from.
Kilough was absolutely a founder of CGWA. Jim Franks may be the current President, but Kilough is not an after-the-fact, rank-and-file member. He was instrumental in the splitting of the CGWA from the UCG.
While I understand the rhetorical value of saying that you desire "humility" while simultaneously asserting that orthodox Christian theology is "incorrect tradition" the UCG retains certain core distinctives.
Among those distinctives, as illustrated by your link, is the belief that whites of "northwest European" descent are actually the physical descendants of the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
You speak of the Church as a "spiritual organism" existing in many forms - this is vague enough to pass muster with most "nondenominational" and Evangelical Christians.
But the UCG also believes that the Church is a physical and political organism as well, based on the genetic ancestry and political history of the British diaspora.