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In 1892 a second church was formed in Cherokee County, North Carolina(4). The second church was held in the home of William F. Bryant. There with three laymen, a revival occurred(5). Christian Union, as Church of God (Cleveland) was named at the beginning, heard about the revival and joined with that group from North Carolina.
In its early years the Church of God was criticized for its loud services and accused of fanaticism. In 1896 in a school house in North Carolina, 130 persons came under the power of the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues(6). On May 15, 1902 Bryant reorganized the church and changed its name to Holiness Church(7).
Ambrose J Tomlinson came to the church in 1903, and became its pastor. In 1906 the first General Assembly was held to coordinate the activities of the four congregations(8). On January 11, 1907 the name was changed from Holiness Church to Church of God, while its headquarters were moved to Cleveland, Tennessee(9).
The church began publishing The Church of God Evangel in 1910(10). In 1916 the General Assembly created the Council of Twelve(11).
In 1923 A. J. Tomlinson, who had been elected General Overseer some years previously, was replaced. Many Church of God leaders and members did not like his almost tyrannical control over such aspects as finances. He was removed from office, and soon after left the church to form another denomination, the Church of God of Prophecy(12). Soon after Tomlinson left the church, the organization returned to the same authoritative form of government. As the church grew throughout the decades, it moved from a "fanaticism" church into the mainstream conservative evangelicalism, as revealed in the development of its mores(13).
Relations with other churches: The Church of God, at its roots, showed animosity towards middle class Christianity"(14). Many members wanted exclusive fellowship. Soon after World War II Church of God, being concerned with numerous social problems, helped form and joined associations such as National Association of Evangelicals, and the World Pentecostal Fellowship(16).
While the church warmed up to other Pentecostal churches, its relationship with other Christian churches was still lukewarm at best. Ray H. Hughes, echoing reasons why many members left other churches to come to the church, stated that "the church would not support such a union (Protestant-Catholic, in which Dr. Fredrick Loggan called for inclusion of Pentecostal groups) because it represented theological liberalism, lack of evangelical conviction... and a search for unity at the expense of biblical truth"(17).
In 1986 the church began its beyond the walls program. This program reflects the church's commitment to love and serve other Christians. They have also found ways to try to strengthen "the whole brotherhood of Christ"(19).
Race Relations: The Church of God began as an integrated body, but segregation soon occurred. In 1926 the separation into black and white churches occurred, at the request of black ministers(20). During the years that followed, a black overseer was in charge of the black churches, but beginning in 1958 those black churches would have a white overseer(21). This led many black members to protest. More protest occurred when black ministers were not allowed to vote in the General Assembly. Then in 1964 the church passed a resolution that no person should be refused "the right to worship, vote, rest, eat, sleep, be educated, live, and work," because of his race or religion(22).
Segregation and integration are two different things. It was not until 1966 that the church voted to integrate(23). In 1986 it was made mandatory that the Council of Eighteen have a black member(24). Before that there was no black member to the Council of Eighteen(25). There are no official barriers to members, either white or black, to attend whatever congregation they wish to attend.
Schools: One of the major developments in the church was its establishment of higher learning centers. In 1918 the Bible Training School in Cleveland began(26). The church bought a small portion of Murphy Collegiate Institution. They still needed more room for students, thus they then bought Bob Jones College, and changed the name to Lee college. Lee college was only one school started by Church of God. Eventually, Lee College began offering four-year degrees.
The church also started a number of "Day Schools." They established the General Board of Education to ensure proper running of schools(27). In 1971 the first Church of God Seminary was approved, and in 1975 classes started(28). Other seminaries were established and an internship was developed. The Church of God had schools for children starting at an early age and continuing until college. They believed that children, or young adults, could not attend school without receiving negative consequences in public education system. Thus their schools started educating early and continued until college.
Organization: Today the Church of God (Cleveland) is divided into four governing bodies: the General Assembly, the General Council, the Executive Council, and the Executive Committee.
The General Assembly is to have "full authority to designate the teaching, government, principles, and practices of all local churches'(29). The General Assembly is made up of males and females sixteen years of age and older, who are registered and present at the biennial General Assembly Business session(30). As stated earlier the General Assembly is to have full authority, but in reality the General Assembly has little to no control over the items on the agenda, except through a new motion which takes an extensive amount of time(31). They also do not have control over the order of items on the agenda. The General Assembly has to discuss, act on, or vote on the items in the order they appear on the agenda(32). Since 1968 no financial report has been submitted to the General Assembly(33). The General Assembly has little control over finances, agenda, time and location of meeting, or personnel(34).
The General Council is composed only of men, who are ordained ministers and are registered and present at the biennial General Council Business meetings(35). The General Council is to "meet and discuss such recommendations as are scriptural and proper in all manners pertaining to the welfare of the church"(36). The agenda that the General Council takes action on is handed down from the Executive Council(37). Again the General Council has little to no control over its finances, time and location of meeting, etc(38).
