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Oneness Pentecostalism is a movement of Pentecostal Christianity that teaches the atoning death of Jesus Christ, His resurrection, His soon return, and the inerrancy of the Word of God as contained in the Bible. They consider water baptism to be essential, and stress it should be administered in the name of Jesus Christ. They display utterances of tongues (glossalalia), and regard this as initial evidence of the infilling of the Holy Ghost in the believer. They teach that personal conversion is to be followed by holy living and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. The church services are often punctuated with demonstrative acts of worship including dancing, shouting, and glossalalia. Although both Oneness and Trinitarian denominations acknowledge the God of the Bible as the only God in existence, and that Jesus was born, died, and resurrected, Oneness doctrine differs from mainstream Christian denominations in that the traditional concept of the Trinity is rejected as an inadequate and inaccurate description of God. According to the United Pentecostal Church International, Oneness Pentecostals identify Jesus essentially as the human manifestation of God the Father, i.e. God incarnate. *. Citing , the Oneness doctrine affirms that God is indivisibly one in number, and sees the biblical distinction between God the Father and Jesus (the Son of God), as being a proper, observable father-son distinction, except between an incorporeal, transcendent, eternal God as Father, and a human, begotten man as Son, in whom God manifested Himself for the purpose of salvation. They affirm the full deity of Jesus, by holding that God chose to make Himself known to humanity through the man Jesus. In their view, the deity of Jesus is God the Father. They deny the Trinitarian proposal that the one, true God is comprised of three co-divine, co-equal, co-eternal, co-powerful persons. In the sense that the one God and one man of co-exist simultaneously, they teach that God exists simultaneously both as the human man Jesus (the Son of God), and as God the Father (invisible, transcendent, Spirit), inseparably united (see John 10:30). Citing John 4:24 (God is a Spirit), they see the terms God the Father and Holy Spirit as references to the same one God, who is Spirit. In affirming that the Holy Spirit is God the Father, they deny that God’s own Spirit is another divine person separate from Him. Oneness Pentecostals are often referred to as "Jesus Only." The label arose early on in reference to their insistence on baptizing only in the name of Jesus, but it tends to be used only by the movement's critics today, and is generally disliked by Oneness Pentecostals. "Oneness", "Apostolic" and "Jesus' Name" are adherents' preferred self-designations. Oneness Pentecostals differ from mainstream Protestant Christianity by holding that salvation is attained by water baptism in Jesus' name only and speaking in tongues in addition to repentance and trusting in Jesus Christ as Saviour. Protestants have historically taught salvation by repentance and faith alone in Christ alone apart from works, including baptism and any other sacrament. History Many people believe that the Oneness doctrine came into existence only in the early 20th century during the latter days of the Azusa Street revival. Oneness historians, however, such as Dr. Curtis Ward, William Chalfant, and Delroy Gayle have gathered substantial evidence that they believe reveals there were Oneness believers long before the Azusa Street revival. There are no indications, however, that the pioneering Oneness Pentecostal figures in the early twentieth century were either guided or inspired by ancient Modalists such as Sabellius, Noetus or Praxeas. However, modern Oneness people often stress dependence solely upon God and the Bible for the formation of their doctrines, seeking guidance not from post-biblical writings of men, but from illumination by God upon the Bible. Post-biblical church history is deemed by Oneness people to be of interest, but not binding upon them for their doctrinal views. Thus, they are unorthodox in the literal sense of the word. In 1913, John Schaepe (whose name is often misspelled in a number of sources) claimed to receive a revelation directly from God during a camp meeting revival that the baptismal command posited by Peter in - i.e., baptism "in the name of Jesus" - was the fulfillment of the Great Commission in - i.e., baptism "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."