Areas of Agreement
Despite theological differences, both sides affirmed the centrality of Christ, the necessity of repentance, baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They also agreed on the authority of Scripture, the pursuit of holiness, and the urgency of global evangelism. The dialogue revealed that Oneness and Trinitarian believers share more common ground in practice and experience than previously acknowledged.
Points of Tension
The principal tension rests in the understanding of the Godhead and the baptismal formula. Trinitarian Pentecostals confess one God in three coequal and coeternal Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — each distinct yet one in essence. Oneness Pentecostals, by contrast, affirm that God is one indivisible Spirit revealed in Jesus Christ, the Father incarnate and the Spirit indwelling believers. For them, baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is essential to salvation and the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Trinitarians, while emphasizing baptism’s importance, see it as a response of faith rather than the mechanism of salvation itself.
