Making Good the Claim: Holiness and Visible Unity in the Church of God Reformation Movement

The Church of God Reformation Movement (founded in 1881) has the distinction of having been founded on the two core principles of holiness and visible unity. Standard histories of the group proudly argue that the founder and pioneers exhibited a zeal for interracial unity that began to wane only in the early years of the twentieth century. This book rejects that claim and argues instead that little to no extant hard evidence supports that view. Moreover, Making Good the Claim argues that while blacks eagerly joined the group, they did so not because whites expended much energy evangelizing among them but because they heard something deeper in the message of holiness and visible unity than God's expectation that members achieve spiritual and church unity. Unlike most whites, blacks interpreted the message to call for unity along racial lines as well. This book challenges members of the Church of God to begin forthwith to make good their historic claim about holiness and visible unity, particularly as it applies to interracial unity. ""Burrow scrupulously details the history of the Church of God Movement's claims about holiness and visible unity to discern whether it sought to make good its claims in the realm of interracial unity and equality before God. His search takes him through oral history, correspondence, historic publications, and watershed events. There are moments of near cloak-and-dagger suspense as readers wait to discover who moved the 'race question' forward and who failed to make good the claims. Set within the context of sociological approaches to sect, church, and denomination, the investigation charts the evolution of power, particularly the power of white privilege. Burrow is to be commended for giving voice to some of history's forgotten heroes and sheroes who come alive in his telling."" --L. Susan Bond, Lane College ""A thorough historical and sociological analysis of the persistent problem of racism in the Church of God, written with painstaking precision and prophetic passion. These ethical perspectives and prescriptions promise to advance the church toward visible implementation of biblical reconciliation. A must-read for anyone seeking substantive faith-based remedies to the racial dilemmas of our times."" --Cheryl J. Sanders, Professor of Christian Ethics, Howard University Divinity School ""In Making Good the Claim, Rufus Burrow Jr. invites readers to examine the Church of God's claim of 'uniting holiness and visible unity in the church.' Burrow's thorough analysis illuminates the need for considering where the church should strive to be. He challenges Church of God members to make good the claim of holiness and interracial unity. The author's insight and blueprint for action make this an excellent read and resource for scholars, seminarians, pastors, and laypersons interested in racial reconciliation, unity, and transformation of the Church of God."" --Rebekah I. Baker, Associate Professor of Education, Anderson University ""Dr. Rufus Burrow, Jr. has written a probing and passionate inquiry about interracial unity in the Church of God Reformation Movement. His focus on race relations centers on the cardinal theological stance of the Church of God tenets of holiness and unity. He raises salient questions about the connection between principles, attitudes, and practices as they relate to the doctrine of Christian unity. His significant treatise on the course and path of interracial relationships is coupled with a call for renewed engagement on the part of whites and blacks toward realization of a unity that is both theologically and visibly practiced in the life of the church. Burrow's repetitive emphasis on holiness and visible unity brings one again and again to his core concerns and his passionate pleas."" --Edward L. Foggs, General Secretary Emeritus, Church of God Ministries, and Distinguished Minister at Large, National Association of the Church of God Rufus Burrow Jr. is Distinguished

Rufus Burrow Jr. is a Martin Luther King Jr. scholar and Indiana Professor of Christian Thought, Emeritus, at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. In addition to his many publications on King, he has written much on ethical prophecy, including God and Human Responsibility: David Walker and Ethical Prophecy (2002), and coauthored, with Mary Alice Mulligan, Daring to Speak in God's Name: Ethical Prophecy in Ministry (2002) and Standing in the Margin (2004).

Barry L. Callen is retired Dean and Professor of Christian Studies at Anderson University. He has authored over fifty books, including Discerning the Divine (2004), Bible Stories for Strong Stomachs (2017), The Jagged Journey (2018), and God in the Shadows (2018).