Tag Archives: Church of God at the Crossroads

Jan 05 2015
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The "Why" Questions

The “Why” Questions

Our denomination, the Church of God (Anderson), is doing some introspective investigation these days. We have been in existence since the 1880s, and our self-understanding has shifted and changed through the course of time. We now stand “at the crossroads,” as it were. Our leaders, from General Director Jim Lyon on down, are asking three important questions about why we exist as a body of believers.

These are crucial questions, and we hope to contribute our answers to them:

(A) If you could capture in one sentence, “What is the purpose of the Church of God Movement?” what would it be?

(B) What is the unique contribution that the Movement makes to the Kingdom in the world today?

(C) Upon what should the Movement focus going forward?

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Nov 05 2014
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At the Crossroads

A Kingdom of God Church: A Response

“It is the kingdom story that the Bible is telling all along…” Joe stated in his post “A Kingdom of God Church.” From the very beginning we see YHWH in relationship with humanity and giving instruction to them. From the first stories of scripture there is evidence of a committed and hands-on ruler – involved in the lives of the faithful and calling them to join together. Even from Adam and Eve, the intention is clear – God, and God alone, is to be the leader of the people that God created.

When discussing the Kingdom of God, there is a story that always sticks out to me addressing how God’s people act regarding having a divine king. The ever present danger for God’s people is the desire to be like everyone else. This is not new to our generation. In 1 Samuel 8 Israel, who were God’s chosen people, asked Samuel for a king. Israel already had a king, YHWH was their king. But Samuel takes their request to the Lord. The Lord’s response is this “they have rejected me from being king over them.” (vs. 7) The Lord told Samuel to return to Israel with a warning, but the people would not listen, they replied (vs. 19-20) “we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations.”

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Oct 30 2014
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At the Crossroads

A Missionary Church

What does it mean to be the Church of God? What contributions does this group make toward broader Christianity? These and other questions have been on our minds since we began this series on the strands that comprise “the fabric of what it means to be God’s church.” Now, as this series draws to close, we have one last perspective to consider. For God’s church to truly be God’s church, it must be a missionary church.

In recent decades, Christians have written tremendous amounts of material on the meaning of “missions” and “missionary work.” These terms have been interpreted and acted upon differently by various groups over the years. Denominations of all varieties have sent people to foreign countries in order to spread the gospel of Christ. Some groups have practiced door-to-door evangelism in local communities. Short-term missions trips are an implicit prerequisite for understanding the world and, perhaps, for being a “good” Christian. In our own movement, Church of God women have historically raised money and provided tangible goods for missionaries all around the world. Continue reading →

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Oct 29 2014
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At the Crossroads

A Holiness Church: A Response

“I am continually struck by the idea that our understanding of holiness has become very worldly….” – Jen Carney

I love that line from Jen’s post about being a holiness church. I find the irony compelling; what was sacred and separated out has become profane and mixed in with everything else. How are we to understand holiness when our perception of holiness has been warped by the world? This ‘worldly holiness’ is an emphasis on purity, cleanliness, and sterilization against the dirty, tarnished, tainted parts of life. The more holy we become, the more we are required to remove ourselves from everyday life in our community. If we do not retreat from it, we will be risking our holiness. We could accidentally rub up against unholy things, activities or people and cause our fall from grace.

But isn’t this completely antithetical to the call of God? Continue reading →

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May 12 2014
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At the Crossroads

A Unity Church

That the Church should be one is not debated.  The Bible makes it pretty clear that God’s intention for the Church is oneness.  Jesus, in the garden before his betrayal, fervently prays that his followers will all be ONE (John 17:21).  Paul makes it pretty plain in his letters that all believers are baptized into ONE Church, part of ONE body (1 Cor. 12:12-31; Eph. 4:1-16).

But, while we do not doubt that the Church should be one, we seem to have a lot of questions and disagreements over how we get there, and what that looks like practically.  Well I can’t pretend to have all the answers, but I can throw out some food-for-thought and maybe encourage further discussion.

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