IGLESIA NI CRISTO
History
researched by Ptr. JC Balao
HISTORY OF IGLESIA NI CRISTO
The Iglesia ni Cristo; Tagalog for Church of Christ; also known as INC, or Iglesia, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some protestant writers describe the INC’s doctrines as restorationist in outlook and theme, but nothing can be found to connect the INC to the Restoration Movement. Felix Y. Manalo officially registered the church as a corporation sole with him as executive minister on July 27, 1914 and because of this, most publications refer to him as the founder of the church. However, the official doctrines of the church profess that Jesus Christ is the founder of the INC and that Felix Manalo was God’s last messenger, whom he sent to re-establish the Christian Church to its true, pristine form because the original church was apostatized. They believe that the apostatized church is the Roman Catholic Church, and proclaim that Catholic dogmas, such as the Trinity, are proof of this apostacy. The organization does not believe in the Trinity, nor that the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are Biblical History.
The historical context of the Iglesia ni Cristo lies in a period of the early 20th century characterized by a variety of rural anti-colonialism movements, often with religious undertones, in the Philippines. At this time, United States missionary work was exposing Filipino culture to many alternatives to the Catholicism installed under earlier Spanish rule. Some observers see the INC as an aggressive, materially successful, indigenous movement which became a major religious movement in only a period of fifty years. The success of the INC is attributed primarily to its leadership.
Felix Manalo
The founder of the Iglesia Ni Cristo organization was Felix Manalo. Born On May 10, 1886 to a Catholic family, in barrio Tipas, Taguig, on the southeast shore of Laguna de Bay Lake. His name Felix (meant ‘happy’) was chosen from the roster of saints from that month. He was baptized a Catholic, his mother a devout Roman Catholic who had Felix attend Catechism class where he learned the fundamentals of the Roman Catholic faith.
His parents were not wealthy, but made a living through fishing and farming. Felix displayed a strong leadership potential when he was a boy. When he became a teenager he went on a spiritual quest through five known denominations. He became a follower of the “Colorum” spiriting sect in the Philippines which was secretive and had pilgrimages to a sacred mountain. He left the Church as a teenager. In 1904 after witnessing a debate between a Roman Catholic priest and a Methodist minister on the use of images, he joined the Methodist Episcopalian Church, attended their Seminary and became a pastor. Iglesia puts it this way “He found that the arguments of the Protestant minister’ seemed nearer to the biblical truth, than the pointless rambling of the priest.” (GOD’S MESSAGE 1 July - September 1994)
Manalo’s studies were interrupted by the death of his mother, when he returned he then began studying at the Presbyterians at Ellinwood Bible Training School until he came upon the Christian Mission group (Church of Christ), where he studied at the Manila College of the Bible for four years. From this group he learned to respect immersion in baptism and received the idea of restoring the New Testament Church. He became a local evangelist in a band called the “Society for the propagation of the Gospel.” He also at this time married Tomasa Sereneo of Paco manila. In 1911 Felix Manalo attended a 7th day meeting to debate Mr. L.V. Finster a missionary of the 7th day Adventist church on their stance that Christians are under the law. He lost the debate with Him and admitted Finster was right and soon he left the Christian Mission group converting to Seventh Day Adventism. This became his last association with any establish church. While he was in Adventism he began to think of starting his own church. During this time his wife died and he then eloped with Honorata de Gusman a 7th day Adventist. In 1913, he was disciplined for his elopement and there were hints of moral indiscretion.
While there is not any proof of the accusations Iglesia tells it this way “Brother Felix remained with the Adventists until the time that he began to question their observance of the Sabbath during Saturdays. When the Adventists failed to respond to his queries, he resigned as minister and member in 1913.” (GOD’S MESSAGE July - September 1994)
After leaving the Seventh Day Adventists, Felix Manalo claimed to experience a call like the ancient prophets. Manalo then closed himself in with his Bible for three days and when he emerged he gave his shoe business to a friend, took his wife and began his mission to start a new church. “His exhaustive study of religions and the Bible led him to the conclusion that none of the existing churches then remained faithful with the biblical truth. Therefore, none of them is the true religion. His meditations assured him that God was commissioning him to preach the true Church of Christ.” (GOD’S MESSAGE 1 July - September 1994) Like many others before him he has fallen into the trap since none are perfect by his own judgment he is to restore the true church.
