Hillsong is the annual conference of the Hillsong Church, based in Sydney, Australia.
One of the headline speakers this year is T. D. Jakes.
Jakes is prominently known in the U.S.A. and around the world as a Christian speaker and leader. There have been long-standing observations about Jakes’ understanding of a central Christian doctrine: that of The Trinity.
Jakes has had an association with what is called Oneness Pentecostalism. That movement maintains that God is one and that he has three manifestations: the father; the son and the holy spirit. They would not speak in terms of the the three persons of the trinity.
The teaching is not biblical, nor is it new. In past generations it has been known as Sabellianism or modalism and rightly rejected by the Christian Church.
Jakes has long insisted that he does not embrace oneness pentecostalism as his own belief, but refuses to endorse orthoxdox Christian expression of the Biblical teaching on God as Trinity, instead choosing to use the language of modalism presented in a way that placates Christian orthodoxy.
This is what the website of the church which Jakes founded, The Potters House, says about God:
God
There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, the complete and final sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
The Holy Spirit
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and during this age, to convict men of sin, regenerate the believing sinner, indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service. Man – Man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is therefore lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
Hillsong is giving Jakes a platform and others with more properly orthodox theology will share it with him. Much will be said of Jakes’ popularity, power and influence, much will be said of the size of the movement which he has founded and led, much will said of the work that they achieve. All of these points are worthy of recognition and appreciation, though they do not qualify someone as a Christian teacher. Sadly, in the never mind the quality, feel the width, world of evangelical Christianity his fidelity to historic biblical doctrine will not be a consideration.
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