The Church of God in Christ: Pentecostals
Having worked with dozens of denominations in the course of my church design career, I have always been interested in the similarity and differences between them. Bigger does not always mean better.
The current number of Seventh-day Adventists in the world is 19,000,000. Fundamental Belief #22, “Christian Behavior,” reads in part: “.. our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty.” Glosses on this statement exclude an awful lot of stuff, but if the Adventists can forgive my bad taste in music, then I strongly assert that I am an Adventist. The Sabbath is the Sabbath, and this point (Fundamental Belief #20) should not generate the least bit of controversy. Some esoteric theological points such as “Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary” (Fundamental Belief #24) are not particularly important to the man on the street looking for a good church home.
For many of my acquaintances, prospects for Adventism, a stumbling block exists in the form of Fundamental Belief #18, “The Gift of Prophecy.” The Bible asserts that there are indeed prophets walking among us. Brother Harper, a Sabbath School classmate of mine (and an Adventist to the core), recently stated that Ellen G. White was the last prophet. I think he may be confusing her with Muhammed (peace be upon his soul). This Ellen G. White Estate link clarifies this issue somewhat.
Before, during, and after my signing on as an Adventist. I have been immersed in a spiritual cauldron of prophecy and it’s fullfilment. Regarding Ellen G. White, I believe that she is supplementary to, and not a substitute for, the Bible. I believe her to be a prophet, but assuredly not the last one in history (although terrestrial history will not last much longer). To reiterate a line from my song, “SDA,” “I believe it for I also have had visions.” I have not had to consult any preachers or theologians in regard to this attitude, for it is stark and unambiguous reality to me. My current situation represents the perfect realization of a prophecy communicated to me thirty years ago, I have hardly lifted a finger to attain the wonderful life that I now enjoy. It was a promise made by God, and subsequently, perfectly fulfilled by God. You may consider the last few sentences to be a testimony. I am pretty certain that my non-negotiable views on the matter of modern prophecy can peacefully co-exist with Adventist policy.
ANOTHER RARE AND EXOTIC DENOMINATION: CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, 6,000,000+ ENTHUSIASTS!
My personal research library for African-American studies is the West End Goodwill Store. It is just down the road from the Atlanta University Center, and a lot of rare and esoteric reading material winds up there that can be bought for a pittance. I thought I was buying a 1973 Official Manual of the relatively mainstream “Church of Christ,” (I am intrigued by their distaste for musical instruments) but when I got home discovered that it contained instead the Doctrines and Disciplines of the “Church of God in Christ.”
It is a predominately Black denomination. According to Wikipedia, “it is the largest Pentecostal denomination and the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S.” It was formed in Mississippi in 1897 by a group of disenfranchised Baptists ( C.P. Jones, C.H. Mason and others), and was influenced by the “holiness movement.” It got in on the ground floor of the Pentecostal movement when, in 1906, leader C.P. Jones sent a delegation to the historic Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles. As a result, the denomination believes that “speaking in tongues” is a required manifestation of having received the Holy Spirit. Jimmy Swaggart‘s church shares this belief (this link to his Wikipedia bio does not mention the magnitude of his recent comeback, but his website probably does).
I have been hearing references to the Azusa Street Revival for the last twenty years. Pentecostals regard this event as a second Pentecost. Here are the words to a song about Pentecost which only exists in embryonic form. “Mesopotamia” gets rhymed with the made-up word “name-i-a,” a Ray Stevens inspired bit of foolishness.