Pioneering years - 1913 to 1916
In search of the truth, Felix Manalo as a young adult drifted from one religious organization to another, including atheism and agnosticism. At some point in his life, his own studies brought him to what would be the basis for the teachings of Iglesia ni Cristo. Then in 1913, Manalo began to preach his religion to whoever would listen. Though enthusiastic, his efforts produced slow results.
The INC began with a handful of followers on July 27, 1914 in Punta, Santa Ana, Manila; with Manalo as its head minister. Manalo propagated his message within his local area, growing the Iglesia ni Cristo and converting members of other religions. From the beginning, the INC used Filipino in language, lessons and instructions, and hymns. His first chapel was made of bamboo and was not constructed until two years after he began preaching.
Iglesia likens their leader to Moses or the apostle Paul. “Brother Felix joined other churches and religious beliefs in preparation for his God-given mission. In this respect, he was akin to Moses (who lived first as an Egyptian prince and as a wanderer in the wilderness before he led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt) and Apostle Paul (who was formerly a member of the Jewish sect and a persecutor of Christians before being sent to evangelize the Gentiles). Brother Felix wandered into different religions always examining, in the light of scriptural truth, their various doctrines and religious practices” (GOD’S MESSAGE 1 July - September 1994 p.10)
The Catholic Church dismissed the INC and believed it would fail. Catholic clergy attributed its growth to the novelty of Protestantism, which was brought to the Philippines by the Americans. They believed that Manalo would not stand against the theological sophistication of Catholic orthodoxy. The INC however continued to grow beyond World War II. Evangelicals had an overall negative view of Felix Manaloand the INC in particular, and Filipinos in general. Ridicule was the prevailing attitude. As written by Ann C. Harper, evangelical preachers and missionaries were mostly racist and prejudiced.
In Tondo, Manalo started his first of many debates. By this time, Manalo was already well honed with the Bible and was a master public speaker. He defeated both the Protestant ministers and Catholic priests who entered the debate with him, resulting in many converts.
In 1916, Manalo began propagation to the provinces, establishing congregations everywhere he went.
Despite critics’ belief that INC’s success was only temporary, its growth continued. Some observers attribute the Iglesia’s growth to the active involvement of its members and their unity in faith.
The INC expanded slowly from its roots in Manila until it established a credible national network even before the Second World War, reaching Cotabato province in Mindanao in 1941. Even during the Japanese Occupation, the Iglesia kept on expanding
According to reports and what is left out of the history from Iglesia’s own printings is, in 1919 Manalo left the Philippines wanting to learn more about religion leaving his church in the hands of his assistant ministers. He went, to all places, America, to study with Protestants, the very ones Iglesia would later declare to be apostates. It is for this reason the do not disclose this information. In California he reportedly enrolled in the Pacific School of Religion. This is five years after being called by God to be his “last messenger” Manalo goes to the U.S. to learn from apostates? this does not make sense. What could God’s messenger learn from a group that, according to Iglesia, had departed from the true faith? (It has been reported the Seminary has no record of him as a student). During that year he was away they enjoyed growth until a schism was started by Teogilo Ora, one of its pioneer ministers. (at the time there were 3,000 members). The Church in Bulcan had only 15 of the 80 members remain.
Manalo did not believe himself to be God’s final messenger back in 1914. He didn’t use the last messenger doctrine until 1922. There seems to be several instances that could have influenced him on this. The official date for the registration of his church was July 27, 1914 which was the date of the beginning of the First World War. They were first known as Iglesia ni Kristo with an “K” now changed to C. It was later after his apocalyptic influence from 7th day Adventism and all the education that he gave prophetic significance to this date. He claimed that it closed the period of the 6th seal as related to Rev.7. Another factor of his adopting the messenger doctrine is in response to a schism in the Iglesia movement. Manalo appears to have developed the messenger doctrine in an effort to maintain and re-assert his leadership in the church thereby keeping control.
When Manalo decided to start his own church he didn’t begin with all current Iglesia doctrines and practices held. In the early days Manalo did not attack the deity of Christ. It was after 1930 he began to emphatically deny his pre-existence, his being the beginning in purpose with God.
