Chapter 01: Why This Book Matters – An Introduction to Finis Dake and His Theological Errors

Imagine walking into your church on Sunday morning and seeing most of the congregation holding the same study Bible. You notice it’s thick with notes, packed with cross-references, and filled with detailed explanations. People trust it completely. They quote from its notes as if they were Scripture itself. Teachers build entire lessons around its commentary. This Bible has shaped what your church believes about God, salvation, and the Christian life. Now imagine discovering that this trusted study Bible teaches that there are actually three separate Gods instead of one. Imagine learning it claims God has a physical body with hands and feet. Imagine finding out it promotes racial segregation as God’s will. This isn’t imagination for millions of Christians worldwide—this is the reality of the Dake Annotated Reference Bible, and this book exists to lovingly warn the church about its dangerous errors.

Dake, Finis Jennings. Dake Annotated Reference Bible. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, 1963.
——. God’s Plan for Man. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, 1949.
——. Revelation Expounded. Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, 1950.

The Widespread Use of the Dake Bible in Pentecostal and Assemblies of God Churches

The Dake Annotated Reference Bible isn’t some obscure book gathering dust on library shelves. It’s one of the most popular study Bibles in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches worldwide. Since its publication in 1963, it has sold millions of copies and influenced countless Christians. Walk into many Assemblies of God churches, independent Pentecostal congregations, or Charismatic fellowships, and you’ll likely find Dake Bibles in the pews, on the pulpits, and in the hands of teachers.

The influence is staggering. Pastors have built entire sermon series on Dake’s notes. Bible colleges have used it as a textbook. Missionaries have carried it around the world, translating its notes into other languages. Television evangelists quote from it on programs that reach millions. What started as one man’s study notes has become a massive influence on global Christianity.

In many Pentecostal churches, the Dake Bible has achieved almost legendary status. People speak of it with reverence, as if owning one makes them serious Bible students. Parents give it to their children as graduation gifts. New believers are encouraged to buy it as their first study Bible. Some churches even sell it in their bookstores as their recommended study Bible. The red-letter edition with its distinctive black cover has become as recognizable in some circles as any other Christian symbol.

But popularity doesn’t equal truth. Just because millions use something doesn’t make it right. In fact, the widespread use of the Dake Bible makes its errors more dangerous, not less. When false teaching spreads through a study Bible—a resource people use daily to understand God’s Word—it affects not just what people believe but how they read Scripture itself. It shapes their entire approach to the Bible, teaching them to interpret God’s Word through Dake’s flawed lens.

The problem is especially serious in churches that emphasize the gifts of the Spirit but may not prioritize theological education. Many sincere believers who are passionate about experiencing God’s power have never been taught how to evaluate theological claims. They trust what appears in the margins of their Bible because it’s printed right there next to Scripture. They assume that if it’s in a study Bible, especially one that’s been around for decades, it must be trustworthy.

How Did We Get Here?

Understanding how the Dake Bible became so popular helps us grasp the magnitude of the problem we face. Finis Jennings Dake published his annotated Bible at a crucial moment in Pentecostal history. The movement was growing rapidly but lacked comprehensive study resources from a Pentecostal perspective. Academic commentaries seemed dry and often dismissed spiritual gifts. Liberal scholarship questioned the Bible’s authority. Dispensational works like the Scofield Reference Bible were popular but didn’t fully embrace Pentecostal distinctives.

Into this vacuum came Dake with a study Bible that seemed to offer everything Pentecostals wanted. It took the Bible literally (in fact, hyperliterally, as we’ll see). It affirmed spiritual gifts and the supernatural. It provided detailed notes on nearly every verse. It included extensive cross-references and topical studies. It seemed like the perfect resource for Pentecostals who wanted to study the Bible seriously while maintaining their distinctive beliefs.

The timing was perfect. The 1960s and 1970s saw explosive growth in Pentecostal and Charismatic movements worldwide. New churches were being planted rapidly. New believers were hungry for biblical knowledge. The Dake Bible met this need, or seemed to. It became the study Bible of choice for a generation of Pentecostal leaders who then passed it on to their congregations and students.

When Study Notes Become Dangerous

Study Bibles can be wonderful tools. Good study notes help us understand historical context, explain difficult passages, and show connections between different parts of Scripture. They can make the Bible more accessible and help us grow in our faith. But study notes become dangerous when they contradict the very Scripture they claim to explain. They become deadly when they teach heresy while appearing to teach truth.

