PENTECOSTALISM
- Christian
revival or
just the drift
back to Rome?
*******************************************
Apart
from Acts 2 and one or two isolated outbreaks
in history, what we have today started in America in 1901.
It seemed to
die out in 1911 but made a resurgence in the 60’s under the banner
of
the Charismatic Movement.
NOT
MANY PEOPLE HAVE A
KNOWLEDGE OF
THE ROOTS OF
MODERN DAY
PENTECOSTALISM AND
ITS DARK
PURPOSES.
As
with many popular movements, people
don’t want
to delve too deeply especially
if
they’re having a good time. Critics have brought
forth the howls of ‘negativism’
and
‘quenching of the spirit’.
WE’LL
LOOK AT:
1.
The founders of the 20th century
movement -
examining their
doctrines
& lives.
2.
The real purposes of Pentecostalism in
blurring
denominational lines – enabling
Rome to
welcome back the “separated
brethren”.
************************************
“Pentecostalism
is no longer a separate
denomination
but AN EXPERIENCE that
crosses
all denominational boundary lines.”
“The
drift toward Rome has become like that place
in the river where the boatsman
reaches
the POINT OF NO RETURN as the
water
rushes on toward the falls.”
HISTORY OF
20TH CENTURY PENTECOSTALISM
The hallmark
of the Reformation was for believers,
with objective certainty, to focus on the work of Christ for us. The
20th
century has seen the shift of the central focus of Christ’s experience
to the
Christian’s experience.
Luther said:
“WHOEVER DEPARTS FROM THIS ARTICLE OF JUSTIFICATION DOES
NOT KNOW GOD AND IS AN IDOLATOR. FOR WHEN THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN
AWAY,
NOTHING REMAINS BUT ERROR, HYPOCRISY, GODLESSNESS, IDOLATRY, ALTHOUGH
IT MAY
SEEM TO BE THE HEIGHT OF TRUTH, WORSHIP OF GOD AND HOLINESS.”
This is the
error of Pentecostalism in that work of Christ is relegated
to the `back seat' and the believer can focus on `higher things'. The
focus is
taken away from Christ’s experience to their own - from the objective
to the
subjective.
John Wesley
believed in justification by faith alone but his emphasis
was sanctification. However Wesley’s emphasis on sanctification was
also the
weakness of Methodism. Wesley developed the “second blessing” doctrine
(also
known as Methodist Perfectionism), but he himself was too humble and
honest to
confess anything but a strong sense of sin within himself.
Unfortunately
many of his followers weren’t as truthful. Out of this,
the “holiness” movement of the Methodist Church sprang up in the
mid1800’s. The
hallmark of this movement was characterized by the emphasis on the
`victorious,
Spirit filled life'. Today the cry is also to “Get out of Romans 7 and
into
Romans 8” - which is contrary to what the Reformers taught.
In the 1890’s
the Methodist church took a stand against the `holiness'
movement and by 1900, 23 holiness denominations were founded. The
logical
outcome of this religious trend was the appearance of a 20th century
`holiness'
movement started by Charles Parham in 1900.
He urged his
students to recapture the experience of Pentecost and Agnus
Ozman, an unmarried 30 year old woman with a reputation for seeking the
sensational and mystical, spoke in an `unknown tongue' in 1901.
This started
the new doctrine of “baptism with the spirit with the
evidence of speaking in tongues”. W.J. Seymour, another Parham student,
set up
in Azusa St, with the same doctrine, until things got out of control.
Upon
invitation, Parham came to check out events and found `familiar
spirit' occurrences, hypnotic influences and all kinds of spells and
spasms. He
promptly denounced the movement he had encouraged to start. Azusa St
wound up
in 1911 with Seymour also refuting the “new doctrine”. Parham had a
tragic life
till his death in 1929. A viral brain infection accounting for mental,
psychological and social disorders saw the Methodist Church reject his
ordination. All the while he refused medical treatment saying that
serious
diseases were demonic. He denied the doctrine of eternal punishment. He
was
arrested for homosexual acts in Texas and although many continued to
called him
“father”, he was tagged as a fallen prophet. Funds he raised for a trip
to find
the Holy Land `Ark of the Covenant' mysteriously disappeared as a
result of his
claim of being robbed in New York.
OTHER
FOUNDERS OF THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT
A.A.
ALLEN: *Claimed to turn $1
notes into $20 notes *Jumped bail after arrested for drunk driving
*Defrocked
by the Assemblies of God *Leg lengthening account captured on film
later
discarded by doctors as fraud *Exaggerated stories of 400 pound woman
losing
half her weight in one night after tent meeting *He died of liver
poisoning due
to acute alcoholism. JOHN G LAKE: *His `anointed' bubble gum `healed'
those who
had a chew *He anointed rocks, which `healed' when touched. JOHN DOWIE:
*Claimed to be the prophet Elijah. MARIA WOODWORTH ETTER: *Built a
church named
after herself *Practised trances *Passed on the gifts of the Spirit
through her
hands *Passed the `mantle' onto Aimee-Semple McPherson. AIMEE-SEMPLE
McPHERSON:
*Faked her own kidnapping to carry out an adulterous affair *Had three
husbands,
the third left his wife and children to marry her. *The marriage was
short
lived as she had a nervous breakdown and her husband filed for divorce
*She
died from an overdose of sleeping pills *She passed the `mantle' onto
Kathryn
Kuhlman. KATHRYN KUHLMAN: *Married a man who divorced his wife, so he
could
marry her *Had an audience with the Pope and `felt a oneness' with him
*Her
`anointing' received by Benny Hinn. JACK COE: *Picked people up out of
wheel
chairs. If they fell he said they didn’t have enough faith. *Defrocked
by the
AOG in 1953. SMITH WIGGLESWORTH: *Punched corpses hoping to revive them
*Punched cancer victims till they died hoping they’d come alive again
*His
daughter never healed from deafness *He suffered with gallstones and
sciatica
*He believed physical healing to be part of the Atonement and sickness
came
from the devil *The woman who “baptized Him in the spirit” was an
invalid for
the last 16 years of her life *His wife died of sickness - 6 years
after he
became a Pentecostal * His son died 2 years after his wife *He was
against the
use of all medicine. LESTER SUMMERAL: *Falsely prophesied he would see
Jesus
return before 1999. He has since died. *Exposed for fraud and misuse of
funds.
