Facts and History
| Facts |
| Topic |
Current
Facts |
| Membership |
The United
Pentecostal Church International (UPC) based in Hazelwood, Missouri, reported
1.5 million constituents worldwide in 1991. More than 3,635 UPC churches in the
United States and Canada were attended by some 500,000 members that included
about 7500 active ministers. The UPC also has nine Bible colleges, an
orphanage, a rehabilitation center for boys, and a ministry for substance
abuse. The foreign missionary budget for 1987 was about $32 million, according
to the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (p.
863). |
| Worship |
UPC services, as
in other Pentecostal churches, usually last from one to three hours and include
a sermon along with music and singing.
One evangelical missionary has
described UPC services as being quite moving: "United Pentecostals really seem
to enjoy their meetings. The emotionally charged atmosphere of their church
services offers a feeling of joy, of fiesta, and of the sensational (miracles,
tongues, healings) that thrills, excites, and lifts these humble believers
front the dreariness and drudgery of daily life.... Then there is freedom in
their meetings-liberty to pray aloud, to pray all at once, to stand and shout,
and to interject an 'amen,' 'hallelujah,' 'praise the Lord,' as they wish....
this liberty is often mentioned by both pastors and members as a major factor
in the appeal of their meetings" (Dynamic Religious Movements, p. 234).
|
| Leaders (called
general superintendents) |
| 1945 -
1951 |
Howard A.
Goss |
| 1951 -
1967 |
Arthur T.
Morgan |
| 1967 -
1968 |
Oliver F.
Fauss |
| 1968 -
1977 |
Stanley W.
Chambers |
| 1977
- |
Nathaniel A.
Urshan |
|
| Publications |
Word Aflame Press,
the UPC's publishing house in Hazelwood was founded in 1945. It produces
tracts, church supplies, flyers, and Sunday school materials; it had also
published more than 90 books by 1980. The UPC currently produces seven national
periodicals, including the Pentecostal Herald and the Global
Witness. |
| General
Statement of beliefs |
At first glance
the UPC seems orthodox. Members believe that only one God exists, Jesus rose
bodily from the dead, and there is a literal heaven and hell. Additionally,
they hold views about the Bible, eschatology, and standards of outward holiness
(for example, loving your neighbor as yourself, honesty, not swearing) that are
common to many evangelicals.
What separates United Pentecostals from
orthodox Christians are their concepts of God and their belief that to be saved
one must be baptized in Jesus' name only and speak in tongues. The group also
enforces stricter standards of holiness than those found in most evangelical
churches, including the length of one's hair (men's short, women's long),
abstinence from watching television, and a prohibition against women wearing
makeup or jewelry. |
| History |
| Topic |
History |
Howard A.
Goss,
1945-4951 |
The United
Pentecostal Church was formed in 1945 through a merger of two Pentecostal
groups: the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated (PCI), and the Pentecostal
Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC). This merger capped several years of turmoil
and doctrinal debate that started shortly after the Pentecostal movement began
early in the century.
Howard A. Goss, the first general
superintendent of the UPC, had been associated with Charles Parham, who in 1900
founded Bethel Bible College in Topeka. Kansas. The seeds of the Pentecostal
movement were planted at Bethel that year when Parham's students convinced him
that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. (The students began speaking in tongues on January 1, 1901.) Although
the Pentecostal movement didn't actually gain worldwide recognition until the
Azusa Street Revival in 1906-9, Parham, who died in 1929, is considered one of
the movement's most important early leaders.
In 1906 Goss was
appointed field director of the Texas revivals, and even though he resigned
after Parharn was arrested for a moral offense, he remained a leader among the
Pentecostals and established churches in Texas and Arkansas. Goss became one of
the prime movers in organizing the Assemblies of God denomination in 1914. A
year earlier, the birth pangs of the UPC began when R. E. McAllister asserted
that the singular "name" of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 28:19
was Jesus and that, consequently, baptism should be done in the name of Jesus
only and not in the three names of the Trinity.
In 1914, Frank Ewert,
another well-known Pentecostal, began teaching that the name of the one true
God was Jesus. He soon began rebaptizing numerous Pentacostals in Jesus' name
only. (Howard Belt, a Pentecostal minister who endorsed Ewert, eventually
rebaptized Goss.) Such actions quickly led to a rift between Pentecostals that
culminated in forcing all "oneness" ministers out of the Assemblies of God.
The displaced ministers responded by forming their own organizations
which either folded or merged with one another. The formation of the UPC in
1945 made it the largest of the 'Jesus Only' or "Oneness" Pentecostal
denominations. |
Arthur T.
