Church of Christ Holiness (U.S.A.)

History:
The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. is a Holiness body of Christians headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. shares a common early history with the Church of God in Christ. Charles Price Jones, a Missionary Baptist preacher in Alabama and later Mississippi, accepted the doctrine of Holiness around 1896. During this time C.P. Jones became associated with W. S. Pleasant, J. A. Jeter, Charles Harrison Mason, along with other Holiness leaders. In 1897, C.P. Jones conducted a Holiness convention from June 6-15 at the church he pastored, Mt. Helm Baptist Church, in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1898, the name Mt. Helm Baptist Church was changed to Church of Christ. This new group of Holiness leaders was expelled from the Jackson Baptist Association. From that expulsion, they adopted the name Christ Association of Mississippi of Baptized Believers in Christ in 1900, and the national Holiness movement accepted the name by C. H. Mason—Church of God in Christ—in 1906. In that same year, an annual convocation selected J. A. Jeter, C. H. Mason, and D. J. Young to investigate the Azusa Street Revival conducted by [[William J. Seymour]. C.H. Mason and D. J. Young accepted William Seymour's teaching concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit and returned with such doctrinal message with great enthusiasm. After an extended discussion on the issue of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, at the 1907 convention, a right hand of fellowship, a separation occurred, with C. H. Mason, D. J. Young and others leading a Holiness, Pentecostal group. C. P. Jones retained its Holiness emphasis when other early African-American leaders such as C. H. Mason embraced Pentecostalism.

The name Church of God in Christ was widely held by both groups until 1915, when Bishop C. H. Mason had the name COGIC, incorporated. Churches of the Holiness division began to use the name Church of Christ Holiness, and in October of 1920 was chartered in the state of Mississippi as the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A..

The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. is trinitarian with a Holiness emphasis. Water baptism of believers by immersion and the Lord's supper as a memorial are held to be ordinances of the church. Foot washing is also practiced, but it is not regarded as an ordinance. The church does not reject speaking in tongues (glossolalia). The church emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is an indispensable gift to every believer, but places no emphasis on an initial evidence as speaking in tongues to be the results of such gift.

The church in the United States is divided into eight dioceses - Eastern, North Central, Northern, Pacific North West, South Central, South Eastern, South Western, and Western. In 1998 the Church of Christ (Holiness) had 10,393 members in 167 congregations in the U. S. Following the death of Bishop Jones, in 1949, Bishop Major Rudd Conic, Sr. became the President and Senior Bishop of the Church. He held both positions until 1992. In 1996 Bishop Maurice D. Bingham of Jackson, Mississippi was elected Senior Bishop, a position he held until August of 2004. Bishop Emery Lindsay of Chicago is the Current Senior Bishop; Bishop Vernon Kennebrew (Little Rock, Arkansas) is the President. It's annual "National Convention" is held during the month of July. The church will celebrate it's 111th Convention in Jackson, Mississippi in 2007.



Statement of Beliefs:
God

We believe in ONE GOD, and that He only is God (Exodus 6:3; Isaiah 45:5,6; John 17:3); that He is eternal (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 90:2; 102:27;ITimothy 1:17; Revelation 1:8); invisible (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18; 4:24); infinite in wisdom (Job 11:7-10; Psalm 145:3; 147:5); goodness (Psalm 36:6; 104:21; 145:9,16; Matthew 5:45); mercy, love and grace (Psalm 107:1; John 3:16; Luke 1:54; Romans 9:16; Ephesians 1:6,7; 2:4-9; Titus 2:11-14); power (Job 42:2; Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37) that He is Maker of Heaven and earth (Genesis I: John 1:3); and that as God. He is triune, being revealed as Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 5:7).Article H - The Son of God We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 16:16, 17:5), is the second person in the Godhead, co-equal and coexistent, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost (Phil. 2:5; John 1:24; Matthew 1:18; Mark 1:11; I John 1:3, 7; Isaiah 7:14). We further believe in the fullness of time He was manifested in the flesh, incarnated by the power of the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:34-35) in the womb of the Virgin Mary (John 1:1-4).

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the triune Godhead; and that He is ever present and active in the Church of Christ (John 14:16); convicting (John 16:8) and regenerating those who believe in Jesus Christ; dwelling in, sanctifying, teaching, and comforting believers (John 14:16,17; 17:17) and guiding them into all truth as it is in Christ Jesus (John 16:13), (John 14:26), and empowering them to wit ness (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Bible
We believe that the Holy Bible is composed of sixty-six books, known as the Old and New Testaments, and that said books contain the eternal inerrant word of God. (Isaiah 40:8; 43:13; Psalm 80:36-37; Matthew 24:35; John 1:1-4). We believe that the Bible was writ ten by holy men as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Samuel 23:1,2; 2 Peter 1: 19-21; 2 Timothy 3:16) and that it contains all necessary truth pertaining to salvation and to Christian living (II Peter 1:3).

Original Sin
(a) We believe that original sin is the corruption of the nature of all offspring of Adam by which they are separated from original righteousness and made sinners by nature (Romans 3:9-24; 5:12-21; 6:20), and that it is referred to in the scriptures as, the carnal mind; the flesh; sin that dwelleth in me; and such like. (Romans 7:17; 8:6-8).

