The Church of God Doctrine and Polity Committee has released the latest in its series of documents that address contemporary and cultural issues.
The latest paper – posted on churchofgod.org – is entitled Church Unity and Diversity. It is written by Dr. J. Ayodeji Adewuya, Professor of New Testament and Greek at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. In the first paragraph Adewuya states that the world today is divided along many lines, including sociocultural, political, racial, and religious and unfortunately the Church has not been immune to these evils. He then poses the question, “How can the Church transcend the divisions that plague its context, and not be swept off its feet by the prevailing torrents of disharmony, divisions, and disunity?”
The author then reveals truths through extensive research and scriptural references under sections entitled, “One Body, Many Members,” and “No Jew, No Gentile, No male, No Female; No Master, No Slave.”
The paper was submitted earlier this year and like all submitted through this committee, it is thoroughly vetted by committee members and the Church of God Executive Committee. The full paper can be read by clicking here. [1] or visiting the ABOUT section of churchofgod.org.
The Church of God Doctrine and Polity Committee is a group appointed by the International Executive Committee in the early 1990s consisting of ministers, university and seminary professors, and theologians. The group is engaged in continual examination and dialogue of cultural issues as it relates to Church of God beliefs, core values, and Practical Commitments. The D&P Committee has undertaken the task of addressing some of the most pertinent and frequently-asked questions of today and are releasing their research over the course of several months. Each issue has been scripturally vetted and presented for clarification of the current Church of God polity stance.
Each polity paper is presented alphabetically by title, in English and Spanish, and may be downloaded for presentation purposes.