A partial examination of the "Olive Branch", a Bible knock-off

Christopher C. Warren wrote and self-published a book that resembles a Bible.

A few of the pages have stickers covering up the original text, replacing it with new.

Pictures of it: *

*The pictures shown below demonstrate some of the content and language use of "The Olive Branch" (and should be within the book's  copyright permissions based on a stated word count maximum of 500 words). The text depicted in the images and quotes below is Copyright 1997, 1999, The New Covenant Church of God, B'rit Chahdashah Assembly of Yahweh, Box 120, S=671 23 ARVIKA, Sweden. URL: http://www.nccg.org | email: nccg@nccg.org.




Some of the details in the book as seen in pages 1 - 300:

  1. Deeply-involved members who leave NCCG ("commit apostasy") lose their salvation due to having committed the unforgivable sin, and will be subject to Judgment and punishment (page 47 - 48, 261)
  2. Women must wear a veil when they are in the "Temple of the Lord" (page 20)
  3. Homosexuality is caused by parents' ungodliness or other bad parental behavior during childhood, or is caused while the mother is pregnant by the parents' strong desire for a child of the opposite sex (pages 42-44).
  4. Surrogate motherhood is forbidden (page 79)
  5. Artificial insemination of a woman with the sperm of a man she is not married to is adultery (page 79)
  6. Embryo implantation of fetuses created from a woman and her husband's egg and sperm are permitted, however, all of the embryos produced must be implanted (page 80)
  7. Sleep schedules which do not match normal waking hours (nighttime sleep daytime activity) are forbidden (page 99)
  8. "Do not refuse instruction" as a mandate  (page 99)
  9. Kindergarten and nannies are not to be used for children (page 108)
  10. Having a child babysat for even one day per week by non-parents, or events similar to this regarding babysitting, is forbidden (page 108)
  11. Absence of a father in the home is "no father at all" (page 108)
  12. Strictness required for parents handling of children. There is no discussion, pro or against, regarding corporal punishment in this section of writing (page 108)
  13. Repenting and becoming submissive mandated (page 118).
  14. Unmarried people as elders in NCCG are only allowed as an exception to the rule, and only as a result of a divine revelation. (page 127)
  15. (Pages 172 - 175) Complete control of marriages is exercised. In application, many of the steps toward marriage outlined below can be performed over the internet, with neither person having physically met one another. The last step and ultimate result of this process will have the two people physically living together in a potentially polygamous marriage relationship, possibly at the NCCG compound itself.
    1. Both the man and woman must have an independent revelation from God regarding future marriage to the other person (page 173);
    2. Each person must then independently approach church elders and consult with them, and should also consult with their parents. Two or three "witnesses" in total will be consulted this way (page 174);
    3. The two people must not tell each other about the revelation at this stage or they will specifically be refused marriage by NCCG (pages 172 and 173);
    4. After obtaining counsel this way is complete, they can approach each other with the marriage proposition (page 174).
    5. A period of "Dedication" (IE: engagement) lasting between 3 months to a year is required, during which no intimacy or sexual contact between the couple is allowed. Who decides how long this period lasts is not specified. Dedication is not always announced to other group members (page 174).
    6. A period of "Betrothal" then follows, which lasts for 3 months to a year. The duration of this period is set by agreement between Warren, the couple, the couple's parents if the parents are group members, and is dependent on the "spiritual maturity" of the couple (page 174-175).
    7. Exceptions to this procedure may be allowed but it must still include having revelations that are "properly tested" (page 175).
  16. Group members are allowed to express an opinion about a revelation before it is "canonized", but once it has been "canonized", dissenters must stop voicing opposition and be reconciled (page 177)
  17. Women are not allowed to govern or organize "The Church" or to govern men (page 187)
  18. Warren specifically must have his own separate house in which to do his writing, etc. The next passage says that other group members should have their own dwellings too (page 205)
  19. Group elders function as marriage counselors for group members (page 255)
  20. Satan is manipulating governments into forming one government (pages 283-284)
  21. Persistent dissenters within NCCG can be subjected to being overruled, rebuked, and can be excluded from "The Lords Supper" group function (page 287)
  22. Children are to be disciplined by their parents, the method or means of this discipline is not specified (page 296)

