Modalism: The Last Volley of 2007

Before we get out of 2007, I want to fire my last volley into the ghastly beast which is the Modalist heresy.

I doubt it will be enough to put the monster out of it's misery, but I hope that my posts on the topic will have alerted some of my readers to the fact that this heresy is dangerous and not in keeping with the orthodox understanding of the Godhead.

For the uninitiated, Modalism or "Oneness" theology is that theology concerning the Godhead that denies the historical orthodox teaching that there is one true God who exists in three distinct Persons revealed in Scripture as the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit.

Modalists believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be "manifestations" of the one true God whom they understand to be Jesus Christ alone. They see God as one in person, but manifesting himself in three forms. Their view can be illustrated with water, which can be in the form of a solid, liquid, or gas at different times. You may be familiar with this illustration as it is often used in ignorance by Trinitarians to explain the Trinity. Ironically, the water, ice, steam, illustration actually explains the Modalistic view of God -not the Trinitarian view!

To the Modalist, Jesus Christ isn't the Eternally begotten Son of the Father. Instead, they teach that Jesus is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and Jesus is the Holy Spirit: just in different modes or manifestations and appearing as each at different times. While they do not deny Jesus is God, what they do teach is just as bad because they actually deny the existence of the persons of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Forms of this heresy can be traced all the way back to the middle of the third century A.D.

Modalists focus on the "oneness" of God. They see Trinitarian theology as teaching that there are three Gods, but this not the case. Trinitarians are not Tri-theists. We fully affirm that God is one God. Dr James P. Boyce explains:

"The doctrine of the Trinity is not opposed to the unity of God, but only enables us to form just conceptions as to that unity. It presents to us three Persons who are not three gods, but one God, and, as will hereafter be seen, shows us that the unity of God is to be found in his nature or essence and not in the personal relations in that essence, so that there is but one divine nature or essence, one being, one god, although there are three persons subsisting therein, who, by virtue of that subsistence, are each God.

We are not led by this doctrine of the unity of God, therefore, to adopt the Arian notion that the Father is Supreme God and the Son only a divine being in a subordinate sense. Nor is it proper to accept the Sabellian notion, that God is one person, manifesting himself sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Holy Ghost. 'Neither does it at all teach tritheistic unity by which these are really three gods, but considered one because they have the same nature, just as three men may be said to be one because of the same human nature.' See Gill, vol. 1, pp. 183, 184 from which this is condensed." (J. P. Boyce, Abstract of Systematic Theology, pp. 60-61)

Modalists also reject the words "Trinity" or "Person" as being unbiblical. They bolster their disdain for these words by pointing out that thee terms are not found in Scripture. To that point, I concede that these theological terms do not appear in the Bible. However, we must ask the question: Does the absence of these words in the Bible make them invalid for use in formulating theology? I shall allow John Calvin to answer the charges:

"Now, although the heretics rail at the word "person," or certain squeamish men cry out against admitting a term fashioned by the human mind, they cannot shake our conviction that three are spoken of, each of which is entirely God, yet that there is not more than one God. What wickedness, then, it is to disapprove of words that explain nothing else than what is attested and sealed by Scripture!" (Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1:13:3)

In our day, the Modalist heresy is taught primarily by the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) or other so-called "Apostolic" churches". Though forms of Modalism have been around for centuries, the UPCI doesn't trace their teaching back quite so far. The following quote has been cited as coming from the Forward of a statement of faith that was published by the United Pentecostal Church International:

"In the year 1914 came the revelation on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The pivotal doctrines of the absolute deity of Jesus Christ and baptism in his name became tenets of faith. God marvelously confirmed our message as the Gospel was preached in its fullness. The power which was hidden in the name of Jesus began to be revealed."

The quote is a clear declaration that what the UPCI teaches is actually a new "revelation", and not what the Bible or the Church throughout history has taught. Christians who don't affirm the closure of the Canon may not have a problem with such "new revelations", but as someone who is serious about affirming the closure of the Canon and the sufficiency of Scripture, I find this quote and their supposed afflatus to be about as authoritative as last week's grocery list.


