Some of my brethren on here may or may not know, but I came out from Oneness Pentecostalism into the glorious truth of true Christianity in February of this year, though I had tried to go back for a short time. I wanted to start a thread to help people dealing with Oneness Pentecostals, whether they be friends, family, co-workers, etc.

One of the man problems with Oneness Pentecostalism is the hybrid heresies of Monarchism and Patripassianism which dominate their view of the Godhead. Oneness believes without question, that God is one, but refuses to acknowledge the biblical distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Oneness equates the Holy Spirit as the Father, and claims, in many cases, that the Son is not deity, but is mere humanity the Father chooses to dwell in while on earth. At the Cross, Oneness, hold a strange belief that the Father was on the Cross, and that He left the Son to die on the Cross, the Father mystically departing out from the Son. In fact, many Oneness theologians claim that the Son is not in Heaven now, only the Father, and the Spirit, which are one in the same, and not distinct persons.

In alignment with this, the Oneness line of thought when it comes to the prayers of Jesus also deny the truth of scripture. Oneness claims that Jesus prayed to the Father only as example, and that the prayers were meant only for the disciples benefit. They refuse to see the full humility of the Son in the prayers of Him to the Father. Those who do acknowledge the prayers as legit claim that the human nature (Son) was only praying to His divine nature (Father) while the Father and Son were in the same body.

As touching the soteriology, Oneness Pentecostalism holds a very humanistic view of salvation. Oneness depends heavily on baptismal regeneration. They believe that a soul chooses God, repent of their sins on their own. From there, their sins are only forgiven/remitted through water baptism pronouncing the name of Jesus over the candidate for baptism. Then, God is obligated to fill that persons so that they speak in tongues. But, that is not all. You must work within your own power for both your salvation continuing and your sanctification. Jesus becomes nothing more than the means of salvation, but man is a co-redeemer in that work.

Next, let's look at their idea of holiness. In Oneness Pentecostalism, the Cross is the means of salvation, but not the means of our sanctification. In Oneness, one is sanctified only initially by salvation, but then we must work for our holiness by wearing the right clothes, avoiding all things worldly including all TV and movies, all alcohol with the exception of communion in some churches, and also no jewelry. In their belief system, women who wear pants are in sin, regardless of reason, because all pants are for men only.

Another point of Oneness cultism is the holy magic hair doctrine. This doctrine declares that a woman's uncut hair has mystical power to call down angels, and force God to answer prayer requests. The uncut hair is protection from demonic forces in a woman's house, but only if it is completely uncut.

These are the basic beliefs of the Oneness heresy. As you can see, each of these points are easily refuted, and in the morning, I will be offering the refutation of this heretical cult. Until then, I ask that my brethren here to also share in their refuting Oneness.

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William Price
Attending Mills Road Baptist Church, Houston, Texas

http://www.commandmentsandjudgment.com

The Reformed Voice Radio Broadcast

LBCF 1689

Wow...

thanks for the comprehensive list...there were far more issues than I was aware of.

This also might be of help; it's a diagram that James White uses to describe heresies related to the trinity.

You see one side...then on the opposite side you see the heresy that pertains to it.

Attached Images

trintri.gif (4.6 KB, 57 views)

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Robert
Lay Person
PCA
West Virginia
Go share your faith

Morning Robert!

I was a minister in this cult for 15 years, a member for 17 years. I am so glad to be away from this heresy. There are other things which happen in Oneness churches. a small number believe in wife swapping. I have heard of young girls becoming pregnant, and the leadership advising the parents to travel south of the border for a 'medical procedure'. The endless heresies and sins are numerous.

when God saved me, He did a mighty deliverance, delivering me from religion and heresy, which I believe is a stronger addiction than any man-made drug or alcohol.

William, I'm overjoyed at your deliverance. There are quite a few Oneness Pentecostals in our area. You are right. It is a cult.

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We shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

Nothing new under the sun. These oneness pentacostals are just another manifestation of anabaptistic wierdness. While it is easy to refute these errors from Scripture, it is hard to convince them, because the passages used to refute their errors must be interpreted theologically. An interpretative method they reject. They only see what they want to see in the text, but when you show them clearly that the Son is not the Father nor the Spirit, etc., and that the three are one, they will not accept it.

I've never heard of the wife swapping thing. Must be a local thing.

Thanks for this. It's easy to simply marginalize these people. I'm glad someone is taking the time to refute their errors. Hopefully God will use you to save some from the fire.

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Steven J. Carr (Sven)
http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/
Eagan, MN
PCA
"Weak is the effort of my heart / And cold my warmest thought / But when I see thee as thou art / I'll praise thee as I ought."--John Newton
Trophy Wife/Arm Candy: Crystal Ann Children: Steven Jr. and Hannah Grace

I've never met a "Oneness" myself but I can say that no matter what scriptural support you have; it's God who must open the eyes.

We've all been in the situation where we were going through scripture with a Mormon, or Jay-dub, or whoever, showing a truth, supporting it, proving it, and the response is: "Well, that's the way YOU interpret it..."

arggg....

When "speaking in tongues" was there a lot of repetition of words like shundai or shabuta?

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

William, I've read a good bit about OPs, but I've never heard the "magic hair" doctrine before. Is this a widespread (or even universal) belief among OPs, or is it isolated?

__________________
Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
My Facebook/My Avatar

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

When I worked my old shift at WGOH-AM. I used to have Oneness Pentecostal broadcast that would air live in the studio. Everything that Williams has mentioned was preached openly on the air at 1:30 in the afternoon. It was an odd half hour of radio. That shift led to a crisis of conscience as you could imagine.

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Willie Grills
Trinity Presbyterian Church
OPC
Huntington, WV

Hey, another ex-Oneness Pentecostal!!! I LOVE meeting Reformed ex-Pentecostals!

Everything that you said in your post was absolutely correct. I have been shocked to discover, considering it now, the level of superstition and 'magic' involved in the so-called 'theology' of the group.

Yes, they treat the name of Jesus as an incantation. Do you remember how people will stand there and say, "Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus ...." on and on and on over and over and over ... or, "I plead the blood of JESUS over this ..." etc, etc. And similarly for the baptism, it supposedly doesn't 'work' unless the name of Jesus is spoken.

Someday, maybe I'll post some of my magic-hair pictures. *groan* I have these truly dreadful pictures of me when I was in the UPCI--hair down to my waist, long skirt, no make-up, miserable expression... Thank God for the freedom to wear jeans and to cut my hair to a reasonable length. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. The saddest thing I've ever heard is all those UPCI women talking about how 'free' they feel not to 'have to' wear pants or makeup or cut their hair or go to college. Well, I used to say that too. It's the greatest horror of all. At least people in prison don't have to pretend to like being in prison. Cults take over your mind and force you to lie, say things you don't really believe, like, "I feel so free!"

I'm glad you found your way out.

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Caroline
OPC
Schenectady, NY
Blog: The Unlikely Calvinist

I come from a Pentecostal background (not Oneness though). But I do have some relatives that unknowingly started attending a Oneness Pentecostal church. Once they found out the doctrine they were preaching they decided to just stay in the church. When they told me about the believes the church holds to I was like..."What?" That was the first time I heard of such a thing. I didn't even know such an offshoot of Pentecostalism existed.

Anyways, thanks for sharing. It was interesting to see a more in-depth view from someone whose been apart of the Oneness Pentecostal before.

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Claudiu
Reformed Baptist
attending Immanuel Baptist Church
Sacramento, CA

Shandala, shandala, shandala.

I got annoyed with all the repetitiveness that I heard, so I used to hold an image of the alphabet in my mind to be sure that I was hitting a wide variety of letters. Then I took a French class in junior high, and threw a few French letters into the mix to give it a more exotic foreign-sounding flair. You'd think it would have occurred to me sooner that it wasn't a supernatural phenomenon, considering the amount of trouble I went to making it sound 'better'.

My son is dating a girl who grew up UPC but went to a regular local Christian school. Her parents worst fears have been realized- she told them she is trinitarian, and she cut her hair. Really nice girl!! Things are tense at home, she says she feels like she is "living in a box"...but going away to college next year.

I had a real good friend saved into Oneness Pentecostalism, she was truly saved and loved the Lord. Argued all the time!!! I finally called a prof at Westminster Theological Seminary that hubby said was their expert on this, and he told me to shut up about the trinity and just stick to two guys (father- son) because that is so indisputably presented in scripture. Once they face the two, it is easier to add the Holy Spirit, but start with two.

