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It comes up every few years. Ever since I
noted something that had appeared in Charisma
magazine regarding the singing group Phillips, Craig, and
Dean, namely, that they are ministers in Oneness or
non-Trinitarian churches, in the context of writing an
article on loving the Trinity, we have received inquiries,
and once in a while, disturbingly accusatory correspondence
regarding the issue. It seems PC&D’s management is quick to
claim that 1) PC&D believe “in the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit” and 2) their critics (me, by name), have never
contacted them and are simply wrong.
First, one will note that the
article I wrote for CRI contained footnotes that, at the
time, provided accurate links to the websites of the
relevant churches, providing direct citations from their
statements of faith regarding the issue at hand. Of course,
it requires that a person have an understanding of both
Trinitarian theology and Oneness teaching to be able to
detect the terminological issues (one of the main problems
in having concert promoters assuring churches about
theological issues), but for anyone who actually knows the
subject, the information was quite plain.
Second, we have hosted a much
fuller article on the subject by Eric Nielsen for quite
some time, and it contains updated links information.
Third, almost anyone can say they believe in the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
the Way International, all can make that statement. Church
history shows us that those who deny central aspects of the
faith always cloak their denial behind orthodox language.
Given the content of the 1999 e-mail from Randy Phillips of
PC&D (see the Nielsen article for its content), wherein a
modalistic, Oneness position on the Trinity is clearly and
plainly put forth (using the e-mail address of the ministry
itself, EMAILPCD@aol.com), there is no question about the
position at that time. Indeed, we read,
We believe in one God who is eternal in
His existence, Triune in His manifestation, being both
Father, Son and Holy Ghost AND that He is Sovereign and
Absolute in His authority.
This is not the doctrine of the
Trinity.
Fourth, I corresponded, personally, in
written form, with Shawn Craig, sending letters to him on
August 20, 1999, and September 13, 1999. I even included in
the text of the second letter the e-mail from Randy Philips
dated September 9th, only four days earlier.
Fifth, if PC&D confesses the historic doctrine of the
Trinity, including the existence of the Son as a distinct
person prior to the Incarnation, indeed, in eternity past,
not merely as a thought in the Father’s mind, but as an
active, divine Person, and if they (as they would have to)
likewise deny Oneness teaching on this issue, and repudiate
the concept of the Trinity as merely involving
“manifestation” but not personal existence, then why do they
not simply come out directly and make this statement?
Instead, a quick trip to the PC&D website did nothing but
confirm, once again, the accuracy of everything I said in
that article, and have said since then. Let’s begin with a
little background. When I speak of “Oneness teaching” or “modalism,”
to what do I refer? Well, let’s let the largest Oneness
denomination define the term for us. The UPCI (United
Pentecostal Church International) defines Oneness Theology:
Oneness of God
In distinction to the doctrine of the
Trinity, the UPCI holds to a oneness view of God. It views
the Trinitarian concept of God, that of God eternally
existing as three distinctive persons, as inadequate and a
departure from the consistent and emphatic biblical
revelation of God being one.
The UPCI teaches that the one God who
revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah revealed
himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus Christ was and
is God. In other words, Jesus is the one true God manifested
in flesh, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily (John 1:1-14; I Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9).
While fully God, Jesus was also fully man,
possessing a full and true humanity. He was both God and
man. Moreover, the Holy Spirit is God with us and in us.
Thus God is manifested as Father in creation and as the
Father of the Son, in the Son for our redemption, and as the
Holy Spirit in our regeneration.
In fact, you may want to look at more of what
the UPCI has to say:
click here. Note as well their promotion of baptism in
Jesus name only. This will come up a bit later.
Now, many evangelicals, it seems, have not taken the
time to do just a little digging into PC&D.
Here is their website. There is no statement of faith
provided. There is nothing about “No, no, we are
Trinitarians” on this website. Why not, if it is an issue?
When you go to “Who
Are These Guys” you find direct links provided to their
respective churches. And it is just here that any
discerning person will find all the evidence one needs to
come to a sound conclusion regarding the theological
orthodoxy, or lack thereof, of PC&D. Let’s start with Randy
Phillips.