The danger of the Dake Bible isn’t just that it contains some questionable interpretations or debatable points. Every study Bible includes interpretations that some Christians might dispute. The danger is that Dake’s notes teach fundamental heresies that strike at the heart of Christian faith. When a study Bible teaches that there are three Gods instead of one, it’s not offering a different interpretation—it’s preaching a different religion.

Consider what Dake actually writes in his section titled “89 Proofs of A Divine Trinity”: “What we mean by Divine Trinity is that there are three separate and distinct persons in the Godhead, each one having His own personal spirit body, personal soul, and personal spirit in the same sense each human being, angel, or any other being has his own body, soul, and spirit.”¹ This isn’t the Trinity that Christians have believed for two thousand years. This is tritheism—belief in three Gods—which the church has always condemned as heresy.

Dake elaborates further in God’s Plan for Man: “If there was nothing in Scripture that says that they all have bodies, our intelligence and reason would convince us that they do have. No person can exist without a body or a shape.”¹⁰ And again: “All separate persons in the Godhead are the same in essence. They were the same in body, soul, and spirit until Christ became a man.”¹¹

Study notes become dangerous when they’re treated as equal to Scripture itself. Many Dake Bible users don’t distinguish between the biblical text and Dake’s commentary. They read both as if they carry the same authority. When someone says, “The Bible says…” and then quotes Dake’s note rather than Scripture, they’ve elevated human opinion to divine revelation. This is exactly what happens with the Dake Bible in countless churches and Bible studies.

The Subtlety of Error

What makes Dake’s errors particularly dangerous is their subtlety. He doesn’t openly announce, “I’m teaching heresy!” Instead, he uses familiar Christian terms but gives them new meanings. He talks about the Trinity but means three separate Gods. He speaks of God’s omnipresence but then limits God to a physical location. He affirms God’s omniscience but then teaches that God learns and discovers things. This redefinition of terms without warning is theological deception at its worst.

Dake often starts with a biblical truth and then adds his own ideas that contradict that truth. For example, he correctly states that humans are made in God’s image. But then he adds: “God has a personal spirit body…God is described as having bodily parts such as: back parts (Ex. 33:23), heart (Gen. 6:6; 8:21), hands and fingers (Ps. 8:3, 6; Heb. 1:10), mouth (Num. 12:8), lips and tongue (Isa. 30:27), feet (Ex. 24:10), eyes (Ps. 11:4), hair, head, face, arms (Isa. 52:10)”². He takes the biblical concept of the image of God and twists it into an argument for divine corporeality—the idea that God has a physical body—which contradicts Jesus’s clear statement that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24).

In another shocking passage, Dake declares: “Spirit beings, including God, Himself, cannot be omnipresent in body, for their bodies are of ordinary size and must be at one place at a time, in the same way that bodies of men are always localized, being in one place at a time.”¹² This reduces the infinite God to a being with physical limitations.

The mixture of truth and error makes Dake’s teaching like a glass of pure water with just a few drops of poison. The water still looks clear. It might even taste normal at first. But the poison is there, doing its deadly work. Many Christians have drunk deeply from Dake’s Bible for years before realizing they’ve been poisoned with false doctrine.

A Loving Warning to the Body of Christ

This book isn’t written from hatred or a desire to attack. It’s written from love—love for God’s truth, love for His church, and love for those who have been deceived by Dake’s errors. When you see someone about to drink poison, love compels you to warn them. When you see a bridge has collapsed, love requires you to stop people from driving off the cliff. When you discover that a trusted teacher has been spreading dangerous errors, love demands that you sound the alarm.

The apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-30). This warning applies directly to the situation with Dake’s teachings. False doctrine has entered the church through a trusted study Bible, and it’s drawing people away from biblical truth.

Love requires us to speak truth even when it’s uncomfortable. Many who use the Dake Bible are sincere believers who genuinely love God and want to understand His Word. They’re not heretics; they’re victims of heresy. They haven’t intentionally embraced false doctrine; they’ve been deceived by teaching that came packaged with Scripture. Our goal isn’t to condemn these dear brothers and sisters but to help them see the error and return to biblical truth.

This warning comes with deep respect for the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. These movements have brought renewed emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s work, the reality of spiritual gifts, and the power of prayer. They’ve evangelized the world with passionate zeal and planted churches in places others wouldn’t go. The problem isn’t with Pentecostalism itself but with the false teachings that have infiltrated it through resources like the Dake Bible. You can be fully Pentecostal or Charismatic while completely rejecting Dake’s heresies.