It worked. I stuck to two, all over the bible, and she finally said there was no getting around the two. Eventually their UPC church folded and they ended up in a somewhat Reformed Church and have been very happy. The husband became a full blown Calvinist.

By the way, there is no getting around the fact that in the book of Acts every time they baptized, they did it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. "In the name of" means in the authority of, and all the authority of the Father and Holy Spirit had been given to the son. I found it best to agree that the NT church did baptize in the name of Jesus, and it gave me an open door to debate once I admitted that the early church baptized that way.

Also, this girl's church taught that only Jesus is in heaven- "he who has seen me has seen the Father". God incarnated into the human body and stayed that way, and is in heaven in the flesh. I guess there must be schisms in the UPC if some say the Father alone is in heaven. ( not my field of expertise )

Prayers for revival all around!!!! And a big welcome to you!

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Lynnie

PCA

Central NJ

It will be interesting to see the response you get from this post.

My understanding (please feel to correct) is that this is treated as a sort of baptismal "formula" by OPs -- i.e., those are the words that are used so that it is a non-trinitarian baptism. The problem is that whatever the English may appear to be, there is no way to justify this sort of "formula" when one looks at the underlying text. Here are the relevant passages (all KJV):

Acts 2:38 -- "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." [The Greek pronoun for "in" is actually "epi", which can mean in, on, or with.]

Acts 8:16 -- "For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." [The pronoun used here is "eis", which can mean "in" or "into".]

Acts 10:48 -- "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." [There is a textual variation here; some translations have "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ"; the pronoun used is "en", which normal means "in" can also be translated "with" or "into" in the dative.]

Acts 19:5 -- "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." ["eis" is used again here].

So, in each of these four instances, different Greek pronouns and a different "formula" is used: "in the name of Jesus Christ", "in the name of the Lord Jesus", and "in the name of the Lord (or Lord Jesus Christ." There is no indication that apostles were using this as a formula statement, since they used a different variation in most instances. Instead, it is very much as you have stated, an authority/headship kind of statement of identification with Jesus Christ.

I was told that "Lord Jesus Christ" stood for the three modes...The father was Lord, Jesus was Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is the anointing (Christ). I still haven't figured out how the HS works in their doctrine, being as Jesus is now in heaven and all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in him and there is only one God and he is it. But yeah, it is a formula, you have to say it that way with all three words, far as my old UPC friend went.

As a trinitarian, I have been in two Baptist churches in my 35 Christian years where a pastor/elder baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the book of Acts, because Romans 6 presents baptism as our identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and as a picture of His particular work, and our union with Christ. But of course they believed totally in the trinity. Not at all the same as the UPC. The UPC thinks that when Jesus said to baptize in the name of the Father, son, and holy ghost, the apostles correctly realized oneness and Jesus only, and you have to interpret that command in the light of how the apostles understood it.

I only bring it up because I found that once I conceeded the words the apostles baptized with in Acts, which was a HUGE issue, I found that their defenses broke and they could then talk about Daniel's vision with God on the throne and the lamb next to him, and Revelation visions with two guys, and Jesus in the garden in John 17 praying to the father. You have to pick your battles, that was how I picked mine.

I have no problems personally with a trinitarian baptizing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and would not demand rebaptism with the trinitarian formula, but hey, I'm not the most perfect PCA BCO girl so don't flame me too much

In my experience, there is little coherence to the Oneness view. I was taught that the Father and Jesus are both in heaven, that in the incarnation, the Father took only some of Himself and put it in Jesus, but that after the rapture, Jesus will sort of be 'reabsorbed' into the Father. Rather creepy, isn't it?

As far as whether or not the apostles baptized in the 'Jesus' formula, I really don't care. My point with UPCIers (for those who don't know, UPC and UPCI are interchangeable ... it used to be UPC, and then they added the word 'international' to their name, and now it's UPCI) is always that it's a sacrament, not magic. It doesn't really matter whether someone says "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" or "in the name of Jesus" or "Lord, here's Fred!" There is no power in the words themselves.