The war years hindered their growth it was afterwards within a 30 year period that they went from a small congregation to almost 40,000 which became possibly the 2nd largest in the Philippines with only the Methodist as larger. There strength was strong indigenous character with a national speaking language. It appealed to the Filipino people. Even with a strong anti Catholic stance he attracted those that were looking outside that religion. By 1948 their membership was 60,000, in 1960 it rose up to 200,000. Today they are larger than any other Protestant denomination in the Philippines with only one larger the Roman church. Their foreign mission work began in the US Honolulu Hawaii on July 27 1968 by 1974 they had acquired 21 congregations in the US. This is the same date that Manalo used for his application of prophecy to himself.
The reason Iglesia is not better known, despite its numbers among their culture, is that the vast majority of Iglesia’s members are Filipino which includes those in the U.S.. The only exceptions are very few non-Filipinos who have married into the Iglesia; although they have focused as of late to outside their own people.
He returned to the Philippines after only one year. As Felix continued his leadership of the organization, the INC grew rapidly and spread throughout the Philippines. Felix Manalo again later traveled to the United States in 1938. During this trip he hoped to raise enough funds to build a main chapel for his church in Manila. As they grew they have accumulated much wealth.
In 1948, the Iglesia built its first central office and official residence of the executive minister on Riverside St, San Juan, Metro Manila. After the war, the congregation grew from approximately 85,000 in 1936, to 200,000 in 1954. By 1970, the INC had about 500,000 members and was established in almost every province in the Philippines.
In the late 1950s, Felix Manalo’s health started to fail. According to the INC he was unable to fulfill this desire because of bad health which forced him to return to the Philippines. Felix Manalo died on April 12, 1963. Many thought the church would splinter with his leadership, but he prepared for this. More than 10 years earlier, on January 28, 1953, his son Eraño Manalo (KA Erdy) was selected to be his successor as Executive Minister and leader of INC; he is the 5th child born to Felix and Honorata. It was Eraño who wrote a 64 page booklet attacking the Deity of Christ called Christ-God; investigated-false. So began their systematic campaign of attacking the Church and her doctrines he held from the apostles. Felix’s grandson Eduardo V. Manalo became the deputy executive minister.
International expansion - 1963 to the present
By the late 1960s, Eraño had proven himself a worthy successor to his father and began a number of initiatives, including the establishment of congregations in the United States and other countries. On July 27, 1968, Eraño Manalo officiated the first worship service in Ewa, Hawaii thus starting the mission of propagation outside of the Philippines. Unlike the Catholic church during the Spanish colonial period and the Protestants during the American colonial period, religious groups who emerged after the era of colonialism, including the INC, did not have the support and aid of governments and armies to support their propagation to foreign lands.
In 1969, the church began operating its own radio station with regionally syndicated programs, and in 1983 it launched television programming with national syndication.. In 2008, it began broadcasting 24-hours via satellite DirecTV channel 2068.
In the 1990s a few congregations were established in cities in which the Iglesia believe as significant in the history of the biblical church. In 1994, the Iglesia succeeded in establishing its congregation in Rome, Italy, in 1996 the Jerusalem congregations was established and in 1997 the congregation in Athens, Greece followed.
In 2005, the Roman Catholic church formally acknowledged the existence of the INC, calling it an “emerging” influential religious group.
According to various sources, including the 1997 Britannica Book of the Year, INC had a worldwide population of over one million members by the early 1980s. According the 2000 census of the Philippine National Statistics Office, over 1.76 million persons in the Philippines were are affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo as of that year. or roughly doubling in size in a span of 20 years. Other sources places the number at 2.3% of the population in the year 2000. Some catholic publications put the number to be between three million and ten million worldwide making it larger than the Jehovah's Witnesses. It has become the second largest religious organization in the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. By 2008, the INC had grown to more than 5,000 congregations in the Philippines, and more than 600 abroad. Congregations are called local congregation, or simply locale. The INC has local congregations in 89 countries and territories with its members belonging to 102 nationalities and ethnic groups.
The financial discipline taught throughout the church has been a centralized effort of followers and church officers. With Manalo's effort to create an organized and systematic organization, Dr. Gerald H. Anderson, Senior Research Associate of the Southeast Asia Studies Program of Cornell University, attributes INC as one of the largest and most respected groups in the Philippines. As membership increased, he delegated others to spread the teachings of the INC and it eventually spread throughout the Philippines and to other countries.