Oneness Pentecostalism

==Oneness theology==
Oneness Pentecostalism has a historical precedent in the [[Modalistic Monarchianism]] of the fourth century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Modalistic Monarchianism|url=https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/modalistic-monarchianism/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119015708/https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/modalistic-monarchianism/|archive-date=November 19, 2020|access-date=19 November 2020|website=Ligonier Ministries|language=en}}</ref> This earlier movement affirmed the two central aspects of current Oneness belief:
#There is one indivisible God with no distinction of persons in God's eternal essence, and
#Jesus Christ is the manifestation, human personification, or incarnation of the one God.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Wolfgang |last1=Vondey |title=Pentecostalism, A Guide for the Perplexed |publisher=T&T Clark |year=2012 |page=77 }}</ref>

They contend that, based on Colossians 2:9, the concept of God's personhood is reserved for the immanent and incarnate presence of Jesus only.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Kerry D. |last1=McRoberts |chapter=The Holy Trinity |title=Systematic Theology |editor1-first=Stanley M. |editor1-last=Horton |location=Springfield, MO |publisher=Logion |year=2007 |page=173 }}</ref>

===Characteristics of God===
Oneness theology specifically maintains that God is a singular spirit who is absolutely and indivisibly one (not three persons, individuals, or minds).<ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=February 16, 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 |page=10}}</ref><ref>Talmadge French, ''Our God is One'', Voice and Vision Publishers, 1999, {{ISBN|978-1-888251-20-3}}.{{page needed|date=September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Norris |first1=David |title=I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology |date=4 September 2009 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |isbn=978-1565630000 |page=5 |chapter=Oneness Pentecostalism |quote=On the other hand, Oneness adherents decry any ontological distinction between persons "in the Godhead."}}</ref> They contend that the terms "[[God the Father|Father]]," "[[Son of God|Son]]," and "[[Holy Ghost]]" (or "Holy Spirit") are merely ''titles'' reflecting the different personal manifestations of God in the universe.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=10 June 2009|title=Oneness Pentecostalism: Heresy, Not Hairsplitting|url=https://www.equip.org/article/oneness-pentecostalism-heresy-not-hairsplitting/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119015133/https://www.equip.org/article/oneness-pentecostalism-heresy-not-hairsplitting/|archive-date=19 November 2020|access-date=19 November 2020|website=Christian Research Institute}}</ref> When Oneness believers speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, they see these as three personal manifestations of ''one'' being, one personal God.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oneness Pentecostalism|url=http://www.religionfacts.com/oneness-pentecostalism|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119024500/http://www.religionfacts.com/oneness-pentecostalism|archive-date=19 November 2020|access-date=19 November 2020|website=ReligionFacts|language=en}}</ref>

Oneness teachers often quote a phrase used by early pioneers of the movement: "God was manifested as the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Ghost in emanation,"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.upcbaypoint.com/onegodtruth.html |title=The Truth About One God |website=United Pentecostal Church of Bay Point |access-date=21 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817001820/http://www.upcbaypoint.com/onegodtruth.html |archive-date=17 August 2015}}</ref> though Oneness theologian Dr. David Norris points out that this does not mean that Oneness Pentecostal believe that God can only be one of those manifestations at a time, which may be suggested in the quote.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Norris |first1=David |title=I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology |date=4 September 2009 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |isbn=978-1565630000 |page=238 |chapter=Epilogue |quote=Sometimes, in a kind of echo of Haywood's profession, one will encounter a Pentecostal preacher offering a sound byte about God: "He is the Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Spirit in sanctification." But they do not mean (as Haywood did not) that there is some sort of "dilation" where the Father became the Son (without remainder and ceased to be the Father) and then, subsequently the Son became the Spirit (and ceased to be the Son).}}</ref>