(b) We believe that original sin renders man unfit to enter the presence of God (Genesis 3:22-24), and incapacitates man for the service of God (Romans 8:7, 8), and to keep God's holy law (Romans 7:12-18; 8:6, 7).
(c) We believe that original sin cannot be overcome by mere force of human will, nor by mental culture (Romans 7:12-23), but must be eradicated by the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:14;
10:29; 13:12; 1 John 1:7).
(d) We believe that original sin brings every man under the penalty of death (Romans 5:12) and makes man by nature a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3), and that only Christ can deliver from the penalty of death and restore man to divine favor and give everlasting life (John 3:16-19; I John 5:10-

Atonement
We believe that the atonement made by Jesus Christ through the shedding of His blood for the remission of sins is for the whole human race; and that whosoever repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin. (Romans 3:22-26; 5-9; Hebrews 2:9; Hebrews 9:13-14, 22).

Repentance
We believe that repentance is a sincere change of the mind involving a sense of personal guilt of sin and a turning away from sin to righteousness; and that the penitent heart is graciously helped and pardoned by the spirit of God. (Acts 2:37, 38; 26:18; 3:19; Ro mans 10:9, 10).

Justification

We believe that justification is God's Judicial work done for man, whereby full pardon is granted to all who repent, believe and receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, exonerating him from the guilt of sin. (Acts 10:43; Romans 3:24-27; 5:1; 2:16-18).

We believe that regeneration is a spiritual transformation wrought in the heart of the penitent by the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the word of God, renewing him in the spirit of his mind (Ephesians 4:23); and that no accountable person may enter into the kingdom of God without having this experience. (John 3:3-7; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22- 24; James 1:18; I Peter 1:23)
We further believe that regeneration is manifested by victory over the world and sin (I John 3:7-10), and by regulating one's relationship with all men according to the will of God, having the heart filled with divine love. (I John 4:7, 8; 5:1, 2).

Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the act of divine grace, whereby man is freed from moral depravity, (original sin) and made holy.

We further believe that sanctification can and must be experienced in this present world to fit man to see God. (John 17:15-17; Hebrews 10:14; Titus 2:11, 12; I Theses. 5:23).
In justification, the guilt of sin is removed; in re generation, the love of sin is removed; in sanctification, the inclination to practice sin is removed.

Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the dead; that Christ truly rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. (Acts 1:9; 7:56; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; 7:25.) We also believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28, 29; Revelation 20:12, 13); and that the just shall be raised incorruptible and shall be changed and made like unto Christ's own glorious body. (I Corinthians 15:52; Philippians 3:20, 21). The unjust shall be resurrected also, but unto everlasting damnation and punishment. (Revelation 20:14-15).

The Second Coming
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to rapture the church and to judge the living and the dead. (Acts 1:10, 11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 9:28; II Peter 3:10).

Baptism
We believe that baptism is commanded by our Lord as an ordinance in the church; and that it belongs to the believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ (not infants who cannot believe) - and that the Bible way of ad ministering it is by immersion. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:14-16; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:1

The Lord's Supper
We believe that the Lord's Supper is a New Testament ordinance, and that it was instituted when our Lord celebrated His Last Passover with His disciples, and that it consists of bread arid wine (unfermented), and that as often as we take it we show forth the Lord's death till He comes again (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 2 19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34).

The Gift of the Holy Ghost
We believe that every true believer is heir to the Holy Ghost, (Galatians 4:6, 7).

We believe that He is the gift of God in Christ Jesus to the children of God, sanctifying, quickening, guiding into all truth, and giving power to obey and witness God's word (John 14:16-26; Acts 1:8).
We believe that the receiving of the Holy Spirit is an integral part of conversion. (Acts 2:39; 5:32; 8:14-16; l0:44-48; 19:1-4). (Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13,14).

We believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the ratification of man's acceptance with God and the earnest or guarantee of Man's eternal inheritance in Christ. (II Corinthians1:22; Ephesians 1:13, 14).
We believe that the Holy Ghost baptized the church, Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:4, 5), Gentiles, at the house of Cornelius (Acts 11:13-18). His indwelling also is referred to as a gift (Acts 2:38, 39), a receiving (Acts 19:1, 2), a filling (Ephesians 5:18), and an anointing (I John 2:27; I Corinthians 1:21, 22).
We believe that the spirit-filled life produces the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), however, the greatest fruit is love (I Corinthiansl3:13).
Article XVI

Foot Washing

We believe in foot washing as an act of obedience in following the example of humility given by our Lord Jesus Christ (John 13:1-18). We hold that foot washing is not an ordinance in the church and were never so administered in the New Testament Church.

Spiritual Gifts
We believe that spiritual gifts are set forth in First Corinthians 12, 13, 14, and Romans 12:3, 4. We further believe:

That no one gift is the specific sign or evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence, but faith (Hebrews 11:1) and love (I Corinthians 13; John 13:35) are the evidences; not even power alone is the evidence for that may be of Satan.
2. That these gifts, though they may be of use to edification, may be counterfeited or abused and are not to be trusted as evidence. (II. Thessalonians 2:7-12; II Timothy 3:8)
That there are three essential evidences of the Spirit filled life: Faith, Hope, and Love. (Corinthians 13:13)
That the Bible endorses speaking in tongues, or a gift of tongues, but that no one really speaks in tongues unless he speaks a language understood by man, as in Acts chapter
That though one speaks with tongues, it is not the primary evidence of the Holy Ghost, but merely a sign, (I Corinthians 14:22), and that when such a gift is exercised, it should follow strictly the guidelines of I Corinthians 14:26-33.

Divine Healing
We believe in and teach divine healing according to the scripture (Psalm 103:3; Jeremiah 30:17). We further believe that divine healing is a gift of God to the church (I Corinthians 12:9); and that the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up (Matthew 9:21, 22; 21:21, 22; Mark 10:51, 52; James 5:14-16).