Epitaph for Oneness Pentecostalism: A Dying Movement

As far as the Oneness Pentecostals are concerned, we have won the debate war for the most part. How many of them will say that if one does not do the Acts 2:38 3-step plan, one is hell bound? And, among those who say this, how many really believe this? Also, think back to before Jay set up the Ex-Pentecostals and Ex-Apostolic sites on Yahoo. Before then, how many would have held to these doctrines?

What tells me that we have won the big war for the most part is that the so-called “conservatives” are on the defensive with the “liberals” basically laughing in their faces at the extremist salvation requirements and the ridiculous holiness standards. For the most part, Oneness Pentecostals are embracing the idea that baptismal formulas do not matter for salvation, and that holiness standards are a strange thing from previous generations of ignorant elders.

This brings me to my main point of why Oneness Pentecostalism will not survive in the real world simply from a Darwinian analysis of the system in which they operate. What is the competition for Oneness Pentecostalism? Mainly, the Assemblies of God and the like. Why would one want to be part of Oneness Pentecostalism if the only thing separating them was baptismal formulas? If it really does not matter, what DOES matter? If the holiness standards are deemed unnecessary, what will separate them from the rest of the movement?

In Darwinian fashion, the following is necessary for Oneness Pentecostalism to survive: (1) Belief that the Acts 2:38 three-step interpretation is necessary to avoid hell fire and (2) Holiness Standards - to increase the separation from outsiders influencing the people to “subversive” ideas that would challenge their system of belief. Without these two requirements, the movement cannot and will not survive. There is no reason to be a Oneness Pentecostal if one does not believe in these two criteria. The social estrangement is too great otherwise. Once these two things are discarded, the options are wide open for leaving Oneness Pentecostalism. The only reason or staying is possibly friendship or pride in some cases. But the reason for believing Oneness Pentecostalism must contain these two criteria for the movement to survive according to Darwinian analysis of structures of survival and competition of alternatives of a lower cost.

Also, some of the largest Oneness Pentecostal churches have stopped growing and are possible shrinking, I have recently found. Their confidence is shaken because all they believed in since 1913 is shattered, and they have no reason to exist any longer. The younger generation is basically an Assemblies of God generation that believes in Modalism. And who will stay in the movement just for Modalism if they do not believe that it is necessary to avoid hell fire?

I hate to rub this in with lurkers who are “liberals,” but the “old time” preachers were right in a sense that they did not even understand. How were they right? They said that separation from the “world” was necessary to keep people in church. In a Darwinian fashion of group survival, they were right. They said that the Acts 2:38 three-step interpretation was necessary to avoid hell fire. Well, to keep the group separate from the rest of Pentecostalism surviving as a movement, they are right – not doctrinally right, but right from a group survival perspective. Thus, when the “old timers” say that when the holiness standards go, everything else goes, they are saying things that are correct, but for which they do not understand. From a Darwinian perspective of group survival, these high costs of believing that (2) holiness and the (1) salvation formula are hell-fire issues provides a perceived BENEFIT of living such a high cost of social estrangement. Once the perceived BENEFIT – avoidance of hell-fire - of such a high cost life no longer exists, the movement has no impetus to exist any longer and is doomed. They might as well pack up and join the biggest Pentecostal movement apart from the Oneness churches if they perceive these issues as not salvational.

Thus, one has the analysis of a movement that cannot survive without believing that its two core doctrines provide its membership with the avoidance of hellfire. Based on this analysis, Oneness Pentecostals have two choices: (a) recover the belief in hellfire of the two core doctrines or (b) Die as a movement.

Based on what I know about the loss in confidence of the people in general on the two hell-fire issues, it looks like the movement is almost finished. Yes, a small group of diehards will continue, but the movement will be essentially dead.

derkrash-at-earthlink-dot-net
JP Istre