According to Oneness theology, the Father and the Holy Spirit are one and the same personal God. It teaches that the term "Holy Spirit" is a descriptive title for God manifesting himself through the Christian Church and in the world.<ref name=":12">{{cite book|last1=Bernard|first1=David|url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch6.htm|title=The Oneness of God|publisher=Word Aflame Press|year=1993|isbn=978-0-912315-12-6|chapter=The Father is the Holy Ghost|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209202633/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch6.htm|archive-date=February 9, 2008}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{cite book|first1=David| last1=Bernard| title=A Handbook of Basic Doctrines|publisher=Word Aflame Press|date= 1 September 1988|isbn=978-0932581372}}{{page needed|date=September 2017}}</ref> These two titles—as well as others—do not reflect separate persons within the Godhead, but rather two different ways in which the one God reveals himself to his creatures. Thus, when the Old Testament speaks of "The Lord God and his Spirit" in {{bibleverse|Isaiah|48:16|KJV}}, it does not indicate two persons, according to Oneness theology. Rather, "The Lord" indicates God in all of his glory and transcendence, while "his Spirit" refers to his own Spirit that moved upon and spoke to prophets. Oneness theologian Dr. [[David K. Bernard]] teaches that this passage does not imply two persons any more than the numerous scriptural references to a man and his spirit or soul (such as in {{bibleverse|Luke|12:19|KJV}}) imply two "persons" existing within one body.<ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |chapter=The Lord God and His Spirit |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212180425/http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch7.htm |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=16 February 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 }}{{page needed|date=September 2017}}</ref>

Bernard asserts that it is unbiblical to describe God as a plurality of persons in any sense of the word, "regardless of what persons meant in ancient church history."<ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |chapter=Trinitarianism: An Evaluation |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212180425/http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch7.htm |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=16 February 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 |page=287 |quote=Speaking of God as a plurality of persons further violates the biblical concept of God. Regardless of what persons meant in ancient church history, today the word definitely connotes a plurality of individuals, personalities, minds, wills and bodies. Even in ancient church history, we have shown that the vast majority of believers saw it as a departure from biblical monotheism.}}</ref>

===Son of God===
According to Oneness theology, the Son of God did not exist (in any substantial sense) prior to the incarnation of [[Jesus of Nazareth]] except as the Logos (or Word) of God the Father. They believe that humanity of Jesus did not exist before the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]], although Jesus (i.e. the Spirit of Jesus) [[Pre-existence of Christ|pre-existed]] in his deity as the eternal God. This belief is supported by the lack of Jesus' incarnate presence anywhere in the Old Testament.<ref name=":5">{{cite book|last1=Bernard|first1=David|url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch5.htm|title=The Oneness of God|publisher=Word Aflame Press|year=1993|isbn=978-0-912315-12-6|chapter=Begotten Son or Eternal Son?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411183805/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch5.htm|archive-date=11 April 2008}}</ref> Thus, Oneness Pentecostals believe that the title "Son" only applied to Christ when he became flesh on earth. In this theology, the Father embodies the divine attributes of the Godhead and the Son embodies the human aspects. They believe that Jesus and the Father are one essential person, though operating in different modes.<ref name=":4" />

Oneness author W. L. Vincent writes, "The argument against the 'Son being his own Father' is a red herring. It should be evident that Oneness theology acknowledges a clear distinction between the Father and Son–in fact this has never been disputed by any Christological view that I am aware of."<ref name=":12" />

====The Word====
Oneness theology holds that "the Word" in [[John 1:1]] was the mind or plan of God. Oneness Pentecostals believe that the Word was not a separate person from God but that it was the plan of God and was God Himself. Bernard writes in his book ''The Oneness View of Jesus Christ'', 
{{Blockquote|In the Old Testament, God's Word (dabar) was not a distinct person but was God speaking, or God disclosing Himself (Psalm 107:20; Isaiah 55:11). To the Greeks, the Word (logos) was not a distinct divine person, but reason as the controlling principle of the universe. The noun logos could mean thought (unexpressed word) as well as speech or action (expressed word). In John 1, the Word is God's self-revelation or self-disclosure. Before the Incarnation, the Word was the unexpressed thought, plan, reason, or mind of God.<ref name=":OnenessJesus">{{cite book|last1=Bernard|first1=David|title=The Oneness View of Jesus Christ|publisher=Word Aflame Press|year=1994|isbn=1-56722-020-7}}</ref>}}
Additionally, Bernard claims that the Greek word ''pros'' (translated "with" in John 1:1) could also be translated as "pertaining to," meaning that John 1:1 could also be translated as (in his view), "The Word pertained to God and the Word was God."<ref name="The Oneness of God">{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |pages=60–61 |archive-date=16 February 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6}}</ref>