The Executive Council now has eighteen members, one of whom has to be black. Their objective is "to consider and act upon any and all matters pertaining to the general interest and welfare of the Church of God"(39). The Executive Council has some control, but it is limited over finances, agenda, and personnel(40).
The Executive Committee was formed in 1922. There are five members on the committee. The Executive Council has total or near total control over finances, agendas for the lower departments, time and place for the meetings for the lower departments, and personnel(41).
Many of the beliefs of the Church of God are reflective of the Pentecostal denomination in which it exists. Most Pentecostal churches believe in glossolalia which is speaking under control of the holy spirit(43). Glossolalia should not be confused with xenoglossia, the using of a foreign language without any prior knowledge of it, or cryptonesia which is learning or knowing a language as a child and then forgetting it either over time or through an accident, and then in an altered state of consciousness the language reappears. Glossolalia is not truly a language, but the verbalization of a religious experience(43).
Most Pentecostals believe that a person's religious experience should dominate one's daily life. This is evident in the first stages of the Church of God and their strict rules regarding daily lives of members, as will be discussed later. Other reflective beliefs include baptism, the idea that the end is near, and divine healing. The Church of God (Cleveland) publishes a doctrine in their minutes entitled "Declaration of Faith." Below is a summary of what that declaration states:
-the verbal inspiration of the Bible;
-in one God, existing in the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost;
-Jesus is the only son of God, who was crucified, raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of the Father;
-no person is without sin, and all must repent;
-God's expects his people to lead a holy life;
-water baptism is required for a clean heart;
-speaking in tongues, as a manifestation of God;
-divine healing;
-the Lord's supper and the washing of the Saints' feet;
-premillennial second coming of Jesus (above information provided from footnote number five.)
As in all churches the beliefs of the Church of God (Cleveland) have developed over time. As their beliefs changed the Church of God was seen as transforming and moving into mainstream conservative evangelicalism. Alcohol, tobacco, secret societies, labor unions, dances, movies, revealing clothing, chewing gym, and church bazaars were all taboo(44). Members were subject to expulsion if they did not adhere to the church standard.
Movies and television: When television and movies became prominent members were not to watch them and not to attend movies. Movie houses were seen as love nests, and people only went there to engage in illicit sex. In the fifties elder members of the church thought that no member should own a television(45).
But by the late fifties there was no stigma against members who owned television. During the seventies the Church of God started a program of rating television shows as suitable to be seen, and advocated a week of non-viewing for members. Instead of a blanket condemnation the church moved rather to advocate personal responsibility and selectivity. In May 1970 the council members voted to recommend that any member who goes to a moving picture show is disloyal to the church,(46). As well as with television the focus on movies shifted from complete condemnation to personal responsibility.
Alcohol: Alcohol is one of the few areas where the Church of God has never revoked their standing on consumption. They believed that alcohol was evil and caused the destruction of families. When the medical community affirmed that alcoholism was a disease, the church felt vindicated.
Initially church members were even discouraged from consuming cokes(13). Though the church had an official stance against alcohol, bootleggers gave sizeable donations to the church(15).
After the passage of the twenty-first amendment the church became more active on the alcohol scene. They advocated the passage of the Shepard Bill, forbidding the selling of alcohol to soldiers. During the fifties and sixties the church wanted to limit advertising done by alcohol companies. As time wore on the issue of alcohol lost its heat, but was still mentioned in the official minutes.
Tobacco: The reasons that the church gave against tobacco was that it was seen as dangerous to your health, filthy, and a waste of money. If a person had extra money to spend on tobacco then they should give that money to the church. The Church of God was among the first organizations to protest against tobacco(47).
The church even forbade the selling, and farming of tobacco, which was a bold move in an area where tobacco farming was necessary to the economy. Many members responded to that prohibition in anger. They said that they had to farm tobacco because it was necessary for their basic standard of life. In 1933 the church modified its stance to add unless absolutely necessary to earn a living(48).
Dress code: The church believed that a person should want the attention of God, not other people, so they should not dress in a way to attract wrongful attention. Initially the rules stated that dresses should not be six inches below the throat, above the knee, or off the shoulders(49).
As women became more outspoken during the sixties many younger women in the church did not want to adhere to the strict dress code. In 1968, the executive council issued a statement that reminded women that low-cut sleeveless dresses, mini-skirts, shorts, slacks, and jeans were unacceptable(50).
During the seventies the church began to classify women into two classes: dedicated or not dedicated depending on the clothes that they wore,(51).
Jewelry was also a subject of conflict. In 1930, the church passed an ordinance forbidding the wearing of jewelry for cosmetic purposes. It was not until 1958 that men and women were allowed to wear wedding rings(52).