When it comes to the "new revelations" proclaimed by cults and heretics, I fully agree with Charles Spurgeon who once preached:

"Do not think that the Spirit of God has come or ever will come among us to teach to us a new gospel or something other than is written in the Scriptures. Men come to me with their fudges and fancies, and tell me that they were revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. I abhor their blasphemous impertinence, and refuse to listen to them for a minute." (C. H. Spurgeon, The Indwelling and Outflowing of The Holy Spirit, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Vol. 28, No. 1662)

Mr. Spurgeon hits the nail on the head here. These "revelations" in which the UPCI and other cults look to in order to justify their aberrant and/or heretical teachings were never inspired by the Holy Spirit. God didn't inspire them, nor did He confirm them. Somebody is lying and I promise you it isn't God! One must beg the question, if the UPCI revelations are so important, and indeed vital to salvation as some of them claim, why did God wait until 1914 to reveal it?

The current UPCI website states something rather interesting:

"The UPCI holds a fundamental view of the Bible: 'The Bible is the only God-given authority which man possesses; therefore all doctrine, faith, hope, and all instructions for the church must be based upon and harmonize with the Bible' (Manual of the United Pentecostal Church, 19). The Bible is the Word of God, and therefore inerrant and infallible. The UPCI rejects all extra biblical revelations and writings, and views church creeds and articles of faith only as the thinking of men."

How ironic..! Here we have a group that embraces a heretical doctrine that was "revealed" to them in 1914, over and against the dominate Christian understanding of the Godhead for the last 2000 years, and now they want us to believe that the Bible is their sole authority?! Even if they do hold to that position now, they are still interpreting the Bible through the lens of the 1914 revelation!

In addition to Modalism, the UPCI teaches that in order for a person to be justified and saved, repentance and faith are not enough. They also teach that a person must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (alone) and that speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation. Nowhere does the Bible teach that speaking in tongues is necessary for Salvation: orthodox Pentecostals disagree with the UCPI on this as well. This is faith + works theology pure and simple. It's what the Apostle Paul calls "another gospel." Therefore, even if we remove the Modalist heresy from the picture entirely, we still have more than enough Scriptural justification to "let them be accursed" because of their position on baptism and tongues! (See Gal 1:9)

Heresies such as Modalism and works salvation are bound to find a fertile ground in the evangelical world today. We live in a generation that has largely cast off the historic creeds and confessions of orthodox faith. Mention the words "creed," "confession," or "catechism" in some churches and you'll be tossed out on your head! Instead of trying to glean from the history of Christianity, many have cast aside the wisdom of the past generations thinking they have no need of it.

Our generation can be likened unto a young man who inherits the family business and decides to cast off everything his ancestors learned in order to run the business his own way. Within a short time the business is in utter bankruptcy. By ignoring the wisdom and learning of his fathers and setting out to do everything his own way, the young man reaps the fruit of his obstinacy. The UPCI and it's heretical doctrines are the tragic legacy of an era where many people cast off all historic creeds, confessions, and traditions thinking they were ridding themselves of past errors, and ironically, some ended up heaping onto themselves the worst kinds of heresies through new "revelations" and poor scholarship.

In conclusion, please do not think I am out here trying to anathematize people over theologically insignificant issues. Quite the contrary! The denial of the Trinity is about as serious as it gets and I'm trying to sound the alarm! I'm calling upon all who believe in justification by faith and the Doctrine of the Trinity to rise up! Pray up! Get in the Scriptures! Put away Your Best Life Now and break out some dusty old theological volumes and try to understand why these doctrines have been so important for so many centuries!

For more information on this subject, Matt Slick has a lots of of information and refutations at Carm.org.

Modalism: Time to Take a Stand!

Sometimes Christians who are zealous for Biblical truth and sound theology, will "draw a line in the sand" and declare that a certain teacher or ministry is "heretical". When that happens, you can be sure that some well meaning Christians will get their dander up and scold that brother for taking such a firm doctrinal stance. You can do many things in Christendom today, but using the word "heretic" to describe a popular minister is not one of them!

