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152
Response
to The
Report from
Dialogue
for Promoting
Pontifical of
the Pentecostal
Quinquennium of
the
Council
Roman Catholic Church and Some
Churches
and Leaders
the Third between the Christian
Unity
Classical
(1985-1989)
They may
Most Oneness and
perhaps
trinitarian Pentecostals will be
surprised
to learn that an official
dialogue
between the Roman Catholic Church and Pentecostal churches and leaders has existed for almost
twenty years. Both Oneness and trinitarian Pentecostals will be concerned that such a dialogue could
lead to doctrinal and
spiritual compromises.
find
assurance, however,
in the stated
purpose
of the
dialogue,
that it is not for
organic
or structural union but for mutual
understanding
of doc- trinal views.
At the same
time,
this assurance
ments in the report that indicate a “visible
unity”
is the
underlying
motive
.
assured that tecostal
understanding
church
flicting
their
“understandings
Pentecostals,
may
be
challenged by
other state-
of
of the ultimate bases
of
Scripture
to Oneness
and ultimate
goal (32,
35, 37, 38, 70, 112).
They
would want to be
the
“shape
and character” of such
unity safeguards
the Pen-
the
authority
of the
Bible,
the
centrality
of Jesus Christ, the
experience
of the
Holy Ghost,
and the role of the
in worship and
evangelism.
Since the
report
makes clearer the
theological positions
and
practices of the two
participating groups,
it reveals some common views as well as wide
theological
differences. The
report correctly
states that the con-
doctrines and
practices
stem in large part from the differences in
on which doctrine and
prac- tices of the church should rest”
(13). Although
both
groups agree
that the Bible is the
inspired,
written Word of
God,
Roman Catholics
argue that “the
proper interpretation
has to be made in the com- munion of the
believers,
within the
living
Tradition which is
guided by the
Holy Spirit” (21).
In
essence, therefore,
the final
authority
for Roman Catholics is not the
Scriptures
but their
interpretation
of Scrip- ture
by
their
“living
Tradition.”
The issue of
Scripture
and Tradition is
vital, especially
for the doctrine of the
trinity
was formulated in the revised Nicene Creed in A.D. 381 and later
expressed
in the Athanasian Creed. To Oneness
understanding,
trinitarian formulation does not accu-
the
scriptural
revelation of Jesus Christ as the one true God manifest in flesh.
The Roman Catholic Church’s
understanding
of the
“living
Tradition” as the ultimate
authority
and source of interpreting
Scripture
and formu- lating
doctrine has allowed it to claim divine
inspiration
for the doctrine of the
trinity (31),
its views on sacramental
grace (81),
its
acceptance
of pontifical authority (82),
its teaching on the sacramental function of the
rately
reflect
the
1
153
church
(94),
and its veneration of relics, icons, and saints
(100).
The Pentecostal
participants correctly rejected
the Roman Catholic view that the historical and
living community
of believers is the divine authority
to interpret
Scripture (21). They correctly
affirmed the Pente- costal view that all traditions,
including
those
expressed
in creeds, must be evaluated
by Scripture,
the ultimate source of faith and
practice
for the church.
It is also commendable that the Pentecostal
participants rejected
the view of the Roman Catholics that the basis of
dialogue
and
unity depends upon
the Roman Catholic
recognition
of water
baptism per- formed in the trinitarian formula
(54)
and
upon
a trinitarian character of Christian
fellowship (31). They correctly
defined Christian
fellowship as a “common faith and
experience
of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through
the
Holy Spirit” (55). Moreover, they
asserted that
unity
must be based on the
Lordship
of Christ and that “no one can confess this Lordship except
in the
Holy
Ghost”
(36),
a position in
agreement
with Oneness Pentecostals.
The trinitarian Pentecostal
participants acknowledged
that while
they teach that
God-Father, Son,
and
Holy
Ghost-indwells
believers, they do not stress the trinitarian character of the
indwelling
as do Roman Catholics (.71). In turn,
the Roman Catholic
participants challenged
the Pentecostal
participants
“to
develop
all the
implications
for faith and piety
which their full trinitarian commitment
implies” (72).
Since Roman Catholics contend that the formulation of the doctrine of the
trinity
is traditional rather than
scriptural,
their
challenge may
include the consid- eration of other doctrines formulated or
acknowledged by
the same tradition.
Probably
the reluctance of trinitarian Pentecostals to define the indwelling
of God’s
presence
in trinitarian
language
is based on their experience
of the
Holy
Ghost and the
language
of the Bible.
First, they do not
identify
three
indwelling Spirits,
one of
Father,
one of
Son, and one of the
Holy Spirit. Second,
the Bible does not describe the indwelling presence
of God as a trinity; on the contrary, it uses the terms Spirit, Spirit
of
God, Spirit
of Christ, Christ,
Spirit
of His
Son,
and Holy Spirit interchangeably
to describe the one
indwelling presence
of God in us
(Romans 8:9-10;
1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians
4:6). Oneness Pentecostals
agree
that our
“fellowship
is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ,” and
they
teach that this
fellowship
is actual- ized in us
by
the
indwelling
of the Holy Spirit whom God the Father has given
to us
by
His Son.
They
do
not, however, experience
God as a trinity
of persons, but as the one God who revealed Himself as Father of creation and of the Son, in His Son Jesus Christ to redeem and reconcile us to Himself, and
by His Spirit
in us.
Unfortunately,
the
only specific
mention of Oneness Pentecostals appears
in a
negative light
in a footnote.
(See
footnote number
6.) Although
Oneness Pentecostals
reject
the trinitarian formulation of the
2
154
ism,
historic creeds,
they
remain faithful to the biblical
teaching
of monothe-
of the
complete
and full
deity
of Jesus
Christ, of the
complete
and full
humanity
of Jesus
Christ,
and of water
baptism by immersion
in the name of Jesus Christ.
(For
the last
point,
see Acts
2:38; 8:16; 10:48;
Romans
6:3-4;
1 Corinthians
1:13-15; Galatians 2:27;
2:12.)
It is
probable
that Oneness Pentecostals
tribute to a fuller
understanding
of God and to a fuller
understanding
19:5; 22:16; Colossians
the Book of Acts.
could con- of Jesus Christ as both God and the Son
of the
Apostolic
salvific
pattern
in
From the
report,
it appears that the
dialogue
has been
helpful
to make clearer the
theological positions
of Roman Catholics and Pentecostals.
are to be commended for the clear
expression
of their
is
continued, however,
the views of Oneness in a positive light so that all
major
The
participants
views. If the
dialogue
Pentecostals should be considered theological
represented…
positions
of the Pentecostal movement can be
adequately
J. L.
Hall,
Editor
in Chief
United Pentecostal Church International
8855 Dunn Road Hazelwood, MO
63042
The Koinonia
understanding
between Catholics
and Pentecostals
roots
(via
the Catholic
heritage
of
of the
Establishment
of our time. Gone are the times-it
only
sectarians. Catholics
is the
style
First I want to express
my deep gratitude
for the fact that this
report was written and
published.
It breathes a new
spirit
of ecumenism and
and Pentecostals. Gone are the times-it seems-that Pentecostals considered the Catholic church to be the
great whore,
the
Babylon
seems-that Catholics saw in Pentecostalism
perhaps
even
begin
to realize that
they
have common
John
Wesley).
The second
point
which is worth
mentioning
of the docu- ment. It is written in a clear and understandable
language
and avoids the jargon
both of the Vatican and the World Council of Churches. its
study should be compulsory in Pentecostal and Catholic seminars.
I would
just
like to mention a few
points:
On the critical side
The Pentecostal Biblical Hermeneutics
Section 26 is an
expression
(26). of Pentecostal hermeneutics which is
that is just the
problem,
for
probably acceptable
to all Pentecostals. And
.
the Pentecostal
handling
of
Scripture
is
by
no means clear. If Pente-
costals believe “that
Scripture
is clear in all essential
points”
and that ‘
therefore “each Christian can
interpret Scripture
under the
guidance
of
the
Spirit
and with the
help
of the
discerning
Christian
community,”
the
3
