Identity Movement

Hoovie · #1 02-20-2011, 12:03 AM

About 15 years ago I was exposed to the Christian Identity movement. Some Apostolic people who were close to me were involved in this faux KKK movement. For those not familiar with the Christian Identity movement Wiki has some good info on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi...ntity_movement

At the time several Apostolic ministers adhered to the tenets Christian Identity. Their religious fanaticism either marginalized the Jews and other "non white" races or openly named them as children of the devil.

With the recent resurgence of the apostolic Identity term and attempts to redefine the same, it brings questions about those who propagated the Identity message - even while licensed ministers of the UPC and other Apostolic churches.

I know the government was cracking down hard on these groups and the "Identity" ministries who propagated the teachings. Does anyone know the current status of these Apostolic Identity ministries?

At least one of these was located in Michican, and had close ties to the better known Pete Peters and his Scriptures for America http://www.sfaw.org/

aegsm76 · #2 02-20-2011, 12:08 AM

I am in the South, some would call it the deep South, and have not encountered any of it here.
I know it did have some adherants in the Midwest where I lived in the 70's and 80's, but we referred to is as British Israelism.
If I remember correctly, this may have had some correlation with serpent seed, but I am not totally sure.

Hoovie · #3 02-20-2011, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aegsm76

I am in the South, some would call it the deep South, and have not encountered any of it here.
I know it did have some adherants in the Midwest where I lived in the 70's and 80's, but we referred to is as British Israelism.
If I remember correctly, this may have had some correlation with serpent seed, but I am not totally sure.

Yes I do believe that's true.

aegsm76 · #4 02-20-2011, 10:37 AM

Hey Hoov - were you intending to link the new AI forum with the AI movement?
or
Were you intending to line DKB's AI with the AI movement?

Either juxtaposition is fair game!

Praxeas · #5 02-20-2011, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoovie

About 15 years ago I was exposed to the Christian Identity movement. Some Apostolic people who were close to me were involved in this faux KKK movement. For those not familiar with the Christian Identity movement Wiki has some good info on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi...ntity_movement

At the time several Apostolic ministers adhered to the tenets Christian Identity. Their religious fanaticism either marginalized the Jews and other "non white" races or openly named them as children of the devil.

With the recent resurgence of the apostolic Identity term and attempts to redefine the same, it brings questions about those who propagated the Identity message - even while licensed ministers of the UPC and other Apostolic churches.

I know the government was cracking down hard on these groups and the "Identity" ministries who propagated the teachings. Does anyone know the current status of these Apostolic Identity ministries?

At least one of these was located in Michican, and had close ties to the better known Pete Peters and his Scriptures for America http://www.sfaw.org/

I don't think the so called Apostolic Identity has any comparison to Christian Identity. It seems to be more about Apostolic doctrine. In any case, it's a sad sad fact that there are racists that call themselves Apostolic

Hoovie · #6 02-20-2011, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aegsm76

Hey Hoov - were you intending to link the new AI forum with the AI movement?
or
Were you intending to line DKB's AI with the AI movement?

Either juxtaposition is fair game!

I don't know that there is a "link" to either one at all. They are both redefining the term. However, for those of us who were exposed to the Christian Identity groups and in particular Apostolic Identity it is very peculiar indeed.

When I first started hearing term bandied about in mainstream Apostolic churches I thought, "man, do they really want to do that?"

Hoovie · #7 02-20-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praxeas

I don't think the so called Apostolic Identity has any comparison to Christian Identity. It seems to be more about Apostolic doctrine. In any case, it's a sad sad fact that there are racists that call themselves Apostolic

I agree. It simply made me wonder about the wisdom of using a label that has the FBI's keen interest.

Cindy · #8 02-20-2011, 11:37 AM

Good grief. Seriously, that is some ignorant stuff.

Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.

According to Chester L. Quarles, professor of criminal justice at the University of Mississippi, some of the Christian Identity movement's followers hold that non-Caucasian peoples have no souls, and can therefore never earn God's favor or be saved.[1] Believers in the theology affirm that Jesus Christ paid only for the sins of the House of Israel and the House of Judah and that salvation must be received through both redemption and race.

Hoovie · #9 02-20-2011, 11:51 AM

Cindy, it's weird enough and widespread enough that I would personally resist using the label except in generic terms.

The three or four families that I knew who embraced the doctrine have thankfully pretty much departed from the teachings. However, I know some in the UPCI had embraced Identity and even spoke of "Apostolic Identity". At least one UPCI minister spoke at national Identity gatherings in the early 90's. I don't know if he is still licensed or if he still teaches Identity.

pelathais · #10 02-20-2011, 01:38 PM

Because the word "identity" is used by different groups, it does not necessarily follow that these groups all share similar ideals. For example, when DKB says "Apostolic Identity," he certainly does NOT have the ideals of the so-called "Christian Identity" movement in mind.

It's sort of like lumping the "Socialist Workers Party" together with the "Republican Party" simply because both groups use the word "Party." If you pronounced it as "Par-tay" I suppose we could throw in Moby and Lady Gaga as well.

The fact that some Apostolic pastors follow some of the tenets of the so-called "Christian Identity" movement is just plain sad.

I do know from personal experience that there is a relatively large number of Apostolic pastors and preachers who subscribe to "British-Israelism" - the idea that the people of England and Scotland are descended from the allegedly "Lost" Ten Tribes of Israel. Some go so far then as to call into question the identity of modern Jews. In this way they do marginalize the identity of the Jewish people.

Modern genetic studies have repeatedly shown that modern Jews are in fact genetically related to the Jews of the 70 AD diaspora and other populations of ancient Jews. Of course, a cursory reading of the Bible would show that there was a difference in the national identity of ancient Jews (Kingdom of Judah) and the "Ten Tribes" (Kingdom of Israel)... but the Bible doesn't tend to be something these guys are really interested in anyhow.