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Dear Friends,
I am an ex-member and minister of the Churches of Christ. I have been away since 1971. Since then I have ministered with Friends Churches (Quaker) and the Mennonite Church. I have also been involved mostly with house churches since 1984.

Now I am willing to return to the "restoration fold" as an agent of grace and to work as a bivocational minister. I am a Registered Nurse, so a salary requirement is not much of an issue.

As far as eduction goes, I have a B.A. (Bible) from ACU (1969), an M.S. from ACU-Dallas (1980), an M.Div. from Earlham School of Religion (Quaker) (1983), and work at Brite Divinity School and Anderson Theological Seminary.

To be honest, I am a theological fundamentalist (in the good sense of the word). I believe in Biblical Inerrancy, the fellowship of ALL believers in Christ (from all churches and denominations), a non-cessationist view of the Holy Spirit and the supernatural gifting of the Holy Spirit, believer's baptism & the Lord's Supper & footwashing, and am historic Premill. in eschatology (a literal Antichrist, 1,000 year reign on Christ on Earth, but no pre-mill rapture. I teach and believe that the Body of Christ will go through the Tribulation). Also, I am 100% Pro-life: no war, no  abortion, and no executions. I believe we are baptized because we have been saved not in order to be saved. It is all by the grace of God, and all we can do is to believe in the One God has sent-Jesus the Christ.

Well that describes me. Any takers or comments?


Peace in our Lord Jesus,

Gary Cummings
AKA Comynpreacher

                         Gary,
 How did you handle all those years in the quacker church?My understanding was that they did not use symbols so baptism and the lords supper were not practiced.By the way,I live within 10 minutes of 3 different friends churches.My wife gives music lessons to the daughter of the couple that minister at the friends church down the street from our house.Good luck and welcome to grace centered.
                         Ed

Dear Ed,

After being away from the Lord for 3 really bad years, I came back to the Lord through the witness of the early Friend's testimony. When I did I read all I could about George Fox and the first Friends. Part of my attraction was this: they claimed to be "New Testament Christianity Restored." Coming out of the COC, that rang a lot of familiar bells.

My baptism into the Lord in 1964 (at a Baptists Church) and in 1965 in a COC meant a lot to me. When I bought the hook that the Friends had restored NT Christianity, I bought their spiritualizing exegesis, and did some eisegesis into Matthew 3:11: " I baptize you with water for repentance...but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." The interpretation was that water baptism belonged to John, but Spirit baptism was what Jesus really meant.  As far as the Lord's Supper, I went to John's Gospel and Jesus' Bread of Life sermon. To be in Christ was to partake of Him, and hence any outward rite became unnecessary. Fox was pretty consistent with his spiritualizing exegesis, and I was hungry for spiritual depth beyond the outward rite.

Anyway, in 1996, my wife  and I renoucned our association with Friends and went to the Anabaptist fold, and we remain in that periphery, we take the Lord;s Supper each Sunday and I will baptize anybody who professes faith in Christ by either pouring or immersion.

Peace in Christ,

Gary Cummings
AKA Comyn

 

the Church of Christ.

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