[Please read the introduction for context to all subsequent posts.]
This series is specifically addressed to those good people who are worshipping and serving the Lord Jesus Christ in what is often called, Pentecostal / Charismatic churches. These posts are provided to find a quick answer to some of the more often asked questions regarding our Spirit-filled practices. So let us begin…
Not all continuationists are the same.
This is perhaps the most glaring error of those who criticize Pentecostalism. It was my first mistake as I entered these churches to minister in 1989. I falsely assumed all churches who preached and practiced some form of continualism were the same. This is not the case. There is a lazy conflation and over generalization when it comes to critiquing and discussing Pentecostal theology. In much the same way the label “Baptist” or “Reformed” can take many forms of doctrinal expression and practice, so can the label Pentecostal. There are Southern Baptists, Independent Baptists, Free-Will Baptists, American Baptists, Northern Baptists, Missionary Baptists, General Baptists, etc. Not all baptists are the same (just ask one). This could also be said of Reformed churches. There are various expressions of “reformed” which emphasize certain theological distinctives or doctrinal nuances in their circles. There are “Reformed” Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Lutheran, Dutch, and the like. These dynamics should surprise no one who has ministered in evangelical circles. It is common knowledge. And yet, despite this easily identified mosaic, Spirit-filled circles tend to get fused and melded together by their critics. Perhaps it’s because agreeing on the present activity of the Holy Spirit, the legitimacy of the present operation of all the spiritual gifts, and the current ministry expression of Apostles and Prophets, makes it appear all these groups are in doctrinal lockstep. This is not the case and there are some important distinctions.
Let’s begin with distinguishing between Pentecostal and Charismatic. While certain elements of their practices look (and quite often are) similar, there are some elements which are worthy of distinction.
Pentecostalism was birthed out of the American Holiness Movement which sprung out of Wesleyan theology and Methodism. Most scholars point to January 1, 1901, as the date the movement began in Topeka, Kansas, when Agnes Ozman spoke in tongues at Charles Fox Parham’s Bethel Bible School. This event marked the identification of speaking in tongues as the initial evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, forming the theological foundation of the movement. It eventually spilled over to Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906 and began spreading across the globe. It is important to know, that through the years some modification has taken place over the term “initial” evidence to the concept of “expected” or “anticipated” evidence. The reason historical background has importance is because Pentecostalism tends to have more doctrinal uniformity and cohesion. Its roots generally reflect Wesleyan/Arminian theology. Like many groups, it has experienced various splits over polity and doctrinal emphases, but its formation had a more specific doctrinal mooring.
The Charismatic Movement had a different lineage. This movement is widely recognized to have begun on April 3, 1960, when Episcopal priest Dennis Bennett announced to his Van Nuys, California congregation that he had experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. While this was initially likened to earlier Pentecostalism, this 1960s movement jumped the fence of traditional Pentecostalism and spread these experiences into mainstream Protestant churches, and later (1967) Roman Catholicism. If you think that could be problematic with some Pentecostals, you would be correct. There were a number of tensions in the 1960’s through the early 1980’s concerning Charismatics even amongst Pentecostals. Why? Because Charismatics had a wider swath of doctrinal expression. You could be a Calvinist or an Arminian. You could be a Lutheran, High-Church Episcopalian, or Catholic. You could hold to just about any theological construct and claim to have experienced the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It was from this dynamic, that preaching and teaching began to take place. This is why within the broader Charismatic Movement, you have various fellowships, tribes, and emphases. This is also why, not all Charismatic practices or doctrine are necessarily endorsed by other Charismatics or Pentecostal preachers and teachers. It is not a homogeneous movement. There were early controversies in Charismatic / Pentecostal circles concerning the style of worship, the nature of deliverance, over how much autonomy does a believer have to pray in tongues, eschatology, and pastoral authority as it relates to church government to name but a few. The foundational culture and character of the Holiness Movement and mainline Protestantism could not be more different which has produced problematic ditches on both sides of the spectrum. One ditch is legalism and the other ditch is antinomianism. These ditches do not reflect the whole of either movement.
What difference does it all make?
Lots, in my opinion. You cannot critique Pentecostalism, or for that matter Charismatics, with the stroke of a broad brush and forcing certain theological or ministry uniformity where there is none. It would be analogous to critiquing ALL reformed believers as paedobaptists (infant baptism), postmillennialists, or theonomists. Clearly, there are vast doctrinal differences in Reformed circles and any critique should parse that carefully. However, that kingdom courtesy is rarely afforded to Pentecostal believers. Conferences, podcasts, and videos are created for the sheer purpose of “burning the Charismatic Movement to the ground” (their quote, not mine) by using 30-second video clips which are used to paint the whole movement as heretical. That sad reality needs to come to an end.
And so for those of you who would number yourselves as a part of the global 650,000,000 Spirit-Filled (Pentecostal) branch of Christianity, please be at peace. Don’t let self-appointed doctrinal popes cause you to question what God has wrought in your heart and confirmed through the Scriptures. You are not the heretics. In fact, most of the criticism that gets thrown out there is limited to the periphery. The vast majority of us aren’t in that lane. If you are in a faithful, Bible-believing and preaching church, you are a part of Christ’s inheritance in the earth. In fact, your Pentecostal witness brings much to the Great Commission table (Which, by the way, some “Reformed” folks believe was fulfilled before A.D. 70.). Bet not everyone knew that.
Till next time…
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