The BBC had a report against Apostolic Christianity due to impressions British people had of Oneness Pentecost from the film, ‘Borat’.
Since media effect comes and goes in public consciousness as new things come up to hold attention, and because the UK is a religiously free society, I feel the UK is likely to pass a law against Oneness Pentecostalism specifically or against Pentecostalism generally, but, since the UK also loves order and bureaucratic red tape, they might well pass laws more closely scrutinizing:
a. financial records of churches
b. claims that churches cause psychological damage.
As an American who grew up in India under British influence, I am formed as much by Britain and India as by America. As an apostolic Christian who holds to God’s love for humanity and his sacrifice as Jesus Christ for our sins, and having exprienced his Spirit’s presence in my life, I do want to see people in all three countries thrive Spiritually through God’s Spirit’s presence in their lives.
Having been for some weeks in the part of America where the segment was filmed and having spoken with people there about this, then having seen the segment of the film having to do with this, I have the following observations:
First, people filled with God’s Spirit worship God differently in different nations, states, even cities. Apostolic churches in Britain aren’t necessarily the same as those in America, nor are all the churches in America the same, nor all the churches in Britain, nor even all the apostolic churches in London, as those of us who have visited more than one can attest. And British people certainly has their own freedom to worship Jesus Christ as they please, as do Americans and, for that matter, Indians. For instance, in Mizoram, NE India, apostolics dance in a circle during song services. In South India, they usually sit on the floor. In China, they even worship in Chinese! And in secret because of government oppression. Apostolics in Britain, America and India don’t do that because these are religiously free societies.’
2. Remember ‘Borat’ is fiction–Cohen said he was providing a documentary, but it’s a movie. ‘Borat’ is a fictional character. It’s not more credible than ‘Braveheart’ showing medieval lowland Scots wearing paint and kilts.
3. ‘Borat’ showed footage of one church service of one state in America, and anecdotal examples are not exhaustive evidence of Pentecost as a whole, Oneness Pentecost as a whole, American Oneness Pentecost as a whole, or even that one state’s practice generally.
4. Cohen in his movie was good at faking his own conversion (and faking many things in the movie) and in deceiving honest, good, people who actually work for a living, but this is an indictment of him as being unreal and uncouth and untrustworthy, not them.’
5. Also, ‘Cohen did not interview the people who actually received Spirit baptism, so the audience didn’t see what Pentecost is like on a day-to-day basis in people’s lives. A ‘documentary’ not even interviewing people is not credible.’