Morgan,
1951-1967 |
Arthur T. Morgan
was elected general superintendent of the UPC after Goss died in 1951. During
his term a larger UPC headquarters was purchased (1952) and expanded (1954). He
died in 1967. |
Oliver F.
Eauss,
1967-1968 |
Oliver F. Fauss
was elected to fill Morgan's position on a temporary basis. |
Stanley W.
Chambers
1968-1977 |
Stanley Chambers
was elected general superintendent in 1968. His term saw the construction of a
brand new two-story headquarters for the UPC in 1970. |
Nathaniel A.
Urshan,
1977- |
The UPC is
currently led by Nathaniel A. Urshan, the son of an early Oneness leader named
A. D. Urshan. The UPC continues to thrive and gain converts under its current
leaderhip. |
Theology
| The Doctrine of
Revelation |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| The Bible is
the only source of doctrin. It is God's Word. |
The Preamble of
the Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church states, "The Bible is
the only God-given authority which man possesses; therefore, all doctrine,
faith, hope, and all instruction for the church must be based upon, and
harmonize with, the Bible" (Meet the United Pentecostal Church
International, p. 46).
"In every United Pentecostal church pulpit
the Word of God is honored and proclaimed to be infallible, the message of
eternal life, to be believed and obeyed' (ibid., p. 107).
"The Bible
is the inspired Word of God, giving a true history of the creation of heaven,
earth, and humanity and containing a correct prophecy of the ages to come
regarding heaven, earth, and the destiny of humanity. Moreover, there is no
salvation outside of what is taught in its pages" (The Apostles
Doctrine, p. 4). |
These are orthodox
statements. |
| The Doctrine of
God - The Trinity |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| There is only
one God. |
"Biblical
Christianity strongly held to the truth of One God... to allow more than one
God would be to contradict God's Word and be idolatry, false doctrine, and
polytheism' (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course Theology, Book Two of Five, p.
54).
"There is only one God (Deuteronomy
6:4). He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all living beings.
He has revealed Himself to humanity as the Father (Creator), in the Son
(Savior), and as the Holy Ghost (indwelling Spirit)" (The Apostles
Doctrine, p. 4). |
These are
orthodox, onotheistic statements. |
| United
Pentecostals call their theology "Oneness" because they believe a plurality of
persons does not exist within God's nature. In other words, God exists only as
one "person." |
"God is absolutely
and indivisibly one.... His eternal nature contains no essential distinctions
or divisions.... Any plurality associated with God is only a plurality of
attributes, titles, roles, manifestations, modes of activity, or relationships
to man" (Essential Doctrines of the Bible, p. 7)
"In contrast
to trinitarianism, Oneness asserts that God is indivisibly one in number with
no distnction of persons.. (Meet the United Pentecostal Church International,
p. 66).
"The Oneness doctrine can be presented succinctly in two
propositions: (1) there is one indivisible God with no distinction of persons;
(2) Jesus Christ is all the fulness of the Godhead incarnate. All titles of the
Deity can be applied to him and all aspects of the divine personality are
mani-fest in Him" (Essentials of Oneness Theology, p. 8). |
This is an ancient
heresy known by a number of different names, including Modalism, Monarchianism,
and especially Sabellianism - after Sabellius, a third-century teacher who
prominently championed this doctrinal position. The orthodox position is that
the God of the Bible exists as three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit - who are one essence or being sharing all attributes of deity including
eternality, infinitude, uncreated spirituality, omniscience, omnipresence, and
omnipotence. The doctrine of the Trinity is derived from Scriptures that
clearly show different entities (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit) that
are all ascribed all the characteristics of both individual person-hood
(intellect, emotions, and will) and a divine nature. |
| The doctrine of
the Trinity is not mentioned in Scripture. Oneness doctrine restores the
biblical doctrine of God that was held by the apostles, |
"Trinitarians
sometimes explain that the Old Testament monotheistic passages merely speak of
perfect agreement and unity among the trinity, excluding a plurality of false
deities but not a plurality of persons in the true God. This view would allow
outright polytheism, however, for many distinct deities could exist in perfect
harmony. Neither testament uses the word trinity or associates the word three
or the word persons with God in any significant way" (Meet the United
Pentecostal Church International, p. 58).
