Author: Daniel Tomberlin

BS, MDiv, DMin. Ordained bishop in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN); pastor for 37 years; Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministries at Pentecostal Theological Seminary (Cleveland TN).
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Church of God Administrative Bishops should be Pastors

At the 2012 General Assembly of the Church of God I offered a motion relative to the qualifications of Administrative Bishops.

That we amend page 100, S21. STATE OVERSEERS, II. Qualifications, by adding the following as paragraph 6:

6. Must have at least 10 years experience as a local church pastor (This motion will not affect those under current appointment).

The motion was referred to committee and eventually fell into a black hole. I am happy to see a version of that motion on the agenda for the 2018 General Assembly:

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I am “Vulcan” Pentecostal

I have been a fan of Star Trek since childhood. I love the crew of the Enterprise. The bridge crew represents the best of humanity and the diversity of humanity.  As a child, I dreamed of graduating from Starfleet Academy. Captain Kirk was my hero. Dr. “Bones” McCoy reminded me of our family doctor. But the character with whom I most identified was Mr. Spock. In fact, I have recently referred to myself as a Vulcan Pentecostal.

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Why are we Afraid of Questions?

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. – Psalm 27:4 ESV

I heard these words read last night as a call to worship in a Pentecostal campmeeting service. I responded, “Amen.” We often speak of the temple, that is, the church, as a place of prayer and worship. But rarely do we speak of the temple as a place of inquiry. Most of the conversations in church are monologues, one sided conversations in which the preacher is the only voice to be heard. This is not always a necessarily bad thing, if the preacher wisely anticipates our questions and offers sound theological answers.

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What does the Church of God have in common with the Churches of Christ?

Recently (June 6, 2018), I had the privilege to spend the day with a wonderful group of theologians and scholars representing the Churches of Christ. My friend, Tony Richie, and I were invited to attend the Christian Scholars Conference hosted by Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. We were participants in an ecumenical dialogue. So, does the Church of God have anything in common with the Churches of Christ?

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Did Peter Deny the Trinity?

The Apostle Peter is notorious for his threefold denial of Jesus (Mark 14:66ff). But did Peter also deny that God is Holy Trinity? Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost is a model of apostolic preaching and doctrine. In that sermon, Peter declared,

Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

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