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The Charismatic Movement— of the World, Not of God

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The Charismatic Movement— of the World, Not of God The Testimony, December 2001 455 formed during daylight hours, it may be that not fully ‘begotten’ until the flesh was utterly Christ was not immortalised until later on the destroyed. 18th, after the night-time hours were over. When This latter eight-day period (starting from the he said to Mary at the tomb, “Do not hold me, 10th) is the central one, spanning the dates be- for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (Jno. tween the crossings of the River Jordan and the 20:17), it therefore seems likely that he was refer- Red Sea. Perhaps in this way it encompasses the ring to his impending glorification rather than symbolism associated with both crossings. The his coming ascension to heaven in forty days’ week of our deliverance neither began nor ended time. with the day of Passover (14th), but was pre- It is in the context of Yeshua’s immortality cisely centred on it. It is significant that the be- that the Father said of him, “Thou art My Son, lievers memorialise Christ’s death, burial and this day have I begotten thee” (Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Acts resurrection each first day of the week. Not only 13:33, AV). Here is an echo from the occasions of is this the day he was raised, it was also the the two national circumcisions: “on that very eighth day of the previous great week of re- day the LORD [Yahweh] brought the people of demption. Our longed-for release from sin’s flesh Israel out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 12:51); and, was first realised in Christ on that day, and the “This day I have rolled away the reproach of means for our salvation was at last complete. Egypt from you” (Josh. 5:9). Just as the oppres- sion and reproach of Egypt were not removed I would like to thank Sister Adele Deadman for edit- until the people were circumcised, so Christ was ing this article. PP EDITOR: Trevor Maher, 5 Birch Court, Doune, PP Principles, Preaching Perthshire, FK16 6JD. Tel. 01786 841830; P e-mail: [email protected] PPP and Problems The Charismatic movement— of the world, not of God Nigel Bernard and laid the foundations for the development of The Charismatic movement is one of the the later Charismatic movement. fastest growing movements in the world The Charismatic movement itself began in the today. In this article we consider its ori- 1960s. In 1960 a rector in California called Dennis gins, and highlight the dangers which it Bennett began reporting that members of his presents to those who seek to live ac- church were speaking in tongues. Pentecostal cording to the law and testimony of God. churches had been claiming this for the previous fifty years or so, but what was different about this church was that it was not Pentecostal but N 1906, IN A former Methodist Church in Episcopal (Anglican). Soon other Anglican and Azusa Street, Los Angeles, a Pentecostal re- Protestant churches began to make similar claims. Ivival began whose reverberations are still be- By the end of the 1960s the movement was gain- ing felt today. It was led by a preacher named ing a foothold within the Roman Catholic Church, William J. Seymour, and lasted for a period of and in the early 1970s even the Greek Orthodox three years. It laid particular emphasis on the Church had within it those who claimed to gifts of the Holy Spirit. Although only short- be Charismatics. In 1991, at a conference of Char- lived, the Azusa Street Revival, as it became ismatic leaders in Brighton, England, it was re- known, influenced many people across the world, ported that 390 million people throughout one 456 The Testimony, December 2001 hundred countries across the world were Char- the world”, “For all that is in the world, the lust ismatics. In 1998 the estimated number of adher- of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the ents had grown to around 500 million.1 pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the The word ‘charismatic’ derives from the Greek world” (2:16). All the strange phenomena associ- New Testament word charisma, translated ‘gift’ ated with the Charismatics can be explained by in the AV. The related word charis is the word reference to the thinking of the flesh. for ‘grace’. An example of where both words The thinking of the flesh finds the Charis- occur together is found in Romans 12:6: “Having matic revival, with its humanistic emphasis on then gifts [charisma] differing according to the self and the feelings experienced by self, appeal- grace [charis] that is given to us, whether proph- ing and beguiling. 500 million adherents is evi- ecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion dence of this. It is hardly surprising, therefore, of faith”. The possession of gifts is just one as- that some Christadelphians have been tempted pect of the effect of the Holy Spirit claimed by to become Charismatics. In Ephesians 4 the Apos- the Charismatic movement. One writer has de- tle Paul writes about the Spirit gifts and also scribed the Charismatic movement as follows: about the false doctrines which can blow a be- “Speaking or singing in tongues (‘glossola- liever off course: lia’) is common: words are uttered, not in a “And he gave some, apostles; and some, language usually spoken by the person in- prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, volved, but in a language of transcendent pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the prayer and praise. Worship is often exuber- saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ant but fine singing and silence are signifi- edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come cant features in some churches. in the unity of the faith, and of the knowl- “The importance of a direct experience of edge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, God’s Holy Spirit is stressed and charismatic unto the measure of the stature of the fulness worship generates a sense of warm fellow- of Christ: that we henceforth be no more chil- ship . The gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians dren, tossed to and fro, and carried about 12–14) are encouraged, including the gift of with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of healing through prayer . .”.2 men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they In recent years the experiences attributed to lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth the Holy Spirit by Charismatics have become in love, may grow up into him in all things, increasingly bizarre. In 1994 a movement started which is the head, even Christ” (vv. 11-15). in the Airport Church in Toronto which claimed The Charismatic movement is a prime latter- that a new outpouring of the Spirit had occurred day example of a “wind of doctrine” which must to initiate a worldwide revival of the Church. be resisted. The way to resist these winds, says Known as ‘The Toronto Blessing’, its followers Paul, is to speak “the truth in love”. The Spirit experience such things as lying on the ground gifts in the first century were a help in this re- for several minutes, sometimes laughing or cry- spect because the words of truth spoken by the ing. Others may bark or roar like animals. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teach- ers provide a strong foundation which can resist False prophets the strongest of winds: “ye are . built upon Isaiah 8:20 provides a starting point for analys- the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Je- ing the Charismatic movement: “To the law and sus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” to the testimony: if they speak not according to (2:19,20). this word, it is because there is no light in them”. We have seen that the Charismatic movement Sound teaching originated amongst people who do not hold the The Charismatic movement mimics the first-cen- Truth. They do not speak according to the Word tury ecclesia by its claim to Spirit gifts. This can of God, but believe false doctrines. John said: deceive us if we are not wise. However, it is not “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the difficult to see the differences between the first- spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” 1. See M. Collins and M. A. Price, The Story of Christian- (1 Jno. 4:1). The beliefs of the Charismatics show ity, London, Dorling Kindersley, 1999, p. 225. that they are not “of God”. If the Charismatic 2. J. Young, Teach Yourself Christianity, 1996, London, movement is not “of God” then it must be “of Hodder and Stoughton, p. 188. The Testimony, December 2001 457 century gifts and the Charismatic phenomena of unto you, that your joy may be full” (1:3,4). The today. And once we see the differences we can, fellowship which they had was based on the of course, confidently reject the assertion that things John declared to them, and if they read they are identical. and believed his words then their joy would be As an example we will consider the speaking full. This fellowship is in stark contrast to that of tongues. In Acts 2 the apostles received the which the world offers, whether it comes in Char- Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. These ismatic clothing or some other guise. tongues were not unknown languages but were The gatherings and meetings of believers de- those spoken by the people who were listening scribed in the New Testament do not match the to them: “And they were all amazed and mar- descriptions given of Charismatic gatherings.
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