"The Oneness doctrine
is important because it upholds biblical Christianity in at least three
specific ways: (1) It restores biblical terms and patterns of thought on the
subject of the Godhead ... (ibid., p. 67), |
Often those who
reject the Trinity do so partly on the grounds that the term is not found in
the Bible. It is true that the word Trinity (Latin trinitas,
three in one) is not found in Scripture, since it arose from a theological
attempt to explain the biblical teaching. This doctrine derives from the
combination of Scripture paassages that present the idea that three persons
simultaneously exist within the monotheistic God. Several passages implicitly
allow for the doctrine (Gen. 1:26- 27; 11:5-9;
Ps 2:7; Isa 6:8, 9),
while various passages explicitly teach the idea (Mt
3:16-17; 28:19; Jn 17:1-5; 2 Cor
13:14). The attempt to identify these different persons as merely roles
played by one person does an injustice to the One God. The three persons are
described as distinct from one another and possessing personal attributes, yet
in union with one another in one essence. "Roles" or "natures' do not
communicate, love, will, or express emotion, but a 'person' does. When the
Father and the Son communicate, there is a demand for the two persons to be
involved, not two natures. Only persons can express intellect, emotion, and
will. |
| God consists of
Jesus only, who Is the Father. God is not three distinct persons.
|
"The term Father
refers to God Himself - God in all His deity" (The Oneness of God: Series in
Pentecostal Theology, vol. 1, p. 98) |
The confusion
arises in the definition and understanding of personhood versus nature. A
person can be described as self-aware and aware of others who are also
self-aware, having an intellect, being volitional (having a will), and capable
of emotional thought and sensibilities or feelings. A nature is different from
a person as it describes the parameters and essence of personal qualities or
attributes. The human nature is finite in its intellectual comprehension,
whereas God is infinite. The same can be said of all aspects of personality
shared by God and mankind. This understanding helps to explain how man can be
made in the image of God and yet can never legitimately hope to be God.
Nature can also describe character. God's nature is contrasted with fallen
human nature in that God is good and man is evil. Jesus shared man's nature in
the person-hood sense, but not in character, as he was without sin.
|
| The Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, rather than being three distinct persons within the
Godhead, are actually titles that describe the multiple roles played by God as
He has progressively revealed Himself to mankind. |
"The Bible
certainly speaks of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but not as three distinct
persons . . . the titles of Father, Son, and Spirit describe God's multiple
roles and works. . . . The terms can also be understood in God's revelation to
humanity: Father refers to God in family relationship to humanity; Son refers
to God in flesh; and Spirit refers to God in activity. For example, one man can
have three significant relationships or functions - such as administrator,
teacher, and counsellor - and yet be one person in every sense of the word"
(Meet the United Pentecostal Church international, pp. 60-61).
|
The idea that God
role-plays or assumes modes of function - acting as the Father at one moment,
the Holy Spirit at another, and the Son at another time - is why the Oneness
groups are called modalists. |
| The Trinitarian
concept that Jehovah God of the Old Testament consists of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit is wrong. |
"It has been
stated by some that Lord, or Jehovah in the Old Testament, is inclusive of
three personalities (Father, Son, Holy Ghost). This concept should be avoided
for two reasons. First, because scripture plainly declares 'to us there is one
Lord . . . Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. 8:6). . . .
Secondly . . . when scripture speaks of 'one Lord,' it so obviously means a
mathematical one" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Theology, Book Two of
Five, p. 99). |
Again, the
confusion arises over the definitions of personhood and nature. The existence
of more than one person in the Godhead is arrived at by examining the
revelation of God in the Bible and allowing it to speak for itself without
having to find an analogy or similar situation in the creation. It is admitted
that the harmoniously shared essence of One Eternal Being by three persons is
nonanalogous. This is simply to say that God is other than His creation and
therefore is totally transcendent and unique in His essential existence.
|
| Trinitarianism
Inevitably leads to tritheism (belief in three Gods). |
"Despite the
protests of trinitarians, their doctrine inevitably leads to a practical form
of tritheism" (The Oneness of God: Series in Pentecostal Theology, vol.
1, p. 288). |
The orthodox faith
has always embraced monotheism and condemned tritheism.
The
Athanasian Creed "And the Catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in
Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the persons, nor dividing
the substance. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and
another of, the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal. . . .
So the Father is God: the Son is God: and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet there
are not three Gods: but one God. |
| The doctrine of
the Trinity is unbibilcal. |
"The doctrine of
the Trinity is not a New Testament formulated doctrine" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S.
Course: Theology. Book Two of Five, p. 110).
"Neither testament
uses the word trinity or associates the word three or the word persons with God
in any significant way" (Meet the United Pentecostal church
International, p. 58). |
Scriptural
examples abound of divine persons interacting and being aware of one another's
existence. Jesus refers to Himself and His Father as providing two witnesses
(persons who can speak, not natures that cannot speak) for the authentication
of His ministry (Jn 5:31-32; 8:16-18). This complies
with the Mosaic injunction that everything be confirmed by at least two
witnesses. For just a devine nature and a human nature to bear witness would be
tantamount to saying in court that your body and your mind, or your physical
nature and your nonphysical soul nature, will give two distinct testimonies.
