Pentecostal Herald Articles

[Sam]

I've sent this out as an email and posted it on another forum:

Attached are a couple of pdf files.

One is the December 1945 issue of The Pentecostal Herald. That was the first issue after the formation of the United Pentecostal Church in 1945.
It has a few pages missing but that's the way I received it from the PPH in pdf format.

The other is pages 54-59 of the December 2009 issue, which is the latest issue.
Those pages contain Bro. Ken Haney's sermon which he delivered at the recent General Conference.
The sermon is titled "The Seven Locks of the Apostolic Church."
He takes the 7 locks of Samson, who judged/pastored Israel around 1064-1049 BC and compares them with "an essential component of our church today."


One thing I wanted to point out is the difference between how Bro. Haney talked about the new birth (lock number 2) and the way the subject was addressed in the 1945 magazine.
In 2009, Bro. Haney said that he preaches that water baptism is essential for salvation just like the Roman Catholic Church says it is and that viewpoint is presented as "an essential component" of the UPC.
In the 1945 issue, page 6 of the Herald but page 4 of the file, in the article "Our Paper, The Pentecostal Herald" Bro. Oscar Vouga says:
"Articles on such subjects as The
New Birth, will be accepted, whether
they teach that the new birth takes place
before baptism in water and Spirit, or
that the new birth consists of baptism
of water and Spirit....."

When the UPC was originally formed in 1945 two organizations merged.
One was the Pentecostal Church Incorporated (PCI) and the other was the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC).
Some thought the merger could never happen because of differences of belief on how a person is saved or born again.
The PCI doctrine was that a person is saved or born again by faith and then that salvation experience can be followed up by water and/or Spirit baptism.
This viewpoint accepts all those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior as brothers and sisters in the family of God whether they are ever baptized in water and in the Spirit or not.
The PAJC doctrine was that a person is not saved or born again until after repentance, water baptism and Spirit baptism.
This viewpoint does not accept anyone as a brother or sister until all three steps --repentance, water baptism, and Spirit baptism-- have been completed.
The PCI viewpoint reflected what was historically taught as Apostolic or Pentecostal doctrine from the time of the Holy Ghost out pouring in the late 1800's and early 1900's until the merger.
The PAJC viewpoint reflected a later Apostolic or Pentecostal doctrine which had been influenced by the Roman Catholics and Campbellites.
A two-sentence "Fundamental Doctrine" statement was adopted in 1945 which was ambiguous enough that both groups could agree to it and the merger was completed.
The second sentence of the Fundamental Doctrine statement required all members to "not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body."
Over the years those who held to the PCI viewpoint were marginalized, trivialized, demonized and ostracized until now it seems that the PAJC viewpoint is the prevailing public opinion of the UPC.
I use the term prevailing public opinion because I am sure there are many who hold to the PCI viewpoint but are hesitant to let it be known because of peer pressure by fellow ministers and members.

Note: there is only one pdf file attached to this post. I did send out two attachments by email and did attach both attachments in the other forum but the article in the December 2009 Herald is too large to attach here. The reference is to Bro. Haney's General Conference sermon which some of you have if you have the December Herald.