Here is RP’s website for his church,
PromiseLand, in Austin, Texas. Follow the links to “What
We Believe” and you will find there the very confession
of faith RP provided from the PC&D e-mail account in 1999,
most importantly, word-for-word in the section that is
clearly, without question, modalistic. Compare the 1999
e-mail from PC&D cited above with this from July 23, 2004 on
RP’s website:
We believe in one God who is eternal in His
existence, Triune in His
manifestation, being both Father, Son and Holy Ghost AND
that He is
Sovereign and Absolute in His authority.
Hence, in speaking for the entire group in
1999, RP quoted a modalistic definition of the Godhead, and
that viewpoint has not changed. But this is not
all. Later in the same statement of faith we read:
We believe that believers should be water
baptized by immersion in the Name of the Lord Jesus
Christ for the circumcision of our hearts.
Baptism in “Jesus’ Name” (capitalized) is
part and parcel of Oneness teaching as well. Note the
description of RP’s father on the “staff” listing of the
church:
Kenneth and Wanda Phillips are servants of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They have pastored The World of
Pentecost, PromiseLand for 35 years. During this time,
because of blessings and the efforts of many, phenomenal
growth has included over 18,000 people being baptized in
Jesus' Name.
Please note, “being baptized in Jesus’
Name.” Note the form as well. This is classic Oneness
terminology. For those not familiar with Oneness teaching,
not only is the Trinity denied, but baptism is to be only
in the name of Jesus, never in the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (see again the UPCI website
above).
When we move to
Dan Dean’s website, we again find clear evidence of
modalism and Oneness belief. Under “What
We Believe” we again find a modalistic definition of
God, not a Trinitarian one:
We believe in the true one God who is
revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Again, please note, this is the second
member of PC&D whose statement of faith (he is the senior
pastor at Heartland Church) is non-Trinitarian and
modalistic. Note as well:
We believe in the Virgin Birth, The Begotten
Sonship, and Deity of Jesus Christ; that He was God and Man.
“Begotten Sonship” seems like an odd phrase,
but it is used in Oneness theology to distinguish between
their view and that of the Trinity, wherein Christ’s Sonship
is eternal, not merely begotten. Remember, Oneness teaching
is essentially unitarian, over against Trinitarian.
One Person vs. Three Persons. Note that Dean’s statement of
faith likewise continues,
We believe in the necessity of water baptism
by immersion in the Name of the Lord.
Note again the consistent Oneness background
with the use of “Name” with reference to Jesus-only
baptism.
The website provided on the PC&D page for Shawn Craig
is not as full as the others, and does not provide a
statement of faith. But it is very interesting to note one
of the staff members, one Jim Farmer. This staff member
graduated from the
Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. This
school is recommended and approved by the UPCI itself (see
here).
Check out their theology, and you will again see it is
pure modalism and Oneness.
Now, surely, the above is more then enough to
establish the connection between Oneness theology’s denial
of the historic (biblical!) doctrine of the Trinity and the
members of PC&D. Are there encouraging things in some of
what is said on these websites, such as a willingness to
abandon the works/legalism of the UPCI and confess a belief
in salvation by grace through faith? Surely! Many of those
churches that split from the UPCI in the middle 90s have
adopted a much more “evangelical friendly” stance on such
things. But the fact remains that they remain thoroughly
unorthodox in the issue of the very nature of God. The real
issue we are facing today with regards to PC&D is simple:
many evangelicals simply do not care about the
Trinity. It is a vestigial doctrine in their practice and
their worship. Hence, when they encounter someone who does
not believe in one aspect of that doctrine, it is easy to
say, “Oh, but look at how much the Lord is blessing them”
and turn a blind eye to their positive belief in simple
heresy.
I wish to call upon PC&D to clearly,
openly state their position. Will they denounce the concept
of modalism, the idea that there is one divine Person in the
Godhead? Will they openly state that baptism in the name of
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is biblical and proper and
acceptable to God? Will they confess that the Son, as an
eternal, divine Person, distinguishable from the Father, has
eternally existed, not merely as a plan or thought in the
mind of the Father, but as a divine Person in His own
right? Only a clear, open profession of faith in the
historic doctrine of the Trinity will suffice to end the
controversy over non-Trinitarians leading professed
Trinitarians in “worship” in the church. |