Pentecost
One of the
8 Last things that Jesus told us, was to
8 Tarry in Jerusalem town, until the
8 Power of the Holy Ghost descended, until
8 Cloven tongues of fire were coming down.
8 Last things that Jesus told us, was to
8 Tarry in Jerusalem town, until the
8 Power of the Holy Ghost descended, until
8 Cloven tongues of fire were coming down.
8 Fifty days had passed, and out of Heaven, came a
8 Sound just like a rushing mighty wind, then
8 Fire appeared to sit on everybody. The
8 Holy Spirit started to descend. Now
8 Sound just like a rushing mighty wind, then
8 Fire appeared to sit on everybody. The
8 Holy Spirit started to descend. Now
8 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites,
8 People from Mesopotamia, Ju-
8 daeans, Cappadocians, from Pontus, from Asia, just a-
8 bout anywhere that you could name-i-a. From
8 People from Mesopotamia, Ju-
8 daeans, Cappadocians, from Pontus, from Asia, just a-
8 bout anywhere that you could name-i-a. From
8 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, from
8 Egypt, from Libya round Cyrene,
8 Romans, Jews, Cretans and Arabians, could
8 Understand precisely what you mean.
8 Egypt, from Libya round Cyrene,
8 Romans, Jews, Cretans and Arabians, could
8 Understand precisely what you mean.
16 The Lord was
8 Pouring out His Spirit on all flesh, to e-
8 quip believers for the task at hand, to go
8 Witness in Samaria and Judea, and
8 Then beyond to every far-flung land. The
8 quip believers for the task at hand, to go
8 Witness in Samaria and Judea, and
8 Then beyond to every far-flung land. The
8 Languages confounded back at Babel, were
8 Unconfounded so we could proclaim, that what was
8 Torn apart, is now together, to ar-
8 ticulate the power of His name.
8 Unconfounded so we could proclaim, that what was
8 Torn apart, is now together, to ar-
8 ticulate the power of His name.
The remarkable occurrences at on Azusa Street were initiated by William J. Seymour. He started life’s journey as a Louisiana Roman Catholic. In his early twenties he made an Exodus away from his benighted southern homeland. He was “born again” in Indianapolis at an AME Zion church. He was exposed to the “holiness” movement, and also to some advanced views on racial integration, at a seminary in Cincinnati. He dipped back into the south long enough for a meeting with “holiness” patriarch Charles Price Jones in Jackson, Mississippi, before moving on to Houston to spend a brief, but influential, six weeks with Charles Fox Parham , a pioneer of Pentecostalism (who, like Swaggart, was compromised by a scandal).
Mr. Seymour moved to LA in 1906, where the Spirit descended, and an influential new (or old) movement was born (or reborn). The revival Mr. Seymour initiated was open to women and non-blacks. Parham came for a visit from Houston, and was scandalized by the exuberance and racial integration that was on display. He also felt (as do many Adventists) that when a person speaks in tongues, it ought to be in a recognizable language. The Azusa crowd countered that they were speaking a language intelligible only to God. Some modern Pentecostals (like Swaggart’s operation) claim that they are speaking a real language, but it may be so rare, or obsolescent, that no one present can understand it. All I can say is this: with God all things are possible. I believe that Pentecostals are regularly filled with the Spirit, but do not feel that speaking in tongues is a required stamp of divine approval.
All of this forms the background for the creation of the Church of God in Christ. Here is a link to the denomination’s website. Andrea Crouch was associated with this denomination. This fact is not quite as surreal as the association of Little Richard with Adventism. It is headquartered in Memphis, a place that, for it’s size, seems to be associated with an awful lot of history. It requires it’s members to live a holy life, apart from the sinful mainstream of this world.
It shares many common traits with Adventism. An insistence upon speaking in tongues, however, and Sunday worship, are two prominent differences. I feel as if the two denominations may be competing for the same demographic to convert. The Church of God in Christ Official Manual specifically condemns five competitors: Jehovah’s Witnesses (not a close relative at all, but demanding a similar level of commitment), Roman Catholics (an aversion shared by Adventists), Unity and Apostolic faiths, and, last, but not least, Seventh-day Adventists. Like Muslims, I think they reserve their greatest animosity for their closest relations, but the objections they raise to Adventism seem half-hearted, and not so very condemnatory.
The “General Rules of Order,” found in Part 3 of the Church of God in Christ Official Manual contains this statement: “…anyone who teaches doctrine contrary to the Church of God in Christ should be dealt with according to Titus 3:10.” This biopsy from the Scriptures reads as follows: “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject.” They enumerate six heresies that Adventists are purported to teach.
