A Brief Trinitarian Pentecostal Response

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Pneuma 30 (2008) 228

A Brief Trinitarian Pentecostal Response

George Wood

General Superintendent, Assemblies of God, 1445 N. Boonville Avenue,

Springﬁ eld, MO 65802-1894, USA

GeneralSuperintendent@ag.org

I appreciate being made aware of the dialog between Oneness theologians and Pentecostal Trinitarian theologians, as sponsored by the Society of Pentecostal Theology. The conclusion of the matter is that both sides felt a better understanding of each other’s position, but that neither had altered its basic theological stance. I think this is regrettable in view of the fact that the weight of Scripture clearly supports a Trinitarian understanding. I am tempted to cite all the Scriptural texts that support this, but the Trinitarian theologians have already done this to no effect. I did ask Dr. William Menzies to prepare a response on my behalf, and that is before you. I concur wholeheartedly with what Dr. Menzies has written. While I appreciate the piety and character of Oneness people, I hold the same toward members of the Mormon church. Both groups have wonderful people and deep con- victions — however, their views of God do not accord with the Scripture in that both deny the Biblical teaching on the nature of God — albeit they do so from different ends of the theological spectrum. At the same time, we are not in a position to assess whether theological error leads to salvific exclusion — that is God’s responsibility and not ours. Our task is to proclaim the Gospel as given by Jesus, and proclaimed by the apostles, as written in the inspired Word of God.

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