What's special about Oneness Pentecostals? In this penetrating analysis of Oneness theology and practice, Gregory Boyd reveals the experience of four years of personal involvement in a Oneness church. Although Oneness Pentecostals' belief in Christ's deity establishes some common ground with other Christians, their aggressive denial of the Trinity has nonetheless fostered their indisputably sub-Christian ideas about God's character, about salvation, and about Christian living.
There are approximately 111 separate sects and denominations that are classified as Oneness Pentecostal Churches. These congregations are found in nearly every city and town in the United States, as well as around the world. They get their distinctive name from the fact that they do not believe in the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. They believe that all who do believe in the Trinity are spiritually lost because they have adopted a pagan doctrine. They differ from other Pentecostals and the rest of the historical church on several important issues, earning them the title of a Pseudo-Christian Cult by established cult watching organizations and cult experts. The book, Oneness Pentecostal Churches, examines the claims, doctrines and practices of these fellowships. It addresses the issues in a manner comprehensive enough to satisfy the professional minister, yet clear enough to meet the needs of laypeople who are seeking answers about this significant movement. The questions discussed in the book include: 1.) Who are Oneness Pentecostals? 2.)Why are Oneness Pentecostals called "the people of the name"? 3.)Is the doctrine of the Trinity really pagan? 4.)Is there a three step pathway to salvation? 5.)Does water baptism save? 6.)Is speaking in tongues required for salvation? For those interested in understanding the Oneness Pentecostal movement, this book is required reading.
Unlike Jehovah's Witnesses, who deny the Trinity by demoting Jesus to a mere man, the "Jesus Only" churches deny the Trinity by claiming that there is only one God, and that Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit. "Jesus Only" churches not only require baptism for salvation, but also stipulate that it must be baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ only, and not in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. Thus, these churches distort the gospel and the historic, orthodox understanding of Jesus. Why this series? This is an age when countless groups and movements, old and new, mark the religious landscape in our culture, leaving many people confused or uncertain in their search for spiritual truth and meaning. Because you may not have the time or opportunity to research these movements fully, these books provide essential and reliable information and insights for their spiritual journeys. The second wave of books in this series addresses a broad range of spiritual beliefs, from non-Trinitarian Christian sects to witchcraft and neo-paganism to classic non-Christian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. All books but the summary volume, Truth and Error, contain five sections: -A concise introduction to the group being surveyed -An overview of the group’s theology — in its own words -Tips for witnessing effectively to members of the group -A bibliography with sources for further study -A comparison chart that shows the essential differences between biblical Christianity and the group -Truth and Error, the last book in the series, consists of parallel doctrinal charts compiled from all the other volumes. Three distinctives make this series especially useful to readers: -Information is carefully distilled to bring out truly essential points, rather than requiring readers to sift their way through a sea of secondary details. -Information is presented in a clear, easy-to-follow outline form with “menu bar” running heads. This format greatly assists the reader in quickly locating topics and details of interest. -Each book meets the needs and skill levels of both nontechnical and technical readers, providing an elementary level of refutation and progressing to a more advanced level using arguments based on the biblical text. The writers of these volumes are well qualified to present clear and reliable information and help readers to discern truth from falsehood.
See what Christian leaders are saying about Against Oneness Pentecostalism: "Michael Burgos has produced a brilliant blend of systematic theology and biblical exegesis with a detailed and thorough discussion of the main passages at the center of the dispute between Oneness Pentecostalism and traditional trinitarianism. He argues throughout for certain central elements of trinitarianism, in particular, the eternality of the Son of God and the eternal co-existence of the Father and Son with a focus on the Son's activity in creation. He ably interacts with technical issues including the original languages, Greek grammar, and textual criticism and cogently demonstrates that Oneness Pentecostalism is deeply flawed in its interpretation of Scripture and its understanding of God. Highly recommended for those interested in Oneness Pentecostalism and the biblical teaching regarding Theology Proper and Christology." Alexander E. Stewart Ph.D., Academic Dean and Associate Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Tyndale Theological Seminary "Oneness theology is nothing more than the crass unitarianism of Judaism and Islam. In this work, Michael Burgos has outlined in a systematic fashion the chief theological assertions of Oneness theology and then provides a point-by-point exegetical refutation. Burgos clearly demonstrates throughout this work that the Scriptural view of a Triune God and preexistent unipersonal Son sharply opposes the Oneness idea of the Son being a mere mode or role of a unitarian deity named, 'Jesus.' Burgos consistently stays fastened to the exegesis of the biblical text both in his positive affirmation of the Trinity and in his thorough dismantlement of Oneness theology. Thus, Burgos has clearly laid out the biblical case against Oneness unitarianism. Edward L. Dalcour, M.Apol., Ph.D. President, Department of Christian Defense Faculty of Theology, North-West University "Are you looking for a careful, serious and fair treatment of Oneness Pentecostalism from an orthodox Christian perspective? Search no further, this is the book you're looking for." Vocab Malone, host of Urban Theologian Radio "Michael Burgos has presented a stalwart defense of the Holy Trinity, and an academic and scholarly explanation of Oneness Pentecostalism. In class polemic style, Burgos gives the reader a defense of truth, as well as a critique of false doctrine." J. D. Hall, host of the Polemics Report and Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church "In the near 25 years since the publication of Gregory Boyd's Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity there has been a dearth of critical interaction with the arguments and exegetical underpinnings of Oneness Pentecostal theology. Michael Burgos has taken up this task in Against Oneness Pentecostalism. Here Burgos interacts with the top Oneness Pentecostal and expositors of our day and finds their arguments wanting. This volume has practical implications beyond the debate that exists between trinitarians and Oneness Pentecostals because if popular piety is any indication, then many professing trinitarian Christians are Oneness in practice and Burgos' work will help to show how such thinking is wrong as well as offering an exegetical alternative that is faithful to what God has revealed about himself in Scripture." Nick Norelli, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
Grounded in primary source research, this boldly revisionist book examines the doctrine of salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism (United Pentecostal Church) from its origins through its several developmental stages. The gradual rise of a literal interpretation of Acts 2.38 eliminated a tradition of doctrinal diversity within Oneness thought which regarded salvation as occurring at repentance prior to water and Spirit baptism. With this development a main link to the wider stream of evangelical Christianity was severed. The "water and Spirit" theology resulted in a form of Christianity which does not necessarily require the cross in any meaningful sense for salvation. This study recovers the lost theological tradition associated with important figures such as Howard A. Goss, A.D. Gurley, W.M. Greer, C.H. Tadon, Wynn T. Stairs, Earl Jacques, E.P. Wickens, John Paterson and the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated. Combining traditional historical methodology and theological research with the principles of a broadly based oral history, this study argues for a theological diversity within the history of Oneness Pentecostalism and in so doing bridges an important gap in the history and theology of the United Pentecostal Church.
There is now a substantial scholarly consensus for the emergence of a high or divine Christology very early and from a Jewish context, but the questions of "how" and "why" need further study. Within the framework of traditional Jewish monotheism, Paul and other early Christians used the language of deity to describe Jesus. To investigate their view of Jesus, the author examines Paul's discourse in 2 Cor 3:16–4:6, employing insights from rhetorical criticism and Oneness Pentecostal Christology. He explains how early Christians proclaimed the deity of Jesus within their monotheistic Jewish context. He then identifies socio-rhetorical reasons for and practical consequences of the monotheistic deification of Jesus.