Take for example Tommy Tenney and T.D. Jakes. These men are very popular within Pentecostal and Charismatic circles. Jakes is especially popular among African-Americans. Several years ago, when I was a minister in the Church of God of Prophecy, I actually read two of Tenney's books. However, what I didn't know then (and what most people don't know now) is that both Tenney and T.D. Jakes knowingly embrace a damnable heresy known as "Modalism" -sometimes refered to as "Sabellianism". Both of these men are "Oneness Pentecostals". That's right! These men deny the Trinity!

Instead of exposing and condemning these men and their heresies, many modern Trinitarians -who are for the most part ignorant of the implications of the Modalist heresy and the fact that has been condemned by the church for around 1800 years- don't see any problem with listening to these men preach, or attend their conferences, or reading their books.

After all, some might say, "T.D. Jakes preaches with such fervor" or "Tommy Tenney's God Chasers book was such a blessing to me". Sadly, in our day, discernment is at such a low that any heretic will be received with open arms just as long as he has a television ministry or was able to secure a big book deal.

T.D. Jakes' own website exposes his Modalism:

"God -There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

(emphasis mine)

In Christian orthodoxy, God is understood as described in the Athanasian Creed -that God is One and yet three Persons. The use of the term "three manifestations" is clearly Modalistic and also espoused by the United Pentecostal Church.

Tenney is harder to pin down. I can find no doctrinal statement on his website, however, his Modalism and other aberrant teachings have been documented by the Christian Research Institute.

How serious is this heresy?

Let me put it like this: Until I see that these men have openly repented of, and forsaken, their Modalistic beliefs, I will forever consider them heretics and outside of the Body of Christ. Sadly, many a modern Christian would be terribly offended for me making a statement such as this...

Christians who would never invite an unrepentant pornographer, a thief, a drunk, or a pedophile to teach in their church, will blindly embrace and sit under the preaching of people who believe and teach the Modalist heresy! Why don't Christians see that this heresy is just as serious -if not more serious- that the sins I have just mentioned?

Some may think I'm being too dogmatic over this issue... "After all", someone might say, "the Trinity is one of those mysterious things we may never fully grasp in this life". And I agree. However, there's a big difference in not understanding everything about a difficult theological concept, and conscientiously embracing doctrines that are opposed to the historic and orthodox understanding of the Trinity. Though Jakes and Tenney may sound somewhat orthodox and be commonly accepted in today's Christian world, these men are every bit as poisonous as Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.

A more important question to consider is where exactly did the Apostle Paul draw the line while writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

To the Galatians, Paul took a stand against those who taught that a person must circumcised in order to be saved -a seemingly insignificant doctrinal issue when one considers all the heresies that are prevalent (and totally acceptable) in our day!

Dr. James R. White recently composed a satirical letter that reflects the attitude of Christians in our day, especially those who will baulk over my refusal to accept Jakes and Tenney as brothers in Christ:

Dear Paul:

In reviewing your letter to the churches of Galatia, we, the modern men of the 21st century, have come to the conclusion that you truly missed the point in your very pointed and, may we say, unloving comments regarding the faithful brothers with whom you had but a minor theological difference. We are in particular offended that you would identify men who clearly confess faith in Christ and who have risked their lives for their faith "false brethren."

Who are you to make such a harsh judgment, in light of their many evidences of faith? These men are Christians, and to call them false brethren is a serious sin! You are bearing false witness against them! And to dare to read the intentions of their hearts so as to say they were "sneaking" into the fellowship is simply beyond the pale. You should be ashamed of yourself! All you disagree on is a minor point of theology! They believe in Christ! They believe in His resurrection! They simply believe one should be circumcised so as to be a part of the covenant people of God!

How narrow of you to exclude them from the fellowship of faith simply on the basis of such a minor thing as this! Why won't you focus upon the areas of agreement you have? Why focus only upon differences, the negatives? Don't you realize you will never win people to your views if you continue to act in this fashion? We seriously request that you apologize to the faithful brothers you anathematized in your ill-advised letter to the churches of Galatia. By this, true peace and unity might be achieved!

Paul took a stand against legalism. If we won't take a stand on something as essential as the doctrine of the Trinity, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Unity at the expense of truth is no virtue -nor is it Christian!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dan Barker: Apostate Faith Healer

Meet Dan Barker... He used to work with Kathryn Kuhlman, the mentor of Benny Hinn. Ironically, he has changed his mind about God and now he's an Atheist...



