Gabe The Street Preachers theology "looks" a lot like the teachings of ONENESS ( PENTECOSTALS ). Gabe rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses also reject the Trinity which combined with ONENESS groups are the three largest groups that reject Trinity doctrine.
Do you care about Gabe's theology? Should you care about Gabe's theology? Beyond Gabe's boldness of being a street preacher, does Gabe's theology matter? I say it does.
I'll get to the 7 steps part of the title later in this article.
HISTORY: "The Oneness Pentecostal movement first emerged in America around 1914 as the result of doctrinal disputes within the nascent Pentecostal movement. Oneness Pentecostalism defines salvation as repentance, full-submersion water baptism (in the name of Jesus Christ) and baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Many also tend to emphasize strict "holiness standards" in dress, grooming and other areas of personal conduct." [ source ] Also, see Modalism, sabellianism, or patripassianism - Article on Sabellianism
Do you have to be baptized in the "name of Jesus" and "speak in tongues" to be saved? Many of you reading this have likely not been baptized in the "name of Jesus" which according to Gabe is proper baptism and a baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is NOT a proper baptism. But Oneness theology takes it a step further that one must also speak in tongues as evidence of their Salvation. There are also likely many of you reading this that may have never "spoken in tongues." What is the TRUE Catholic understanding of the biblical plan of salvation? SEE ANSWER
The two key doctrines above are NOT mainstream Pentecostal teaching, but teaching associated with ONENESS doctrine: I was raised Pentecostal but NOT ONENESS.
In the video below the next couple of paragraphs, unless I'm misunderstanding what Gabe says about those who believe in the Trinity ( false doctrine according to Gabe ), Gabe is saying they will here the words "depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity" and will be cast into the LAKE OF FIRE and be destroyed.
If the above is the case, 90+% of Christians based on information I've found believe in the Trinity and that must mean according to Gabe in this video that less than 10% of Christians are going to heaven if what Gabe is saying is true about Trinitarian beliefs: Sorry Gabe, you misunderstand the doctrine of the Trinity if you think the majority of Trinitarians believe in 3 Gods.
I believe if Gabe can be wrong about some teachings that he can be wrong about others. I like his willingness to stand up in public for what he believes. But Gabe, don't do it on the sidewalk of a Catholic Church and condemn Catholics when you misrepresent the TRUTH of Catholicism with your own lack of understanding about Catholicism.
You are on a "CATHOLIC" Centric website. Yes, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and know Christ as my Savior: The anti-Catholic rants of Gabe the street preacher will not change my relationship with Jesus Christ: I know Jesus, I worship Jesus, I love Jesus. Are you following Gabe or Christ? Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?______________________________________________
The statement of faith below from Gabe's YouTube page is ONENESS ( PENTECOSTAL ) doctrine, but I'm not sure of Gabe's position. I'm simply "suggesting" that based on his statement of faith, one of his videos about baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ and another video on not being Trinitarian all point to a particular form of doctrine that "looks" like that of ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM:
Gabe is not a Trinitarian Christian. That is a fact based on his own video. Gabe doesn't see the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as the Holy Trinity. He also doesn't believe in baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
I repeat: I'm not saying Gabe is a Oneness ( Pentecostal ). But I am saying that his theology as referenced on his YouTube channel is quite similar. It's similar enough to me to consider it statistically less than 1% of the Christian world view on his non-Trinity teaching and non-Trinity baptism.
I am not going to rant, rave and yell about ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM because I don't want to be like Gabe is toward Catholics. But it's interesting that just like Gabe is toward Catholics, there are many who take similar views toward ONENESS PENTECOSTALS.
Click below to see how many others view ONENESS PENTECOSTALS from actual Google search phrases that I have not manipulated in anyway:
Are oneness pentecostals a Cult
Are oneness pentecostals Christian
Are oneness pentecostals Saved
How to share the Gospel with a oneness pentecostal
According to 2015 pew research results, there are 2.3 BILLION Christians in the world. According to a quick online search, there are 24 million ONENESS PENTECOSTALS in the world which means that 99.25% of the rest of the professing Christian world are NOT ONENESS PENTECOSTALS.
I don't like Gabe's approach toward Catholics and Catholicism. Gabe says a lot of things that are not the actual truth of Catholic Church teachings. I'm assuming from his point of view that he may see it as tough love or speaking the truth in love. But I don't find it very loving at all. There are better ways of approaching those you don't agree with.
The table can be turned on Gabe's statement of faith that I posted at the top of this article based on the search results that I shared above concerning ONENESS PENTECOSTAL beliefs. There is another side of how many view this group which makes up less than 1% of professing Christians. Many of you reading this may be very surprised to discover the other side if you are not familiar with ONENESS PENTECOSTALISM. I'll let you come to your own conclusions.
