Church of God in Christ

Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is the largest African-American denomination in the United States and one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the world. 

Founded in 1897 by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, its doctrine is Trinitarian and includes: the infallibility of the Bible and its sufficiency in matters of faith; the reality of angels and demons; the efficacy of divine healing; the continuing occurrence of miracles; the existence of original sin; the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross; the necessity of regeneration and baptism by the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by speaking in tongues; and the coming Rapture of the Church at Christ's return. COGIC recognizes the ordinances of Holy Communion, Feet Washing, and Water Baptism through immersion.    

Number of Members Worldwide: 6 million

Number of Members in the United States: 3.7 million

Governing Body: The governing body of the Church of God in Christ consists of three branches: The General Board represents the Executive Branch, the General Assembly is the Legislative Branch, and the Judiciary Board is the Judicial Branch.  The General Board is headed by the Presiding Bishop, currently Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr.  COGIC is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn.

The Church of God in Christ has no official statements on animals. If you have information specific to COGIC and official or contemporary statements on animals, we encourage you to contact HSUS Animals & Religion at religion@humanesociety.org

COGIC doctrine, however, does speak of humanity's relationship with creation as a whole. 

According to COGIC doctrine, "man" was made from the dust of the earth in the immortal and sinless image of God.  Humanity's original perfection carried with it the right and the wisdom to exercise authority over creation, but this right was transferred to Satan when humanity sinned against God. 

“Why was man created?  For the Lord’s pleasure…[and t]o exercise authority over God’s creation...Where did man come from?  Man was created from the dust of the earth…  Adam and Eve were the first human beings…The whole human race descended from this single pair…What was the original nature of man?  Spiritually, man possessed the nature of God…Thus, he was perfect, holy, or sinless.  Mentally, man was so intelligent that he was able to name the entire animal creation…He knew wrong from right…and was given a free will to choose between the two.  Physically, man was immortal…What happened to change man’s nature?  Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve to take of the forbidden fruit…Eve ‘took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and give also unto her husband with her, and he did eat’ (Gen. 3:6)…In so doing, Adam sinned against God…In so doing, Adam committed high treason. He turned his God-given authority to legally rule the earth over to Satan.  At that point, Satan became the god of this world.”

--from Bishop P. A. Brooks and Charles Hawthorne, Understanding Bible Doctrine As Taught In The Church Of God In Christ, Centennial Edition (Detroit: Church of God in Christ, 2002), 23.

 Although creation currently is ruled by Satan and is destined for destruction, humanity is not free to denigrate life.  "Saints" (all those who are saved) are called upon to renew their "whole nature in the image of God":  living exemplary lifestyles and performing good works.

"What impact should this doctrinal truth have on saints today?  Saints should make proper preparation so as to be ready for the Lord…Saints should live in earnest expectation of Christ's return...Saints should have an exemplary lifestyle."

--from Brooks and Hawthorne, Understanding Bible Doctrine, 37-38.

 “Sanctification is that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Ghost, by which He delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God and enables him to perform good works.”

--from The Church of God in Christ, The Doctrine of the Church of God in Christ:  Salvation, http://www.cogic.com/doctrine.html.

The Church of God in Christ has no contemporary statements on animals, but it has included environmental degradation among the pressing social issues that its saints are called upon to redress. 

In a 2007 Apostolic Missive, COGIC's Presiding Bishop called upon the church to provide leadership in reversing current "ill-conceived" social trends, including trends that threaten the environment.

"Let me add that while we have such a rich heritage, the global challenges of the future must be embraced as our 'call' to train, develop, and commission a new generation of leaders.  A band of leaders who are equally committed to reversing the ill-conceived trends of urban centers, family disintegration, violence in our communities, global famine and disease, environmental threats, political upheaval, moral leadership deficiency, poverty, and the loss of our youth to subcultures that rob our precious human commodity of their Divinely-inspired destiny.  Our future, if we are to remain a constructive influence in society, must be guided by godly principles that penetrate the culture and bring glory to our God.  We must take the high road of integrity and authentic leadership around the world.  Church of God in Christ, we must lead!  And lead, we will!"

--from The Most Reverend Charles E. Blake, Presiding Bishop Church of God in Christ, Inc., "The Centennial Proclamation:  An Apostolic Missive," September 2007.  http://www.cogic.com/pdfs/apostolic-missive-I.pdf.  

COGIC is a signatory on two interfaith documents that identify environmental sustainability as essential for the achievement of basic human rights.  These documents were prepared in anticipation of and support for the United Nations' 2008 "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" and its compendium "Millennium Development Goals." 

"Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability. Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources. Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss. (a) Marine areas and land conservation need greater attention. (b) Deforestation slows and more forests are designated for biodiversity conservation. (c) The number of species threatened with extinction is rising rapidly. (d) Fish stocks require improved fisheries management to reduce depletion."

--from United Nations Millennium Goals, a compendium to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2008 http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/environ.shtml.

 
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights demands meeting basic human needs.  The abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty to which more than a billion people are currently subjected, must be decisively altered. The human destruction of the environment has to be stopped.  The process of achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (eight targets that 189 countries have pledged to meet by 2015) represents a key indicator of the commitment of States to realise human rights for all."

--from 2008 Faith in Human Rights Statement, signatories include Dr. David A. Hall, Emissary to the Presiding Bishop, COGIC, http://www.cogic.com/pdfs/pb-response/2008-faith-in-human-rights-statement.pdf. 

 "The world's faiths and traditions share an understanding of the need for balancing the health of society and the environment.  There are significant links between ill health—including reproductive ill health—and environmental degradation. Environmental toxins such as industrial chemicals, air pollution and pesticides are linked to numerous health problems, including infertility, reproductive cancers and birth defects.  Policy makers and members of civil society should promote greater understanding of the linkages between the environment and reproductive health, and encourage integrated actions to address both these areas. We stand compassionately for justice for those couples whose fertility has been compromised by environmental abuses and call for equal concern for their right to create a family as we do for those couples whose emphasis is at times on fertility control."

--from "A Faith-Filled Commitment to Development Includes a Commitment to Women's Rights and Reproductive Health:  Religious Reflections on the Millennium Development Goals," signatories include Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, Church of God in Christ,
http://www.un-ngls.org/orf/un-summit-interfaith.pdf.