In the incarnation, Oneness believers hold that God put the Word (which was His divine plan) into action by manifesting Himself in the form of the man Jesus, and thus "the Word became flesh" ({{bibleverse|John|1:14|KJV}}). In this, Oneness believers say that the incarnation is a singular event, unlike anything God has done prior or will ever do again.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Norris |first1=David |title=I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology |date=4 September 2009 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |isbn=978-1565630000 |page=161 |chapter=The Man Who Preexisted |quote=...and of course, the Incarnation is one of a kind-it is unique, as it is expressed in the rest of the verse.}}</ref> Oneness Pentecostals believe that the Word of John 1:1 does not imply a second pre-existent, divine person, but that the Word is simply the plan of God, which was put into action through the incarnation.<ref name="The Oneness of God"/>

====The dual nature of Christ====
{{Main|Hypostatic union}}
When discussing the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation]], Oneness theologians and authors often refer to a concept known as the dual nature of Christ, which is understood as the union of human and divine natures in the man Jesus. Bernard describes this concept in his book ''The Oneness of God'', stating that Jesus "is both Spirit and flesh, God and man, Father and Son. On his human side He is the Son of man; on his divine side He is the Son of God and is the Father dwelling in the flesh."<ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=February 16, 2008 |title=The Oneness of God  |chapter=Jesus is God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 |pages=69–70}}</ref> They see this not as two persons in one body but rather as two natures united in one person: Jesus Christ.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dulle |first1=Jason |title=The Dual Nature of Christ |url=https://www.onenesspentecostal.com/dualnature.htm |website=Institute for Biblical Studies |access-date=6 November 2021 |quote=...Jesus' natures never worked independent of one another. His two natures exist "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the difference of the natures having been in no wise taken away by reason of the union, but rather the properties of each being preserved...."}}</ref> Oneness believers see the mystery referred to in [[1 Timothy 3:16]] as referencing this concept of two natures being united in the one person of Jesus Christ.<ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=February 16, 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 |pages=63–64 |chapter=Jesus is God}}</ref>

Although the Oneness belief in the union of the divine and human into one person in Christ is similar to the [[Chalcedonian]] formula, Chalcedonians disagree sharply with them over their opposition to Trinitarian dogma. Chalcedonians see Jesus Christ as a single person uniting God the Son—the eternal second person of the Trinity—with human nature. Oneness believers, on the other hand, see Jesus as one single person uniting the one God himself with human nature as the Son of God.

===Scripture===
Oneness Pentecostalism subscribes to the doctrine of [[Sola Scriptura]] in common with mainstream Pentecostals and other Protestants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pentecostals and Sola Scriptura|url=https://www.apostolictheology.org/2008/10/pentecostals-and-sola-scriptura.html|access-date=13 April 2021|language=en-GB|date=30 October 2008|website=Apostolic Theology}}</ref> They view the Bible as the [[Biblical inspiration|inspired]] Word of God, and as absolutely [[Biblical inerrancy|inerrant]] in its contents (though not necessarily in every translation). They specifically reject the conclusions of church councils such as the [[First Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]] and the [[Nicene Creed]]. They believe that mainstream Christians have been misled by long-held and unchallenged "traditions of men."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1lord1faith.org/wm/Oneness/1TrinDebate.htm|last1=Raddatz|first1=Tom|title=A Response to the Oneness-Trinity Debate|date=20 March 2005|access-date=31 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320000616/http://www.1lord1faith.org/wm/Oneness/1TrinDebate.htm |archive-date=20 March 2005}}</ref>

===The name of Jesus===
The overwhelming emphasis on the person of Jesus shapes the content of a theology based on experience among both Oneness and Trinitarian Pentecostals. In principle, the doctrinal emphasis on Jesus attributes all divine qualities and functions to Christ. What might therefore be called a 'Christological maximalism' in the Pentecostal doctrine of God leads among Oneness Pentecostals to a factual substitution of the three divine persons with the single person of Jesus, while Trinitarian Pentecostals typically elevate Christ from the 'second' person of the Trinity to the central figure of Christian faith and worship.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Wolfgang |last1=Vondey |title=Pentecostalism, A Guide for the Perplexed |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2013 |page=84|isbn=978-0567522269
}}</ref>