Some additional observations from page 300 and onward are:
  1. Wives are allowed to disobey husbands if the disobedience is related to the wife becoming a group member and the husband is not a group member (page 400)
  2. Excommunication can occur (pages 443, 261)
  3. Womens' menstrual cycles are governed by the moon's cycle (page 511)
  4. Group members who repeatedly sin, even after being worked with in private, are then "corrected before the congregation" (page 517)
  5. World-wide anarchy is prophesied (page 522)
  6. The UK has been cursed (page 526)
  7. Core members are forbidden from consuming tea, coffee, alcohol, chocolate, and "sweet things" (pages 533-534)
  8. Canada is prophesied to eventually become one country with the United States (page 580)
  9. Germany is prophesied to eventually buy back the area of North East Prussia (page 631)
  10. Unrest prophesied for Poland, and Poland will lose what they gained in conquest plus more if the people do not embrace a higher light and repent (page 631)
  11. (Page 631) A prophecy was made prior to the break-up of Czechoslovakia that appears to indicate that the country would not split up, and it was included in this print version of the book (which was published after the country split). The prophesy is accompanied by text which appears to be an effort to explain what might otherwise be perceived as an incorrect prophecy, pointing to a linguistic technicality.
    • The text from the book reads this way: "The nation of Czecho-Slovakia shall eventually prosper and [shall eventually 560] remain as one state...". The number 560 in the text references a footnote as follows:
      • "There are two meanings of the word 'eventually': (1) 'that will happen under certain circumstances'; and (b) 'ultimately resulting' (The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Oxford, OUP, 1978, P358). In the view of the division of  Czechoslovakia into two states, the former meaning can only be the correct one. Though the country divided, this was not the majority will of the people in the Czech and Slovak Republics overall."
    • According to the source documents regarding the history of NCCG, this prophecy was written, along with other sections of the Olive Branch, between early 1989 and August, 1991. There is an additional, specific reference to this prophecy having being written in 1990.
    • Czechoslovakia broke up in January, 1993.
    • The printed version of "The Olive Branch" was completed and delivered in Fall, 1997.
    • The original text of the prophesy, without the added notes, appears to have read similar to this:
    • "The nation of Czecho-Slovakia shall eventually prosper and remain as one state".
  12. Germany and Austria will unite (page 631)
  13. Hungary will prosper economically and become a rich country (rich in material things) (page 632)
  14. In other eastern European nations, there will be "much strife and bloodshed", and other countries will become involved to reestablish order (page 632)
  15. Group members are essentially commanded not to marry outside of NCCG (page 638)
  16. Obedience to a "true patriarch" is required, and the things that are said by one are "the Word of God" (page 764)
  17. Some laws are not written down, but are revealed (presumably to some group members or elders) (page 840)
  18. Obedience of "royalty" mandated (page 841)
  19. Obedience to those in authority in NCCG mandated (page 842)
  20. The earth will be ruled by "Patriarchs" (page 842)
  21. Children are to be raised "most strictly" until they are 8 years old, and then from the age of 8, this control is to be slowly released, while still directing the child strictly on "the Way". At 12, the child is given some of the responsibilities and freedoms of an adult, proportional to individual ability and need. At 16, the child is inducted into NCCG as a full member and is considered an adult (page 843-844)
  22. "Rebellion" is defined as a curse, and group members who rebel and do not immediately repent are to be rejected from NCCG. (page 844)
  23. Women who rebel against the authority of their husbands are punished within NCCG (p. 844)
  24. (page 845) Rebellious group members are to be "severely disciplined". Footnote describes that they are punished by:
    • "Spiritual", such as the spirit of God withdrawing from the NCCG member;
    • "Practical", frequently meaning being excluded from "The Temple"
  25. The patriarchate (top 6 group leaders) are to be obeyed in all matters, without complaining (page 870)
  26. Rebellion is hated by God (page 870).
  27. An NCCG member who is disciplined by a member of the priesthood is blessed, because it will help straighten out his feelings, thoughts, and actions (page 883).
    • The word disciplined contains a footnote to other areas of the book
  28. The priesthood's judgment will be followed by those who are described as being "upright of heart" (page 883)
  29. Worldly customs are to be abandoned (page 901). Contains an extensive footnote.
  30. Ejaculation of semen into any location other than inside the man's wife's vagina is forbidden (page 941)
  31. Numerology is used to verify an aspect related to the "number of" the 6 founding members of NCCG to be "8" (page 957)
Some observations from the preface area of the book:
  1. Group members who wish to marry outside of NCCG are considered "weak in the faith" and will not be considered for priesthood within NCCG (pg. xlvii)
  2. Polygamy is allowed if it is done in a way that does not break local laws (pg. xlvi), however:
  3. Misrepresentation/omission of NCCG polygamy beliefs where it would not readily be accepted is required. Polygamy is not allowed to be taught or preached publically in cultures that do not practice it natively in order to "avoid (a) unnecessary public controversy, where a neutral position shall be adopted and (b) distracting the witness of the Church from its call to preach Christ crucified" (pg. xlvi)
  4. Divorce is not allowed except under extreme conditions. The conditions are listed as adultery, extreme cruelty, forced marriage, when a non-believing spouse leaves the marriage, or a sexual relationship that existed prior to the marriage was not confessed ("usually" to both the pastor (which is believed to be Warren at the time of this writing) and the spouse)
    • (This was not actually in the preface, the exact page number has been misplaced).
  5. Three different levels of marriage exist (xlvii). In application, all but the last level can be done over the internet, with neither person having met the other one.
  6. (xlviii - xlix) List of requirements for living in a "Firstborn Colony" (compound):
    • The first listed requirement is obedience to NCCG leaders;
    • second listed requirement is willingness to obey and enforce the "disciplinary code";
    • willingness to give all of their personal property and money to the "apostles";
    • Willing to perform labor for NCCG
      • All of these requirements have supposed bible references attached.
  7. (xlii-xliv) Among the personal requirements for a person to become a "full member" of NCCG are:


