I just want to say first of all that I’m not writing this blog to offend, but to speak the truth in love, so that you would not be deceived by the wickedness of Satan. We must recover our love for biblical truth, as well as our conviction that it is unassailable truth. We live in a world where most people are simply wandering around in hopeless ignorance. We need to proclaim it from the housetops, and quit playing along with those who suggest we are being arrogant if we claim to know anything for certain. We do have the truth, not because we are smarter or better than anyone else, but because God has revealed it in the Scriptures and has been gracious to open our eyes to see it. We would be sinning if we tried to keep the truth to ourselves. That is why I must not keep the falsehoods I’m about to share to myself, but I must sound the alarm so that people can come to a better understanding of the truth, and as a result, come to greater intimacy with Christ.
So what is it exactly that I want to sound the alarm for? Some of you visiting this blog may have never seen a Dake Bible and have no idea who Finis Dake (the author of the Dake Annotated Reference Bible and other written works) really was. Others of you have used or read the Dake Bible (or other written materials by Dake) or have had a pastor who used the Dake Bible. Finis Dake was one of the most well know pentecostal preachers of the early 20th century (1902-1987). He wrote the Dake Annotated Reference Bible which contains many thousands of study notes, as well as other books and materials. Many charismatic and Pentecostal believers and pastors still use Dake’s Study Bible, God’s Plan For Man (his systematic theology), and other written materials. Though he died in 1987, many thousands of copies of the Dake Bible are sold every year to unsuspecting Christians. In fact, Dake Publishing Company, operated by the Dake family, sells nearly 40,000 copies of the Dake Bible each year.
I used to be one of those many “unsuspecting Christians” who once used the Dake Bible for study and devotion. I had grown up in a Pentecostal church (who I still have much love & respect for), so I was familiar with the Dake Bible to an extent. It wasn’t until a little over 2 years ago that I decided to actually purchase one for myself. I had always heard that the Dake Bible contained a rich amount of materials and resources for in-depth study. As someone, who lacking a true knowledge of Scripture, and needing a greater knowledge of God’s Word, I became convinced that the Dake Bible was just what I needed to grow in my spiritual walk. However, I began to realize, after diligent study, that the teachings found in the Dake Bible seemed rather strange. At the time I did not have extensive knowledge of theology, doctrine, or apologetics, so I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why it seemed so strange to me, but I knew that something wasn’t right. After careful research from the Bible, apologetic websites, and other resources, I came to discover that Finis Dake’s theology is cultic and heretical on almost every major core belief held by Christians for centuries. However, knowing that something is cultic and heretical isn’t enough…you must provide the evidence. In this series of blog posts concerning the false teachings of the Dake Bible I will attempt to give sufficient evidence for my claims. I would also like to add that this is NOT an attack on Pentecostalism. Many charismatics and Pentecostals hold to the essential doctrines of Christianity and would not affirm the teachings of Dake. The majority are loving, sincere, and godly people. Even though I may disagree with many teachings of Pentecostalism, I still regard them as dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. I’m not trying to equate Dake’s teachings with orthodox, conservative Pentecostalism by any means. What I am trying to show is how Dake’s teachings have had a considerable impact on Pentecostal and charismatic doctrine. I believe this is a dangerous thing to the spiritual health and growth of Pentecostal and charismatic churches. They must be exposed to the error and falsehood of of Dake’s teachings in order to maintain purity of doctrine in the church. When essential doctrines are at stake, we must fight against them in order to guard the truth and protect the flock.
So what are the essential doctrines that Dake denies? These include: The Trinity (he teaches tritheism which is three different and completely seperate god’s, not the Trinity or Monotheism), he denies God is all-knowing (omniscient), all-powerful (omnipotent), everywhere present (omnipresent), and many other beliefs or doctrines about God. He rejected the theology of “denominationalism” and instead adopted a hyperliteral interpretation of Scripture that resulted in erroneous doctrines, such as the view that each person in the Trinity has a body, soul, and spirit, and that Jesus’ resurrected body was not physical. His aberrant teachings also include a salvation by grace plus works and a gospel of health and prosperity. The God of the Dake Bible is NOT the true God of the Bible, but is instead a distortion and a false picture of God. Worshiping and believing in a false view of God is deadly to a persons salvation. You cannot be saved by believing in a false and distorted Jesus. Finis Dake undermines the entire foundation of our Christian beliefs. Dake’s study materials emphasize the authority of the Bible, but they contain many unbiblical and dangerous doctrines that sometimes have as much in common with the cults as with historic Christian theology.
The teachings of Finis Jennings Dake have had a profound impact on conservative Pentecostalism and have been embraced by charismatic Word-Faith preachers. Jimmy Swaggart once wrote, “Finis Dake was a scholar unparalleled. I owe my Bible education to this man.” Word-Faith preacher Larry Ollison, midwest regional director for International Convention of Faith Ministries, praises the Dake Bible as a good reference tool with “lists and useful information that cannot be found easily anywhere else.” David Roebuck, director of the Pentecostal Research Center at Lee University, declares, “The Dake study Bible has many helpful tools and charts.” Leading Word-Faith teachers such as Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and Creflo Dollar also have embraced Dake’s study Bible and teachings. Each Christian denomination can point to certain preachers and teachers who have helped shape and propagate its theology and practice. The Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements states, Dake’s “impact on conservative Pentecostalism cannot be overstated.” Finis Dake, Jr., asserts, “As far as I know it is the only study Bible with a full gospel or charismatic orientation still in print which has not changed something in order to appeal to a wider audience.”
Following his conversion to Christianity at the age of 17 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dake allegedly received a “special anointing” that enabled him to quote hundreds of Scripture verses without having previously memorized them, earning him the nickname “the Walking Bible.” He studied the Bible diligently and claimed to have spent nearly 100,000 hours over the course of his ministry digging into its teachings. Dake first preached in 1925 and was ordained by the Assemblies of God denomination two years later at the age of 24. After working as a pastor and evangelist in Texas and Oklahoma, he moved to Zion, Illinois, in order to become the pastor of the Christian Assembly Church, a union that lasted until 1937. In Zion, he also founded Shiloh Bible Institute, which ultimately merged with Central Bible Institute and which was located in the home formerly owned by controversial faith healer John Alexander Dowie.
During Dake’s ministry in Zion, he was the center of a raging controversy. In 1937, he was convicted of violating the Mann Act by willfully transporting 16-year-old hitchhiker Emma Barelli across the Wisconsin state line “for the purpose of debauchery and other immoral practices.” Dake pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in a Milwaukee jail, where he “intended to pass most of his time…writing a book — a commentary on the Bible.” Dake returned to his family and the Christian Assembly Church, who stood by his side and maintained his innocence during the ordeal. His relationship with the Assemblies of God denomination, however, soon ended. He then moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, where first he became a minister in the Church of God denomination and then pastored an independent Pentecostal church. Dake remained a Pentecostal minister until his death in 1987 of Parkinson’s disease (I guess the health and wealth gospel didn’t work for him).
Dake, to his credit, argues that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God. His effort to systematize biblical teachings on hundreds of topics appears to be sincere. His attention to the biblical text results in many correct observations and interpretations; however, his overly simplistic, hyperliteral approach results in many incorrect interpretations as well as unorthodox and problematic doctrines in his theology.
Stay tuned for Part 2 as I go more in-depth with the errors of the Dake Bible….
Sojourner Apologetics 