If you want to buy into what Gabe is saying about Catholics, you can find others online and offline who will back up much of what Gabe says in his anti-Catholic rhetoric. However, that doesn't make what Gabe is saying nor what others are saying the actual truth about Catholicism. I encourage you to seek the actual truth.
I come from a 40+ year Pentecostal ( "NOT" the oneness movement - but a Father, Son and Holy Ghost - Trinitarian background ), Baptist ( Freewill & Southern ), some me with Jesus at home and some Church of Christ ( wife's background ) sprinkled in. I have spent hundreds of hours reading, listening, interacting with many faithful Catholics, attending Mass and diving into actual Catholic beliefs.
I believe there are two sides to the Catholic faith: The actual truth and the anti-Catholic rants that people like Gabe spew out. I'm not interested in Gabe's fallible opinion of Catholics and Catholicism. I'm interested in the TRUTH.
If you are interested in a book from a former oneness pentecostal who is now Catholic, you can click here to order the book below:
Gabe is not the final judge of my soul as a faithful, knowledgeable, truth seeking now Christian Catholic who loves the Lord Jesus Christ and who converted from a 40+ year born again, evangelical background nor am I the judge of his soul. But as long as Gabe continues his rants about Catholicism and leaves his anti-Catholic videos live, I plan to keep this article live.
Now to dive into the 7 steps to recovery.............
If you haven't heard of Gabe The Street Preacher, he has a YouTube channel with some interesting videos. It's not uncommon for him to stand on the sidewalk outside a Catholic Church and give his take on how Catholics are doomed for hell and need to repent.
Since according to him "The Lord had him disable comments" ( paraphrasing ) on his videos, that gives me an opportunity to write an article on his video with MY TAKE on "7 Steps to RECOVERY from the Catholic Religion."
I hope MY TAKE is in line with 1 Peter 3:15 "but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;" - May the Holy Spirit lead me to provide MY TAKE with gentleness and reverence.
Let's take a look at what Gabe has to say...
Step 1 - Repent
Years of Idolatry, Worshipping Mary, Praying The Rosary
Let's Define Idolatry - The worship of Idols - Let's Define Worship - The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity
My Take: I don't know any Catholics that worship Idols or worship Mary. I don't know any Catholics that think Mary is a deity. I, like many Catholics, pray the Rosary which by the way is NOT required as a Catholic. Praying the Rosary is not a dogma or doctrine of the Catholic Church. I understand the Rosary and the prayers are both Biblical and beneficial. I find it a disciplined way to pray and meditate on the various mysteries like the birth of Christ, the crucification of Christ, the resurrection of Christ. I don't worship the Rosary. What's the difference in holding a Bible in your hand and praying? Can a bible made of leather, glue and paper become an idol?
Step 2 - Destroy All Idols Including Figurines and even a Cross Necklace
Let's Define Idol - 1) An image or representation of a god used as an object of worship 2) A person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered. ... WOW! Based on #2, my wife is a person that I admire and love. Does that make her an Idol and make me doomed for hell? - Let's Define Figurine - A statuette, especially one of a human form
My Take: Yes, he says get rid of a Cross necklace. That's not a typo.
Some questions that I have of things that could fall into IDOLS are: What about the Bible? I think that's something that those who point to Catholics about Idol worship ( not true with faithful Catholics ) don't think about the fact that they kneel and pray with their Bible. I did that many times as a Protestant Christian and never considered the Bible an IDOL. The Bible is God's Word and Holy, but I don't worship the Bible. It's a book that is made up leather, paper and glue. But it's the words on the paper in the Bible that remind of the promises of God and provide direction for my life. Ah, could the crucifix hanging in my office and in my home be a reminder of what our Lord and Savior did on the Cross? I don't worship the crucifix. It's a reminder of who I worship and what he did for me on the Cross of Calvary. Think about it Gabe.
So let's go a step beyond the crucifix to figurines of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus in the manger. You know, the scene that so many Christians place in their homes and/or in their yard at Christmas. Do I worship these figurines? That's ridiculous. Is it a reminder of the birth of Christ and the real reason that we should celebrate Christmas? YES!
What about my mom who loves Angels, is a Protestant Christian and has had statues of Angels as long as I can remember? FYI, I never, ever, once thought my mom worshipped her angel statues.
What about a bird bath or a garden statue that is non-religious? What about a cross in or on your Protestant church? Hmmm... Can a new car be an Idol?
Step 3 - Never Cross Yourself - Sign of the Cross
Uses Galatians 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree”
My Take: Gabe is using scripture out of context which he does a great job of on a very regular basis. That's a key issue with private interpretation of scripture without the authority of the Church Jesus Christ founded to stand on. 1 Timothy 3:15 - "if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." So what is the pillar and bullwark of truth? It's THE CHURCH not Gabe the Street Preacher. Sorry, but sitting in front of a microphone with your Bible open doesn't make one a proper authority on accurate scripture interpretation.
