The Church of Israel is a Christian Identity-linked sect founded in 1972 by Dan Gayman. Originally called The Church of Our Christian Heritage, it arose from a schism within the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and is now linked to white supremacist interpretations of theology, though Gayman has attempted to distance his church from Christian Identity.
Gayman was born in Denver in 1937, into a family affiliated with the Church of Christ (Temple Lot). He earned a degree in history from Southwest Missouri State in 1964 and later studied Christian Identity theology under Kenneth Goff at the Soldiers of the Cross Training Institute in Denver. Before entering full-time ministry, Gayman worked in public education in Schell City, Missouri, serving as principal of Walker High School. He began his ministry full-time in 1976.
In 1972, Gayman led an effort to replace the leadership of the Church of Christ at Zion’s Retreat in Schell City. After being elected as the new leader, Gayman retained the loyalty of most of the congregation. However, the deposed leaders challenged the action in court. A judicial ruling later restored the church property and name to the previous leadership and prohibited Gayman’s followers from using the facilities. Gayman then informally organized his group as The Church of Our Christian Heritage.
In 1977, tensions over the disputed property escalated when Gayman and 10 others were arrested for trespassing during an attempted forcible takeover of The Church of Christ at Zion’s Retreat. Four years later, in 1981, Gayman formally incorporated his congregation as The Church of Israel.
A major theological position promoted by Gayman and The Church of Israel is a version of the “two-seedline” or “serpent seed” doctrine. This belief holds that white people are direct descendants of Adam and thus God’s chosen people, while Jewish people are descendants of Cain, allegedly the offspring of Eve and Satan. Gayman has said the concept was influenced by John Milton’s Paradise Lost and later maintained that it represented only a minor part of his theology.
The Church of Israel’s broader teachings affirm belief in one eternal God, Jehovah, and in the “Godhead,” a term it uses instead of “Trinity.” Members have historically expressed distrust of government authority, often avoiding Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses, and marriage licenses. Many children born at home reportedly lack Social Security registration. The church discourages reliance on modern medicine and immunizations, characterizing the medical field as “Jewish.” Since 1987, the church has observed the seventh day as the Sabbath and rejected Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter as pagan, observing Jewish festivals instead despite its anti-Jewish theological elements.
In 1987, following publicity surrounding the militant group The Order, Gayman sought to distance the Church of Israel from violent factions of Christian Identity. The church passed a resolution declaring it would not provide sanctuary or support for any individual or group promoting civil disobedience, violence, racial hatred, paramilitary activity, or anti-government action. The resolution listed organizations and behaviors it would not endorse, including the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazism, Odinism, and welfare fraud. By the 1990s, the Church of Israel had publicly separated from the Christian Identity movement and generally avoided overtly racial or antisemitic material. Gayman, while acknowledging his theological roots, has rejected the Christian Identity label and maintained that his church emphasizes traditional rural American values and rejects violence.
Despite these efforts, the Church of Israel has periodically drawn public scrutiny. The Anti-Defamation League has classified The Church of Israel as an extremist group, citing past associations between its members and figures such as Bo Gritz, Eric Rudolph, and Ku Klux Klan national leader Thomas Robb.
In 2003, renewed attention followed revelations about Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Park bomber and former FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive. Rudolph and his mother, Pat Rudolph, attended the Church of Israel for several months in 1984 when Eric was 18. They lived in a church-owned mobile home, during which time Gayman reportedly acted in a paternal capacity toward Eric, encouraging him to date his daughter and preparing him as a potential son-in-law. Rudolph read far-right literature, including Hitler’s Mein Kampf, during his stay. He left the church in early 1985, briefly returned that spring, and later attended two church celebrations.
That same year, Gayman became involved in a legal dispute with former minister Scott Stinson after a falling-out with two church leaders. Gayman filed suit seeking to revoke a severance agreement that included property transferred to Stinson. The court ultimately ruled in Stinson’s favor.
Gayman continues to lead the Church of Israel, which owns substantial property in Vernon County, Missouri. Critics have accused him of minimizing earlier teachings and downplaying his past association with Eric Rudolph to attract a more conventional following and avoid official scrutiny. The church remains active, though it continues to be listed by watchdog organizations as an extremist group.
Key Sources:
Brannan, D. W. (1999). The evolution of the church of Israel: Dangerous mutations. Terrorism and Political Violence, 11(3), 106–118.
Kaplan, J. (1993). The context of American millenarian revolutionary theology: The case of the ‘identity Christian’ church of Israel. Terrorism and Political Violence, 5(1), 30–82.
Kaplan, J., & Weinberg, L. (1998). The emergence of a Euro-American radical right. Rutgers University Press.
O’Neil, T. (2003, June 14). Church once gave shelter to Rudolph. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 