The clip is from the DVD "The Case for Atheism - There Isn't One" available from www.livingwaters.com . You can view the promo for the DVD here.

Todd Friel is the host of Way of The Master Radio -which I highly recommend!

Neuroimaging Takes a Look at Tongues...

It appears that scienists have confirmed that something is definetly happening -or rather not happening- in the brain of Christians who pray in tongues.

Language Center of the Brain Is Not Under the Control of Subjects Who “Speak in Tongues” -Penn Medicine (brain scan images)

Speaking in tongues: Faith's language barrier? -USA Today

A Neuroscientific Look at Speaking in Tongues -New York Times


For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. -1 Cor 14:14

Charismatic Gifts: Let's Take Another Look...

In this article I want to address the issue of "charismatic gifts." I realize I may get myself into some hot water in doing so (perhaps kicked off of a few blogrolls and get an email from "Pastor Tony") but that's never stopped me before. So let's get to it! (Lord help me!)

Let me begin by saying that I have read materials that have been published by both sides of the controversy and both sides make very good points. After reading MacArthur's Charismatic Chaos, I am still nowhere near being convinced that Scripture supports Cessationism. I found MacArthur's explanation for the cessation of the gifts to be weak and lacking in Scriptural foundation.

Other than that, I agreed with much of the content of the book because MacArthur only seemed to go after after the most heretical members of the Charismatic movement. When it was all said and done, I came away retaining my longstanding opinion that Cessationist arguments are based upon tradition and church history and not a careful exegesis of Scripture.

One thing I do admire and respect about Cessationists is their steadfast dedication to protecting the Canon. These brethren are dedicated to Sola Scriptura and see modern "prophecies" as being a threat to the sufficiency of the Scripture. I get concerned about this issue as well because I have known some who seem to be more interested in a "fresh word" than the Word that is found in their Bibles.

I have personally seen this desire for "fresh" revelation lead to more than a little theological error as well (this can be seen in church history also). Ironically, it is my personal dedication to Sola Scriptura that will not allow me to "throw out the baby with the bathwater" when it comes to Charismata.

Having said that (and I've stated all this before), I do not believe that all we see taking place in the Pentecostal/Charismatic camp is legitimate. I think there is a tremendous amount of emotionalism, prognostication, mysticism, and in some cases psychosomatic experiences being touted as genuine spiritual gifts. Even some my conservative Pentecostal friends agree with me on this...

In spite of all the abuses I have seen and read about, I do not believe Christians should automatically discount the possibility of there being true gifts just because some overzealous people are faking and misusing them. (No more than we should stop using paper money because people are counterfeiting it!)

I really believe everyone -Charismatic and Cessationist alike- needs to take a step back, take a deep breath, and then take a fresh look at what the Bible (and the other side) actually teaches about Spirit Baptism and Charismatic gifts. I mean to say this gently, but I think folks on both sides of the spectrum are so bogged down in their tradition, experience, and presuppositions, until most of them cannot see the issues (or what the Bible actually teaches) very clearly at all!

I think it wouldn't hurt some Cessationists to read some of the works of Wayne Grudem, Sam Storms, or Vern Poythress on the issue. Likewise, it wouldn't hurt some Charismatics to read some scholarly works from a Cessationist perspective to gain an understanding of why they say the gifts have ceased. All the while, we all should "be a Berean" in comparing that which is written to the Word of God.

This is precisely why I read Charismatic Chaos. I wanted to see what the other position had to say. I didn't look for some scholar on the fringe that would be easy to disregard, I tried to get something from one of the better teachers and really see why the man believes what he believes. This is what would like to see people on both sides of the debate do as well.

Please understand that my desire is to pursue the truth about these issues. This is a call for a unified study of the Charismatic gifts and not an attempt to be divisive. I ask that all Christians reevaluate their positions in light of Scripture. I have a few that Cessationist friends who have been willing to do so, and for that I am very thankful!

