Nothing New
Torahism is nothing new; it is an old view packaged in a new way and advocated through a new means (the internet). The early Church and the Apostles wrestled with the Judaizers, the first to advocate that Gentile Christians should keep the Law of Moses. The Jerusalem Council, as mentioned in Acts 15:1-29, debated this very issue, and it has been discussed many times over the last 2,000 years of Church history.
Early Sects Dedicated to Keeping Torah
In the early centuries following the birth of the Church, Jewish-Christian sects such as the Ebionites, Nazarenes, and Elkasites shared similar beliefs about observing the whole Torah as enlightened by the teachings of Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus). These sects believed that the Jewish groups involved during the Second Temple times had lost the “true faith,” and they sought to restore it. Some even rejected the deity of Jesus as the Son of God.
The Nazarenes existed in the fourth century and were described by Bishop Epiphanius in terms that can describe modern-day Torahism.
They diasgree with Jews because they have come to faith in Christ; but since they are still fettered by the Law – circumcison, the Sabbath, and the rest, they are not in accord with the Christians.
From Underground to Aboveground
Although they existed in the fourth century, it seems that the early groups of Torah-observing Christians died out around the fifth century and remained unseen until the 19th century. The Second Great Awakening took place between 1790 and 1840. From this revival, a small movement known as the Millerite Movement (1830s) emerged eventually giving birth to the Seventh Day Adventists.
Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Holy Days
Hiram Edson and Ellen G. White founded the Seventh Day Adventists in 1863. About a decade later, Charles Taze Russell started a movement that became known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. These two movements view Saturday as the Sabbath and Christmas and Easter as pagan holidays. Later, other sects developed and incorporated the views of these two groups on the Sabbath, Christmas, and Easter into their belief systems.
New Denominations
The emergence of Torahism continued with the founding of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) by Herbert W. Armstrong in 1933, marking the first modern example of Torahism theology. Decades later, the Worldwide Church of God abandoned its Torah keeping theology, seeing it as heresy, and became Grace Communion International. However, some of its members held to their beliefs about the Torah and founded the United Church of God in 1995.
A New Way to Promote an Old View
Today, Torah-centered teachings are effectively spreading, not necessarily through the efforts of the United Church of God, but through its adherents on media platforms. In our previous post, we mentioned the teachers and organizations that promote a form of Torahism. Their followings are impressive, and judging by the comment sections, many believe and embrace their teachings.
Up Next
What are the teachings that so many are believing and embracing? Should these teachings cause a sharp division between Torahism and Mainstream Christianity, or are they non-essential beliefs to the Christian faith in which we can agree to disagree? We will cover these two questions in our next post.
Would you like to stay up to date with this series and more? If so, subscribe today.
Leave a Reply