Why This Warning Is Urgent

Some might ask, “Why make a big deal about this now? The Dake Bible has been around since 1963. If it’s really that dangerous, wouldn’t we have seen the damage by now?” But we have seen the damage. We see it in the spread of the prosperity gospel, which draws heavily on Dake’s teachings. We see it in extreme spiritual warfare movements that reflect Dake’s elaborate demonology. We see it in racial divisions that persist in churches, justified by Dake’s segregationist theology. We see it in confused believers who can’t articulate basic Christian doctrine because they’ve been taught Dake’s distortions instead of biblical truth.

The damage is generational. Parents who use the Dake Bible pass its errors to their children. Pastors who preach from it spread its heresies to their congregations. Teachers who rely on it transmit its falsehoods to their students. Each generation that accepts Dake’s errors as truth moves further from biblical Christianity. The urgent need is to break this chain of deception before another generation is led astray.

The warning is also urgent because Dake’s errors aren’t just wrong—they’re damnable. When someone teaches that there are three Gods instead of one, they’re not just mistaken about a minor point of theology. They’re preaching another gospel. Paul wrote to the Galatians: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). The severity of this warning shows us how seriously God takes false teaching about essential doctrines.

How Good People Get Deceived by Bad Theology

One of the most painful aspects of dealing with Dake’s errors is recognizing that many wonderful, sincere Christians have been deceived by them. These aren’t rebellious people who intentionally chose heresy. They’re devoted believers who wanted to understand the Bible better and trusted the wrong teacher. Understanding how good people get deceived helps us approach them with compassion rather than condemnation.

Deception rarely happens all at once. It’s usually a gradual process, like slowly heating water until it boils. People don’t wake up one morning and decide to believe heresy. Instead, they’re led step by step away from truth, often without realizing what’s happening. The Dake Bible facilitates this gradual deception by mixing truth with error, by using familiar terms with unfamiliar meanings, and by appearing to take the Bible seriously while actually undermining its message.

The Trust Factor

Good people get deceived when they trust the wrong sources. Trust is essential to learning—we can’t personally verify everything we’re taught, so we must trust teachers, books, and resources. The problem comes when that trust is misplaced. Many Christians trust the Dake Bible because:

It’s been around for decades. Surely, they think, if it contained serious errors, someone would have exposed them by now. But longevity doesn’t equal truth. Errors can persist for centuries if they’re not challenged.

Respected people recommend it. When pastors, teachers, or Christian celebrities endorse the Dake Bible, their followers assume it must be sound. But even good leaders can be mistaken, especially if they haven’t carefully examined what they’re recommending.

It seems so thorough and scholarly. With over 35,000 notes, 500,000 cross-references, and detailed outlines, the Dake Bible appears to be the product of serious scholarship. But quantity doesn’t equal quality. You can write thousands of notes and still be wrong about everything.

It takes the Bible literally. Many conservative Christians appreciate that Dake claims to interpret the Bible literally. But there’s a difference between taking the Bible literally (understanding it according to its literary genre and context) and hyperliteralism (forcing a wooden literal interpretation even where it contradicts the Bible’s overall message).

The Knowledge Gap

Good people also get deceived when they lack the theological knowledge to recognize error. This isn’t their fault—many churches don’t teach systematic theology or church history. Many Christians have never learned about the Trinity, the nature of God, or other essential doctrines beyond a surface level. When they encounter Dake’s detailed explanations, they have no framework for evaluating whether his teaching aligns with orthodox Christianity.

Imagine someone who has never studied medicine trying to evaluate medical advice. They might not recognize quackery because they don’t know enough about how the body actually works. Similarly, Christians who haven’t studied theology might not recognize heresy because they don’t know enough about what the Bible actually teaches. Dake exploits this knowledge gap by presenting his innovations as if they were standard Christian teaching.

The problem is compounded by the fact that Dake often addresses questions that curious Christians have but that many pastors don’t answer. What are angels like? What happens in the spiritual realm? What will heaven be like? When Dake provides detailed answers to these questions—even though his answers are often unbiblical speculation—readers are grateful for what seems like biblical insight. They don’t realize that making up answers to questions the Bible doesn’t clearly address is dangerous, not helpful.

The Spiritual Experience Trap

Another way good people get deceived is by trusting their spiritual experiences more than biblical truth. This is particularly relevant in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles where spiritual experiences are highly valued. Someone might think, “I’ve been using the Dake Bible for years and God has blessed me, so it must be okay.” But God’s blessing on someone’s life doesn’t validate everything they believe or teach. God is gracious and often works despite our errors, not because of them.

