Page 112 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT

It is not uncommon to find Pentecostals and feature of Pentecostalism and it is certainly a feature of
Charismatics ridiculing a “Bible only” position. John the modern Charismatic movement.
Wimber warned against “worshipping the book” and For example, in 1994 Phillip Johnson visited the
mocked those who judge everything strictly by the Bible, Anaheim Vineyard, pastored by the late John Wimber,
saying they have “God the Father, God the Son, and God and he and the rest of the congregation were told by
the Holy Book” (Wimber, as cited in Hank Hanegraaff, one of the Vineyard pastors:
Counterfeit Revival, p. 109). On another occasion “In a moment I’m going to call down the Holy Spirit.
Wimber warned against being “too rigid” and “too Things like you’ve never seen will begin to happen. …
heavily oriented to the written Word” (Ibid.). To the Don’t be alarmed by anything you see … And above
contrary, the Psalmist said the written Word “is a lamp all, don’t try to rationally evaluate the things you will
unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). It see. … SUBJECTING THE REVIVAL TO DOCTRINAL
is impossible to be too strongly oriented toward the TESTS IS THE SUREST WAY TO PUT OUT THE
Bible! In his healing seminar, Wimber made the FIRE” (Phillip R. Johnson, “My Visit to the Anaheim
following amazing statement, “It is evil when you hide Vineyard,” 1995, www.gty.org:80/~phil/articles/
behind doctrinal beliefs that curtail and control the laught.htm).
work of the Spirit. … The Church today is committing At the same meeting a woman church staff member
evil in the name of sound doctrine. And they are led in public prayer with these appalling words:
quenching the work of the Holy Spirit” (Wimber, “We refuse to critique with our minds the work that
Healing Seminar Series, cited from Testing the Fruit of the You want to do in our hearts. WE REFUSE TO
Vineyard by John Goodwin). This mindset undermines SUBJECT YOUR WORK TO OUR LITTLE DOCTRINAL
the authority of the Bible and leaves one open to TESTS.”
spiritual delusion. If the Holy Spirit operates contrary to In his book The Touch of God, Rodney Howard-
the Word of God in any sense whatsoever, there is no Browne warns, “If you come in and try to analyze or try
way to discern between the true Spirit and false spirits to work out what’s happening in these meetings with
and the Bible cannot be the sole and final authority in your mind, you’ll miss it” (p. 99). When dealing with
the believer’s life. people who come forward to receive “the anointing,”
Charismatic Anglican Michael Harper warns about Howard-Browne repeatedly instructs them, “Don’t pray.
those that “set up alarm systems and squat nervously GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE WAY!”
behind protective walls” (These Wonderful Gifts, p. 107). When Dale Brooks, pastor of an Assemblies of God
Of those that believe “the Bible is God’s final word,” congregation in Tampa, Florida, shut down his own
Harper says, “[For them God] has been silent ever since. services and urged his people to attend the Rodney
He is not allowed to address His people except through Howard-Browne crusade in Lakeland in 1993, he
the words of the Bible” (These Wonderful Gifts, p. 104). advised: “Don’t fight it. Enjoy it. Walk in it. DON’T TRY
This is a complete misrepresentation of what we believe TO FIGURE IT OUT” (Charisma, August 1993).
and it is a trick that is typical of Pentecostal- Colin Dye, a promoter of the Pentecostal Laughing
Charismatics. We do not believe that God has been Revival in England, says: “We must not dare test the
silent since the completion of the Scripture or that He is work of the Spirit!” (Directions magazine, April 1995).
not allowed to speak except through the words of the In a Brownsville Assembly of God service on Feb. 22,
Bible. We believe, rather, that the canon of Scripture is 1996, Stephen Hill said he could discern that the devil
settled and that whereas the preaching and teaching of had sent analyzers to the service and warned the
the Word under the Holy Spirit’s unction is legitimate, congregation against analyzing. “He went on to say,
speaking by fresh revelation is not. We believe that ‘LET YOURSELVES GO: DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT
every doctrine and practice must be and can be tested WHAT YOU ARE DOING; forget about those around you
by the Scripture and we do not believe that God speaks and what they are doing. Release your mind; release
anything that is different from or contrary to the your spirit; and let the mighty river of the Holy Ghost
Scripture. We believe that God personally leads His take you wherever He wants you to go’” (Jimmy
people by His Spirit but He never leads contrary to the Robbins, Revival … Or Satanic Counterfeit. Feb. 1996,
Bible. Southern Pines, NC: Midnight Cry Ministries,
The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement typically www.midcry.org/revival.htm).
encourages people to be open to new doctrines and Dennis Bennett, an Episcopalian priest who was
experiences and not to “put God in a box” by carefully influential in the founding of the Charismatic movement
testing everything with Scripture. There have been in the early 1960s, tells many stories of how people
exceptions, of course, but this has been a common were “baptized by the Holy Spirit” after they stopped
analyzing and just “opened themselves to God.” For

112 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity