Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism (Paperback)

~ Thomas A. Fudge (Author) "Oneness theology can neither be said to have existed throughout ecclesiastical history in an unbroken line of continuity nor can it be regarded as having..." (more)
Key Phrases: unity clause, ministerial constituency, new birth message, Holy Ghost, New Brunswick, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A study of the doctrine of salvation in the United Pentecostal Church and its immediate historical antecedents with a focus on the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated and prominent ministers such as Goss, Greer, Yadon, Gurley, Jacques, Stairs, Wickens and Paterson.

Product Details

• Paperback: 404 pages
• Publisher: Universal Publishers (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581125844
• ISBN-13: 978-1581125849
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly expose' on the United Pentecostal Church, December 2, 2003

By	Andy Harris (Bossier City, LA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book confirms what I have always believed about the Oneness Movement. It is "another Gospel" (Gal. 1:6-9) that preaches "another Jesus" (I John 2:22-23). While these godly people are sincere and, I believe, have a genuine experience with the Lord, it is certainly not because of the message they preach, but because of their love and devotion to the Lord (who has never made "correct" theology a basis for acceptance by Him). They are like the Ephesians in Acts 19 who received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit after confessing, "we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost". The theological errors of the Oneness Movement in general and the United Pentecostal Church specifically are summarized in Fudge's book in an excellent and scholarly manner:
1. Their denial of the Holy Trinity.
2. Their failure to preach the true Gospel message that we are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
3. Their insistence that they alone have the truth and that all Trinitarians are going to hell.
That which surprised me most about the book was the fact that the "founders" of the Oneness movement such as H.A. Goss who were excluded from the Assemblies of God for these aberrant beliefs, never took the "hardline" doctrinal view that is now espoused by the United Pentecostal Church. In fact, they referred to the Trinitarians they had once associated with as "their brethren." How could they do any other? It was Trinitarians who won them to the Lord, baptized them in water, and led them into the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit! The so-called "revelation" of the Oneness of the Godhead was a sad and mistaken notion of Frank Ewart and Glenn Cook trying to explain their insistence on baptizing people in the name of "Jesus only." I long for the day that the Oneness Movement will repent of their doctrinal errors and be reunited with the mainstream of Christianity and their Pentecostal brethren they now refuse to accept. We love you and want to welcome you back home.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, May 18, 2003

By	Lew Ferris (Washington State) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a former United Pentecostal Church minister, to confess that I read this book with great interest is an understatement. Oneness Pentecostals owe it to themselves to read this book carefully. No history of the Oneness movement as this book documents is available through any Oneness source. I was facinated by the wealth of background information that Mr. Fudge has documented at great length, and by the interviews he held with Oneness ministers and adherents some of who I know personally! And as to the accuracy of the information in this book....Mr. Fudge is right on! The words and writings of well known Oneness pioneers such as H. A. Goss, John Paterson, Andrew Urshan, C.H. Yadon, and G.T. Haywood will amaze the Oneness reader. And this is not just hearsay! Everything is documented.
However, challenges have already been made to the accuracy of some of the information in this book but no quotes or references were given, or any documentation cited. By way of criticism, however, I am not totally comfortable with the main title of this work "Christianity Without The Cross." Contrary to a very large percentage of what Oneness pioneers believed (with whom I agree), most Oneness believers today (with whom I disagree), do in fact equate the "water and the Spirit" of John 3:5 with water baptism in Jesus' Name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking in tongues as the new birth, however, they do believe that it is the "Cross of Christ" that makes it possible for repentant sinners to partake of the "water and the Spirit" as they believe it. Great book!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Controversial Title, August 9, 2003

By	Daniel J. Lewis (Rochester Hills, MIchigan United States) - See all my reviews

The title of this work serves as a lightning rod. It is bound to be controversial (and a perusal of the earlier reviews substantiate such a conclusion). While the title will almost certainly be objectionable to most members of the UPCI, I submit that it is legitimate so long as one understands a careful distinction the author intends. Dr. Fudge uses the term "the cross" to refer to the preaching of the cross in a Pauline sense. He takes it primarily from Paul's letters, and specifically from 1 Corinthians 1:17-18. As such, the preaching of the cross is the message of salvation by grace through faith in the reconciling death of Christ. While Dr. Fudge says as much in the text of the book, this special nuance is not immediately apparent in the title, while his explanation is not near the beginning of the book. Nevertheless, the fact remains that while members of the UPCI believe in the crucifixion of Jesus as an historical event, they decidedly do not believe in the cross in this special sense as the sole means of salvation. No one, according to them, can be saved according to the Reformation rubric of sola fide and sola gratia. Rather, one is saved by following the UCPI interpretation of Acts 2:38. Given this theological differentiation between "the cross" and the "the crucifixion," it is entirely appropriate to say, as does the title of this book, that the UPCI advocates "Christianity without the cross", even though its members believe in the historical fact of Jesus' crucifixion.