Dake himself emphasized supernatural experiences and encouraged readers to seek signs, wonders, and spiritual manifestations. This emphasis can create an environment where experience trumps doctrine, where how something feels matters more than whether it’s true. When people prioritize experience over truth, they become vulnerable to any teaching that promises greater spiritual experiences, even if that teaching contradicts Scripture.

The Bible warns us not to trust experiences that contradict God’s Word. Paul wrote: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Notice that Paul says even an angelic visitation shouldn’t make us accept false teaching. No experience, no matter how powerful or seemingly spiritual, validates doctrine that contradicts Scripture.

What’s at Stake: The Very Nature of God

The errors in the Dake Bible aren’t peripheral issues that Christians can agree to disagree about. They strike at the very heart of Christian faith: the nature of God Himself. What we believe about God affects everything else we believe. If we get God wrong, we get everything wrong. That’s why Dake’s errors are so serious and why this book matters so much.

Consider what Dake teaches about God and what’s at stake if we accept his teaching:

Three Gods Instead of One

Dake explicitly teaches that the Trinity consists of three separate beings. In his note on 1 John 5:7, he writes: “These three (individuals-the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Ghost) are o. (one). The only sense in which three can be done is in unity—never in number of persons…They were to retain their own bodies, souls, spirits and personalities as individuals. So it is with the three Divine Members of the Divine Trinity—the separate persons in Elohim always retain their own personal body, soul, and spirit”³. This transforms Christianity from monotheism (belief in one God) to polytheism (belief in multiple gods).

Dake doubles down on this teaching: “The old idea that God exists as three persons in one person is not only unscriptural, but it is ridiculous to say the least. If there are THREE SEPARATE AND DISTINCT PERSONS as plainly stated in 1 John 5:7-8, then let this fact be settled once and forever.”¹³

What’s at stake? Everything that makes Christianity unique. The foundation of biblical faith is that there is only one God. Moses declared: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Isaiah proclaimed: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5). Jesus affirmed: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29).

If we accept Dake’s three Gods, we’re no longer worshiping the God of the Bible. We’re not even practicing Christianity anymore. We’ve created a new religion that happens to use Christian terminology. The difference between one God in three persons (the Trinity) and three separate Gods (tritheism) isn’t a minor theological distinction—it’s the difference between Christianity and paganism.

A God with a Physical Body

Dake teaches that God has a physical body complete with hands, feet, eyes, mouth, and all other body parts. In God’s Plan for Man, he writes: “God is a person who is Spirit, infinite, eternal, immutable, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, invisible, perfect, impartial, immortal, absolutely holy and just, full of knowledge and wisdom…He is described as being like any other person as to having a body, soul, and spirit (Job 13:8; Heb. 1:3; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-7). He is a Spirit Being with a body”⁴.

He further elaborates: “He has back parts; so must have front parts (Exodus 33:23). He has a heart (Gen. 6:6; 8:21); hands and fingers (Exodus 31:18; Ps. 8:3-6; Rev. 5:1, 6-7); nostrils (Ps. 18:8, 15); mouth (Num. 12:8); lips and tongue (Isa. 30:27); feet (Ezek. 1:27; Exodus 24:10); eyes, eyelids, sight (Ps. 11:4; 18:24; 33:18)…and many other bodily parts as is required of Him to be a person with a body.”⁵

What’s at stake? God’s infinity, spirituality, and omnipresence. Jesus clearly stated: “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24). A physical body, by definition, is limited to one location. It has boundaries. It cannot be everywhere at once. If God has a body, He cannot be omnipresent. If He’s not omnipresent, He’s not the God of the Bible.

Furthermore, if God has a body like ours, then He’s not essentially different from us. He becomes just a bigger, more powerful version of humanity rather than the wholly other, transcendent Creator. This diminishes God’s majesty and uniqueness, making Him into an idol fashioned after human imagination.

A God Who Doesn’t Know Everything

While Dake claims to believe in God’s omniscience, his actual teaching repeatedly limits God’s knowledge. He states: “Omnipresence then, is different from omnibody, and is governed by relationship and knowledge of God. Like the presence of someone being felt by another who is thousands of miles away, so it is with the presence of God among men”⁶. And regarding omniscience: “This also must be understood in a limited sense, the same as omnipotence and omnipresence. Many passages show clearly that God comes to know certain acts of free and sovereign wills”⁷.

What’s at stake? Our entire confidence in God’s promises and prophecies. If God doesn’t know everything, how can He guarantee the future? How can He promise eternal life if He doesn’t know what eternity holds? How can we trust His Word if He might learn something tomorrow that changes everything? A God who doesn’t know everything cannot be trusted with anything.

