The following is yet another letter I have written and this time sent to Ed Young, Jr. Pastor of Fellowship Church (SBC), Grapevine, TX. Those following this developing story here at Apprising Ministries know that Young, Jr. is scheduled to be sharing his pulpit with Oneness Pentecostal Dr. T.D. Jakes during Creative Church Conference 2007 (C3 2007).

We also note that Ed Young, Jr.’s dad Dr. Ed Young a former two time president of the Southern Baptist Convention who ought to have known better is slated to be on hand for C3 2007 as well.

Interested readers are invited to stay tuned here for some very interesting information regarding Ed Young, Jr. and Dr. T.D. Jakes in my next piece. All of which might just explain why SBC president Dr. Frank Page seems less than anxious to become involved in all of this.

Dear Pastor Young,

By way of quick introduction I am an ordained pastor within the Southern Baptist Convention myself, president of the internet discernment and counter-cult work Apprising Ministries: https://www.apprising.org/, as well as an associate of Ingrid Schlueter, host of the Crosstalk Radio program on VCY America: http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/

In addition I am also a columnist for Brannon Howse’s Christian Worldview Network: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/cwnetwork/bio.php?AuthorID=66, as well one of the featured writers at the Walter Martin Religious InfoNet: http://www.waltermartin.com/columnists.html of Kevin and Jill Rische, all of which I will assure you represents a very significant amount of listeners and readers within the Body of Christ.

The reason I write is to you Pastor Young is to give you the opportunity to clear up the confusion concerning why you have chosen to involve Oneness Pentecostal Dr. T.D. Jakes at your upcoming Creative Church Conference 2007 (C3 2007) http://www.fellowshipchurch.com/conferences. As you must be aware Dr. Jakes denies the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is the very nature of God Himself.

I have already reported at these various outlets that he is to appear at C3 2007 hosted by your Fellowship Church (SBC) in Grapevine, TX February 22-23, 2007. This means a heretic will be sharing the preaching platform with both you and your dad Dr. Ed Young, Sr. Southern Baptists the same as myself.

Just so you know my homework has been done my personal research shows that Dr. Jakes’ theology is completely in line with Oneness Pentecostalism which I and others have clearly documented. If you didn’t know this is to inform you that this view of God has been considered heretical for some 1800 years by what the late Dr. Walter Martin (SBC), a foremost expert in Comparative Religion, often called the historic orthodox Christian Church.

As such then for you to allow Dr. Jakes to share your pulpit would now put you in violation of 2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (NASB) In regard to his doctrine on the Holy Trinity, as of this writing 1/08/07 Dr. Jakes’ doctrinal statement still reads:

“THREE DIMENSIONS OF ONE GOD (1 John5:7; Matthew 28:29; 1 Timothy 3:16) We believe in one God who is eternal in His existence, Triune in His manifestation, being both Father, Son and Holy Ghost AND He is sovereign in His authority.” (http://www.thepottershouse.org/PH_doctrine.html)

Pastor Young, I would have no doubt that you can see this is the language of classic Oneness Pentecostalism, which is itself a denial of the orthodox definition of the cardinal doctrine of the Holy Trinity long held by the Christian Church. The word “dimensions” means “a group of properties whose number is necessary and sufficient to determine uniquely each element of a system.” In this case the “group” and “number” is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the “system” would be the one person of God.

As to the second clause of Jakes’ doctrinal statement where he uses the word “manifestations,” which is more in keeping with traditional Oneness Pentecostal language, this word means “a perceptible, outward, or visible expression: one of the forms in which an individual is manifested.” In this case we would be referring to the “outward, and/or visible expression” of how this one person of God has “manifested” or revealed himself.

Now that we have adequately defined what Dr. Jakes’ doctrinal statement means I will now clearly define the classic doctrine of the Holy Trinity held by the historic orthodox Church of Jesus Christ. Which is:

Within the nature of the one God there are three co-equal and co-eternal Persons (cognizant egos) existing simultaneously; The whole undivided essence of God belongs equally to each of the three Persons; God the Father; God the Son – Who is Christ Jesus of Nazareth – and God the Holy Spirit. And these three Persons are that one God. (https://www.apprising.org/archives/2005/09/keeping_you_app_3.html)

My question to you right now Pastor Young is this: How can you justify having someone like Dr. Jakes who does not believe in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as I have just defined it for you – and therefore does not believe in God – share your pulpit? I write to ask you to immediately remove Dr. Jakes from this conference and to publicly repent for including him in the first place. You may mark my words that if this C3 2007 conference goes on with Jakes in the pulpit he will be absolutely catapulted right into the mainstream of the evangelical community at large.

You should understand that it would then be you who is to be held responsible for that. And what will happen next is the Brian McLarens of this world are going to come forward and say: “Since the Trinity isn’t necessary anymore, then why all the fuss about the Deity of Christ. Let’s just forget all the arguing about whether Jesus is God or not and just teach people they only need to follow His teachings. This way we will have much more unity and please God even more.” You need to know that we are a lot closer to something like this than you may even think.

Pastor Young, I also want you to know that this letter has already been published at Apprising Ministries and has also been sent to other Christian ministries that I know. Please know that I do not have anything against you personally and I am only doing my job as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to defend His Word. Since I also wrote to the current president of the SBC Dr. Frank Page who seems to have less than zero interest in this issue I now feel compelled that I must write to you myself.

And regardless of what Dr. Page does I am not about to sit idly by and let a perhaps ill-advised minister in the SBC share your pulpit with someone like Dr. T.D. Jakes who teaches heresy concerning the nature of God. In closing I remind you once again Pastor Young that you can bring an end to this issue once and for all by simply immediately and publicly removing Dr. T.D. Jakes from the lineup of your C3 2007 conference.

I look forward to receiving your prompt reply as to what your intentions are concerning this matter of grave importance.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Ken Silva
President
Apprising Ministries
https://www.apprising.org/
Ezekiel 3:7-17