WILLIAM BRANHAM: *A.H. Pohl, a confidant of Branham, said all his
healings
& miracles were false. *Many supposedly healed died. Not one case
of
genuine healing was ever documented. *Branham believed God’s Word
consisted of
the Zodiac, Egyptian pyramids and the Scriptures. *He thought he was
Elijah come
again *He believed Jesus was a created being *He believed hell was not
eternal
*He proclaimed himself the angel of Rev 3:14 and 10:7 *He denied the
Trinity
*Would show photos of himself with a halo *He claimed to have a
personal angel
who did the healing for him.
ALL OF THE FOUNDERS OF
PENTECOSTALISM HAD NERVOUS
BREAKDOWNS, WENT
INSANE, BECAME DRUNKS OR DRUG ABUSERS OR TAUGHT
THE WORST OF HERETICAL
TEACHINGS.
BENNY HINN:
*Believed
Jesus died two deaths (heresy) *Jesus went to hell and became
one with Satan and took on his nature (heresy) *Jesus lost His deity
for a time
in hell (heresy) *Believes in three Gods - each being triune in them
self
(heresy) * Had the Holy Spirit not been with Jesus He would have sinned
(heresy) *Jesus was man and not deity (heresy) *If the Holy Ghost had
changed
His mind, Jesus would have lain in the grave forever (heresy) *Hinn
teaches “We
are gods” and are “becoming God” (heresy) *Hinn believes “we are
everything
that He is and ever shall be.” (heresy) *Never go to God and say “if it
be Your
will.” (heresy) *Exposed for fraudulent practices and false teachings
*Assisted
in giving the Pope the “Prince of Peace” award *Sings the praises of
the Pope
and Roman Catholicism
*************************
WHAT
DOES ROME THINK ABOUT ALL THIS? Louis Bouyer,
recognized Roman Catholic author, says Pentecostalism “...recalls the
best and
most authentic elements of the Catholic tradition...a complete
rediscovery of
Catholicism ...will bring a reconciliation between Protestants and
Roman Catholicism”.
With the Pentecostal revival he urges his fellow Catholics to prepare
for the
inevitable return of the “separated brethren”.
From 1900 to
1960, the growth of Pentecostalism took place outside of
mainstream Protestantism. In 1960, it began to jump denominational
boundaries -
no longer being regarded as a separate denomination but an experience
which
crossed all faiths.
Benedictine
monk, Edward O’Connor, says: “Pentecostal churches aren’t
typically Protestant in their beliefs, attitudes or practices ...they
are not
an incursion into Roman Catholicism ...the spiritual experience of
those
touched by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Pentecostal movement is
in
profound harmony with the classical spiritual theology of Roman
Catholicism.
Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, many people have been brought
back to
the sacrament of Penance ...others have re-discovered a place for
devotion to
Mary ...one of the most striking effects of the Holy Spirit’s action
has been
to stir up devotion to the Real Presence in the Eucharist (Jesus
actually being
the wafer) “
THE ECUMENICAL
PHASE OF PENTECOSTALISM Neo-Pentecostalism (The
Charismatic Movement) In the 1970’s has brought Protestant and Catholic
churches together. Dr Van Dusen (Roman Catholic) says that this
movement holds
the hope of `healing the wound' of the 16th century.
This
Protestant Catholic union is not based on fundamental Biblical
doctrine but drowns in a sea of religious subjectivism with scarcely
one
extrinsic, objective thought in it. Dialogue between Pentecostal
leaders and
Rome focuses on the “in and in and in” which is a return to sentimental
medieval mysticism.
This however
is remarkably prophesied in Revelation 13, which clearly
foretells of the restoration of the Whore of Babylon (Rome) to enslave
the
minds and consciences of men.
It is now
considered blasphemous to speak against those who “have the
Spirit”. This preoccupation with the internal experience is leading
untold
millions back to the religious philosophy of Rome.
Martin Luther
soundly unimpressed by `Spirit filled' leaders crying “The
Spirit! The Spirit!”, responded by saying “I slap your spirit on the
snout!”.
He saw the great truth of justification was being opposed by a “spirit
filled
Pentecostal fervour”. We are now at a time when it is almost too late.
The
drift toward Rome has become like that place in the river where the
boatsman
reaches the point of no return as the water rushes on toward the falls.
This time the
conflict has finished and the old denominational boundary
lines have been rolled away. There is now a religious regrouping and on
one
side - the union of the Roman Catholics, the pseudo-Protestants and the
Pentecostals. This grouping is described in Revelation 13 and appears
to have
the `conversion' of the world nearly accomplished.
On the other side
there will be the movement of “by faith alone, by Christ alone, by
grace alone,
the Scriptures alone”.
WHICH SIDE WILL YOU BE ON?
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
