Doctrine and Polity Committee Posts Latest Topic
The Church of God Doctrine and Polity Committee has released the latest in its series of documents that address contemporary, cultural, and theological issues. The latest topic to be addressed deals with the implications of the act of suicide.
Posted on churchofgod.org last week, the paper, simply entitled Suicide, follows a submission by the committee last week on Church Unity and Diversity. This latest paper is written by Dr. Jerald J. Daffe, professor of Pastoral Studies at Lee University and a long-time member of the D&P Committee.
The author begins the dissertation by asking four questions that often plague the Christian believer as it pertains to suicide:
– How could this have happened?
– Did we miss something (which) could have changed the course of the person’s life?
– Have they committed the unpardonable sin by this “self-murder?”
– Why did they think there was no reason to go on living?
Daffe defines the term and then explores the scriptures, citing biblical instances. He breaks down his research further through addressing contributing causes, followed by warning signs. A section on Historic Christianity as it relates to the topic is offered, followed by three thought-provoking scenarios. He concludes the paper with helpful resources.
The Church of God Doctrine and Polity Committee is a group appointed by the International Executive Committee in the early 1990s consisting of ministers, university and seminary professors, and theologians. The group is engaged in continual examination and dialogue of issues as it relates to Church of God beliefs, core values, and Practical Commitments. The D&P Committee has undertaken the task of addressing some of the most pertinent and frequently-asked questions of today and are releasing their research over the course of several months. Each issue has been scripturally vetted and are presented to the Church of God International Executive Committee for discussion, review, and approval as it relates to Church of God doctrine and polity.
Each paper is presented alphabetically by title, in English and Spanish. They can be found at churchofgod.org under the ABOUT tab, or by clicking here.
