Response to UPC Bible study on Make-up
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Response to a Bible study written by Rev. M.G. Blankenship. Found at http://www.apostolic.edu/biblestudy/files/bwahprt3.htm. Accessed 12/21/06.
I am not going to reprint the entire study because it would take too much space. What I will do is show a piece from the Bible study and then respond to it. I do [...]
Response to UPC Bible study on Jewelry
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Response to a Bible study written by Rev. M.G. Blankenship. Found at http://www.apostolic.edu/biblestudy/files/bwahprt3.htm. Accessed 12/21/06.
I am not going to reprint the entire study because it would take too much space. What I will do is show a piece from the Bible study and then respond to it. I do recommend [...]
Response to UPC Bible study on women wearing pants
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Response to a Bible study written by Rev. M.G. Blankenship. Found at http://www.apostolic.edu/biblestudy/files/bwahprt2.htm. Accessed 4/28/2007.
I am not going to reprint the entire study because it would take too much space. What I will do is show a piece from the Bible study and then respond to it. I do recommend [...]
Isaiah 47:2 (Misinterpreted Scriptures)
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
Misinterpretation: The UPC often uses this Scripture to try to prove that it is wrong for men to wear shorts or for women to wear skirts above the knee.
Facts: If this Scripture is teaching that men [...]
Matthew 5:36 (Misinterpreted Scriptures)
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Misinterpretation: This Scripture is used by some UPC pastors to teach that people are not allowed to dye their hair.
Facts: This Scripture is obviously not talking about a person dying their hair. I have written more about this Scripture [...]
Romans 12:1-2 (Misinterpreted Scriptures)
Sunday, October 21st, 2007I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and [...]
What does the Bible say about holiness?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Is Holiness necessary? The answer is a resounding "YES"!
The problem lies in the UPC view of holiness. For those who are unfamiliar with the UPC view, let me explain.
The UPC (again, I am using the word UPC as a general term for most holiness Oneness Pentecostals) believes that there are specific "holiness standards" that we [...]
What does the Bible say about wearing jewelry?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007The UPC, along with many other holiness groups, teaches against wearing jewelry. I know that when I was in the movement I took the teaching for granted. I think that many others did as well. If new converts asked questions then the general answer went something like this: “It’s an inward change of the heart [...]
What does the Bible say about wearing make-up?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Anyone who is familiar with the UPC knows that the majority of UPC churches and their affiliates teach against women wearing make-up. The official position of the UPC on make-up is this:
“Since the primary effect of makeup is to highlight sex appeal, we reject makeup as immodest.”
However, since I spent my whole life in the movement I know from personal experience that this is not the view taught in the churches. (At least, I have never heard this view taught.)
What does the Bible say about women wearing pants?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007The first thing that we must understand when asking this question is that no one in the Bible wore pants. They did not exist back then. Because of this, the Bible never dealt with the subject of women wearing pants. The Mosaic Law does, however, deal with the subject of cross-dressing. The Mosaic Law says, “A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God” (Deu. 22:5 NASB).
What does the Bible say about dying your hair?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007I was very surprised about a year ago to find out that at least some UPC churches teach against people dying their hair. I do not recall ever hearing anyone preach against people dying their hair until about a year ago, but since then I have come into contact with other people who have heard the same thing preached. It seems to be a fairly common doctrine in UPC churches, even though I cannot find any official UPC position about it.
Since it does seem to be such a common doctrine, I have decided to write a brief article on it.
What does the Bible say about men wearing shorts?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007Many churches in the UPC teach that men should not wear shorts. In my experience the only Scriptural backing that is given for this doctrine is this Scripture passage: Isa 47:1-3 KJV.
Misinterpretation: The UPC often uses this Scripture to try to prove that it is wrong for men to wear shorts or for women to wear skirts above the knee.
Facts: To understand this Scripture we must look at what the phrase “uncover thy locks” means.
What does the Bible say about facial hair?
Sunday, October 21st, 2007UPDATE (6/5/2008): Because of some of the feedback on this article, I fear that I may have been misunderstood. I would like to clarify that, to my knowledge, no UPC or UPC-affiliated church teaches that facial hair itself is a sin. However, every UPC or UPC-affiliated church that I have attended has taught against facial [...]