Are You Attending United or Living Because of Doctrine and Practices? Here is a quiz to find out!

If you are with the Living Church of God or the United Church of God, do you know what your Church teaches? For each of the following statements, circle the number to indicate if you agree, are neutral/unsure, or disagree (note, because of formatting issues, the numbers may not appear to line up. The first number always means AGREE, the second NEUTRAL, and the third DISAGREE):

.............................................................................................................................................AGREE....NEUTRAL....DISAGREE

1. My Church spends about the same percentage of its income on proclaiming the Gospel as WCG
did under H. Armstrong. ...........................................................................................................0................1......................2

2. My Church spent most of its unexpected extra income in fiscal year 2001 to go on more commercial
stations to proclaim the Gospel. ................................................................................................0................1......................2

3. My Church spent most of its unexpected extra income in fiscal year 2001 to purchase a building for
our headquarters. ......................................................................................................................2................1......................0

4. I believe the Bible commands paying a third tithe in the third and sixth year of a seven-year cycle
for "the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow" (Deuteronomy 26:12).....................0................1......................2

5. I believe third tithe is gone because "Uncle Sam took it". ......................................................2................1......................0

6. Money which may have been used to proclaim the Gospel is needed to pay for member assistance
because few of our members pay third tithe to the Church. ........................................................2................1......................0

7. "The CHURCH is organized under theocratic government, hierarchical in form. The members do
not set officials in the Church. God sets EVEN THE LAY MEMBERS in the Church (I Cor. 12:18)...
GOD set officials to serve on the human level under Christ, in the Church. Members do not elect them.
Yet in the churches of this world some believe in government by the entire congregation--"democracy"
--and call themselves "Congregational." Others have organized themselves into government by
ministers or presbytery". ...........................................................................................................0................1......................2

8. My Church officially teaches that the "seven churches {Revelation 2 & 3} represent the history
of the entire Church of God as seven eras which occur in chronological order." ........................0................1......................2

9. My Church officially teaches that it believes that though there are probably 'Philadelphians'
in other fellowships, "we are a uniquely Philadelphian remnant". .............................................0................1......................2

10. Scripture indicates that Petra will probably not be 'the place of safety'. ................................2................1......................0

11. Birthday parties are fine. .....................................................................................................2................1......................0

12. My Church clearly teaches we are begotten by God's spirit through conversion. ..................0................1......................2

13. Although my Church does not have an official position on 'born'again', our personal
correspondence department may prefer the term 'born from above'. ..........................................2................1......................0

14. Based on survey results, it may be that 75% of our elders and general membership believe in
voting and 25% do not...............................................................................................................2................1......................0

15. My Church's system of insuring doctrinal integrity has successfully allowed us to officially teach the
18 truths that H. Armstrong claimed to restore to the Church. ..................................................0................1......................2

16. A Chairman of my Church reported that we did not try to get the Gospel out for a year because the
children of Israel sat on the bottom of Mount Sinai for nearly a year and that we would like to
'do it right this time'. .................................................................................................................2................1......................0

17. My Church is currently on approximately 131 television stations and 8 radio stations..........0................1......................2

Add up all the numbers you circled and compare your total to the comments below (Note: if you did not not answer a question, give yourself 1 point for each you did not answer).

RESULTS
34---- WOW! You know all of your Church's doctrines and practices and are in the United Church of God.
18-33 You agree with most of United's positions and should be attending with them.
17---- You are neutral. You probably should be attending with the United Church of God.
14-17 Your beliefs are closer to those of the Living Church of God, but probably attend with the United Church of God.
10-13 Your beliefs are much closer to those of the Living Church of God and should attend there even if you haven't been.
01-09 You agree with most of Living's doctrines and practices and attend with us (or at least you should be).
0---- WOW! Not only do you have no doctrinal deviations, you know the practices as well. You are in the Living Church of God.

Still have questions? Click here for Official Answers. You might also wish to re-take the quiz and put the answers the way you wish your Church would handle them, compare it to the facts, and be part of the Church that still teaches what you hoped it would. You can also click here for more documented Differences Between the Living Church of God and the United Church of God. The point of this quiz is not that one Church is better than the other--the point is that one Church retains the 18 truths that HWA restored to the Philadelphia era and the other does not.

The other point is that you should attend where you agree, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (II Cor 6:14) "for whatever is not from faith is sin" (Rom 14:23). You should not attend somewhere because it seems easier for Jesus taught, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Mat 7:13-14) and "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27).

The Bible clearly indicates that one should not make their religious decisions on the basis of what family members decide (Luke 14:26). The Bible indicates that financial reasons are also unacceptable (Matt 13:22). The fact that one likes the preaching style of one minister (or group) more than another also does not seem to be biblically sanctioned (I Cor 1:12-13).

Nor does the fact that one does not like aspects of the leading minister, look what Paul wrote, "Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's. For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed-- Lest I seem to terrify you by letters. "For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" " (II Cor 10:7-10), thus some did not care for Paul either. The same could be said of Jesus, Moses, and many other biblical leaders; "Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'? (Matthew 21:42). If you are not attending with the group that you agree with with, perhaps you should further study Differences Between the Living Church of God and the United Church of God and the article Unity: Which Church of God for You and change where you fellowship.

Bob Thiel, 2001. Thank you for visiting!