The Father is known to have sent the Son (see Jn 3:17; Gal 4:4; 1 Jn 4: 10). This shows
that Jesus not only existed, before His earthly life, in eternity with the
Father, but that there was an interaction in eternity between the Father and
the Son before there ever was a human nature of Jesus. Perhaps most significant
is the fact that the Father loves and shows approval of the Son (see
Jn 3:35; 17:23-26). People or persons can show love,
but natures can't. |
| The 20th
century Pentecostal revival that gave birth to the UPC restored truths that
were previously hidden. These truths, regarding the name and nature of Jesus
Christ, are now taught in the UPC. The UPC also teaches that One-ness theology
was taught by the early church until corrupt Christendom eventually repressed
the teaching and misplaced (deliberately destroyed) the documentation that
would prove that church fathers taught Oneness theology. |
"With the coming
of the Holy Spirit, the Word of the Lord became a new book. Truths which had
been hidden for many years were made clear. In the year 1914 came the
revelation on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ . . . . God marvelously
confirmed our message as the gospel was preached in its fulness. The power
which was hidden in the name of Jesus began to be revealed" (Highlights in
Church History, pp. 62-63).
". . . very little is known about
these groups (oneness and other groups deemed heretical) of people. Suppressed,
ostracized and persecuted greatly, the things they stood for have been, as a
whole, conveniently 'misplaced' . . . (Their Story: 20th Century
Pentecostals as quoted in Keith Tolbert The Views of Church History
Within the United Pentecostal Church International p. 6). |
Jesus said that
heaven and earth would pass away but not His words. He also said that not "one
jot or one tittle" of His law would disappear until all things are fulfilled in
it (Mt 5:18 KJV). The UPC would have to contend that
all things were somehow fulfilled in order to believe that God allowed His
truth to be tampered with. It is a very low view of God's ability to maintain
His truth and therefore an insult to God to hold this position. Jude 3 says
that 'the faith' was "once for all delivered to the saints." This means that
God delivered all the essentials to the faith at one time and doesn't intend to
allow them to be "misplaced." The idea that there are missing documents that
would prove their case is an illogical argument from silence. |
| The Doctrine of
God - The Diety of Christ |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| Jesus is God
manifested in the flesh. He is truly God and truly man. |
"One cannot
overemphasize the supreme deity of Christ" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course:
Theology, Book Two of Five, p. 114).
"Jesus Christ is the
incarnation of the one God" (Meet the United Pentecostal Church
International, p. 58).
"Jesus is God with us, the eternally
blessed God, the image of the invisible God, God manifest In the flesh, our God
and Savior, and the express image of God's substance" (Ibid., p. 59).
"Jesus is both God and man at the same time" (Ibid., p. 63). |
These are orthodox
statements. |
| Jesus is God.
He is both the Son and the Father. |
"If there is only
one God and that God is the Father (Malachi 2:10),
and Jesus is God, then it logically follows that Jesus is the Father" (The
Oneness of God: Series in Pentecostal Theology, vol. 1, p. 66).
"Jesus is the Father incarnate. ' His name shall be called . . . The mighty
God, The everlasting Father' (Isaiah 9:6). . . . 'I
and my Father are one' (John 10:30). . . . 'He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father' (John 14:9)" (Meet the United Pentecostal
Church International, p. 59). |
These statements
makes a charade of farce out of the prayers of Christ and the statements made
by God the Father throughout the Gospels. Natures don't pray or talk to one
another by self-aware persons do. The person Jesus was addressing in the garden
of Gethsemane when He asked the cup to be taken from Him was the person of His
Father (see Mat 26:39). |
| Jesus, the man,
was God only because the perfect expression, or thoughts of God the Father
(Logos/Word), came to dwell in Jesus. In a sense, God the Father was actually
Christ. |
"Jesus is not just
a part of God, but all of God is resident in Him" (The Oneness of God:
Series in Pentecostal Theology, vol. 1, p. 57)
"God the Father
dwelt in the man Christ. . . . The devine nature of Jesus Christ is the Holy
Spirit. . . . which is the Spirit of the Father" (Essential Doctrines of the
Bible, p. 8).
". . . the deity of Jesus is none other than the
Father Himself" (The Oneness of God: Series in Pentecostal Theology,
vol. 1, p. 115). |
Isaiah 9:6 teaches that Jesus, as the prophesied coming
Messiah, would be "Everlasting Father," or more acurately, "Father of
eternity." In the ancient mind, one who owned a property could be called the
"father of the property," thus Christ would be the Father of eternity or the
Creator of the Ages, as Hebrews 1:2 and
11:3 point out. So a reference to "Father" does not
prove that He is the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 1:3).