A God Who Changes

Dake’s hyperliteral interpretation leads him to teach that God changes His mind, repents of decisions, and adjusts His plans based on human actions. While the Bible does use such language anthropomorphically (using human terms to help us understand God’s actions), Dake takes these passages to mean that God literally changes.

What’s at stake? The reliability of everything God has said. Malachi 3:6 declares: “For I am the LORD, I change not.” James 1:17 tells us that with God there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” If God changes, then His word today might not be His word tomorrow. His character today might not be His character forever. The God who saved you yesterday might decide differently today. Without immutability, we have no security in our salvation.

A God Who Promotes Segregation

Perhaps most shockingly, Dake teaches that God ordained racial segregation and that it’s His will for races to remain separate. In his extensive note on Acts 17:26 titled “Separation in Scripture,” Dake writes: “This verse says God made ‘all nations of men’ from ‘one blood’; it also speaks of ‘the bounds of their habitation.’ In spite of a common ancestry, from Adam first and later Noah, it was God’s will for man to scatter over the earth, to ‘be fruitful, and multiply’ (Gen. 1:28; 8:17; 9:1)…Both physically and spiritually, separation has been a consistent theme for God’s people.”⁸ He then proceeds to list “12 Reasons God Separated Israel” including: “To have a people of pure Adamite stock through whom the Messiah should come”⁹.

In God’s Plan for Man, Dake repeatedly emphasizes “pure Adamite stock”: “The purpose of Satan in this first eruption of fallen angels who lived with the daughters of men was to corrupt the human race and do away with pure Adamite stock so that Christ, the seed of the woman, could not come into the world.”¹⁴ He further states: “God planned to keep the chosen race pure Adamite stock and free from corruptions of the giant races that were then filling the land.”¹⁵

What’s at stake? The very character of God as love and justice, and the unity of the human race in creation and redemption. The Bible teaches that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men” (Acts 17:26) and that in Christ “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). If God is a racist who commands segregation, He’s not the God revealed in Jesus Christ, who died to reconcile all people to Himself and to each other.

How to Use This Book in Your Church or Study Group

This book isn’t meant to sit on a shelf or be read in isolation. It’s designed to be used actively in churches and study groups to help people recognize and recover from Dake’s errors. Here are practical ways to use this resource effectively:

For Pastors and Church Leaders

If you’re a pastor discovering that your congregation has been influenced by the Dake Bible, this book provides the documentation and biblical arguments you need to address the issue. Don’t launch an immediate attack that might alienate sincere believers. Instead:

1. Start with positive teaching. Before addressing Dake’s errors directly, preach a series on the nature of God, the Trinity, or another fundamental doctrine. Establish what the Bible actually teaches so people have a framework for recognizing error.

2. Use this book as a resource for preparation. Each chapter provides extensive quotes from Dake’s own writings, so you can show exactly what he taught. This prevents people from saying you’re misrepresenting him. The biblical refutations in each chapter give you the scriptural ammunition you need.

3. Address the issue with grace. Remember that many using the Dake Bible are sincere believers who have been deceived. They need patient teaching, not harsh condemnation. Share your own journey of learning and growing in understanding.

4. Provide alternatives. Don’t just take away the Dake Bible—recommend solid study Bibles to replace it. The ESV Study Bible, NIV Study Bible, or CSB Study Bible are good alternatives that provide helpful notes without the heretical teachings.

5. Be prepared for resistance. Some people have used the Dake Bible for decades and will be defensive about critiques. They may feel that rejecting Dake’s teaching means rejecting their entire spiritual journey. Be patient and compassionate as they process this challenge.

For Sunday School and Bible Study Teachers

This book can be used as curriculum for adult Sunday School or weeknight Bible studies. Here’s a suggested approach:

Week 1-2: Introduction. Use chapters 1-3 to establish why this study matters and who Dake was. Focus on approaching the topic with love and truth.

Week 3-6: The Nature of God. Use chapters 4-9 to study what the Bible teaches about God’s attributes. Compare Dake’s teaching with Scripture and historical Christian doctrine.

Week 7-8: Additional Errors. Select from chapters 10-13 based on your group’s needs. The chapter on racial segregation might be particularly important in diverse congregations.

Week 9-10: Moving Forward. Use chapters 16-18 to focus on positive steps forward. How can we study the Bible better? What resources should we use? How can we help others?