(No where in the Bible was anyone ever baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.) This conclusion was accepted by several others in the camp and developed further theologically by a minister named Frank J. Ewart. By 1914, Frank Ewart and Glenn Cook publicly baptized each other in "the name of Jesus." Thus, in 1913 Oneness Pentecostalism was "revealed" to a handful of individuals, and in 1914 it was first publicly practiced. Later, a number of ministers claimed that they baptized "in the Name of Jesus" long before 1914, including Frank Small and Andrew D. Urshan. Even Charles Parham himself baptized using a "Jesus Name" formula prior to Azusa Street (Dr. Charles Wilson, Our Heritage, p. 12). However it was not their baptismal formula which was the issue, but rather the rejection of the Trinity that was the bigger issue to other Pentecostal ministers. Schaepe's revelation caused a great stir within Pentecostalism. During the next year, Frank J. Ewart, another Pentecostal minister, struggled between his Trinitarian teachings and the new issue. He often spent hours debating with R. E. McAlister, attempting to bring the two doctrines together. The camp ground in Arroyo Seco, California, just outside Los Angeles, where the revelation occurred was also owned by Seymour's Mission. Many were rebaptized in the new formula in an attempt to bring unity within the new Assemblies of God. However the re-baptisms also had the opposite effect on the Assemblies causing a backlash from many Trinitarians who feared the direction their organization might be heading. By October 1916 the issue finally came to a head at the Fourth General Council of the Assemblies of God. The mostly Trinitarian leadership, fearing the new issue might overtake their organization, drew up a doctrinal statement affirming the Trinity among other issues. When the final votes were tallied the "Statement of Fundamental Truths" was adopted. More than one quarter of their ministerial and assembly membership left to form their own Oneness fellowships. Oneness Pentecostals have, as have most other denominations and Pentecostal groups, some division over a number of issues. From 1920-1950, many ministers split from the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (P.A.W.), a Oneness Pentecostal denomination that was originally racially integrated. Due to the social, political and national policies of the day such as the Jim Crow Era, white Oneness Pentecostal leaders saw that the white southern brethren were in conflict with the racially integrated movement, and several smaller organizations were founded. In 1945, a merger of two predominantly white Oneness Pentecostal organizations (the Pentecostal Church Incorporated and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ) resulted in the formation of the United Pentecostal Church International (U.P.C.I.). In recent decades the organization has stressed multicultural ministries and racial integration. * The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World have never left their original vision of a racially integrated body of believers. To this day, although predominately black, they continue to reach out and work toward racial unity in worship and organization. There have been both white and black Presiding Bishops in this group. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World is the oldest Oneness Pentecostal organization in existence. It began in 1906, the same year the Asuza Street revival began, making it older then even most of the Trinitarian Pentecostal organizations. It was never a part of the Assemblies of God and therefore never came out from it. The group which was ousted by the Assemblies of God later joined the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, but then demerged later (Dr. Charles Wilson, "Our Heritage", p. 22). The U.P.C.I. has suffered a few minor splits since its inception in 1945. For example, in 1986, Pastor L. H. Hardwick, a U.P.C.I. pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, broke away from what he called "legalists" (referring to the issue of dress code and standards), took his church (Christ Church) and formed Global Christian Ministries (now Global Network of Christian Ministries). Contrast Both Trinitarian and Oneness adherents maintain that there is only one God, who was manifested in the flesh, and that He became fully known to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. The traditional doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is, and eternally has been, existent in three Divine persons or members in the Godhead (specifically "God the Father, "God the Son" and "God the Holy Spirit"). These three are taught to be co-eternal, co-equal, and co-powerful. Ancient as well as modern art displayed in many Catholic churches show the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate people standing or sitting next to each other. Yet it is affirmed that these three separate Divine persons are one in essence. Much information is available about the traditional doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Oneness theology maintains that the biblical terms God the Father and Holy Spirit both refer to the same one eternal, incorporeal, ever-transcendent Deity, that is indivisibly one in number (with Father describing God in relationship and Spirit describing God in action or emanation, see , "God is a spirit"), and their doctrine holds that the biblical terms for Jesus Christ (including His name, as well as various other titles, such as Son, Son of man, and Son of God) refer to an historic figure, a real man, who was and ever will be the human manifestation of the invisible God, inseparably united with the Father (see ). Certain Bible verses about Jesus seem to cause both Trinitarian and Oneness adherents to feel supported and justified in their views. The scriptures describe the Son (Jesus) as "God ... manifest in the flesh" (), the one in whom dwells "bodily" (see and ) the "fullness of the Deity" (NIV, NNAS, NASB, NRSV) or "fulness of the Godhead" in some translations (KJV, NKJV), and the express image of the invisible God (the Son is "the exact representation of His God's nature" and "the image of the invisible God" ). Oneness Pentecostals generally describe God in singular terms and do not endorse terms such as Trinity, Divine persons, members (i.e. of the "Godhead"), separate (i.e. Divine persons), they, them, etc., to describe the Judeo-Christian God. Additionally, they do not endorse common para-biblical terminology such as co-eternal, co-equal, and co-powerful. They welcome the often-used biblical phrase "Son of God" but not the Trinitarians' reversal of it ("God the Son") as a way to refer to Jesus. Oneness Pentecostals do not deny the existence or divinity of Father, Son or Holy Spirit. They do deny that God is three divine persons that are one in essence (as per Trinitarianism). More than one consciousness within God Some on both sides of the debate have questioned whether Oneness doctrine allows for any more than one mind, consciousness, or will within God, and some have even posed that it does not. that, because they see both Deity and humanity (two natures, or dual-nature) inseparably united in the Incarnation, then both Divine and human minds, consciousnesses, wills are present. They point out that Jesus, in His humanity, prayed thus, "Father ... not my will, but thine, be done" (). They cite this and other verses as proof of Jesus' humanity both in mind, will, emotion, intellect, and consciousness. They hold that clearly there is the Divine mind, will, consciousness, as well as the human. To them, these two (Divine and human, Father and Son) are united in the Incarnation, and both essential to the Incarnation. Trinitarians use the same passage () to prove two (of three) Divine persons. Oneness scholars respond that, in order to prove the Trinity, the passage would need to prove two Divine wills, not one human will and one Divine will. They point out that the Divine will is perfect, by its very nature flawless/inerrant, while the passage shows Jesus' human will (the second of the two wills present) not as flawless, but quite the opposite: a human will that must not be followed, that must be eschewed in favor of the Father's flawless and perfect (Divine) will. Both sides of the debate have come away from this passage feeling it supports their view, often with little understanding of how the other side could miss the truth they see in the passage. Oneness people see in Jesus the incarnation of the fullness of God (), not the incarnation of but one of three "Divine persons" (i.e. "God the Son"). To them, according to Jesus' Deity, He is God (shown in the scriptures as LORD/Lord, Spirit of God, Spirit of the LORD, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Christ, Father, etc.). Their use of the term "Jesus is God" is a shortened way of stating that "Jesus is God manifest in the flesh." Their doctrine or teaching is referred to by some Trinitarians as Jesus-Only doctrine or Sabellianism as well as other terms. Some on either side believe Christians on the opposite side to be in heresy, although the differences between the two groups can sometimes seem nuanced or semantic if one is not familiar with Christology or with the Bible. Trinitarian Interpretation and Oneness Reply Anti-trinitarian teachings are rejected as heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Trinitarians have made various allegations about Oneness doctrine in efforts to debate against it. Their allegations have been disputed by Oneness proponents/scholars. Both modern Trinitarians and modern Oneness adherents have asserted that certain elements of Oneness doctrine existed in some ancient Christian movements and teachings, including Sabellianism, which is also referred to as Modalism or Patripassianism. There have been debatable assertions that modern Oneness doctrine and ancient Sabellianism are one and the same. For a brief discussion of why this is a moot topic, see paragraphs 3 and 4 of the "Jesus-Name doctrine" article. Tertullian, one of the earliest recorded Trinitarians to argue about the matter, coined a Latin phrase from which the modern term Patripassianism is derived. It means to accuse Oneness people of either claiming or believing that God the Father suffered and died on the cross instead of Jesus, the Son of God. However, Oneness people believe that the man Christ Jesus, the human manifestation of God, died on the cross, not God the Father. A common Trinitarian viewpoint is: A Oneness reply is: In the Name of... One essential difference that spawned the Azusa revival and forms the backbone of the theological difference between Oneness and Trinitarian Christianity is who, or what name essentially is preeminent in the identification of God. The issue regarding the name of God is codified in the differences in how Oneness and Trinitarians identify God and Jesus, how the two groups differ in worship, and how water baptisms are performed. YHWH: Name of God Oneness Pentecostals believe that God revealed His name to Moses as a name that would be forever throughout all generations. "And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you! God said also to Moses, This shall you say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you! This