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An offshoot of the Pentecostal branch of Christianity, Oneness Pentecostals believe that there is one God with no essential divisions in His nature (such as a trinity) . He is not a plurality of persons, but He does have a plurality of manifestations, roles, titles, attributes, or relationships to man. Furthermore, these are not limited to three. Whereas Trinitarian Christianity teaches that God is existent in three Persons, Oneness doctrine states that there is only one member of the Godhead, namely Jesus. He is the incarnation of the fullness of God. In His deity, Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The largest Oneness (also known as Apostolic) denomination is the United Pentecostal Church, though many smaller groups exist in the United States including:
- The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
- The Bible Way Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide
- The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, external link (http://www.ALJC.org)
- The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith
- The Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God
Oneness Pentecostal groups with headquarters in other countries include The United Pentecostal Church of Colombia, an indigenous church and the largest non-Catholic church in the country; The Apostolic Church of the Faith in Christ Jesus, with headquarters in Mexico; the Oneness Pentecostal movement in the former U.S.S.R.; and the True Jesus Church, an indigenous church founded by Chinese believers on the mainland but whose headquarters is now in Taiwan. There are many smaller organizations (approximately 130 worldwide), independent churches, and charismatic fellowships that are Oneness Pentecostal in doctrine.
The Oneness movement dates back to the early 20th century, in the waning days of the Azusa Street Revival.
References
"The Pentecostals", by Walter J. Hollenweger, Professor of Mission at the University of Birmingham
External links
Studies - (OnenessPentecostal.com)] Oneness Pentecostal theological web site
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