The wearing of cosmetics was another area of regulation, as well.
Divorce: In the early part of the century those persons who had a divorce were not allowed to become members, unless they were an innocent party. They had to explain how and why they got a divorce. And even after the divulging of the aspects of their divorce, these members were told to remain unmarried(53).
The possibility for remarriage was always a conflict between progressives and traditionalists. Throughout the years the general assembly reaffirmed its opposition to divorce.
The Church of God's literal interpretation of the Bible lead to many of their beliefs such as divine healing, speaking in tongues, and snake handling.
Healing was provided in the atonement, and all spirit filled Christians were eligible for divine healing(54). Illnesses were linked to the depravity of man. For Christians illness was a result of demonic oppression not possession(55). Not all who asked for healing could be saved. God might use one's sickness as a growing experience.
In the early history of the church, members relied on God to heal them and refused to take medicine. This lead to some church members being arrested for not giving their children medicine, or refusing to allow children to see a doctor. Divine healing is still a doctrine to which the church adheres.
Snakehandling was introduced by George Hensley(56).The church referred to Mark 16:17-18 as a reference to Biblical snake handling. Soon after Henley handled the snake he went and preached to a small town. Some of the people present, jokingly, introduced a snake for him to handle, which he did without injury.
There were rules for snakehandling. It was never to occur before the climax of a sermon, which was when the individual was filled with the spirit. To handle a snake for show or before the climax of a sermon was to put the individual in danger without the protection of God and brought shame and disgrace.
Snakehandling was a source of much criticism for the Church of God. In 1928 the General Assembly officially reputed the practice. Throughout the forties the practice of snakehandling began to become disassociated with the church.
Roles of Women: A woman's place was typically considered to be in the home, though at the beginning of the church thirty percent of ministers were women(57). Then in 1909 the church officially banned women from being ordained, thus they could only be active in the General Assembly, and only be evangelists.
Women's accomplishments can be seen throughout the development of the church. Many women started churches, like Etta Lamb in Mississippi(58). The first Church of God missionary to go abroad was a woman, Lillian Thrasher. She received little help from the church with her work, so she left the church and joined the Assembly of God.
Some leaders, including A.J. Tomlinson, did not think that women should be equal to men(59). During the depression the Ladies' Willing Workers Board was essential to the financial survival of the church, yet women were still not considered equal to men. By 1986, the Department of Ladies Ministries organized more than ten million dollars. By 1987 less than three percent of ministers had been women(60).
War: The Church of God did not believe that it was God's will for men to kill men, they believed that war "was the feeder of hell"(61). The church urged their men to file for exemption during World War I. Their strict pacifism during WWI caused them much trouble with the FBI and the police. They refused to buy war bonds and savings stamps.
During World War II the church began to support the policies enacted by the government. They still urged their men not to fight, and to ask for services in the medical field, but they did not make non-service a requirement as they had done in WWI. During World War II the church sent Roosevelt a telegram explaining that the church was supporting them, and that they were praying for the country. The church even established the War Times Committee. And officially on September 3, 1945 the church rescended the rule against its men serving in the military.
Conflicts: Today the Church of God does not encounter many adversaries, but when the church was first established it encountered some critics. Some people criticized the church for its beliefs, and practices of divine healing and snakehandling. Many members were arrested for not allowing doctors to treat their children, and many of their children died. Walter Barney was an example of that. He was arrested when his child died because he did not call a doctor or give her medicine(62).
The church also received criticism for their practice of snakehandling. Snakehandlers were accused of defanging the snakes or extracting their venom. Criticism also came from the clergymen of some Pentecostal churches. The church was also criticized for allowing children to handle snakes.
Other criticism came from their staunch stance on pacifism during WWI. One member was even murdered for not registering for the draft. Many members were arrested for not buying war bonds, or savings stamps. Some members, like L. R. Rouse, were threatened by the government to have their children taken away(63). But as the church moved into the mainstream with other churches their resistance they faced was less and less. Today they face little or no opposition.
Church of God International Offices in Cleveland Tennessee
An in-depth site with links to other sites. It gives statements of faith, information about leaders, and other facts.
http://www.chofgod.org/
- Bare, Harold. 1996.
- The Evolution of Leadership in a Scared Bureaucracy: A Socio-Ethnographic Study of the Church of God. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia, Department of Sociology. PhD Dissertation.
- Coon, C.W. 1988.
- "Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn)" in Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Stanley M. Burgess, and Gary B. McGee, eds. Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library. pps. 197-202.
- Crews, Mickey. 1990.
- The Church of God: A Social History. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.
- Melton J, Gordon. 1996.
- "Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)," in The Encyclopedia of American Religions. 5th ed. Detroit, MI: Gale. pp. 80-84.
Created by Sarah McClary
For Sociology 257, Spring, 1998
Last modified: 07/18/01