A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

A History of Christian Doctrine
Wesleyan, Arminian view of grace, rejecting unconditional
election and unconditional eternal security.
Like the Holiness movement, he proclaimed sanctification
as a second work of grace and emphasized the
need for a holy life. As part of his teaching on holiness, he
advocated pacifism, holding that it was wrong to kill
another human being, even in war.
Like the Fundamentalists, Parham believed strongly
in the soon return of Jesus Christ to earth before the
Millennium. In his understanding, the end-time events
would occur in the following order: the Tribulation, the
Rapture, the Second Coming, the Millennium, and the
White Throne Judgment. He practiced a literal interpretation
of Scripture.
In addition to the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the
initial sign of tongues, Parham also believed in the supernatural
gifts of the Spirit. As a young preacher, he had
received a dramatic healing, and he believed so strongly
in divine healing that he did not use medicine. Even on
his deathbed, he refused a nurse’s offer to give him pain
medication.
In a few areas, Parham embraced doctrines that were
not generally accepted in Protestantism or in the
Pentecostal movement. He taught British-Israelism: the
British and their descendants were the lost tribes of
Israel and would literally inherit God’s promises to
Israel. He also taught annihilation: the lost would not
exist eternally in the lake of fire but would be completely
destroyed. When accused of not believing in hell, he
replied that he believed in hell more than his critics; he
believed in a hell so hot it would completely burn up
those who went there. He also thought that some pagans
16