Critics of Oneness theology commonly refer to its adherents as "[[Baptism in the name of Jesus|Jesus Only]]," implying that they deny the existence of the Father and Holy Spirit.<ref name=fp123-4/> Most Oneness Pentecostals consider that term to be pejorative, and a misrepresentation of their true beliefs on the issue.<ref name=":History59">{{cite book|last1=Bernard|first1=David|title=A History of Christian Doctrine, Volume Three: The Twentieth Century A.D. 1900–2000|date=1999|publisher=Word Aflame Press|location=Hazelwood, MO|page=59|isbn=978-1567222210
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/pentecostal_1.shtml| title=Pentecostalism |website=BBC |access-date=18 October 2021 |date=2 July 2009 |quote="The Oneness movement is sometimes referred to as the "Jesus Only" churches, but this is a somewhat derogatory name and should be avoided." }}</ref> Oneness believers insist that while they do indeed believe in baptism only in the name of Jesus Christ, to describe them as "Jesus Only Pentecostals" implies a denial of the Father and Holy Spirit.<ref name=":History59" />

===View of the Trinity===
Oneness Pentecostals believe that the Trinitarian doctrine is a "tradition of men" and is neither scriptural nor a teaching of God, citing the absence of the word "Trinity" from the Bible as one evidence of this. They—alongside the nontrinitarian [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]—generally believe the doctrine was gradually developed over the first four centuries AD, culminating with the [[First Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]] and later councils which made the doctrine as believed today orthodox;<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=The Jesus Name Movement |url=https://www.apostolicarchives.com/articles/article/8795236/172416.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119023034/https://www.apostolicarchives.com/articles/article/8795236/172416.htm |archive-date=19 November 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020 |website=www.apostolicarchives.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=February 16, 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 |page=263|chapter=Trinitarianism: Definition and Historical Development|quote=There is no question that Christian trinitarianism developed over several centuries of time after the New Testament was written.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Plain Speaking About Nicaea and the Trinity|url=https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1964445?q=Council+of+Nicaea&p=doc|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113231657/https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1964445?q=Council+of+Nicaea&p=doc|archive-date=2022-01-13|access-date=2022-01-13|website=Watchtower Online Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Should You Believe in the Trinity?|url=https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/g201308/trinity/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113231544/https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/g201308/trinity/|archive-date=2022-01-13|access-date=2022-01-13|website=Jehovah's Witnesses}}</ref> most [[Nicene Christianity|mainstream Christian]] scholars have rejected these assertions and some have rebutted alleged misinterpretations of Trinitarians seeming to support those assertions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Doctrine of the Trinity at Nicaea and Chalcedon|url=https://www.str.org/w/the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-at-nicaea-and-chalcedon|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109040544/https://www.str.org/w/the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-at-nicaea-and-chalcedon|archive-date=9 January 2022|access-date=9 January 2022|website=www.str.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wayne|first=Luke|date=7 January 2017|title=The Trinity before Nicea|url=https://carm.org/doctrine-and-theology/the-trinity-before-nicea/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109040812/https://carm.org/doctrine-and-theology/the-trinity-before-nicea/|archive-date=9 January 2022|access-date=9 January 2022|website=Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jehovah's Witnesses: Masters of Misquotation|url=https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-witnesses-masters-of-misquotation|access-date=2022-01-13|website=Catholic Answers}}</ref>

Oneness Pentecostals insist that their conception of the Godhead is true to early Christianity's allegedly strict [[monotheism]], contrasting their views not only with Trinitarianism, but equally with the theology espoused by the [[Latter-day Saints]] (who believe that Christ was a separate god from the Father and the Spirit) and Jehovah's Witnesses (who see him as the first-begotten Son of God, and as a subordinate deity to the Father). Oneness theology is similar to historical [[Modalism]] or [[Sabellianism]], although it cannot be exactly characterized as such.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Sabellianism|last1=Akin|first1=Jimmy|date=1 January 1994|url=https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/sabellianism|access-date=13 April 2021|website=Catholic Answers}}</ref>

The Oneness position as [[Nontrinitarianism|nontrinitarians]] places them at odds with the members of most [[List of Christian denominations|Christian denominations]], some of whom have accused Oneness Pentecostals of being Modalists and derided them as [[cult]]ists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=J. Stephen |date=1 April 2002 |title='Jesus Only' Isn't Enough |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/april1/22.60.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119024127/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/april1/22.60.html |archive-date=19 November 2020 |access-date=19 November 2020 |website=Christianity Today |language=en}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|title=The Other Pentecostals|last1=Grady|first1=J.|work=Charisma Magazine|date=June 1997}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=S|first1=Fred|last2=On|first2=Ers|date=3 May 2014|title=Oneness Pentecostalism: An Analysis|url=https://scriptoriumdaily.com/oneness-pentecostalism-an-analysis/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109042320/https://scriptoriumdaily.com/oneness-pentecostalism-an-analysis/|archive-date=9 January 2022|access-date=9 January 2022|website=The Scriptorium Daily|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Burgos Jr., Michael R., ''Against Oneness Pentecostalism: An Exegetical-Theological Critique'', 2nd Ed., (Winchester, CT: Church Militant Pub., 2016), {{ISBN|978-0692644065}}, 181-191; Hindson, Ed, Caner, Ergun eds., ''The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics'', (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Pub., 2008), 371-376, {{ISBN|978-0736920841}};  Nichols, Larry A., Mather, George A., Schmidt, Alvin J., ''Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions'', Rev. and Updated Ed., (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 221-225, {{ISBN|978-0310239543}}.</ref> Oneness clergy consecrated into the [[J. Delano Ellis#Joint College of Bishops|Joint College of Bishops]] are also at odds on grounds of their claims to [[apostolic succession]] (being that documented consecrators in succession were Trinitarian from the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]], [[Anglicanism|Anglican]], and [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern churches]], alongside contradicting records).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ellis|first=J. Delano|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6JMuxEE63BUC&q=Burgess|title=The Bishopric: A Handbook on Creating Episcopacy in the African-American Pentecostal Church|date=2003|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1-55395-848-2|language=en|quote=Archbishop Schlossberg, who resides in Jerusalem, Israel, sent Bishop Robert Woodward Burgess, II, a descendant of the "Eastern (Church) Stream," who, having received consecration from the hands of Archbishop Schlossberg, to the Holy Convocation of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ. His Grace was mandated to assist us in the consecration of our Second College of Bishops and to impart each of our sons that coveted Apostolic Succession from the Eastern Stream, while we imparted the same Succession from the Western Stream.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Apostolic Succession of Robert W. Burgess, Jr |url=https://dioceseofstthomas.org/apostolic-succession |access-date=29 September 2021 |website=Diocese of St. Thomas |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Accusations of Modalism and Arianism ====
Oneness believers are often accused of being Modalistic.<ref name="Bernard The Council of Nicea">{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Bernard |chapter=The Council of Nicea |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130181956/http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch11.htm |url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm |archive-date=16 February 2008 |title=The Oneness of God |publisher=Word Aflame Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-912315-12-6 }}{{page needed|date=September 2017}}</ref> They have also occasionally been accused of [[Arianism]] or [[Semi-Arianism]], usually by isolated individuals rather than church organizations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exchanged Life Outreach |url=http://www.exchangedlife.com/Sermons/topical/trinity.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710211315/http://www.exchangedlife.com/Sermons/topical/trinity.shtml |archive-date=10 July 2011 |access-date=20 May 2009}}</ref> While Bernard indicates that [[Modalistic Monarchianism]] and Oneness are essentially the same, and that Sabellius was basically correct (so long as one does not understand Modalism to be the same as [[patripassianism]]),<ref name=":7"/> and while Arius also believed that God is a singular person, Bernard vehemently denies any connection to Arianism or [[Subordinationism]] in Oneness teaching.<ref name="Bernard The Council of Nicea"/>

