Its denominational offspring is the largest Christian body in South Africa, a place where it established quite a foodhold. The schools taught flat-earth geography, and a radio broadcast and publication ministry conveyed this message around the world.
In the early 20th century this church taught that the earth was flat because the Bible said so. Several of its early leaders went on to play a prominent role in the founding of Pentecostalism. It is little-known because it was the end of the 19th century when its faith-healing founder (John Alexander Dowie) established it. OK.this story could be repeated for several other places, but this one is impressive for its scale. If you lived there but weren't a member of the church, you were treated badly. They owned the land, the schools, the businesses.
Ever hear of the self-proclaimed Prophet Elijah who took his people to upstate Illinois and built a utopia called Zion? It was a 'company-town' if ever there was one, except that the company in this case was a religious sect.