Suggested Resources for further study:

• Are Miraculous Gifts for Today (Part 1), by Sam Storms
• Are Miraculous Gifts for Today (Part 2), by Sam Storms
• Signs and Wonders: Then and Now, by John Piper
• Modern Spiritual Gifts as Analogous to Apostolic Gifts:
  Affirming Extraordinary Works of the Spirit within Cessationist Theology, by Vern S. Poythress
• Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians, 12-14, by D.A. Carson *
• Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, (chapters 52 AND 53)`
• Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, by Jack Deere
• Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? 4 Views, edited by Wayne Grudem *
• Experiential Calvinism and the Charismatic Gifts, by Matt Slick
• Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist , (book) by Sam Storms *
• Perspectives On Spirit Baptism: Five Views *

* Indicates that I am either currently reading, or have yet to read, but have heard it is very good.

Meeting MacArthur

During a bookstore break at the Ligonier Conference last weekend, I decided to buy a cheap paperback copy of John MacArthur's book "Charismatic Chaos." I have been wanting to read it for a while now just to see what he had to say about the Charismatic movement and the theoretical cessation of certain spiritual gifts.

(While I disagree with Cessationism, I do stand in unity with Cessationists and conservative Pentecostal/Charismatics in condemning the unbiblical "chaos" that occurs within the movement.)

On the second day of the conference, I was fortunate enough to get right at the head of the line for a book signing in which John MacArthur and R.C Sproul were participating.

So there I was, the ex-Pentecostal minister standing in line to get MacArthur to autograph Charismatic Chaos! The irony of the whole situation was just too much!

When my turn came to approach the table, I laid the Charismatic Chaos book on the table and said, "Hello Dr. MacArthur... You might find this sort of ironic, but I was actually a Pentecostal minister up until about 8 months ago. I got your book because I am researching different viewpoints and I want to see what your position is..."

At that point, Dr. MacArthur abruptly dropped his pen on the table, looked up at me with a surprised expression, smiled, and then extended me the right hand of fellowship!!!

As he autographed the book, I confessed to him that after skimming through his book, there were indeed many things that I actually agree with him about; especially when it comes to all of the weird and unbiblical manifestations sometimes reported within the Charismatic movement.

Before I moved down the line, I told him that I was now in the Southern Baptist movement, to which his reply was: "Well, you are moving in the right direction!"

While it only lasted about 20 seconds, I am sure I will always remember meeting John MacArthur. Despite the few theological differences I may have with him, John is definitely one of my "heroes of the faith." God has used his teaching to enrich my life and deepen my theology. Because of that he has my utmost respect.

My God richly bless John MacArthur!

Pneumatological Ignorance

Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit) is something I believe to be lacking in the church today. In both Charismatic and Cessationist circles, there seems to be a general ignorance among the laity of who the Spirit is and what all he actually does in the life of a believer.

An illustration of the ignorance some Christians have concerning the Holy Ghost (and also concerning Baptists) is clearly shown by a how a friend once asked my wife: "since you are now going to a Baptist church, does that mean you don't believe in the Holy Ghost anymore?" Her assumption was that Baptists do not believe in the Person of the Holy Ghost simply because most Baptists are Cessationists! Her great mistake is that she equates the Person of the Holy Spirit to nothing more than the gift of speaking in tongues!

I have also gotten the impression that some Baptists seem to be scared to even speak much about the Holy Spirit -I guess- because they are afraid of becoming Charismatics or something(?!). So in both camps I believe there needs to be a closer look taken at what the Bible teaches about the Spirit of God regardless of their position on the "Charismatic gifts."

I just found a good article on this topic over at the Fide-O blog. It talks about the Spirit's ministry in the Old Testament and errors people make in Pneumatology. If you get a chance, stop by and check it out. They make some very good points and I believe it wouldn't hurt any of us to study what the Bible teaches about Holy Spirit and His ministry.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Some Advice to My Charismatic/Pentecostal Siblings...

So far on the Rhett's Rants blog, we haven't touched on anything to do with Spiritual Gifts and the controversy surrounding them. Today I will probably open the proverbial "can of worms" and make a few folks mad at me, but before I do, I want to clear the air and tell exactly where I stand on the issues.

