Two Questions That Decide Everything
Oneness Pentecostals, who often call themselves Apostolic or Jesus' Name Pentecostals, are usually joyful, zealous, and earnest about holiness. They insist that Jesus is God, and we can rejoice in that. But they deny that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three persons, and most teach that no one is born again without baptism in Jesus' name and speaking in tongues.
Two questions decide everything: who is God, and how is a sinner saved? On both, this teaching departs from Scripture. That is why it appears in a section on cults, apart from other Pentecostal churches, many of whose members trust Christ alone (see Why We Are Not Pentecostal or Charismatic). We use the word cult as a theological category, not an insult (What Is a Cult?). Paul warned of another Jesus and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). A Son who did not exist before Bethlehem is not the Son Scripture reveals, and a new birth that waits on a formula and a sign is not the Gospel of grace.
Many in these churches are sincere and devout, and some may be resting in Christ alone in spite of what they were taught. We judge the doctrine, not the heart. Labels don't save, in any church. Ask your friend who God is to him, and what he is trusting.
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For Deeper Study
- Oneness Pentecostals and the TrinityAmazon Gregory A. BoydA former Oneness Pentecostal's answer to Oneness theology from Scripture. Boyd later adopted open theism, which this platform rejects; use for this subject only.
- "Jesus Only" ChurchesAmazon E. Calvin BeisnerA short guide in the Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements series. Reformed.
- The Forgotten TrinityAmazon James R. WhiteA clear explanation of the Trinity from Scripture, written for church members. Reformed Baptist; we differ on election.
- Christianity Without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness PentecostalismAmazon Thomas A. FudgeA historian's account of the movement's debates over the new birth. A history, not a doctrinal study.
- The Oneness of GodAmazon David K. BernardThe primary source: the movement's standard statement.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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What Is a Cult?
A cult, as this section uses the word, is a group that uses Christian words while denying the Gospel or the God it reveals, preaching another Jesus, another spirit, or another gospel.
Open Doctrine