===Oneness views on the early church===
Scholars within the movement differ in their views on [[church history]]. Some church historians, such as Dr. Curtis Ward, Marvin Arnold, and William Chalfant, hold to a [[Successionism|Successionist view]], arguing that their movement has existed in every generation from the original day of [[Pentecost]] to the present day.<ref>{{cite book |first1= William |last1= Johnson |title= The Church Through the Ages |publisher= Bethesda |year= 2005 |page= 25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Arnold |first= Marvin M |title= Pentecost Before Azusa: The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter Two; Fanning the Flames of International Revival for Over 2000 Years |year= 2002 |publisher= Bethesda Ministries |isbn= 978-1-58169-091-0}}{{page needed|date= September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1= William B. |last1= Chalfant |title= Ancient champions of oneness: an investigation of the doctrine of God in church history |publisher= Word Aflame Press |year= 2001 |isbn= 978-0-912315-41-6 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4oOXAAAACAAJ }}{{page needed|date= September 2017}}</ref> Ward has proposed a theory of an unbroken Pentecostal church lineage, claiming to have chronologically traced its perpetuity throughout the church's history.<ref>{{cite book |first1= William |last1= Johnson |title= The Church Through the Ages |publisher= Bethesda Books |year= 2005 |page= 27 }}
</ref>

Others hold to a [[Restorationism|Restorationist]] view, believing that while the [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]] and their church clearly taught Oneness doctrine and the Pentecostal experience, the early apostolic church went into [[apostasy in Christianity|apostasy]] and ultimately evolved into the [[Roman Catholic church|Roman Catholic Church]]. For them, the contemporary Oneness Pentecostal movement came into existence in America in the early 20th century during the latter days of the [[Azusa Street Revival]]. Restorationists such as Bernard and Norris deny any direct link between the church of the [[Apostolic age|Apostolic Age]] and the current Oneness movement, believing that modern Oneness Pentecostalism is a total restoration originating from a step-by-step separation within Protestantism culminating in the final restoration of the early apostolic church.<ref name=":1">{{cite book|last1=Bernard|first1=David|url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm|title=The Oneness of God|publisher=Word Aflame Press|year=1993|isbn=978-0-912315-12-6|chapter=Oneness Believers In Church History|chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130145231/http://ourworld.compuserve.com:80/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch10.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216034825/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Top.htm|archive-date=16 February 2008}}{{page needed|date=September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Norris |first1=David |title=I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology |date=4 September 2009 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |isbn=978-1567227307 |pages=224–225 |chapter=Rediscovering Covenant}}</ref>

Both Successionists and Restorationists among Oneness Pentecostals assert that the early apostolic church believed in the Oneness and [[Baptism in the name of Jesus|Jesus name baptism]] doctrines. Oneness theologian David K. Bernard claims to trace Oneness adherents back to the first converted [[Jewish Christians|Jews]] of the Apostolic Age. He asserts that there is no evidence of these converts having any difficulty comprehending the [[Christian Church]]'s teachings and integrating them with their existing [[Judaism|Judaic beliefs]]; however in the post-Apostolic Age, Bernard claims that [[Hermas of Dalmatia|Hermas]], [[Clement of Rome]], [[Polycarp]], [[Polycrates of Ephesus|Polycrates]], [[Ignatius of Antioch|Ignatius]] (who lived between 90 and 140 A.D.), and [[Irenaeus]] (who died about 200 A.D.) were either Oneness, modalist, or at most a follower of an "economic Trinity," that is, a temporary Trinity and not an eternal one.<ref name=":7" /> He also asserts that Trinitarianism's origin was pagan, quoting [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] [[Alexander Hislop]], a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] minister;<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|last=Bernard|first=David|url=http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch11.htm|title=The Oneness of God|publisher=Word Aflame Press|year=1993|isbn=978-0-912315-12-6|chapter=Trinitarianism: Definition and Historical Development|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130181956/http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pentecostal/One-Ch11.htm|archive-date=30 November 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> but none of Hislop's arguments have been confirmed by historians in contemporary scholarship.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grabbe|first=Lester L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K2hIY_E_ngYC&pg=PA28|title=Can a 'history of Israel' be Written?|date=1997-01-01|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-85075-669-9|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Blind Spot: A Tale of Two Babylons|url=https://www.historicalblindness.com/blogandpodcast//blind-spot-a-tale-of-two-babylons|access-date=7 November 2021|website=Historical Blindness|language=en-US|date=26 March 2019|first1=Nathaniel|last1=Lloyd}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=23 April 2021|title=No, Easter wasn't named after a Mesopotamian goddess|url=https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no-easter-wasnt-named-after-a-mesopotamian-goddess/|access-date=9 January 2022|website=Australian Associated Press|language=en|quote=Church historian and emeritus professor of history at Massey University in Auckland, Peter Lineham, told AAP FactCheck: "Hislop's tendency was to think if it sounds the same it must be connected. That was the logic he used. It's a wonderful book because it's full of imagination and nonsense. It's fantastic but utterly misconceived."}}</ref>

