SERIOUS ERRORS OF FACT ABOUT APOSTOLICS



Review of E. Calvin Beisner, "Jesus Only" Churches

“The title itself provides an indication of problems come, for it uses a derogatory and misleading label to characterize movement it seeks to understand. This branch of Pentecostalism uses the designations of Apostolic to identify itself. The label "Jesus Only" arose as a description of its baptismal formula, but soon opponents began using it against Oneness adherents, erroneously claiming that they denied the Father and the Holy Spirit. As a result...[we] generally consider it misleading and offensive. The booklet begins with historical background and statistics. Here we find many egregious errors, such as these examples from pages 8 and 9:

  • Error: There have been two "recent schisms" in the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCl). First, in 1986 a "3,000-member" church left.

    Truth: The church in question had about onefifth this number or less at the time, and there was no schism.

    Error: In 1993 "over 200 pastors" left the UPCI rather than "pledge conformity with the UPCI's 'Holiness Standard. The booklet repeats a 1993 prediction that "800 ministers would leave the denomination soon" and comments, "It is not yet disclosed how many defected."

    Truth: In the spring of 1993, the UPCI reported that 50 pastors withdrew by missing the final deadline to sign an annual reaffirmation of two sections of the UPCI's Articles of Faith entitled "Fundamental Doctrine" and" Holiness." A total of 120 ministers did not sign the affirmation, representing 1.6 per cent of the total of 7,668 in the United States and Canada in 1992.

    Error: "Oneness Pentecostalism worldwide comprises about 90 denominations in 57 countries.

    Truth: The UPCI by itself exists in 135 countries.

    Error: "Estimated affiliated [Oneness Pentecostal] church members worldwide in 1990 totaled about 1.4 million. The cited source is David Barrett (1988).

    Truth: The author misread his source, because Barrett listed two categories of Oneness Pentecostals totaling 4,704,960. Moreover, this estimate is over ten years old and incomplete. In June 1997, charisma magazine reported 17 million Oneness believers. The most thorough study of this subject, presented as a master's thesis for Wheaton College in 1998, documents over 21 million Oneness Pentecostals. 

    Error: "About 75 percent (1.03 million) were affiliated with the UPCI.

    Truth: In 1997, the UPCI published the following statistics as of midyear: In the U.S. and Canada, there were 8,091 ministers; 3,821 churches (not including daughter works); and a reported Easter attendance of 428,513. In the rest of the world, there were 14,588 ministers; 20,348 churches and preaching points; and 1,908,943 constituents If we estimate total constituency in the U.S. and Canada to be approximately twice the reported Sunday attendance, as does the Assemblies of God, then as of 1998 the total worldwide constituency is about 3 million.

    Error: "The schism of 1993 throws membership figures in doubt from that year forward. Before the sehism [1992], worldwide membership was about 1.1 million. About two years later [1994], it decreased to about 1.02 million.

    Truth: The booklet provides no source for these erroneous statistics or the mythical decrease. In 1992 reported Easter attendance in the U.S. and Canada was 384,610, and total foreign constituency was 1,050,973.8 In 1994 Easter attendance was 400,991, and foreign constituency was 1,623,030.9 The respective growth rates for this two year period are 4.3 percent and 54.4 percent.

Statistically you can't find the exactly number of adherents to the apostolic faith and even what seems to come close to it might very well be far off. I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, say the Lord!