Though I have left the Pentecostal denomination I was a part of, it does not mean that I have stopped believing in the present day operation of Spiritual Gifts. So far I have not read, or heard, one Cessationist argument that convinces me that God ceased the gifts of tongues, prophecy, healing, etc, at the close of the Cannon of Scripture or with the death of the Apostles. I believe most Cessationist views are built upon tradition and mere opinion, not a careful study of the Bible. Ironically, I recently listened to a sermon - against the Charismatic movement- by a Cessationist preacher and he even admitted that "...Cessationism is not based on any exegetical argument from scripture..."! I was shocked and strangely elated he would actually admit this! What he ought to have said was "I can't prove my position from scripture alone, it's just my biased opinion"!

Having said that, I do not base my belief in Spiritual Gifts solely from experience. While experiences are fine and dandy, they actually prove nothing! Let me say that again: experience proves nothing! Mormons can claim to feel a "burning in the bosom" when they first read the Book of Mormon, but that does not prove the Book of Mormon is true! The bottom line is that we too should examine our experiences and formulate our practice from the Scriptures. If all we have is our personal experiences to try and prove our position, then we will rightly lose the entire debate. Sola Scriptura should be our battle cry!

Here's what really bothers me: I have reason to believe there are some people in the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement who are so caught up in emotionalism and the "if it's in the spirit, it's okay" mentality, that they will actually fake manifestations to stir up a shout or get attention! That's right. I said it! There are those within the movement who are faking manifestations! What is worse is that there are ministers who are either too blind to see it, or worse, maybe even guilty of encouraging such nonsense!

You may think I am crazy for making this claim, but how else can we explain someone giving an incorrect "interpretation of tongues" to a skeptical preacher's recitation of Psalm 23 in Greek during a Pentecostal meeting? The "interpretation" was not "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want....". No, it was something like, "Thus sayeth the Lord! Thou shalt......". Let me ask you this: Does not the Holy Spirit know Greek? How can we possibly conclude that was an actual manifestation of the gift of interpretation? Whether or not that skeptical preacher should have done what he did is not an issue to me, the issue is that some blabber-mouth couldn't resist an opportunity to draw attention to herself! Obviously, the skeptic left that service justified in his skepticism.

Here's the bottom line: The false manifestations that go on within the movement will never convince the nay-sayers. In fact, it only does harm and adds fuel to the Cessationists fire! How much better would it have been for that skeptical brother to have heard someone interpret Psalm 23 correctly - with the interpreter having not had any prior knowledge of the Greek language? If that had happened, he might even be a convinced Charismatic brother this very day! Instead, because of someone who lacked integrity, he is now more skeptical than ever! What a sad testimony! What a shame! May God have mercy on us!

Let us resolve this very day to go back to the Scripture. Let us examine even our most sacred traditions against the Holy Texts. Whatsoever is found to be in keeping with Scripture, let us cling to and defend it with vigor! That which is not correct, let us put far from us! I pray we all seek only to manifest that which is birthed by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Let it never be that we use a gift -or fake a gift- simply to draw attention to ourselves or to manipulate people or church services. May God also grant us the discernment to know the false from the genuine and give us the courage to rebuke and correct those within the Charismatic movement who are doing more harm than good!

And finally, let us love our Cessationist siblings. I think this is the most important point I can make... Though we may disagree on these points of doctrine and practice, may God help us to open dialog with one another so we can find common ground and perhaps even help some see our perspective. I will leave you with a quote by theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem:

"Finally it can be argued that those in the Charismatic and Pentecostal camps, and those in the Cessationists camps (primarily Reformed and Dispensational Christians) really need each other, and they would do well to appreciate each other more. The former tend to have more practical experience in the use of spiritual gifts and in vitality of worship that Cessationists could benefit from, if they were willing to learn. On the other hand, Reformed and Dispensational groups have traditionally been very strong in understanding of Christian doctrine and in deep and accurate understanding of the teachings of Scripture. Charismatics and Pentecostal groups could learn much from them if they would be willing to do so. But it certainly is not helpful to the church as a whole for both sides to think they can learn nothing from the other, or that they can gain no benefit from fellowship with each other."
(Systematic Theology: page 1046)

Shalom!

Rhett