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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Shades, Angels, Memories, and the Resurrection

The most sensitive and critical moments of pastoral ministry are times of sorrow in death. This is especially true when the people we are seeking to comfort and encourage are members of our family. I have been here many times. I have presided or spoke at the funeral services of all four grandparents, my father, uncles, aunts, cousins, a nephew, and a niece. Most recently, I presided over the service for my brother, Randy. The past two weeks have been very tough. First, we lost two uncles. Then, two days after Uncle Mike died we received the news that Randy died suddenly and unexpectedly. Our grief has been profound.

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If Women had been Silent…

The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).

Paul’s words have been employed as a universal statement that denies any role to women in the ministry of the gospel. While I admit that at first reading they seem rather straightforward, when taken in the context of the narrative of Scripture, they seem out of place. So, I wonder, what if women had been silent?

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Stuck in the Middle

I often feel that I’m stuck in the middle, walking down a path between two fools – those who reject knowledge and those who have made knowledge an idol – both for whom I have great affection. There is an old hit song from the 1970’s that I have adopted as my new anthem. Stealers Wheel wrote and performed Stuck in the Middle with You, a song that made Billboard’s top ten in 1973. The lyrics of the chorus include these words: “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right; Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”

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Dying in Christ

Water baptism is participation “in Christ.”According to the apostle Paul, baptism is a paradigm for the believer’s participation in the redemptive work of Christ. To be saved is to be “in Christ,” and the church is the “body of Christ” (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12). In the teaching of Paul, baptism is an important motif for understanding Christ’s redemptive work. Paul’s audience was familiar with the rite of baptism since most of his hearers had been baptized. Therefore, the analogy between water baptism and being “in Christ” was significant in the early Christian community. In the baptism of John the Baptist, Christ took upon Himself the sins of humanity. Likewise, in water baptism the redeemed participate in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

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Stomping on Jesus: A Holy Week Meditation

Last night I read a news item about an “academic exercise” at Florida State University where students were encouraged to write the name “Jesus” in large letters on a piece of paper and then throw it to the floor and stomp on it. One student refused and the incident has provoked outraged. Frankly, I read the news article and thought the so-called academic exercise to be just another stupid act of religious bigotry and went to bed.

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When the Whole World is Watching

I’ve been watching the coverage of the Papal Conclave. I find it amazing that the whole world is watching in anticipation. When the Church of God convenes in General Assembly, it’s not worthy of national coverage on CNN or FOX. The same can be said of other Pentecostal or Protestant churches. It seems that no one cares when Protestants elect a leader.

Five hundred years after the Reformation, the selection of a new Pope still matters to the world. And, whether we like it or not, it matters to Protestants and Pentecostals.

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