Bernard theorizes that the majority of all believers were Oneness adherents until the time of [[Tertullian]],<ref name=":13"/> whom he and many mainstream Christian scholars believe was the first prominent exponent of Trinitarianism (though [[Theophilus of Antioch]] was the first to use the term).<ref>{{Cite web|last=McAllister|first=Brannon|title=T is for Trinity (and Tertullian)|url=https://www.5minutesinchurchhistory.com/t-is-for-trinity-and-tertullian/|url-status=live|date=25 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119022204/https://www.5minutesinchurchhistory.com/t-is-for-trinity-and-tertullian/|archive-date=19 November 2020|access-date=19 November 2020|website=5 Minutes in Church History|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Trinity > History of Trinitarian Doctrines|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/trinity-history.html#Tertul|url-status=live|first1=Dale|last1=Tuggy|date=November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119022720/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/trinity-history.html|archive-date=19 November 2020|access-date=19 November 2020|website=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}</ref><ref>Theophilus of Antioch. "Book II.15". ''Apologia ad Autolycum''. [[Patrologiae Graecae|Patrologiae Graecae Cursus Completus]] (in Greek and Latin). '''6'''. <q>Ὡσαύτως καὶ αἱ τρεῖς ἡμέραι τῶν φωστήρων γεγονυῖαι τύποι εἰσίν τῆς Τριάδος, τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦ Λόγου αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς Σοφίας αὐτοῦ.</q></ref> In support of his allegation, Bernard quotes Tertullian as writing against [[Praxeas]]:
{{Blockquote|The simple, indeed (I will not call them unwise or unlearned), who always constitute the majority of believers, are startled at the dispensation (of the Three in One), on the very ground that their very Rule of Faith withdraws them from the world's plurality of gods to the one only true God; not understanding that, although He is the one only God, He must yet be believed in with His own economy. The numerical order and distribution of the Trinity, they assume to be a division of the Unity.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tertullian|title=Sundry Popular Fears and Prejudices. The Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity Rescued from These Misapprehensions|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.v.ix.iii.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119022850/https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.v.ix.iii.html|archive-date=19 November 2020|work=Against Praxeas}}</ref>}} In contrast to Bernard's theory, mainstream Christian scholars suggest the writings of Ignatius and Irenaeus teach an eternal Trinity,<ref name=":11" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Mark |title=Tracing the Thread of Trinitarian Thought from Ignatius to Origen |url=https://www.mbu.edu/seminary/tracing-the-thread-of-trinitarian-thought-from-ignatius-to-origen/ |website=Maranatha Baptist Seminary |access-date=30 September 2021 |date=30 December 2011 }}</ref> though Norris disagrees with them in his book ''I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology'', writing, "While Ignatius can on occasion utilize the language of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he does not have three persons in mind."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Norris |first1=David |title=I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology |date=4 September 2009 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |isbn=978-1565630000 |page=161 |chapter=Moving Away from Orthodoxy}}</ref>
Description	What you type	What you get
Italic	''Italic text''	Italic text
Bold	'''Bold text'''	Bold text
Bold & italic	'''''Bold & italic text'''''	*Bold & italic text*
Description	What you type	What you get
Reference	Page text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>	Page text.^[1]
Named reference	Page text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>	Page text.^[2]
Additional use of the same reference	Page text.<ref name="test" />	Page text.^[2]
Display references	<references />	↑ Link text, additional text. ↑ Link text