is My cname forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generations" (Exodus 3:13-15). "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty El-Shaddai, but by My name the LORD YHWH I did not make Myself known to them..." (Exodus 6:3). The YHWH name is derived from the Hebrew for "I am". Scholars call it the "Tetragrammaton". Today it is often pronounced as "Yahweh", although its original pronunciation is not known with any certainty. Modern scholars have theorized different pronunciations such as Yehwah, Yahowah, and (more popularly) Yahweh. However, the original pronunciation may never be known for certain (Egytian and Semetic Cults, Tripolitis, op. cit., p. 49). For this reason, many Oneness Pentecostals believe the name was restored by its inclusion in the name of Jesus, which means (in both Aramaic and Hebrew) "YHWH Savior" (Bloodstains, Ward, p. 57). The ancient Eastern Orthodox Church, while not modalists, also taught that the name of the Father was realized in the name of the Son. YHWH: included in Jesus name Oneness scholars point out that the YHWH name is included in the name of Jesus. It is believed by Oneness theologians that the YHWH name of God was not replaced or done away with, but was given, in conjunction with the meaning of salvation, to the Son of Man as the name JESUS thus showing Gods plan of becoming savior being fulfilled in Christ (in the same manner that Abram's name signified the fulfilled covenant promise by fulfilling his name as Abraham). Bible scholars show that the name of Jesus means "YHWH Savior" or "Yahweh is salvation" and signifies fulfillment of God becoming our Savior. Implications for water baptism & Soteriology Both sides of the debate would agree that salvation is a practical matter that God intended to be understood by all. The consummation of Christ's earthly ministry was the "great commission" to His disciples in the final chapters of the synoptic (or parallel) gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). There is seen one of most debated scriptures relating to water baptism: Oneness believers cross-reference that verse with Acts 2:38 (and others) to show support for their practice of Jesus name baptism, and they believe that an abrogation (a contradiction in scripture) would exist if their view were incorrect: Oneness followers teach that the Savior's singular name, "Jesus", meets all three qualifications of Matthew 28:19. According to their view: They say that Jesus can be accepted as the name of the Father because: Similarly, according to their view, Jesus can be accepted as the name of the Holy Spirit because: In one of the parallel accounts of the great commission (), the three titles do not appear. Instead, "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Christ's name i.e., the name of Jesus among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Acts 2:38 directly links this mention of "repentance and remission of sins" with repentance and water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. Oneness believers hold that God’s/Christ’s redemptive name for New Covenant believers is Jesus, and that the command of our Lord in Matthew 28:19-20 refers to baptism in His own name of Jesus. They see support for this view in that His words were carried out by the Apostles, who baptized/commanded baptism in Jesus name in the Book of Acts (see , , , , ). According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the baptismal formula was changed by the Catholic church from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in the second century AD. Another source shows that the early church always baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until the development of the trinity doctrine in the second century. The Catholic church has taken credit for the changes that have been made regarding water baptism. The Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion pointed to the time of Justin Martyr for when the change to the Trinitarian formula began, and showed that, previously, Christian baptism was administered using the name of Jesus. The same source, in commenting on , also showed that name was an ancient synonym for person. Payment was always made in the name of some person, referring to ownership. Therefore, one being baptized in Jesus name became His personal property (note : "Ye are Christ's"). This portion of the issue may seem trivial to some, but the distinction is important to Oneness people because they believe that water baptism is an essential step of obedient faith for salvation (, , , ). Some Christian groups seem to convey that saving faith can be separated from obedience, and that one can be saved by "believing" even when important, essential Christian doctrines/rites such as repentance and water baptism are relegated to optional status and essentially ignored and disobeyed. Some other groups stress the importance of water baptism while considering as trivial the mode (i.e., immersion vs. sprinkling) and formula (i.e., Jesus name vs. three titles). (Oneness people believe the mode should be immersion.) Other soteriological differences are debated as well. An official website of the United Pentecostal Church (a Oneness Pentecostal church organization) has this to say regarding the importance