A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

A History of Christian Doctrine
trinitarian formula; divine healing in the Atonement; the
Lord’s supper and foot washing; the premillennial second
coming of Jesus; and the bodily resurrection, with eternal
life for the righteous and eternal punishment for the
wicked. 157 The statement on sanctification was a compromise
that did not clearly define it as a second work of
grace but averted a schism.
As noted in chapter 2, when the CG removed A. J.
Tomlinson as its leader for life, he broke away and formed
a new church in 1923, which he considered the true
church. Due to litigation, this church was forced to adopt
a distinct legal name. For years it was known as the
Tomlinson Church of God, but since 1952 has been called
the Church of God of Prophecy (CGP) (286,848) in its
“secular affairs.” In the U.S. it grew from 441 churches
and 18,351 adherents in 1936 to 1,961 churches and
72,859 adherents in 1996.
The CGP has a distinctive ecclesiology. It believes that
the true church as an organization disappeared in A.D.
325, when the Roman emperor Constantine essentially
united church and state. The true church was restored
with A. J. Tomlinson in 1903. While members of other
churches may be saved, eventually the saved people will
recognize that the CGP is the true church.
To commemorate the spot where Tomlinson received
his revelation from God to restore the church, the CGP
established the Fields of the Wood, a meeting ground
named because of a belief that it fulfills Psalm 132:6. The
church has erected various religious monuments on the
site, which are maintained by the Church of Prophecy
Marker Association.
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church
130