Talk:Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Archive 2

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There is alot of detail concerning Bible Way's year of impass. Those who are under the leadership of Apostle Campbell have very little information. And the information that they have is mostly untrue. I can give you verifiable information if you would like. 860 249 3808, Bishop T. Allen Stringer T. Allen Stringer | [[User talk:T. Allen Stringer|Talk]] 07:29, May 2006 (UTC)

History of Bible Way Chruch of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide Inc

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The Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World-Wide, Inc. is an organization of African-American Pentecostal churches stared in 1957 in Washington, DC and later reorganized into two organizations in 1997 with headquarters in Brooklyn, NY and Danville, VA.

The Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ was organized in September of 1957 by Smallwood Edmond Williams, who at the time was the General Secretary of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith (COOLJC). Under Williams' leadership, about 70 churches withdrew from that organization to form the new organization, citing the sole-governorship of COOLJC leader, Bishop Robert C. Lawson, as grounds. Williams became the first presiding bishop of the church.

Beliefs of the Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ include the inspiration of the Bible as the word of God; salvation made possible only through Jesus; the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues; water baptism by immersion; the premillennial second coming of Jesus; the final judgment of the dead; and the establishment of new heavens and a new earth.

In 1995 the church had about 300,000 members in 350 congregations world wide. The chief officer in the church is the Presiding Bishop, which office was held in 2006 by Chief Apostle Huie L. Rogers for the church headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and Chief Apostle Cornelius Showell for the church headquartered in Baltimore, MD. Both bodies conduct a general conference annually in July and operates a publishing house in Washington, D.C..


History

Smallwood E. Williams himself had been a part of the Apostolic Pentecostal, or Oneness Pentecostal, movement from the second decade of the 20th century. Though groomed as a son in the gospel by Bishop Lawson, much as Lawson and others were groomed and trained by Bishop G.T. Haywood, Williams was almost a contemporary of these in that he was preaching as a lad, according to an interviewee in W.L. Bonner's biographical collection of Lawson, My Father in the Gospel.

Though not fully accepted in his youth as a minister, Williams grew into his ministry until he became one of the most powerful men in the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ during the post-World War II years, which proved to be a golden age of growth and social influence for the organization. After Lawson sent him to Washington, D.C., to confirm and increase a tiny congregation there, Williams preached up a congregation that began to rival the mother church, "Beloved" Refuge Temple in Harlem. As General Secretary, Williams was an important participant in the distribution of credentials and of ecclesiastical funds, which made him very influential. The publishing of the church minute book, which contained the names of all clergy and church workers in every church of the COOLJC, was done under his authority.

Lawson and Williams were leading figures in an influential Pentecostal organization at a time when Pentecostal churches were rare, which amounted to much at the time within Pentecostal circles. Other contemporary African-American Pentecostal organizations included the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW) and the Church of God in Christ, as well as smaller "storefront fellowships". Nevertheless, COOLJC leader Lawson worked hard to keep his church at the forefront. Lawson's dynamic preaching style, outstanding teaching ability, and lively Pentecostal hymnody set the pace for the organization and made his name and the organization well known throughout the United States.

Nevertheless, Lawson was found by many to be a hard taskmaster. He would assign full-time ministers to particular areas to plant missions or pastor churches sometimes against their will. Though he was liberal for his time, as far as allowing or encouraging his members to wear ties, play instruments, and sing together in organized choirs, Lawson was also known for his exacting scrutiny when catechizing new ministers (formerly a public affair) and for his uncompromising demand of faithfulness to the apostolic doctrine and to the life of practical holiness it required. For these reasons, Lawson unwittingly put himself at odds with members who would prefer a more congregational and less episcopal form of church governance.

Moreover, for a time, Lawson refused the title of "bishop" to many qualified persons, choosing instead to name "overseers", which, though synonymous with the prohibited title, did not afford high-ranking clergy the social prestige they would have otherwise received. By reserving to himself the title "bishop", Lawson appeared to some to have set himself up as 'the' leading Apostolic Pentecostal clegyman.

It was just this situation that Smallwood Williams used to his advantage. He and a group of his COOLJC colleagues confronted Bishop Lawson about refusing them the deserved title of "bishop". Disappointed when Lawson still refused them the honor, Williams, Overseer John Beane of Richmond, Virginia (who'd been demoted to elder by Lawson on some scandalous hearsay), and others decided to pull out of the organization. Williams used his church's newsletter, the Bible Way Voice, to circulate criticism of Lawson's autocratic approach to governing. Then he sent letters to churches, clergy, and workers throughout the organization, asking them to join his new movement out of the COOLJC. It is both written and said that Williams promised money and titles to garner support for his cause. The conflict between the Williams revolutionaries and the Lawson faithfuls was bitter, and in the end nearly half of the 177 churches in the organization left and followed Williams. He and four other leading COOLJC ministers were soon formally ordained as bishops in a ceremony performed by a Bishop John Holly of the PAW.

Today known in the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ as "the Bible Way Split," this schism caused emotional pain to the congregants involved and seemed to physically break Lawson, whose health began to decline. Interestingly, some churches returned to the parent organization for various reasons, most notably that the rewards promised to them for leaving were never realized.

In any event, the Bible Way organization eventually emerged as a strong, vibrant, and growing organization, reportedly surpassing its parent church in size. Churches were founded throughout the world, and Bishop Williams, a preacher's preacher, became one of the most popular preachers in the Washington, D.C., area. A very influential social figure, he sermonized extensively on racial and social injustice and used his pastoral clout to fight for integrity in the District's juvenile justice system. His sons in the gospel have inherited his preaching dynamo, and the name 'Bible Way' has become associated with contemporary Apostolic Pentecostalism with an old-time flair, much in the same way as could be said for the "whooping" preachers in the Church of God in Christ.