Personally, I'm a fan of 'Father, Son, and Holy Spirit' baptism formula, only because it is self-consciously Trinitarian, and it is respectful and appropriate. But I attack the Oneness baptism formula not because of the formula itself but because of the magical thinking behind it ... a magical thinking that pervades every area of their theology.

For example, part of the point of UPCI worship is to 'bring the Holy Ghost down'. Their 'worship song' reflect that.

"Send it on down, Lord, send it on down! Lord, let the Holy Ghost come on down!"

"Come, Holy Spirit, hear us calling ..."

"The windows of heaven are open, the fire is falling tonight!"

Etc

And then when everybody starts feeling warm and fuzzy and hopping around, that's when the HG is supposedly 'there'. And people who are especially thrashing about, jerking, screaming, etc, are the ones particularly under the influence of the HG.

It's conjuring. They are conjuring up the 'Holy Ghost' like He is a familiar spirit. It has more in common with voodoo, I think, than mainstream Christianity.

Does this mean that (according to them) if one does not speak in tongues, one is not saved?

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Mark Hettler
PCA
Central NJ

God answers prayers in one of two ways: "Yes," or "I have something better."

Around here, yes. Actually every Oneness Pentecostal that I have ever met holds to this. That would at least those I've met in Arkansas, Louisiana, Arizona, Alabama, and Kansas

Here's a link to their statement about tongues on their site. It states receiving the HS is evidenced with tongues. Now we have to cross reference when someone is saved by their terminology.

"The requirements for receiving the Holy Spirit are repentance and faith. In many cases, those who tarry for this spiritual experience without receiving it simply have not repented. If and when this is true, it is useless for such a one to praise God with the expectation of receiving the Holy Ghost. He should first repent and claim God's promise of forgiveness. As his burdens lift because of confession of sin and as he feels God's love and mercy, he will naturally begin to worship God. And God will pour out His Spirit upon this repentant, believing, worshiping soul!"



United Pentecostal Church International

It's called the three-fold salvation, and it is based on Acts 2:38: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

This is the slogan of the UPC. Based on this verse, they believe that salvation comes only when someone (1) repents (2) is baptized in the name of Jesus and (3) receives the baptism of the HG with speaking in tongues. Without all three, someone is not considered saved. They also frequently rebaptize if someone 'backslides', just to be on the safe side ... start the process again: repent, be baptized in Jesus name, speak in tongues.

Here's my tongue-in-cheek UPCI Extremely Narrow Catechism that makes reference to the 'obey Acts 2:38' slogan: click here. It's kinda a joke ... but still true.

I was a UPC/oneness member for over 30 years and my cousin is the General Sup. of the UPC. I think it is only fair to point out that oneness pentecostalism is not a monolith. There are variants. The "magic hair" doctrine is an extreme example held by some but not all.

The consistant areas that almost all oneness would argee on are the absolute 'oneness' of God and the insistence to baptize using the "Jesus Name" formula. The speaking of tongues as being essential to one's salvation is not held by all.

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Dave Gray
Harbor Presbyterian Church
San Diego, CA
www.harbordowntown.org

That's a good point, ReformedDave, and to be honest, you probably have a better perspective of the liberal side of the UPCI than I would. I was in a fairly isolated and extreme group, even for the UPC, and I think most of the people that I correspond with are also from the more extreme side. There are some churches that are more moderate, but I believe that the UPC doctrinal statement itself does hold that tongues is necessary for salvation.

I agree concerning the UPC doctrinal statement. My late father was a charter ministerial member of the UPC and while he held to this position he made it very clear to me that many did not hold that position including many from one of the two organizations that merged to become the UPC.

Oh Caroline. That shorter catechism both so funny and so sad all at the same time.

Happened at your church too? Small world.

That's fascinating. I'd love to hear your story sometime. Is it on a website anywhere? I would ask you also what you thought of the recent UPCI split and where you think that's headed ... but then I would be taking the thread in random directions, I suppose.

-----Added 7/16/2009 at 11:24:23 EST-----

Yeah ... it's weird how that goes sometimes, isn't it? If someone is considered 'anointed', he's just beyond the reach of normal justice, it seems. In one situation that went on, a pastor was caught molesting a little girl. The little girl was disciplined for 'seducing him'. As far as I know, the pastor was never disciplined. He claimed that he had been under the influence of demons at the time who were trying to wreck his ministry.