John
10:30 and 14:9 show that because Jesus
exists as the.second person of the indivisible being known as God, He can make
the statements from that vantage point. The context "No one comes to the Father
except through me" (Jn 14:6) seems to suggest a
mediatorial position in which Jesus is the perfect representation of the Father
to men. But the idea that Christ had a dual personality is unscriptural. In
Lectures in Systematic Theology, Henry C. Thiessen writes, "Christ's
personality resides in His divine nature, because the Son did not unite with a
human person but with a human nature." In Jesus Christ Our Lord, John
Wahvoord writes, "Christ at the same moment has seemingly contradictory
qualities. He can be weak and Omnipotent, increasing in knowledge and
Omniscient, finite and infinite . . . . There is evidence that human nature
developed and with it a human self consciousness came into play" (pp. 116,
118). It was the Logos, whom the Father sent, that did all of this and not the
Father Himself. |
| The Doctrine of
God - The Humanity of Christ |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| The divinity of
God the Father united with the human body that was formed in the Virgin Mary's
womb. Hence, Jesus was not only divine, but also human. |
"Jesus, the Son,
received a set of chromosomes from God, the Father. The single cell which
encased these tiny bands which would help determine His characteristics had
been the glorious image through which God ruled the universe. . . . This cell.
. . .united with another single cell in the womb of Mary, and thus the Son of
man was conceived." (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Theology, Book Two of
Five, p. 101). |
This is an
orthodox statement. |
| The Word
mentioned in John 1:1 is not a reference to Jesus before His incarnation. The
term Word describes only the mind of God, or a thought in the mind of God.
|
The Word is God's
self-revelation, self-expression, or self-disclosure. Before the Incarnation,
the Word was the unexpressed thought, plan, or mind of God. In the beginning,
the Word was with God, not as a separate person but as God Himself - pertaining
to and belonging to God much like a man and his word. In the fullness of time
God put flesh on the Word; He revealed Himself in flesh" (Meet the United
Pentecostal Church International, P 64). |
In John 1:1-5 the Word is said to be "with God" and indeed
"was God." The language allows for no other conclusion than that the person
spoken of is someone who can be said to be in some way alongside of or "with"
the person of God while being God at the same time. The doctrine of the Trinity
is the only logical explanation of this passage. |
| Because Jesus
was both God the Father and man, His two natures could interact with each
other. This interaction is seen when Jesus is praying to the Father. It is not
one person praying to another; it is Jesus' human nature conversing with His
divine nature. |
"While Jesus was
both God and man at the same time, sometimes He acted from, the human viewpoint
and sometimes from the divine viewpoint. As Father, He sometimes spoke from His
devine self-consciousness; as Son He sometimes spoke from His human
self-conciousness" (Essential Doctrines of the Bible, p. 9).
|
Self-aware persons
communicate with one another, not natures. |
| The Doctrine of
God - The Resurrection of Christ |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| Jesus Christ
was raised bodily from the grave. |
"Of all the great
truths of God's Word, there is none so meaningful to the human as the
resurrection of Jesus Christ . . . . The resurrection is the culminated result
of Christ's death and burial - and completes what is called the Gospel" (The
P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Christology, Book Three of Five, p. 55).
|
This is an
orthodox statement. |
| The Doctrine of
the Holy Spirit |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| The Holy Spirit
Is the Father, rather than a person distinct from the Father. |
"The Bible
identifies the Father and the Holy Spirit as one and the same being. The title
of Holy Spirit simply describes what the Father is . . . The Holy Spirit is
literally the Father of Jesus, since Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit"
(Meet the United Pentecostal Church International, p. 61). |
Jesus asked the
Father to send the Holy Spirit to the believers (Jn 14:16,
26; 15:26). This action clearly speaks of the three persons interacting
with each other. The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son
(Jn 14:26; 15:26; Ac 2:33;
Heb 9:14). |
| Because the
Holy Spirit (the Father that was in Jesus) was also Christ Himself (that aspect
of Him that was divine), then the Holy Spirit is also Jesus. |
"The Holy Spirit
is literally the Spirit that was in Jesus Christ" (Meet the United
Pentecostal Church International, pp. 59-60).
"When Christ in
reference to the Holy Ghost, promised 'another comforter' (Jn. 14:16), they did not understand this to be another
person. The 'another' was the Spirit of the divine Christ that would dwell in
them, as opposed to His physical bodily presence....
"Christ defines
Himself as 'the truth' (Jn. 14:6), then goes on to
define the Holy Ghost as 'the Spirit of truth' (Jn.
14:17). He further states. . . 'I will not leave you comfortless: I
will come to you' (Jn. 14:17, 18). He here asserts
that he (Christ) will return in spirit form and be their comforter" (The
P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Pneumatology, Book Three of Five, P 2). |
"Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb.