- “The sinful nature of Jesus while in the flesh.” Here is a link to Ellen G. White’s observations on the human nature of Christ. I will initially offer the passage of scripture everyone knows, Hebrews 4:15: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” This does not seem to require a gloss in order to be made comprehensible. It is the bedrock upon which Ellen G. White’s referenced analysis is erected. Jesus knew all men, but remained “yet without sin.”
- “The atonement was not completed when Christ suffered and bled on Calvary.” My kneejerk reaction to this is to remember Christ’s words on the cross, from John 19:30: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Here is another good link that makes hash of this spurious accusation by the Church of God in Christ.
- “Eternal life is only a future hope.” When I was being recruited into Adventism, my Bible instructor, Mrs. Mae Williams, cited many instances of scriptural verification of what was once quaintly referred to as “soul sleep.” As long as we eventually reach our destination, we should not obsess over any intermediate steps. Ellen G. White’s views on this matter were received from George Storrs. The unconscious state of the dead is clear from scripture, but the Church of God in Christ cites John 5:24 in order to refute this: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” I am no theologian, but If I wanted to pass from Chattanooga to Paris, I would still be required to layover at the Atlanta airport. The much larger, and groundbreaking insight of George Storrs, that regarding the fact that eternal life is not a universal destination, is mentioned in the following link, but is not mentioned by the Church of God in Christ.
- “Eternal life is obtained by one’s ‘perfect obedience’ to the law of Moses.” Adventists draw a distinction between “ritual law” (now superseded) and “moral law” (still enforced). One of my denomination’s favorite citations from the Bible is Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:18: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” My personal favorite is a statement from Jesus that I have heard some claim was meant to be ironical, but I consider it an unambiguous marching order; Matthew 5:48: “Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” The Church of God in Christ believes in the “total depravity of mankind.” So do I, but through the process of sanctification we are able to overcome depravity. “Perfect obedience” is a worthy goal to aspire to. I once heard Dr. Charles Stanley remark that “no one starts their day with the intention of committing a sin” (referring to Christians, of course). One more citation (from a possible list of dozens), John 15:10: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” We will never be as perfect as Christ, but, please do your best to be. This does not represent an exercise in futility. The more you practice “perfect obedience,” the easier it becomes to largely realize.
- “The law is still in force” This is a variation on the previous point, and may be answered in the same manner: “That’s affirmative, good buddy!” Here is a link to a”Spectrum Magazine” analysis. It is not the most conclusive thing I have ever read. The author, in regard to the commandments of God, concludes, “This is a Law I aspire to keep, even while I acknowledge my inability to do so.” Everyone seems to be planning to screw up. As Dr. Stanley remarked, it is a good idea not to make such plans. Here is a more assertive link to a page from Ellen G. White’s “Lift Him Up,” (page 178) containing this piece of advice: “The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves.” This is a polished way of saying what I have been struggling to say.
- “Only by observing the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath may one be ‘sealed with the seal of the living God” and experience true peace within his soul.” Pentecostal evangelist Jimmy Swaggart likewise accuses Adventists of “worshipping a day” (but graciously concedes that some Adventists will go to Heaven). The scriptures that The Church of God in Christ cite in order to diminish the significance of the Sabbath refer to Jesus being “made a surety of a better testament” (Hebrews, but not very applicable), being “Lord even of the Sabbath day” (Matthew, but this represents Jesus’s criticism of excessive man-made restrictions) and orders from Paul to lay offerings in store on the “first day of the week” (I Corinthians). Millions of words have been written by Adventists and others on this subject. All I know is this: the fourth commandment certainly represents significantly more than a “jot” or “tittle” of the law. Here is a link to a web page (from nonsda.org) that does all that it can to rip the Adventist’s views on Sabbath-keeping to shreds. It twists the art of scholarship into whatever shape serves it’s agenda, and dismisses whatever inspired insight Ellen G, White may have on the subject as having zero credibility. Leave that woman alone!
I have devoted more space to the Church of God in Christ’s attitude toward Seventh-day Adventists than to the Church of God in Christ itself. The Adventists admit the validity of John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” This, undoubtedly, would describe the Adventist view of the Church of God in Christ. But the Church of God in Christ does not reciprocate this kind of good will.
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