The Shepherd's Chapel is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

church and broadcast facility in

Gravette, Arkansas Gravette is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The population is 3,547 according to the 2020 census. The population was 2,325 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas region. Geography Gravette is located in nort ...

. The church was founded by Arnold Benjamin Murray (April 20, 1929 – February 12, 2014), who served as senior pastor until his death. As of February 2014, his son Dennis Arnold Murray, the former associate pastor, presides as senior pastor of the church. Arnold Murray's other son, David Vernon Murray (January 18, 1954 – July 14, 2013), was also an associate pastor until his death.

Broadcasting

Since 1985, the Shepherd's Chapel has been broadcasting one-hour televised Bible studies over its satellite network, with its most prominent presence being within the

graveyard slot A graveyard slot (or death slot) is a time period in which a television audience is very small compared to other times of the day, and therefore broadcast programming is considered far less important. Graveyard slots are usually in the early mor ...

on over 225 broadcast television stations across the United States via paid

brokered programming Brokered programming (also known as time-buy and blocktime) is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot comm ...

arrangements, along with streaming those programs through their websites and various other providers. It is the largest independent Christian television network in the world. Pastor Murray teaches a "chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse study of God's Word; the Bible". Also shown are various documentary programs from a pseudoarcheological Anglo-Israelism perspective. It airs 24 hours a day at their website. According to the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...

, the program "has been on the air for at least three decades and is broadcast in nearly every major and mid-size U.S. city".

Doctrine

Part of the Shepherd's Chapel's doctrine follows

British Israelism British Israelism (also called Anglo-Israelism) is the British nationalist, pseudoarchaeological, pseudohistorical and pseudoreligious belief that the people of Great Britain are "genetically, racially, and linguistically the direct descenda ...

, as well as a version of the " serpent seed" doctrine that identifies a "

Kenite According to the Hebrew Bible, the Kenites ( or ; he, ''Qēinī'') were a nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant. The Kenites were coppersmiths and metalworkers. According to some scholars, they are descendants of Cain, Harris, Stephen L., Underst ...

" lineage of people who are descended from

Cain Cain ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl/Qāyīn is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He ...

who slew

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

. Arnold Murray taught a version of

pre-adamism The pre-Adamite hypothesis or pre-Adamism is the theological belief that humans (or intelligent yet non-human creatures) existed before the biblical character Adam. Pre-Adamism is therefore distinct from the conventional Abrahamic belief that Ada ...

, suggesting that "those who served God are predestined to salvation, while those who served

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

are cursed with free will and the opportunity to choose God or Satan in this lifetime." Murray also taught a form of

Modalism Modalistic Monarchianism, also known as Modalism or Oneness Christology, is a Christian theology upholding the oneness of God as well as the divinity of Jesus; as a form of Monarchianism, it stands in contrast with Trinitarianism. Modalistic Monar ...

rather than orthodox

trinitarianism The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...

. In this teaching, God exists as one rather than three distinct persons, and appears in different forms (or "modes") as YHVH, Yashua, and the Holy Spirit.

Criticism

A 2008 study by the

's ''Intelligence Report'' examined the church and its roots in the

Christian Identity Christian Identity (also known as Identity Christianity) is an interpretation of Christianity which advocates the belief that only Celtic and Germanic peoples, such as the Anglo-Saxon, Nordic nations, or Aryan people and people of kindred blood, ...

movement. According to the SPLC report, Murray publicly disavowed

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

, although he frequently identified the "Kenites" (descendants of Cain) as a minority within the

Tribe of Judah According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe of Judah (, ''Shevet Yehudah'') was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, named after Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah was the first tribe to take its place in the Land of Israel, occupying the southern ...

, despite Murray's objection to the generalization.

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) is a nonprofit, nondenominational Protestant apologetics ministry with an internet and radio outreach. It is involved in evangelism, including full-time support for several foreign missionar ...

has criticized Murray's teachings because he did not teach a pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. Murray responded to criticism of his positions on the Trinity, racism, serpent seed, and Kenites through the Shepherd's Chapel's website. He also addressed questions of qualifications and his relationship to Christian Identity preacher Roy Gillaspie.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd's Chapel Christian Identity Churches in Arkansas Religious broadcasting in the United States