13:8). This tells us that His nature has been the same throughout His
eternal existence. Another direct statement about His eternal nature is that
"God is love" (Jn 4:8). The Greek word for "love"
here is agape, a self-sacrificing and outgoing concern for another. This means
that Jesus is eternally unselfish and selflessly concerned with a person
outside of Himself. How can this he if He was the only person who existed
before other persons were created? He would have been just the opposite of
agape in self-absorbed narcissism. The doctrine of the Trinity resolves this
issue: The persons of the Triune God loved one another throughout all eternity
past. |
| The Doctrine of
Man and Sin |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| Through Adam,
every person is born in sin and is condemned to physical as well as spiritual
death (separation from God) because of Adam. |
". . .every single
individual born onto earth is born with the curse of sin already upon them. . .
. With the fall of Adam, this curse of sin has come upon the entire race"
(The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course Soteriology, Book Four of Five, p. 6).
"All men, regardless of race, are utterly guilty before God" (Ibid., p.
7). |
These are orthodox
statements. |
| The Doctrine of
Salvation |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| Christ's death
atoned for the sins of the world and is effective for those who accept Him as
their Lord and Savior. |
"The gospel . . .
is the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished. .
. through the shedding of His blood in His sacrificial death, the full payment
for the penalty of sin has been provided. . . . Christ's death at Calvary was
the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world, and effects salvation for all
who accept Him" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Soteriology, Book Four of
Five, p. 15). |
This is an
orthodox statement. |
| We must take
three steps to obtain salvation. We must (1) have faith and repentance; (2) be
baptized with water in the name of Jesus only (because Jesus Is the name of God
- Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - and Matthew 28:19 tells us to baptize in the
name (singular) of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost); and (3) receive the Holy
SpirIt, which is evidenced by speaking in tongues. |
(1) - "The
necessity of believing in order to receive salvation is repeatedly emphasized
throughout scripture. . . .Repentance has always. . . .been a requirement for
approaching God" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Soteriology, Book Four of
Five, pp. 38, 42).
(2) - "...scripture portrays repentance and
baptism as being inextricably bound together in the process of remitting sins
(Mk. 16:16, Lk. 24:47,
Acts 2:38)" (Ibid., p. 61).
". . . the curse
of sin stems from a dual source. First, from birth, the sinner carries the
curse of sin which is come upon the whole race from Adam . . . Secondly, he
carries the curse of sin because of his committed sins. . . when one repents,
he repents of sins committed. . . . When one is baptized, he is removed from
the curse of his inherited Adamic family - and born (of the water) into a new
family" (Ibid., pp. 60-61).
"Christian baptism is to be administered
'in the name of Jesus.' This means to invoke the name Jesus orally at water
baptism" (The New Birth: Series In Pentecostal Theology, vol. 2, p.
156).
". . . the fact is emphatically clear in scripture that the
entirety of the Godhead . . . has one name and one name only, and that one name
is JESUS" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Soteriology, Book Four of Five, p.
49).
"Christ himself declared, 'I am come in my Father's Name'. . .
.He also laid claim to the same name Jehovah. . . .Concerning the name of the
Holy Ghost, suffice it to quote Christ: 'But the Comforter which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name . . . (Jn.
14:26)" (Ibid., pp. 51, 52).
"Today, just as in the New
Testament, believers speak with new tongues when they receive the Holy Ghost
and enter into the body of Christ" (Meet the United Pentecostal Church
International, p. 53). |
Evangelical
Christianity has always contended that faith is the means through which one is
justified. Repentance - turning from Sin - is merely the counterpart of faith -
turning toward God.
Baptism is in the name of the triune God -
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Baptism in the name of Jesus - which is mentioned
in the book of Acts - is only a statement of identification with the risen
Lord. The Didache, a manual of the faith dating from the late first
century A.D., has both the trinitarian baptismal formula and mention of baptism
in the name of Jesus. The name of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost would be
YAHWEH, not Jesus, and is equivalent to the Greek Kurios, or "Lord," in
the neew Testament. Jesus is Kurios.
The reception of the Holy
Spirit occurs at salvation but in no way is speaking in tongues viewed in the
New Testament as a necessary result of this indwelling. Speaking in tongues
occurs only three places in the book of Acts and in each instance serves as a
sign of God's movement among a new group of people in the ancient world, not as
evidence of personal salvation. |
| The Doctrine of
Rewards and Punishment |
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| Those who are
saved will not be damned, but instead dwell with God for all eternity. Those
who reject salvation through Jesus Christ will suffer eternal conscious
punishment in hell. |
"All whose names
are not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire"
(Meet the United Pentecostal Church International, p. 54).