Its physical dimensions are: 9.5 inches from bottom to top, 6.5 inches across the front, and 2.5 inches across the back. It is 1074 pages long not counting preface sections. The table of contents does not list page numbers, only section/contents/PWNC/HOC. The PWNC number appears to be related to the date the material or revelation was received from God (yymmdd format). The system also resembles the chapter/verse system that the Bible uses.

Warren has been seen to replace older sections of "The Olive Branch" over time. A change of this type is evidenced in an internet post dated February 20, 2006, and consisted of the replacement of "Section 82, PWNC 060220A" and "Section 301, PWNC 060220B". Warren presented these replacement sections on the internet, in the "nccgcybercommunity" MSN group, in the "Olive Branch" subsection of the page. The announcement was titled "New Olive Branch Sections 82 & 301".

Warren also functionally adds new material to "The Olive Branch", although these new sections cannot be physically added to the print version of the book. One such addition appears to be "PWNC 050104", which was presented by Warren in the "nccgcybercommunity" MSN group, in the "Olive Branch" subsection of the page. The last section of the print version of "The Olive Branch" is "Section 470, PWNC 970714B (706)". Any sections found on the internet with PWNC numbers showing a date later than this can safely be assumed to have been written after the print version had been published.

 The print version of the book has several pages that have sections replaced, using stickers to cover portions of the original text with new text. The stickers tend to replace an entire section or paragraph as opposed with a few words or a sentence. Pages I noted which contained this kind of modification are the table of contents, acknowledgments, the roman-numerated preface section pages l, li, lxiv, and lxv, and pages 220 and 221. The stickers are not easy to find unless you are looking for them, so there could be other modified pages elsewhere in the book.