of, mode of, and formula for water baptism. In summary, after the inception, implementation, and acceptance of the Trinity doctrine, the most commonly-used baptismal formula in most churches has been the Trinitarian formula drawn from ("in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost"). However, Oneness Pentecostals object to the removal of Jesus' name from baptism, and instead baptize "in the name of Jesus Christ" or a similar phraseology such as "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" or "in the name of Jesus", while citing the primitive church baptizing in the name of Jesus. Unitarianism is not Oneness Some confuse the terms Unitarian and Oneness. Although Unitarians and Oneness people are similar in the belief that there is not a plurality of persons in the Godhead, Unitarians believe that Jesus was only a moral authority whereas the Deity and humanity of Jesus Christ are essential to Oneness doctrine. Trinitarians and Oneness should seek respectful dialog Many inaccurate statements are made from both sides of the discussion. Some Oneness Pentecostals have insisted on declaring the inward views/beliefs of Trinitarians (on their behalf), in claiming they are secretly or subconsciously following a tri-theistic belief. While a few Trinitarians might warrant such an accusation (e.g. Finis Jennings Dake, author of a well-known Bible commentary, indicated a belief in three divine bodies, three divine souls, and three divine spirits), the vast majority do not believe or even consider the belief in three gods. The body of the Trinitarian community does not commune with believers such as Phineas Dake. Such accusations can seem to imply a deeper charge that Trinitarians are working either in ignorance of, or under the thumb of, polytheistic forces (whether spiritual or earthly), in order to falsify the truth. These accusations ignore the sincere statements of Trinitarians given in definition of their beliefs throughout the ages, thereby ignorantly fighting against a perspective that many Trinitarians simply do not have. The reverse also occurs. Trinitarians have sometimes decided what belief systems to attribute to groups such as the ancient Sabellians or modern Oneness Pentecostals, and/or have propagated (on behalf of Oneness people) misleading or even deceptive doctrines and doctrinal titles, such as Monophysitism (the accusation that Oneness people believe Jesus has only one nature; Divine nature), and Patripassianism (the accusation that Oneness people believe God the Father suffered and died on the cross). While a very few Oneness people in extreme cases might warrant such accusations, most do not. It would be prudent for each to realize that, on both sides, from individual to individual, there is a vast degree of variation in biblical knowledge, intellect/intelligence, wisdom, etc., and to avoid labeling or falsely accusing others. Instead, each should seek to judiciously discover what a given individual actually (inwardly) believes, and then dialog from there, in a non-confrontational way that seeks to avoid personal attack. Followers of Oneness Pentecostalism Some of the better-known persons associated with Oneness Pentecostals are Steve and Annie Chapman, Tonéx, David & the Giants, Lee Greenwood, The Katinas, Phillips, Craig and Dean, Tanya Goodman Sykes, Mark Hanby, Gary Oliver, Tommy Tenney and T.D. Jakes (although the strength of each person's present identification with the movement may be uncertain or disputed). Because of their elevated status within Christendom, many of these individuals have been accepted by Trinitarians without awareness of their doctrinal positions or associations. Elvis Presley, the well known entertainer of early rock and roll, frequented Oneness Pentecostal Churches as well as Trinitarian Assemblies of God Churches and it is claimed that from these sources he picked up the rythym and lively antics he incorporated into his performances. It is reported that Presley was baptized in the AOG church, but was later rebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ by a Oneness Pentecostal in Tennessee. * See also Favoring Oneness view Opposing Oneness view Indexes of articles both for and against Oneness Other A few Oneness organizations & churches in North America Other countries Oneness Pentecostal groups with headquarters in other countries include the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia, an indigenous church and the largest non-Catholic church in the country; the United Pentecostal Church of Australia; the Apostolic Church of the Faith in Christ Jesus, with headquarters in Mexico; the Oneness Pentecostal movement in the former U.S.S.R.; and the True Jesus Church (*), an indigenous church founded by Chinese believers on the mainland but whose headquarters was later moved to Taiwan. They claim a membership of 1.5 million constituents in 39 countries. There are many smaller organizations (approximately 130 worldwide), independent churches, and charismatic fellowships that are Oneness Pentecostal in doctrine. In existence also is the Apostolic World Christian Fellowship which has been trying to unite all Oneness Pentecostal denominations in existence through a loose fellowship. | |||||||
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