The historical context of the Iglesia ni Cristo lies in a period of the early 20th century characterised by a variety of rural anti-colonialism movements, often with religious undertones, in the Philippines. At this time, U.S. missionary work was exposing Filipino culture to many alternatives to the Catholicism installed under earlier Spanish rule. After Felix Manalo joined and left many religious organizations as a young adult, he declared that God gave him a mission to preach the gospel and to reestablish the first church founded by Jesus.
The INC began with a handful of followers on July 27, 1914 in Punta, Santa Ana, Manila; with Manalo as its head minister.[12] Manalo propagated his message within his local area, growing the Iglesia ni Cristo and converting members of other religions. As membership increased, he delegated others to spread the teachings of the INC and it eventually spread throughout the Philippines and to other countries. After Felix Manalo's death in 1963, his son Eraño took over duties as executive minister and Eduardo V. Manalo is the deputy executive minister.
By 1988, INC has grown to about 2,635 congregations called locales, in which 220 of them cover sixty-seven countries outside the Philippines. 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, 2.3 percent of the population in the Philippines are affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo.
The Manila city government declared July 27th a holiday, and allowed members of the Iglesia ni Cristo paid leave, in order to celebrate the anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo. On July 27, 2006, the Philippine House of Representatives passed a resolution commending the INC on its 92nd anniversary.
The INC's Central Administration is the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Office; a large, secured complex located on Commonwealth Avenue, New Era, Quezon City, Philippines. An editorial in the July 25, 2004 issue of Philippine Panorama Magazine described the complex as including: the six-story Central Office Building; the 7,000-seat Central Temple; the Tabernacle, a multi-purpose hall; the 30,000 seating-capacity Central Pavilion; the College of Evangelical Ministry; the New Era General Hospital; and the New Era University. There is also a residence for the family of Executive Minister, Eraño G. Manalo on the premises as well as one for the family of Eduardo V. Manalo, the Deputy Executive Minister. Ever since former Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon created a lasting friendship after asking Félix Manalo for advice, the INC has been known for its strong political influence. It exercises its political clout by influencing the appointment of key officials and promising to deliver votes in exchange for concessions to the church and church-linked businesses and interest. While it strongly maintains a close "friendship" with incumbent administrations, the INC also sees to it that they do not lose "discreet connection" with the opposition. [21] It was well-known for its support of President Ferdinand E. Marcos until his ousting during the EDSA Revolution of 1986.
INC members are noted for their bloc voting in Philippine elections, although INC has the biggest conversion turn-out, between sixty-eight and eighty-four percent of their members voting for candidates endorsed by its leadership, according to comprehensive surveys conducted by ABS-CBN. This is in part due to their doctrine on unity, which puts the penalty of expulsion on anyone swaying from the doctrine. Some Philippine media credit the INC bloc vote for the presidential campaign victory of Joseph Estrada in 1998, and the election for the full term of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.This has given INC strong political influence on elected officials. Newspaper reports say that the Philippine Congress decision to uphold the decision on September 2005 to reject the आरोयो impeachment complaint was swayed by largely by INC influence. One newspaper reported that Erano Manalo personally called each and every lawmaker]. However, Behn Fer. Hortaleza Jr. claims otherwise. He wrote an op-ed piece for The Sun·Star Pangasinan claiming that Representative Joey Salceda "had wanted to pit the INC against the Catholic church by so timing the congressman's "news" with another expose on the bishops' receiving Pagcor "sin money" for their projects." Others, however, argue that the INC vote is only significant in close-run elections, noting that INC-supported candidates, Senator Sergio Osmeña Jr. lost in 1969 to Marcos and businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. lost to Fidel Ramos in 1992.
The INC's Central Administration is the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Office; a large, secured complex located on Commonwealth Avenue, New Era, Quezon City, Philippines. An editorial in the July 25, 2004 issue of Philippine Panorama Magazine described the complex as including: the six-story Central Office Building; the 7,000-seat Central Temple; the Tabernacle, a multi-purpose hall; the 30,000 seating-capacity Central Pavilion; the College of Evangelical Ministry; the New Era General Hospital; and the New Era University. There is also a residence for the family of Executive Minister, Eraño G. Manalo on the premises as well as one for the family of Eduardo V. Manalo, the Deputy Executive Minister.
Ever since former Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon created a lasting friendship after asking Félix Manalo for advice, the INC has been known for its strong political influence. It exercises its political clout by influencing the appointment of key officials and promising to deliver votes in exchange for concessions to the church and church-linked businesses interest.
