Who's Going to Hell?
Funny how the churches dogmas may have changed over the centuries. Various churches that sprang up after the crucifixion of Jesus probably had competing doctrines to begin with, but some were squelched and their "sacred texts" burned. Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and Constantine won the day, and it 'seems' the champions of those gospels did their best to destroy competing gospels, such as those of; Thomas, Mary, Judas and Philip.
Starting with the Council of Nicea or even before, church leaders laid down the law, but their schisms have been many. The Catholic church splintered into the orthodox church, then the Protestant church, then hundreds of squabbling denominations that can’t decide exactly what you need to do for salvation. Is it John 3:16, is it tongues, works, grace, a certain type of Baptism, One-ness, Trinitarianism or what? It seems that each splinter group has decided to make it’s own list of requirements, sometimes relegating their former brethren to hell in the process!
After doing some back of the envelope calculations I come up with up to 97% of earthlings headed to hell if speaking in tongues is a requirement as some churches teach. Makes me wonder how the congregants can do anything but their utmost to reach more non-believers with their message. It seems to me their missionary zeal is roughly the same as any other church I’ve attended… does it drive some of them crazy to think that so many people will end up in hell?
Another thing is all the people through out history who may have ended up in hell for not speaking in tongues. The Welsh Revival and Azusa street revivals started in the early 1900’s and prior to that time I wonder if speaking in tongues was even less common than after the revivals. That being said, does it mean that for the roughly 1,900 years between the crucifixion of Jesus and the Welsh Revival, virtually everyone on earth, Christian and non-Christian alike went to hell?
As do most Pentecostals, Oneness believers maintain that the initial sign of the infilling Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, and that the New Testament mandates this as a minimal requirement. They equally recognize that speaking in tongues is a sign to unbelievers of the Holy Spirit's power, and is to be actively sought after and utilized, most especially in prayer. However, this initial gift of the Holy Spirit is seen as distinct from the "gift of tongues and interpretation" mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10, which is given to selected spirit-filled believers as the Holy Spirit desires.[41] Unlike most Trinitarian Pentecostals, Oneness adherents assert that receipt of the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation.[42]
"The Baptism of the Holy Ghost: Promise and Command", in David Bernard, A Handbook of Basic Doctrines, Word Aflame Press, 1988, pp. 45-46. See also under "Salvation in Acts Without the Spirit?" in Chapter 8 of David Bernard, The New Birth. Retrieved on 4/5/09/
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