"Physical death is not cessation of the soul-mind, but is rather separation of
the soul-mind from the body. The second death (spiritual) is separation of the
spirit from God. Neither incorporates the idea of annihilation" (The
P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Pneumatology, Book Three of Five, p. 14).
|
These are orthodox
statements. |
| Those who do
not believe Oneness theology are either completely lost or not fully
saved. |
"Sincere
profession based on a faulty concept of Christ is not enough; one must believe
and obey the gospel. . . . Where does this leave those who have a certain
degree of faith in Christ but have not obeyed the full gospel?. . . such people
are pre-Pentecost believers, not part of the apostolic church. . . they need to
be led to further truth. . . they are in the conception stage and have not yet
had the new birth" (The New Birth: Series in Pentecostal Theology, vol.
2, pp. 313-14). |
The Bible does not
allow for a person to be partially saved. Either one is in Christ and justified
by His blood or one is unregenerate and perishing. There is no halfway or
inbetween state, anymore than one could partially drown or be a "little bit
pregnant." You are either born of the Word of God or you are not. "For you have
been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the
living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23). |
Interesting and Distinctive
Beliefs
| Position |
Support |
Orthodox
Response |
| To retain
salvation, one must remain holy through a variety of standards. |
"Holiness is
esential to salvation. Hebrews 12:14 is just as
strong, as true, and as relevant to salvation as the words, 'You must be born
again.' . . .After the new birth experience, a conflict arises . . . This
battle is a battle for holiness, and we must win it in order to be saved"
(In Search of Holiness: Series in Pentecostal Theology, vol. 3, p.
11).
". . . remember that a bad attitude will keep you out of heaven
just as surely as any violation of outward holiness" (Ibid., p.
62). |
Isaiah 64:6 says, "All our righteous acts are like
filthy rags" in God's eyes. Our righteousness, or justification before God,
comes by His grace through faith and not through works (Eph.
2:8 - 9). Our right standing before God is based on the gift of
Christ's righteousness imputed to us that cannot be earned (see Rom. 4:5 - 6; Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:4 - 5). John puts it this way: "My dear children, I
write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have
one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 Jn. 2:1 -
2). Our staying saved is the work of Christ on our behalf: it is
foolish and insulting to the Spirit of grace to haughtily imagine that our
righteousnesses will be more inportant than Christ's in keeping us
saved. |
| UPC standards
for holiness are rigid, with restrictions covering television sets, cosmetics,
and other commonplace things. For example, on the basis of 1 Corinthians 11:12
- 16, women are not allowed to cut their hair. |
"We wholeheartedly
disaprove of our people indulging in any activities which are not conducive to
good Christianity and godly living, such as theaters, dances, mixed bathing,
women cutting their hair, make-up, any apparel that immodestly exposes the
body, all wordly sports and amusements; and unwholesome radio programs and
music. Furthermore, because of the display of all these evils on television, we
disapprove of any of our people having television sets in their homes"
(Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church International, pp. 9
- 10). |
Various
denominations or congregations have set standards of behavior to define
external evidence of sanctification, some of which change according to the
culture and the times. Many of these restrictions or prohibitions should be
left to a person's conscience and not dictated by church leadership. The
apostle Paul never admonished people to separate from the ungodly of the world
as a means of sanctification but just the opposite (see 1
Cor. 5:9 - 10). |
| School students
cannot participate in many common activities including sports, dances, and
theatrical performances. |
"We disapprove of
school students attending shows, dances, dancing classes, theatres, engaging in
school activities against their religious scruples, and wearing gymnasium
clothes which immodestly expose the body" (Articles of Faith of the United
Pentecostal Church International, p. 14). |
Where the Word of
God is silent, there is liberty in trusting that God's Spirit will lead us in
His sovereignty. First John 2:27 states, "As for you, the anointing you
received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But
as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real,
not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in him." |
| It is ungodly
for women to wear jewelry. |
"Those who are
really consecrated to God will not adorn themselves with jewelry. It is vanity
- the opposite of humility" (In Search of Holiness: Series in Pentecostal
Theology, vol. 3, p. 118).
". . . women believer's are admonished
by both Peter Paul to adorn themselves in 'modest apparel', abstaining from
attempting to produce physical beauty by use of accoutrements of the world -
i.e., jewelry, pearls, trinkets, etc. (1 Tim. 2:9, 10,
1 Pet. 3:3 - 5)" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course:
Soterioligy, Book Four of Five, p. 66). |
The apostle Paul
asks, "Why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?" (1 Cor. 10:29). He also says, "Blessed is the man who
does not condemn himself by what he approves" (Rom.