Recent history

There are now at least two organizations one called Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide Inc (est. 1957) led by Apostle Huie L. Rogers and the other called the International Bible Way Church of Jesus Christ Inc (est. April 11, 2008) under the leadership of Apostle F.C. Showell.

The apparent cause for the split was a disagreement about church governance. After the death of Bishop Smallwood Williams in 1991, the church considered Rogers and Campbell each as a potential leader and visionary for the church. The order of succession was put ln place after the death of Apostle Williams. It stated that both Campbell and Rogers would each serve a three year trial term. One as Presider and the other as Vice Presider. At the end of this succession there would be an election for the Presidership. The General Assembly ratified this agreement which held in part that Campbell and Rogers would serve each other as Vice Presider.However, after Campbell served as Presider he refused to serve as Rogers Vice Presider. This was the begining of Bible Way's schism.

After a request made by members of the family of Apostle Smallwood Williams family, not to hold elections at the Mother church during the 40th Holy Convocation. On July 4, 1997, the general assembly overwhelmingly voted to retain Apostle Rogers and his administration for a "Sabbath" year and delay the elections for one year per the requset of Williams family. This caused a rift in the Executive and General Boards and led to the expulsion of Apostle Campbell and a majority of the bishops on the grounds that they filed false documents at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) in Washington, D.C. and for holding unauthorized meetings. After 10 years the battle for the organization still continues. Currently Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide Inc is in litgation against F.C.Showell, J. Showell and L.G. Campbell. Refer to the following source:

Court Considers If Website Supports Personal Jurisdiction Issue of Whether Website Availability Was Persistent Conduct

Bible Way Church v. Showell, ---F.Supp.2d---, 2008 WL 4381974 (D.D.C., Sept. 29, 2008) Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World-Wide, Inc. (“the Church”) was incorporated in 1957 and its name is a federally registered trademark. Several members, Lawrence Campbell, Cornelius Showell, Joseph Showell, and Lyle Dukes, were expelled for violating church rules and regulations. The Church alleged that the expelled members started another religious organization using the name of the exact name of the Church, and then represented the new church as the only genuine version. The new organization operated a website with the address biblewayworldwide.org.

The Church sued the former members and their sponsoring organization, Harvest Life Changers World Ministry (”Harvest Life”), alleging trademark infringement under the Lanham Act. The defendants moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction.

The Church contended that the District Court had general personal jurisdiction over the individual defendants because they held themselves out as controlling members and officers of the Church, which is a District of Columbia corporation. The defendants argued that the Court did not have personal jurisdiction over them as individuals because jurisdiction over a corporation does not automatically mean jurisdiction over its agents.

The Court noted that under the “fiduciary shield” doctrine, individuals acting for a corporation are shielded from a court’s personal jurisdiction. An exception to this doctrine, however, is where a person is essentially an “alter ego” of a corporation over which the court has jurisdiction. In the instant case, Cambell, C. Showell and J. Showell did not deny that they held themselves out as the controlling agents of an organization incorporated in the District of Columbia. The Court therefore had general jurisdiction over their organization. Since the Church alleged that there was no actual corporation, the Court concluded that under the alter ego exception, it had personal jurisdiction over the indivudual defendants.

In addition to asserting personal jurisdiction, the Church was also required to make a prima facie showing that the exercise of jurisdiction satisfied the requirements of due process. The Court held that the Church had satisfied the due process requirement by showing that Cambell, C. Showell and J. Showell purposefully availed themselves of the benefits and protections of the District of Columbia by holding themselves out as officers of a District of Columbia corporation.

The other defendants, Dukes and Harvest Life, contended that the Court did not have personal jurisdiction over them; neither were controlling agents of the corporation. The Church maintained that under the long-arm statute of the District of Columbia, the Court had specific personal jurisdiction because these two defendants participated in a course of conduct through the new church’s website which advertised in the District of Columbia. The Court held that the website did not rise to the level of a persistent course of conduct because it did not allow browsers in the District of Columbia to interact with the website. The Court therefore granted the motion to dismiss with respect to Dukes and Harvest Life.

It is also true that Campbell's' group continues to seek legal means to obtain rights to Bible Way Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide Inc. The false filings that were revoked by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs of the District of Columbia on November 18, 1999 have proven to be the undoing of his efforts. His group is now named, "The International Bible Way Church of Jesus Christ Inc., est. on April 11, 2008 in Baltimore Maryland.


similar incident occurred in Bible Way's sister church, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon the death of founder Sherrod Johnson. (Both of those churches branched out of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.)

External links

References

  • Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
  • Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
  • For the Defense of the Gospel, Arthur Anderson, editor
  • My Father in the Gospel, by William L. Bonner
  • The Order of Succession, by Lawrence Campbell
  • Bible Way's Year of Impass, by T. Allen Stringer

{{Apostolic Church}} [[Category:Pentecostal denominations]] [[Category:Oneness Pentecostalism]] [[Category:Predominantly African American Christian denominations]] [[Category:Religious organizations established in 1957]] [[es:Iglesia del Camino Bíblico de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo Mundial]]


Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

I initially set the quality as "Start" due to issues with the article. I initially set the importance as Low except for Charismatic, where I set it to Mid. These may be too low or two high. Please correct them if necessary. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs)/(e-mail) 23:55, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Last edited at 23:55, 16 April 2009 (UTC). Substituted at 20:04, 2 May 2016 (UTC)

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