Straitway Truth Ministry, also known as Straitway Truth Ministries and Straitway Ministries, is a Black Hebrew Israelites religious group based in Lafayette, Tennessee that preaches biblical literalism. [1] Led by Pastor Charles Dowell, Straitway describes itself as "a nation of Hebrew Israelites (translated in the KJV as Jews) who are commandment keepers; obedient to Yah (God) & our savior, Jesus the Christ." [2]
Straitway operates around a dozen chapters around the United States and encourages members to live together in isolated communities. [3] The group has been accused of being a cult and has faced allegations of abuse and financial exploitation. [4]
Straitway counts several former professional American football players, including former National Football League Pro Bowl selections Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Robert Mathis, as members. [5]
The Israelites were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. They were also an ethnoreligious group.
Israelis are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jews and Arabs, who respectively account for 75 percent and 20 percent of the national figure, followed by other ethnic and religious minorities, who account for 5 percent.
The African Hebrew Israelites in Israel comprise a new religious movement that is now mainly based in Dimona. Officially self-identifying as the African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem, they originate from African Americans who immigrated to the State of Israel in the late 1960s. The community claims Israelite descent in line with the philosophy of the Black Hebrew Israelites, who believe that Black people in the United States are descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel and thus rightfully belong to the Land of Israel. As of 2012, their total population stood at about 5,000 people.
Chi Alpha | ΧΑ, is an international and interdenominational, coeducational Christian fellowship, social club, student society, and service organization founded in 1953 on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Chi Alpha is sponsored by the Assemblies of God USA, a Pentecostal denomination established in 1914.
Muhammed-Kabeer Olarewaju Gbaja-Biamila Sr., nicknamed "KGB", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire nine-year career as a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. He was selected by Green Bay in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2003.
The Potter's House Christian Fellowship, commonly known as The Potter's House, is a Pentecostal Christian organisation based in the United States of America. It was established in Prescott, Arizona, in 1970 by Wayman Mitchell. The Potter's House was a member of the Foursquare church until 1983 when they separated to form a new independent fellowship.
Black Hebrew Israelites are a new religious movement claiming that African Americans are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Some sub-groups believe that Native and Latin Americans are descendants of the Israelites as well. Black Hebrew Israelites combine elements to their teaching from a wide range of sources to varying degrees. Black Hebrew Israelites incorporate certain aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of both Christianity and Judaism, though they have created their own interpretation of the Bible, and other influences include Freemasonry and New Thought, for example. Many choose to identify as Hebrew Israelites or Black Hebrews rather than Jews in order to indicate their claimed historic connections.
The Nation of Yahweh is predominantly a Black Hebrew Israelite religious movement which was founded in 1979 in Miami by Hulon Mitchell Jr., who went by the name Yahweh ben Yahweh. Its goal is to move African Americans, who it believes are the original Israelites, to Israel. The group accepts Yahweh ben Yahweh as the Son of God. In this way, its beliefs are unique and distinct from those of other Black Hebrew Israelite groups.
Ben Ammi Ben-Israel was an American spiritual leader. Inspired by the Black Hebrew Israelites in the United States, he founded the African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem, which claims that African Americans originate from the Land of Israel. The community's initial members claimed Israelite descent and undertook a major initiative to immigrate to the State of Israel during and after the 1960s. Ben Ammi stated that Black people were descended from the Twelve Tribes of Israel and thus were the "true inheritors" of Israel, and created a new religious movement that he claimed was authentically Hebrew or Israelite in theology and practice. Though he was born a Baptist Christian, he denounced Judaism and Christianity as false religions, but maintained that the Jewish Bible was still divine.
Maranatha Campus Ministries was a Charismatic/Pentecostal-oriented Christian ministry founded by Bob Weiner which existed from 1971 to 1990. Its primary outreach was to college and university campuses.
Robert Nathan Mathis is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 14-year career as a defensive end and linebacker with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs and was selected by the Colts in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft. A two-time All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler, Mathis won the Super Bowl XLI with the Colts in 2006 over the Chicago Bears. He is also the NFL's all-time leader in forced fumbles and strip sacks. The year after retiring, Mathis joined the Colts as an assistant defensive coach.
The World Mission Society Church of God is a New Religious Movement established by Ahn Sahng-hong in South Korea in 1964. Ex-members and several experts have called it a cult. The church believes that the late Ahn Sahng-hong is the Second Coming of Jesus, and that Zahng Gil-jah is God. Its headquarters as well as its main church are located Sungnam City, Kyunggi Province, near Seoul.
Daniel Travanti Muir is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Kent State. Muir was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders.
Greater Grace World Outreach (GGWO) is a nondenominational evangelical Christian church located in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ (ICGJC), formerly known as the Israeli Church of Universal Practical Knowledge, is an American organization of Black Hebrew Israelites. Its headquarters are in New York City, and in 2008 had churches in cities in 10 US states. They are not to be confused with Israel of God (IOG) or Israel The Church of Christ (ICOJ), Which are separate denominations of Black Hebrew Churches who believe in multicultural/multiethnic Messianic Judaism, and overall do not align with zionism. The ICGJC is the second largest Black Hebrew Israelite organization in the United States, the first being the Israel United in Christ.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ), commonly known as Shincheonji Church of Jesus or simply Shincheonji, is a new religious movement established in South Korea by Lee Man-hee. It is considered a pseudoreligion or cult by mainstream churches.
Kalyn Ponga is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a fullback for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League (NRL). He is the recipient of the 2023 Dally M Medal.
Frank S. Cherry was an American man who was the founder and leader of one of the early Black Hebrew Israelite groups in the United States.
African Americans in Israel number at least 25,000, comprise several separate groups, including the groups of African American Jews who have immigrated from the United States to Israel making aliyah, non-Jewish African Americans who have immigrated to Israel for personal or business reasons, pro-athletes who formerly played in the major leagues in the United States before playing in Israel on local basketball and other sports teams, as well as foreign students studying in Israeli universities, businessmen, merchants, and guest workers, along with Israeli citizens of African American ancestry. African Americans have served in the Israel Defence Force, and have largely been accepted and into Israeli society, and have represented Israel in numerous international forums such as the Olympic Games, and the Eurovision Song Contest. African American-Israelis have had a major cultural impact in Israel, particular in the arts and culture, music and sports. In addition, there as a large community of Black Hebrew Israelites numbering at least 5,000 people, who originally immigrated to Israel from Chicago in the 1960s, and live mostly in the southern Israeli town of Dimona.
Black Jews in New York City comprise one of the largest communities of Black Jews in the United States. Black Jews have lived in New York City since colonial times, with organized Black-Jewish and Black Hebrew Israelite communities emerging during the early 20th century. Black Jewish and Black Hebrew Israelite communities have historically been centered in Harlem, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens. The Commandment Keepers movement originated in Harlem, while the Black Orthodox Jewish community is centered in Brooklyn. New York City is home to four historically Black synagogues with roots in the Black Hebrew Israelite community. A small Beta Israel (Ethiopian-Jewish) community also exists in New York City, many of whom emigrated from Israel. Black Hebrew Israelites are not considered Jewish by the New York Board of Rabbis, an organization representing mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. However, some Black Hebrew Israelite individuals in New York City are recognized as Jewish due to converting through the Orthodox, Conservative, or other Jewish movements.