Christianity without the Cross

Abstract

Grounded in primary source research, this boldly revisionist book examines the doctrine of salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism (United Pentecostal Church) from its origins through its several developmental stages. The gradual rise of a literal interpretation of Acts 2.38 eliminated a tradition of doctrinal diversity within Oneness thought which regarded salvation as occurring at repentance prior to water and Spirit baptism. With this development a main link to the wider stream of evangelical Christianity was severed. The "water and Spirit" theology resulted in a form of Christianity which does not necessarily require the cross in any meaningful sense for salvation. This study recovers the lost theological tradition associated with important figures such as Howard A. Goss, A.D. Gurley, W.M. Greer, C.H. Tadon, Wynn T. Stairs, Earl Jacques, E.P. Wickens, John Paterson and the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated. Combining traditional historical methodology and theological research with the principles of a broadly based oral history, this study argues for a theological diversity within the history of Oneness Pentecostalism and in so doing bridges an important gap in the history and theology of the United Pentecostal Church.

About the Author

Thomas A. Fudge is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He holds a B.A. in Religion from Warner Pacific College, A Master of Divinity from the Ilff School of Theology, a Ph.D. in theology from Otago University (NZ) and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Cambridge (UK). He is the author four previous books and more than thirty scholarly articles in academic journals on various aspects of religious history.