Bow Tie Dialogue: Church of God 

Big John is a precious, humble man!! Thank you both for this very edifying interview!!!

Great conversation. I appreciate the unity and humility demonstrated by both of you. “He’s not like most Calvinists. He’s nice.” Truth! 😂

I was blessed by this conversation, gentlemen. Thanks for your humility and openness. It's a great example for younger believers like myself

Interesting that Big John was a Methodist, and his wife a Baptist, and they end up in a denomination founded by a Baptist preacher and Methodist preacher

I went to a Church of God school in middle and high school named Victory Christian Academy. The church it is connected with is named South Gastonia Church of God. The pastor just celebrated his six year old son being born again by the Holy Spirit and just had the privilege of baptising him. Praise the Lord! Much of the staff went to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee which is where I went for two years. Before it became Lee, it was called East Coast Bible College btw. I know some people in the Church of God who are great, godly people who do not approve of the wild, horrid claims of popular charismatic teachers today. I am now with a Conservative Evangelical Southern Baptist Church but still have warm affections for those in the Church of God, though I am in disagreement in some doctrines and practices. Big John seems like a very genuine, God fearing man and I'm glad you had this interview. I'm a little over an hour from Mooresville but it's cool to know this brother is close by. 😊

Good on ya, both. Y’all’s interaction was just beautiful.

This is a good and humble discussion.

I appreciate this brother’s heart for the Lord, and his integrity. Learned a lot from this conversation. Thank you both..

Thanks for having me on your podcast bro Keith. I enjoyed it, i hope to have represented CoG and the Laborers well.

Keith, there is a group of ex-CoG guys who are now reformed/reformed Baptists in and near the Jacksonville area. They're good brothers you would enjoy getting to know. I am part of that group, but I now serve as pastor in a church in Texas.

This was a great podcast guys God Bless Yall To Christ All the Glory

Yes! Another Bow Tie Dialogue. Love 'em.

I disagree with the Pentecostal views, but I really appreciated this conversation and Big John! God bless you both 🙏

I grew up Church of God in Eastern NC. I’ve been a Reformed Baptist for 7 years now. Really enjoyed this conversation

Great episode Keith! This was very eye opening. I have a Church Of God (Anderson) background before becoming “Reformed” Baptist, whereas John here is Church of God (Cleveland). The distinctions between Anderson and Cleveland appear to be drastic from what I learned here. These two denoms have very different views on tongues, membership, and even eschatology.

Keith Foskey

I often find these BTs frustrating...sometimes so much I turn them off. I lost some hair listening to the IFB guys. This one was not so. I learned from the guest and the host and found the information helpful. Good work by both for making this both educational and entertaining at the same time, and for showing how differences can be handled respectfully and graciously...how it should be done yet becoming very rare in the social-media era.

Thanks so much for the outro!

I'm really feeling the 80's sitcom intro 😅

Great video!

Why did my brain immediately think Balki and Larry 😂❤🎉

That signoff jingle sounded more like Piano Man than an 80s SitCom intro.

If you listen closely you will notice Keith developing an Appalachian twang! Lol

I always feel like Noah's raven and his early dove.

Thanks for a podcast with those who have different doctrines than yourself. When the guests you normally have on are basic clones of your doctrinal holdings, the show ends up being a heady and confusing form of shop talk that brings little glory to God Himself and seems to puff up your intellectual need to answer specific Scriptural questions that no one is asking or really even cares about the answers to. I'm not saying this to tear you down, but as a criticism to improve the show. If I didn't like listening to you and find you interesting, I wouldn't be such a faithful viewer. I know it is not that easy to find guests, but I'm sure glad you had John Jones on today. We need to talk about our differences, especially through the eyes of those who perceive the Scriptures in a different way we do. Men of God like you and John take the Scripture to believe the way you do and those things that bring about different conclusions are so valuable to discuss is we ever want the church to come to a deeper unity. There is nothing wrong with debate as long as it is not so heated to cause fractures in our brotherly relationships. I really encourage you to have more shows like this one. It is so obvious men like Pastor Jones speak with the conviction of the Scriptures, having the love of God deep inside himself in such a sincere way and yet have differences with the doctrine you hold about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church today.

Excellent interview! Surprised Pastor Keith didnt know who Ruslan was! Definitely a controversial pick. Haha. Awesome discussion brothers. 🙏🙂

FYI, there are 2 different church of God denominations. One out of TN and another out of Anderson, IN.

There are many different Churches called Church of God. Which particular one is this?

Interestingly in CAMS and MIP there really isn't an in-depth soteriology section. I'm at the same level as Big John as far as not taken the bishop exam yet.

There is nearly 40,000 COG worldwide

Good conversation, but it should have been clarified that brother John is with the Church of God, Cleveland, not Anderson.

A won't go to a church where a woman is the pastor. I did before but the way they did it was sneaky. At first she would just address the children in front of us before the pastor spoke and I didn't think anything of it. The last time I went she said this isn't just for the kids. That was an SBC affiliated church. By the way I'm a woman.

COG does not have to believe pre trib even though most do

I happen to be a pastor in the Church of God (headquartered in Cleveland,TN) denomination.... and I'm a calvinist 😮

I find pentecostal church names funny. Big John actually brought this out. He believes that the church of God was the first pentecostal church.... what was the church in acts? The best any pentecostal church could be was the second. :)😅

Seems legalistic to me. The claim is always the ifb is this way but pentecostals can be the same way. I'm sure there are some confused Christians in the church of God that are nice people but I'll never step foot in one.

Correct me if I am wrong but i thought church of god is a cult🤔

You know, I'd have a dialog with these guys, but as a Mormon, to them, I'm not a Christian, maybe not even human. So there's no point.