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Originally Posted by pelathais
I don't intend to insult you Scotty by "telling you what your heritage is..." However, I have often felt insulted by those who have deliberately edited our heritage and removed material that was once required for all prospective ministers.
When I was first considering joining the UPC ministerial fellowship the one issue that caused me to be hesitant was the idea that I would be called upon to "send all other Christians to hell." However unreasonable that may sound to you, that was a real concern for me almost 30 years ago.
The one thing that really settled my mind was the attached page from the Pentecostal Home Study Course - required reading for all UPC ministers. You didn't have to agree with everything in the book, but you had to be aware of it to be able to discuss the issues intelligently.
All of the writings of John Dearing (J.H.D.) were later removed from the book without comment or notice. The book itself was first removed from the required reading materials. This is just one example of how my own heritage has been treated within the UPCI and the Apostolic fellowship in general. One dear friend calls me "blathering" every time I it up. But it is part of the heritage of all Oneness Pentecostals.
From everything I’ve been able to find, the “ Acts 2:38 exclusivism” didn’t really appear on the scene until around the time of the merger. This would lead me to question the statements of many that they are “conservatives” for advocating this position because “conservatives” don’t usually advocate new things. This teaching of exclusivism is really the introduction of something new. It’s not really a “heritage” so much as a novelty. Attempts have been made to create a “heritage” for it (for example Marvin Arnold’s History Outline) but these things all end up being a source of embarrassment. Another example might be a UPC bible college’s booklet several years back that argued “Jesus had no beard.” Why do we feel we have to invent these notions?
I would like to ask you though, Scotty - can you trace your current "3 Stepper" or "Acts 2:38 or hell" persuasion back? How far can you go with this "heritage?" I am genuinely interested and would benefit greatly from anything you might have to share that is older than about 60 years.
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Excellent post.
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"Many people view their relationship with God like a "color by number" picture. It's easier to let someone else define the boundaries, tell them which blanks to fill in, and what color to use than it is for them to take a blank canvas and seek inspiration from the Source in order to paint their own masterpiece"
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