14:22). All believers, including those in authority, are fallable and
accountable directly to God (Rom. 14:4). Disdaining
beautification is as much a form of vanity and self-adulation - and therefore
contrary to the Spirit of grace - as is an over-concern for achieving it.
Although the apostle Peter said that a woman's beauty should not be outward
only, he did not preclude or forbid the adornment of the body (1 Pet. 3:3). |
| Women cannot
wear makeup because it is a heathen practice. |
"Dye for the hair,
paint for the face, and mascara for the eyes, makes the present society a
strange mixture of artificiality and hypocrisy. The United Pentecostal Church
has taken a position that all of these conditions are heathenistic in origin
and date back to Queen Jezebel. . . . The scriptures give us a very decided
understanding that the natural beauty of women. . . . demands every aspect of
reality and natural appearance" (The P.A.S.T.O.R.S. Course: Soteriology,
Book Four of Five, p. 72). |
Many conventions
that are heathen in origin have been allowed in different times and cultures.
The names of the months and the days of the week on the calendar all come from
heathen or non-Christian sources, yet they are used by all without concern. The
use of cosmetics extends back to ancient Egypt and elsewhere, predating
Jezebel. Women in the most ancient of societies, including Israel, all used
some form of makeup. There is no explicit biblical injunction against cosmetics
per se. |
Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the
LORD is one.
Genesis 1:26- 27; 11:5-9 - Then
God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all
the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them.; But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same
language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be
impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they
will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all
the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel
--because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there
the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Psalm 2:7 - I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said
to me, "You are my Son[4] ; today I have become your Father.
Isaiah 6:8, 9 - Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
He said, "Go and tell this people: "`Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.
Matthew
3:16-17;28:19 - As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the
water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This
is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." ;Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit
John 17:1-5 -
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time
has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him
authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have
given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by
completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your
presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
2 Corinthians 13:14 - May the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
all.
1 Corinthians 8:6 - yet for us there
is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and
there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through
whom we live.
John 5:31-32; 8:16-18 - "If I
testify about myself, my testimony is not valid. There is another who testifies
in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid. ; But if I do
judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father,
who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is
valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who
sent me."
John 3:17 - For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
him.
Galatians 4:4 - But when the time had
fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
1 John 4:10 - This is love: not that we loved God, but
that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
John 3:35; 17:23-26 - The Father loves the Son
and has placed everything in his hands. ; I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be
with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because
you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the
world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I
have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that
the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
Matthew 5:18 KJV - For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the law, till all be fulfilled.
Malachi
2:10 - Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we
profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?
Matthew 26:39 - Going a little farther, he fell
with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this
cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Isaiah 9:6 - For to us a child is born, to
us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be
called Wonderful Counselor,[2] Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
John 14:9 - Jesus answered: "Don't you know
me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has
seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'?
Hebrews 1:2 - but in these last days he has spoken to
us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made
the universe.
Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we
understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen
was not made out of what was visible.
2
Corinthians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
John 10:30 - I and the Father are one."
John 14:9 - Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip,
even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has
seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'?
John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 1:1-5 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through
him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In
him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the
darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 14:16, 26, 15:26 - And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- ; But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all
things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ; "When the
Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth
who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Acts 2:33 - Exalted to the right hand of God, he has
received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you
now see and hear.
Hebrews 9:14 - How much
more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to
death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews
13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
John 4:8 - (His disciples had gone into the
town to buy food.)
John 14:17, 18 - the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will
not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Mark
16:16 - Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever
does not believe will be condemned.
Luke
24:47 - and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts
2:38 - Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 64:6 - All
of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like
filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us
away.
Hebrews 12:14 - Make every effort to
live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the
Lord.
Ephesians 2:8 -9 - For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.
Romans 4:5 - 6 - However, to the man who does not work but
trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom
God credits righteousness apart from works:
Titus
3:5 - he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but
because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by
the Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 2:4 - 5 - But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with
Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been
saved.
1 John 2:1 - 2 - My dear children,
I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have
one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for
the sins of the whole world.
1 Corinthians 5:9 -
10 - I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually
immoral people-- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral,
or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave
this world.
1 Corinthians 10:29 - the
other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged
by another's conscience?
Romans 14:22 - So
whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed
is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
1 Timothy 2:9, 10 - I also want women to dress modestly,
with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or
expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to
worship God.
1 Peter 3:3 - 5 - Your beauty
should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of
gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in
God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope
in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own
husbands,
Chapter
excerpted from Charts of Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements by Dr. H.
Wayne House, copyright © 2001. Used by permission of
Zondervan. This material is not
to be electronically transferred. Down-load for personal use only. Charts of
Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements may be purchased for a total of $23
by calling the Issues, Etc. resource line at 1-800-737-0172.
|
