Church of Israel
Encyclopedia
The Church of Israel is a denomination that emerged from the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
in the Latter Day Saint movement
and is now affiliated with the Christian Identity
movement, a charge which its leader, Dan Gayman, denies.
The Church of Israel was first organized in 1972. Gayman had deposed the leaders of the Church of Christ at Zion's Retreat and been elected leader of that church. However, the deposed leaders of the Zion's Retreat church sued Gayman, and the courts ordered that the church property and name be returned to the deposed leaders. Most of the members of the church followed Gayman, and he informally organized under the name the Church of Our Christian Heritage. In 1981, Gayman incorporated the church under the name Church of Israel. Little of the Latter Day Saint background of the church remains in its current teachings and practices.
An investigative newspaper report about the Church of Israel was published in the Joplin Globe in January 2001. The report was mostly negative and suggested that the church had ties to the Christian Identity movement. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League
includes the Church of Israel in its list of "extremist groups." The ADL report states that members of the church are said to have been involved at times with controversial figures such as Bo Gritz
, Eric Rudolph, and a national leader in the Ku Klux Klan
.
A 2003 falling-out between Gayman and two other leaders of the church led to the creation of a website that opposes Gayman and his leadership of the Church of Israel.
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
in the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
and is now affiliated with the Christian Identity
Christian Identity
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...
movement, a charge which its leader, Dan Gayman, denies.
The Church of Israel was first organized in 1972. Gayman had deposed the leaders of the Church of Christ at Zion's Retreat and been elected leader of that church. However, the deposed leaders of the Zion's Retreat church sued Gayman, and the courts ordered that the church property and name be returned to the deposed leaders. Most of the members of the church followed Gayman, and he informally organized under the name the Church of Our Christian Heritage. In 1981, Gayman incorporated the church under the name Church of Israel. Little of the Latter Day Saint background of the church remains in its current teachings and practices.
An investigative newspaper report about the Church of Israel was published in the Joplin Globe in January 2001. The report was mostly negative and suggested that the church had ties to the Christian Identity movement. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
includes the Church of Israel in its list of "extremist groups." The ADL report states that members of the church are said to have been involved at times with controversial figures such as Bo Gritz
Bo Gritz
James Gordon "Bo" Gritz is a former United States Army Special Forces officer who served in the Vietnam War. His post-war activities notably attempted POW rescues in conjunction with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue have proven controversial. Gritz lives near Sandy Valley, Nevada with his wife...
, Eric Rudolph, and a national leader in the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
A 2003 falling-out between Gayman and two other leaders of the church led to the creation of a website that opposes Gayman and his leadership of the Church of Israel.
See also
- Factional breakdown: Followers of Granville Hedrick