Welcome to Apostolic Life in the 21st Century. This is a very special week for the United Pentecostal Church International, because this week, starting tomorrow night, if you're listening to this on Monday, we are actually going to kick off our 80th annual general

conference right here in St. Louis. Dr. Bernard, I want to ask you today about something that is

likely to come up this week at general conference. So we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the

founding of the United Pentecostal Church, there's likely to be some references

this week, maybe even in the preaching, maybe even in your sermon on Thursday night, to something

known as the merger. Would you explain for all of our audience out there, what is the merger and why

is it important? The term merger is a special one for United Pentecostals.

It refers specifically to the formation of our organization.

So in 1945, two apostolic Pentecostal organizations joined together to form the United Pentecostal Church.

And so that's the merger.

I look back, the story is rather complicated.

If you want a full discussion, you can read my book, A History of Christian Doctrine, Volume 3.

It's also found in the abridged version.

I actually have three volumes in that series.

It's also published in one volume as an abridgment.

But if you want the full story, get the unabridged volume three.

And it discusses how the early, the oneness movement began in the early 20th century, how different organizations were formed.

And, but there was, and they were formed for various reasons, culturally, socially, doctrinally, politically, racially, you know, different people formed different groups.

And so there's a complicated history of little groups joining, splitting, and so forth.

But in 1936, two of these organizations started discussions because there was a feeling that we,

certainly scripturally, we need to work together.

We need to be united in oneness of spirit if nothing else but that also led to maybe we should be united organizationally so the two largest of these oneness organizations at that time were known as the pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ,

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