Each session should include reading relevant passages from this book, discussing the biblical issues, and praying for wisdom and understanding. Encourage participants to bring their questions and concerns. Create a safe environment where people can admit they’ve been influenced by error without feeling condemned.

For Individual Study

If you’re reading this book on your own, perhaps because you’ve discovered problems with the Dake Bible or someone has raised concerns, here’s how to get the most from it:

1. Pray for wisdom and humility. Ask God to show you the truth and give you the courage to accept it, even if it means admitting you’ve been wrong.

2. Have your Bible open. As you read each chapter, look up the Scripture references. Compare what the Bible actually says with what Dake teaches. Let Scripture be your final authority.

3. Check the quotes. If you have access to Dake’s books, verify the quotes for yourself. See the errors in context. This isn’t about taking anyone’s word for it but seeing the evidence yourself.

4. Research the historical position. This book shows how Dake’s teachings contradict what Christians have believed throughout history. Research these historical positions for yourself. Read the creeds and confessions mentioned.

5. Talk to trusted spiritual mentors. Share what you’re learning with your pastor or mature Christian friends. Get their input and wisdom. Don’t make this journey alone.

6. Be patient with yourself. If you’ve been using the Dake Bible for years, it may take time to unlearn its errors and relearn biblical truth. That’s okay. God is patient with us as we grow in understanding.

For Seminary and Bible College Courses

This book can serve as a supplementary text for courses on:

Systematic Theology: Use it as a case study in how theology proper (the doctrine of God) affects all other doctrines. Show how errors about God’s nature cascade into errors about salvation, humanity, and eschatology.

Hermeneutics: Dake’s hyperliteral interpretation method provides an excellent example of how not to interpret Scripture. Use his errors to teach proper interpretive principles.

Church History: Place Dake’s errors in historical context. Show how his teachings echo ancient heresies that the church has repeatedly rejected. Discuss why these errors keep recurring.

Pastoral Theology: Use this as a resource for training future pastors how to address false teaching in their congregations with both truth and grace.

Creating a Church-Wide Awareness Campaign

If Dake’s influence is widespread in your church, consider a comprehensive approach:

Phase 1: Leadership Preparation (Month 1)
• Educate elders, deacons, and key leaders about the issues
• Ensure leadership unity before addressing the congregation
• Prepare resources and alternative study materials

Phase 2: Gentle Introduction (Month 2)
• Begin preaching on the attributes of God and the Trinity
• Introduce the importance of theological accuracy in Bible study
• Start recommending alternative study resources

Phase 3: Direct Address (Month 3)
• Specifically address Dake’s errors using this book as a guide
• Provide forums for questions and discussion
• Offer grace and support to those struggling with the revelations

Phase 4: Moving Forward (Month 4 and beyond)
• Continue solid biblical teaching on essential doctrines
• Celebrate those who have grown in their understanding
• Maintain vigilance against other forms of false teaching

The Path Forward: Truth, Love, and Hope

As we begin this journey of examining Dake’s errors, it’s important to maintain the right attitude. This isn’t about winning arguments or proving we’re smarter than others. It’s about loving God enough to care about truth and loving people enough to help them escape error.

The path forward requires three essential elements:

Truth: Uncompromising Commitment to Biblical Doctrine

We must be unwavering in our commitment to biblical truth. This doesn’t mean being harsh or ungracious, but it does mean being clear. When Dake teaches three Gods, we must clearly affirm one God. When he gives God a body, we must clearly teach that God is Spirit. When he promotes segregation, we must clearly proclaim the unity of all people in Christ.

Truth matters because ideas have consequences. What we believe about God affects how we worship, how we pray, how we live, and how we relate to others. False doctrine doesn’t stay in our heads—it works its way into our hearts and hands. That’s why Paul spent so much time combating false teaching. He knew that theological errors produce spiritual casualties.

But truth must be spoken in love. Ephesians 4:15 calls us to speak “the truth in love.” Truth without love becomes a weapon that wounds rather than heals. Love without truth becomes sentimentality that enables error rather than correcting it. We need both, held in perfect balance.

Love: Compassionate Concern for Those Affected

Everyone influenced by Dake’s errors is someone made in God’s image, someone for whom Christ died, someone precious to the Lord. They’re not enemies to be defeated but brothers and sisters to be restored. Some have used the Dake Bible for decades. It may have been a gift from a beloved parent or mentor. Letting go of it may feel like betrayal or loss. We must be sensitive to these emotional realities.

