Church of God of Prophecy
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The Church of God of Prophecy is a holiness pentecostal Christian denomination. It is one of five Church of God bodies in Cleveland, Tennessee that descended from a small meeting of believers who gathered at the Barney Creek Meeting House near the Tennessee/North Carolina border in 1886.1
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History
In August of 1886, Elder Richard Spurling (1810-1891), an ordained Baptist minister, rejected the dominant Landmark Baptist views on the church, which he believed were too creedal and exclusive. With seven members from Holly Springs and Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Churches in Monroe County, Tennessee and Cherokee County, North Carolina, he organized the Christian Union. These Christians hoped to free themselves from man-made creeds and unite on the principles of the New Testament. In September of 1886, Elder Spurling's son, Richard Green Spurling (1857-1935), was ordained as pastor of the Christian Union congregation. He also formed two other congregations. The father and son shared a vision to restore the church.
Around 1895, a holiness movement and Holy Ghost revival under the preaching of B. H. Irwin swept into the area. Richard G. Spurling accepted the holiness teachings, but was wary of the extreme direction in which he felt the movement was headed. But the revival was effective in moving Spurling's group away from the general faith and practice of Baptists and toward that of the Holiness. In 1902, R. G. Spurling influenced a holiness group led by W. F. Bryant to form the Holiness Church at Camp Creek, North Carolina. Spurling was elected pastor and Bryant was ordained as a deacon. The next year brought into the church an energetic and powerful leader - Ambrose J. Tomlinson. Tomlinson (1865-1943), a former Quaker who experienced an inner change of regeneration and sanctification, came in 1899 to the Appalachian region as a missionary. He became acquainted with Spurling and Bryant and caught Spurling's vision of the restoration of the church. He united with the church at Camp Creek on June 13, 1903, and soon became the acknowledged leader. New churches were organized in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. The first annual meeting of all the churches was held in 1906 in Cherokee County, North Carolina, and the name Church of God was adopted in 1907. Tomlinson professed a baptism of the Holy Ghost experience in 1908, which firmly established the church as part of the pentecostal movement. This took place under the preaching of G. B. Cashwell, a minister who was very influential in bringing pentecostalism to North Carolina, the Appalachians and the east coast. In 1909 Tomlinson was elected General Overseer of the Church of God.
In 1923 the Church of God was disrupted by matters concerning finance and governance. The largest body of the division exists as the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). The division under the leadership of A. J. Tomlinson was the smaller body. Tomlinson continued as General Overseer over this church until his death in 1943. The presbytery believed that the Lord directed them to bring the younger son, Milton A. Tomlinson (1906-1995), forward to leadership. This was confirmed by the General Assembly in 1944 and he became the General Overseer of the Church of God. The name "of Prophecy" was added to the "Church of God" on May 2, 1952. Under M. A. Tomlinson's leadership, the church began the White Wing Publishing House, White Wing Christian Bookstores, The Voice of Salvation radio and TV programs, and numerous other ministries. He served as General Overseer until 1990.
Homer Tomlinson, older brother of Milton, formed a separate Church of God denomination (now Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama)) under his leadership in 1943-44. In 1957 Grady R. Kent went out of the Church of God of Prophecy and formed The Church of God of All Nations, which adopted its name in 1958.
When the Church of God of Prophecy elected a new General Overseer in 1990 after the retirement of M. A. Tomlinson, the stage was set for another division. A small body left in 1993 and is commonly known as The Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee). Later in 1993 there was a division in the Church and at that time there was another Church formed called "The Church Of God" that felt that its congregation was led by God to appoint Robert J. Pruitt as their general overseer.
Beliefs
The Church of God of Prophecy considers the events of the late 19th century and the 20th century to be the modern history of the church. They believe that the Church of God was founded by Jesus, and that it was restored in modern times (the "Great Apostasy" theory). They consider the Reformation of Luther, the Radical Reformation of the Anabaptists, and the Great Awakenings in the United States as part of God's move in restoring the church, which was completed in 1903.
Individuals must be "born again" to be members of the Church of God of Prophecy, as well as maintain a consistent Christian witness. A Christian witness includes abstinence from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs. Members cannot be members of secret societies or lodges (such as Freemasonry), and cannot be living in any sexual relationship deemed immoral (which includes any marriage not sanctioned by the scriptures). This group does not maintain that an individual must be a member of their specific denomination to be a child of God.
The church considers its real title to be the Church of God. For several years after the 1923 division, there was controversy over which side of the division had the legal right to the name Church of God. This body distinguished itself as Church of God, over which A. J. Tomlinson is General Overseer. In 1952 a judge in Bradley County, Tennessee ordered that the church add "of Prophecy" to the name "Church of God" for use in secular and business affairs.
The Church of God of Prophecy accepts the Bible alone as the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God, and as the highest authority in matters of faith and practice. Water Baptism by immersion, The Lord's Supper, and Feet washing are held to be ordinances of the church.
More recent division
Another split occurred in 1997 with the adoption of the "Declaration of Independence" from the group known as "The Church of God/Robert Pruitt Division", which had left the larger body in 1993 as outlined above. This split occurred on September 1, 1997 with the official acceptance of the "Declaration" after many attempts at reconciliation failed. It is believed by this group that both The Church of God/Pruitt Division and the Church of God of Prophecy have left "Theocratic Government" upon which the original group led by the late Bishop A. J. Tomlinson stood as the Bible Church. The name of this group is "The Church of God of North Carolina" and they have staked their claim upon the Scriptures as the remnant of believers sticking to the doctrine and practices as taught by Bishop Tomlinson and practiced until the removal of Bishop M. A. Tomlinson in 1990. This group believes and practices all the teachings as they were previously taught by the Church of God of Prophecy up through 1989.
Status
The Church of God of Prophecy has congregations and missions in over 115 countries, with a membership of over 700,0002. Ministries of the church include homes for children, bible training institutes, youth camps, ministerial aid, and a fully accredited college. International offices, tabernacle, and most ministry operations are located in Cleveland, Tennessee.
The Church operates Fields of the Wood, a Bible Theme Park and popular tourist attraction, near Murphy, North Carolina.
External links
- Church of God of Prophecy (http://worldwide.cogop.org/) - official Web Site
- The Church Of God (http://www.thechurchofgod.org/) - Formed 1993/Robert J. Pruitt
- Fields of the Wood (http://www.cogop.org/fow/) - Biblical theme park
- Article, The Church of God of Prophecy (http://www.dtl.org/dtl/article/c-g-p.htm) - by Michael J. Ediger
- Response to Church of God of Prophecy by Michael J. Ediger (http://www.dtl.org/e-mails/c-g-p.htm) - by Larry T. Duncan
References
- Encylopedia of Religion in the South, Samuel S. Hill, editor
- Gates Shall Not Prevail, by Raymond A. Carpenter
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
- The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, by Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. Van Der Maas
Footnotes
- 1. Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee), whose offices are located in Cleveland, but whose mailing address is Charleston; Church of God (Cleveland); Church of God of Prophecy; The Church of God (Jerusalem Acres); and The Church of God for All Nations
- 2. as of August 1, 2004