The Sign of the Cross over ones self when saying in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit can stand for a lot of things: reminder of Christ on the Cross, reminder of ones Baptism, affirm the Trinity, opening and closing a prayer and many more relevant reasons.
What's the difference in putting your hands under your chin to pray like a child might do when kneeling beside his or her bed or holding hands with family and friends before the blessing of food?
Step 4 - Be Baptized Correctly
Gabe is against Infant Baptism - Gabe is a baptize in the name of Jesus only advocate. He considers baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit as baptizing in titles and that one should not be baptized in the name of a title but in the name of Jesus Christ ( Acts 2:38 ).
My Take: There is no where in the Bible that forbids infant Baptism. In Acts 16:33 "And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family." I wonder if the Baptism of all his family included children? 1 Corinthians 1:16 "I did baptize also the household of Steph′anas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else." I wonder if the Baptism of all the household included children? It is also helpful to parallel infant Baptism to Jewish circumcision that happened 8 days after birth. Yes, after Christ, it's a NEW Covenant, but God did NOT forbid circumcision at 8 days and why would God forbid infant Baptism?
Gabe uses Acts 2:38 "And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" out of context. The best explanation that I have heard of Acts 2:38 is that there were so many heretical sects that the reference to Jesus Christ was meant to be clear that someone was following Jesus Christ and not some other sect. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus Christ who was both fully man and full God said "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," If you want to talk about obeying the Word of God, what better way than following the direct teaching from Jesus Christ "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit?"
Step 5 - Don't Force Family And Friends To See The Truth
You can only share. You have to be gentle and patient.
My Take: Funny if you watch some of Gabe's videos ( there are several ) of him standing out in front of a Catholic Church, I'm not sure if you could say that he's gentle. One thing for sure is that he is often disrespectful and says some harsh things ( but my guess is that in his mind is that he believes the truth from the Word of God can sound harsh ).
Just because Gabe thinks he understands scripture and the Catholic Church doesn't make him God to pass judgment on the street corner and telling people: You need to repent. You need to repent. You need to repent. Hey, any faithful Catholic has repented and does repent regularly. I believe in repentance. I don't need an apparent judgmental street preacher yelling it out.
Yes, I believe that we should not force family and friends to see the truth. But I believe in sharing the truth of the Catholic faith and not the anti-Catholic, misguided views that exist of Catholicism like those of Gabe.
Step 6 - Have No Fellowship But Expose Them ( Catholics )
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Allow God to use you to EXPOSE them.
MY TAKE: So Catholics and the Catholic Church are "the unfruitful works of darkness?" Interesting!
Let's take a look: I am saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. I have confessed my sins and asked for forgiveness with a contrite heart. But I will continue to confess my sins and ask for forgiveness as I'm human and cannot live a sinless life. I have been validly Baptized as Christ commanded "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." I actively live out my faith by prayer, regular Church attendance, receiving Holy Communion ( ah that opens something up ) and more. So James 2:18 "But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith." By the way, what I mentioned here relates to any faithful Catholic that understand their Catholic faith.
Direct from Jesus, John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
I don't find Gabe's way of doing things by standing on the sidewalk outside a Catholic Church before or after service very loving. It doesn't cause me to want to fellowship with him or become his type of Christian. Maybe I should pray about that: Seriously!
It is my desire to have loving dialogue with people of all faith backgrounds or non-faith backgrounds in a loving way and not stand outside their Church, their home, their office, etc. saying YOU NEED TO REPENT. I don't agree with Mormon or Jehovah Witness theology, but I'm not so disrespectful to stand outside their Church or Kingdom Hall to say YOU NEED TO REPENT while attempting to use my own fallible interpretation of scripture to judge them.
I would also not put on one of my videos "The Little Jester Approaches" as the Priest walks up even if I didn't agree with the theology. That's not loving and it's disrespectful.
I wonder how he wants one to ALLOW GOD to EXPOSE "the unfruitful works of darkness?"
Step 7 - No Cremations
Not sure where this one comes from. It's really weird especially since Catholics don't generally favor cremation.
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One of the things that I like about being Catholic is all the written prayers for all kind of topics, so I'll close this article with this:
The Prayer "OTHERS"
Lord, help me live from day to day In such a self-forgetful way, That even when I kneel to pray, My prayer shall be for "Others"
Help me in all the work I do To ever be sincere and true, And know, that all I do for You Must needs be done for "Others"
And when my work on earth is done, And my new work in Heaven´s begun, May I forget the crown I´ve won, While thinking still of "Others"
"Others" Lord, yes, "Others" Let this motto be, Help me live for others That I may live for Thee
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I have tried to be accurate in this article and simply share the TRUTH.