Love means being patient with those who are slow to see the errors. It means answering the same questions multiple times without frustration. It means celebrating small steps toward truth rather than demanding instant complete understanding. It means weeping with those who feel devastated by the discovery that their trusted study Bible contains heresy.

Love also means being honest about our own journey. Many who now recognize Dake’s errors once used his Bible themselves. Sharing our own process of discovery and growth helps others feel less alone and less condemned. We’re all learning and growing. None of us has perfect understanding. Humility is essential.

Hope: Confidence in God’s Truth and Grace

Despite the seriousness of Dake’s errors and their widespread influence, we have reason for hope. Truth is stronger than error. Light dispels darkness. The gates of hell cannot prevail against Christ’s church. God’s Word will accomplish its purpose. These aren’t just platitudes but promises we can trust.

We have hope because the Holy Spirit is still active, leading God’s people into truth. Many who once accepted Dake’s errors have come to recognize and reject them. Churches that once promoted the Dake Bible have removed it from their bookstores. Pastors who once preached from it have publicly corrected their teaching. Truth is advancing.

We have hope because resources like this book are available to help people understand the issues. We’re not fighting alone or without weapons. We have Scripture, we have the witness of church history, we have sound theological resources, and we have the fellowship of faithful believers. Together, we can address these errors and help people return to biblical truth.

Most importantly, we have hope because God is gracious. He doesn’t reject us for being deceived. He doesn’t cast us off for believing errors. He patiently teaches us, gently corrects us, and lovingly draws us back to truth. His grace is sufficient for all our failures, including our theological mistakes.

What You’ll Find in This Book

This book is organized to systematically address Dake’s major errors while providing biblical correction and pastoral guidance. Here’s what you’ll discover in the coming chapters:

Part One: Introduction and Foundation

Chapter 2 will introduce you to Finis Jennings Dake himself—his background, his claims to authority, his moral failures, and his ongoing influence. Understanding the man helps us understand his errors.

Chapter 3 exposes the root of Dake’s problems: his hyperliteral hermeneutic. You’ll learn how his approach to interpreting Scripture, while claiming to take the Bible seriously, actually distorts its message.

Part Two: The Destruction of God’s Nature

Chapters 4-9 examine Dake’s systematic attack on the nature of God. You’ll see his own words teaching three Gods instead of one, giving God a physical body, limiting His presence, knowledge, and power, and undermining other essential divine attributes. These chapters form the heart of our critique because errors about God are the most serious of all theological mistakes.

Part Three: Additional Major Errors

Chapters 10-13 address other significant problems in Dake’s teaching: his racial segregation doctrine, his Gap Theory and pre-Adamite races, his extreme dispensationalism, and his speculation about angels and demons. While these might seem less central than his errors about God, they demonstrate the comprehensive nature of his theological problems.

Part Four: The Impact and Influence

Chapters 14-15 trace Dake’s influence on modern movements, particularly the Word of Faith movement and certain streams within the Assemblies of God. You’ll see how his errors have multiplied and mutated as they’ve spread through contemporary Christianity.

Part Five: Moving Forward in Truth

Chapters 16-18 provide practical guidance for helping those influenced by Dake, establishing solid foundations for Bible study, and protecting churches from theological error. The conclusion offers hope and encouragement for the journey ahead.

Appendices: Additional Resources

The appendices provide quick references, comparison charts, key quotes from Dake’s works, and practical tools for leaders addressing these issues in their churches.

Why You Should Keep Reading

Perhaps you’re wondering if you really need to read this entire book. Maybe you’re thinking, “I get it—Dake had some problems. Do I need all the details?” The answer is yes, and here’s why:

First, the errors are comprehensive and interconnected. It’s not just one or two mistakes but a whole system of error. Understanding the full scope helps you recognize how deeply these teachings may have affected your thinking.

Second, you need documentation. When you talk to others about these issues, they’ll want proof. This book provides extensive quotes from Dake’s own writings so you can show exactly what he taught. You’ll have the evidence you need to help others see the truth.

Third, you need biblical refutation. It’s not enough to know Dake was wrong; you need to know what the Bible actually teaches. Each chapter provides thorough biblical arguments against Dake’s errors and for orthodox doctrine.

Fourth, you need historical perspective. Understanding how Dake’s errors relate to ancient heresies and historical Christian doctrine helps you see why these issues matter and why the church has always rejected such teachings.

Fifth, you need pastoral guidance. Recognizing error is only the first step. You also need to know how to recover from it, how to help others, and how to prevent future deception. This book provides practical wisdom for the journey ahead.

