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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The Father’s Embrace: Restoration, Grace, & Joy

Dan & Tim, circa 1967

When I was a child, my brothers and I sometimes quarreled and fought. Dad would come in the room and sternly warn us, “Boys, you better stop fighting right now or I’ll have you on your knees hugging and kissing each other.” Many of our childhood brawls ended with us on our knees embracing each other. There are many examples of sibling rivalries throughout the Bible, beginning with the story of Cain and Abel. Sometimes sibling rivalry has developed into civil war.

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So, You Don’t Want to be Religious?

As one of my theology professors used to say, “Words mean something.” What he was trying to teach is that we should be careful with the use of words, especially when we are trying to teach or proclaim the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Cases in point are a couple of popular sayings illustrated below:

It seems that the word religion has developed a negative connotation. One would think that to be religious  means to be self-righteous, formal, and ritualistic, among others. In fact, religious means: manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality; devoted to religious beliefs or observances; or, to be scrupulously and conscientiously faithful.

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Irenaeus, Boccaccio, and the Church

A few years ago I was engaged in a battle of heart and mind. I was struggling with the church – the body of Christ. You need to know that when I use the word “church,” it means the church catholic – all expressions of the church throughout the world. I was disappointed and cynical, and began to seriously doubt the present relevance and future significance of the church. This battle was fierce and prolonged. Even now skirmishes continue to erupt. One day, while driving and contemplating these issues, I prayed,

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Really?! The Theology of Facebook and Twitter

I’m often confounded by the theology of Twitter and Facebook. We used to put this kind of stuff on bumper stickers and t-shirts. You know what I mean… short, pithy sayings that reflect popular theology. With the advent of Facebook and Twitter this stuff goes viral. I understand the need to KISS, i.e., “keep it simple, stupid.” That’s how propaganda becomes the public consciousness. The problem with KISS is that sometimes simple makes us stupid. By that I mean that we don’t think…, we just say, “Amen!” So I would like to offer a few “KISS” statements that may sound good at first; but on further reflection just don’t add up, if we judge them by the truth of Holy Scripture.

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Pastoral Bonds are Never Broken

Throughout life and ministry we meet many people. One of the things I have learned through the years is that it is amazing how certain people continue to cross our paths. My first pastorate was in Attapulgus, Georgia, a small town just north of Tallahassee, Florida. We served there just less than two years. But in those two years we met people that remain a part of our lives today. When we left Attapulgus, it never occurred to me that we would return over twenty years later as their district bishop. In that capacity, I was responsible for guiding them through a pastoral appointment process. The families of that small church continue to be a significant part of our lives.

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God on Trial

On occasion we witness events that command the attention of the world.  We hear the reports of genocide, but it seems that the nations of the world cannot act to bring peace. When governments do act, often events quickly descend into even more chaos. Iraq and Afghanistan come to mind. When the passenger jets crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center we began to ask, “Why?” and “Who?” Shortly thereafter we became familiar with the names and faces of the leaders of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Our national anger was expressed in acts of war. Human evil often has a face that is easy to hate. But how do we cope when the evil we experience has no face? How do we wage war when the tragic event that commands our attention is an “act of god?”

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