All of the pastors of the ANTM churches are, in a word, untrained. None of them have any type of religious degree from a bible school, bible college, college, university, or seminary.

 

They have not taken one college class in Hebrew or Greek. So they do not understand the nuances of the text in its original language. Most seminary programs require four classes in Hebrew, four classes in Greek, and one each in Latin and German, in order to provide a basis to understand historical Christian writings and those of the Reformation. 

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They have not taken one college class in bible customs. So they do not know which passages are to be taken literally and which passages were communicating something particular to the group to which the book was written. Most seminary programs require several.

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They have not taken one college class in hermeneutics. These classes provide the principles of sound biblical textual interpretation of the written text to answer the question, "What does the passage say?"

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They have not taken one college class in exegesis. These classes provide the principles of sound biblical interpretation of the written text to answer the question, "What does the passage mean?"

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Why does this matter?

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The distinguishing characteristic of the ANTM is their claim to a particular set of unique doctrines that are supposedly the original gospel and are absolutely crucial to the Christian life, but that no other known churches believe or practice. This set of beliefs is the personal interpretation of one man who lacked the basic educational toolkit necessary to accurately understand scriptures in their intended context, much less weigh and judge other denominations and traditions on the merits of their biblical perspectives. Adherence to this set of doctrines is mandatory, both for the "apostle's" similarly untrained pastors and elders, and for any member who doesn't want to lose his or her family and friends.

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