A Personal Appeal

As we conclude this introduction, let me make a personal appeal. If you’ve been using the Dake Bible, please don’t let pride prevent you from considering the evidence in this book. We all make mistakes. We all have blind spots. We all need correction at times. There’s no shame in admitting we’ve been wrong and changing course. In fact, it takes courage and humility—virtues God honors.

If you’re a pastor or teacher who has promoted the Dake Bible, you have a particular responsibility to investigate these claims. James 3:1 warns: “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” Those who teach God’s Word will be held to a higher standard. If you’ve been inadvertently spreading error, now is the time to correct it.

If you’re someone who has been hurt by Dake’s teachings—perhaps you’ve experienced discrimination justified by his segregation doctrine, or you’ve been confused by his portrayal of God—know that the true God revealed in Scripture is not like Dake’s distortion. Don’t let false teaching drive you from faith. Instead, let it drive you deeper into God’s Word to discover who He really is.

If you’re a concerned friend or family member of someone using the Dake Bible, approach them with patience and love. Share this book as a resource, but don’t attack or condemn. Pray for wisdom and opportunity. Remember that changing deeply held beliefs takes time.

The Ultimate Issue: The Glory of God

Ultimately, this book exists for one primary purpose: the glory of God. When we teach falsely about God, we rob Him of glory. When we portray Him as three beings instead of one, we diminish His uniqueness. When we give Him a body, we reduce His transcendence. When we limit His knowledge and power, we deny His infinity. When we attribute prejudice to Him, we malign His character.

God’s glory matters more than our comfort, more than our traditions, more than our favorite study Bible. Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify thy name” (John 12:28). That should be our prayer too. We should care more about God’s honor than our own. We should be more concerned with truth than with convenience. We should prioritize God’s glory over everything else.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism famously asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” We cannot glorify a god of our own imagination. We cannot enjoy a god who doesn’t exist. We can only truly glorify and enjoy the God revealed in Scripture—the one true God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

This is the God obscured by Dake’s errors. This is the God we seek to honor by exposing those errors. This is the God we want others to know and love. Not Dake’s limited, physical, changing deity, but the limitless, spiritual, immutable God of the Bible.

Conclusion: The Journey Begins

You now stand at the threshold of an important journey—a journey from error to truth, from confusion to clarity, from deception to biblical faith. It won’t always be easy. You may discover that beliefs you’ve held for years are wrong. You may need to unlearn before you can learn. You may face resistance from others who aren’t ready to hear the truth.

But this journey is worth taking. Jesus promised, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). There is freedom in truth—freedom from error, freedom from confusion, freedom from the bondage of false doctrine. This freedom is worth whatever discomfort the journey might bring.

As you read the following chapters, remember that the goal isn’t merely intellectual knowledge but spiritual transformation. We don’t just want to know about God; we want to know God Himself. We don’t just want correct doctrine; we want deeper relationship with the living Lord. We don’t just want to win arguments; we want to win souls for Christ.

Remember too that you’re not alone on this journey. Millions of Christians throughout history have stood for truth against error. The great creeds and confessions of the church represent the collective wisdom of generations of believers who fought these same battles. You stand in a long line of faithful witnesses who refused to compromise on essential truth.

More importantly, the Holy Spirit accompanies you on this journey. Jesus promised that the Spirit would guide us into all truth (John 16:13). He is your teacher, your guide, your comforter. Trust Him to illuminate Scripture, to reveal error, and to establish you in truth.

The church needs people who will stand for truth in an age of confusion. We need believers who can recognize error and refute it biblically. We need Christians who love God’s Word enough to study it carefully and submit to its authority completely. Perhaps God has brought you to this book to equip you for such a time as this.

So turn the page and continue reading. Learn about Finis Dake and his errors, not to become an expert in false doctrine but to become established in true doctrine. Study the refutations not to win debates but to worship God more accurately. Apply the lessons not to condemn others but to help them find freedom in truth.

The journey from Dake’s errors to biblical truth is really a journey to God Himself—the true God, the living God, the God revealed in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. This God is infinitely more wonderful than any human imagination could conceive. He is more powerful than Dake’s limited deity, more loving than Dake’s segregating god, more trustworthy than Dake’s changing being. He is worthy of accurate worship, proper doctrine, and complete devotion.

May God bless you as you continue reading. May He open your eyes to truth, establish your heart in sound doctrine, and use you to help others escape error. May this book be a tool in His hands to purify His church and glorify His name. And may you, at the end of this journey, know Him better, love Him more, and serve Him more faithfully than ever before.

Welcome to the journey. The truth awaits.

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Footnotes

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