Dave, is that you????

You a Padres fan?!

Yeah it's me. I live in San Diego and so a life long Padres' fan...... And you say there is no purgatory

Yeah bro. These past 5 months of going back and forth, God was doing a work on me and in me. I had to wait until that work was completed before I could walk from Oneness. It was God who brought me out, and by His sovereign grace I am standing firm in the faith.

Also, FYI, since God has done a work, and I can say fully that He has regenerated my heart truly for the first time in my life, I have opted to be baptized hopefully this weekend.

Dave, you be blessed in the Lord, old man, and may He deliver you to a better place... like Houston!

William I know how difficult leaving a oneness group can be. God has truly blessed you don't go back brother.

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Joe
Member
Providence Reformed Baptist Chuch, Toledo Ohio
2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689

And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. Ezk 16:6

I have no intention of ever returning... God finished a work and it was confirmed by an e-mail I received from my former pastor, who labeled me a reprobate, heretic, and a pig returning to his mire. That sealed the deal that God had done a work, because it did not hurt anymore.

I am delivered from there. I love those in that group and pray their eyes be opened to the grace of God by the working of the regenerating power of the Spirit, even as God has done in me.

William, Praise God you were able to get out. Were you in the United Pentecostal Church? I was in the UPC for about 5 years and went to Indiana Bible College it was there that I spent a lot of time studying the bible on my own and seeing that what they taught did not match up to well with what the bible taught and eventually left the group. Except I was burnt out on church and especially preachers for over ten years and only just recently started going back to church and discovered reformed theology. If you managed to avoid the burnout and cynicism you are most fortunate.
Good luck with you and your endeavors.

-----Added 7/17/2009 at 11:11:43 EST-----

I never heard that Jesus was not God or the magic hair thing and I went to one of their bible colleges. Some of the things he states sounds familiar but a lot does not and I spent a lot of time in different churches. To be fair I think a lot of those people are saved they are just led astray by bad teaching. Plus, they sort of tell everyone that they have the truth and everyone else is in heresy. They imply that if you leave them, you are going to hell. But to be fair an OPC pastor said the same thing to me when I told him I was thinking of becoming Baptist or Lutheran.

__________________
Erick Bohndorf, Redeemer Presbyterian PCA
http://qayaqtraveler.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pr...90&ref=profile
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Ecclesiastes

Through much psycological turmoil I've come to the conclusion that the majority do NOT understand the Gospel and therefore I have to treat them as a mission field.

I agree they do NOT understand the gospel but I would have to say that the handful of people I am thinking of are probably saved, though deceived. They are very brainwashed into thinking that they have the truth and if they leave, even to go to another denomination, it is like leaving the church and putting yourself under God's judgment. It is like physiological imprisonment.

It is hard to talk to these people because they treat you like you are backslidden (sp?) and are trying to convert you and won't listen to anything you have to say. It is like talking to Mormons or JW's.

I just recently got back in touch with a good friend I went to bible college with through Facebook, he even lives just a couple hours away, and I am trying to figure out how to talk to him and possibly plant seeds of truth. I know I will be treated with pity, like I could not handle the truth and gave myself over to the Devil.

I know they are listed as a cult because of their denial of the Trinity but I think it is the psychological manipulation that makes it a cult.

I wonder how anyone could have been in the UPC and not heard of the magic hair thing (doesn't the name Ruth Rieder Harvey ring a bell?), but I suppose it depends on which circles you run in. There isn't exactly an organized theology in Pentecostalism.

But I agree that the psychological manipulation is very heavy, and that it is that which makes it a 'cult' in the fullest sense.

The "magic hair thing" is starting to come back to me. It has been 15 years since I was in the UPC. I might be confusing what I learned from my own study versus what I was taught.

It looks as if there are a lot of ex-oneness folks here.

I appreciate the insight everyone is offering! I am not 100% familiar with oneness so the more info into their beliefs is much appreciated!

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Brian E
Attending Falls OPC
Menomonee Falls, WI

They are a Pentecostal group that denies the trinity and has a modalistic view of God. The majority believe that salvation comes as a result of repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.