PENTECOSTALISM: Proof positive that being slain in the Spirit is not of God!

Man Sues Church for $2.5M After Being 'Felled by Holy Spirit' | FoxNews.Com

A man says he was so consumed by the spirit of God that he fell and hit his head while worshipping.

Now he wants Lakewind Church to pay $2.5 million for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

How can being "slain" in the Spirit be of God with results like this? Maybe when the tower fell on the 18 at Siloam it was of God, but major injuries and a million dollar lawsuit ... come on?

Charismatics, Christianity,
Holy Spirit, Pentecostalism, Religion

APPLAUSE: Calling on leaders to take responsibility!

Applause for J. Lee Grady's February first column in Charisma Magazine. The article is titled "The Fuzzy-Wuzzy World of Charismatic Morality," and calls to task several of this past year's more notorious Charismatics ... by name no less.

Brother Grady you have my respect for your courage; congratulations to Strang Communications for theirs as well.

A few weeks ago The CRIB lambasted Grady and Charisma for lacking the courage to do the right thing in light of all the embarrassments coming out of Pentecostalism the past few years. This piece, though constrained by space, takes a giant step toward calling a spade a spade.

One aspect that might be too easily ignored is the plethora of followers who trail behind these reefs and continue to support their ministries. I can only guess at their shallow theologies. God help us!

Charismatics, Christianity,
Pentecostals, Religion

PENTACOSTALISM: Good intentions; labored results!

J. Lee Grady writes Charisma Magazine's excellent and informative column, "Fire In My Bones"; his 8 January piece is entitled "Eight Prophetic Directives for 2008." Not his best work.

The article is basically a report on the "Charismatic Leadership Summit"; CLS was a two day gathering of the 61 shakers and movers of the movement. What follows is an analysis of the article's content.

The past few years have confronted our Spirit-filled brethren with one embarrassment after the other; these embarrassments are "alluded" to in the piece. In general we should be pleased they devoted most of the two days to the problems which manifested themselves during 2007. But they go back much farther.

But, if Grady's wording is indicative of the meeting itself, we shouldn't expect a change to take place anytime soon. He opens with this phrase, "2007 was a difficult year." Wow, now that is an understatement.

I could think of several words more descriptive of that disastrous year ... see here, here, and here for example. On a similar note - the article's title is not some of the magazine's best word-smithing; Grady's eight offerings provided are hardly prophetic (there is little genuinely prophetic voice in them) or directive (in the sense of ultimatums). What is more final than a truly prophetic word.

On a personal level, I was offended when the author reported this august group of believers knelt in prayer before our God Most High ...

"on the first night and repented of the pride that has tainted the American church."

Excuse me, but the body of believers I shepherd and the denomination I call home have not participated in any of the embarrassments alluded to; nor have many other well-disciplined members of "the American church" ... these have been almost wholly the purview of our Pentecostal brethren (except perhaps Lonnie Latham and Catholicism's gay priesthood).

Let me add this: if Grady meant "the American [Pentecostal/Charismatic] church" rather than the American church in general, I retract my criticism and apologize (however, a good editor should have captured that faux pas).

Also, I suspect "the holy hush" my brother mentions was more a moment of corporate conviction and shame, rather than a movement of God's Spirit ... but this is not a hill I want to die on!

The two days included ...

three sessions that focused on these questions: (1) Where is the charismatic movement headed? (2) Is the charismatic movement healthy? and (3) Is the charismatic movement making a difference?

I wonder if any of the many faithful readers of Charisma will notice the CLS's failure to answer well even one of these questions as reported by Charisma?

The following are some random thoughts on the magazine's "directives" (bold emphasis via The CRIB) ...

1. We must have personal revival. Marcus Lamb ... fought back tears as he lamented how far leaders have fallen in this day of Christian superstar scandals. “When was the last time we fasted?” he asked. “When was the last time we studied the Word just to hear from God?” Lamb believes “an alarm was sounded in 2007” that is calling each of us back to the simplicity of devotion to Jesus.

Amen! This opening salvo is one of a couple of worthwhile contributions; the following is another.

2. We must embrace humility. This was the overarching theme of the Orlando event. Robert Morris ... said we must “go overboard in humility” by being genuine, touchable and accessible. Naomi Dowdy ... noted that too many leaders today are enamored with their image or their frequent flyer status. ... .

I thought the "overarching theme" was to deal with the three questions listed above? Overall a good contribution, and one that seems to answer the three questions in this way - 1.) the movement is going in the wrong direction! 2.) No, we are not healthy! and 3.) Only in the most negative sense!

3. We are experiencing gracious judgment. Many leaders alluded to recent theological and moral scandals involving charismatic ministers. ... .

Forgive me if I seem harsh, but a meeting of this kind should be naming names and specifically labeling "scandals," so that they are held up in the light for all to acknowledge, not allude to.

4. We must balance the prosperity message. Although not everyone in the room was in agreement about the recent U.S. Senate investigation of six charismatic ministers, many called for restraint and a new attitude toward money. Several leaders, including Hispanic apostle Héctor Torres, emphasized that God is calling us to a higher standard of ethics, integrity and corporate governance. A prophetic warning was also issued: Leaders should either adopt a policy of “full disclosure” in the financial area, or they can expect “full exposure” of financial misdeeds.

Neither am I, but if my Pentecostal/Charismatic brethren would just publicly investigate their own, guys like Grassly wouldn't be tempted to call them out!

Robert Morris used the term “hyper-prosperity” to describe a theology that emphasizes wealth and personal blessing. He urged leaders to teach people “to give extravagantly, not expecting anything in return” instead of suggesting that people should “give to get.” Revivalist Rodney Howard-Browne bluntly suggested that the prosperity movement has “gone off the tracks.” ... .

Ha-ha-ha! Again, forgive me for my harshness, but this Rodney is part of the problem not part of the solution and you guys should reveal him for what he is ... a wolf in sheep's clothing, etc. [Toronto blessing, holy laughter, gold fillings, falling gold dust; good grief he shouldn't have even been there]

5. It’s time to get back to evangelism. The phrase “get back to the basics” was repeated numerous times over the course of our 24-hour session. ... .

I am intentionally avoiding the issue of women in the pulpit.

Other leaders ... cautioned against an inordinate emphasis on manifestations of the Holy Spirit. “We must get back to the core doctrines of the Bible, and test all things,” said prophetic minister Cindy Jacobs of Dallas, noting that our focus must not be on manifestations but on souls.

Define "inordinate" for me, please! How can anything truly associated with the Holy Spirit be inordinate? What you mean, then, is this: a false emphasis on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

Regarding Cindy's comment, I would ask: you mean like the rest of us have been trying to do for decades?

Rice Broocks, pastor of Bethel World Outreach Center in Nashville Tenn., said he believes our mandate for 2008 is simple: “Don’t get cute. Don’t get fancy. Go and make disciples.” He urged leaders to stop majoring in minors when evangelism has been neglected. ... .

Cute? Fancy? You mean like the name of your "church"? Now that's cute and fancy!

Notice the name is in blue and emboldened; as have been several other words in the eight quotes. This was done to highlight the number of times titillating titles are used by our more zealous brethren. Aren't they cute and fancy?

6. We must root out racism in the church. The tensest moment in the discussion came after California-based church leader Samuel Rodriguez, president for the National Association of Hispanic Evangelicals, called on the group to challenge racist attitudes toward Hispanics. He warned that unless we develop a true “kingdom DNA” in our churches—by welcoming and celebrating all ethnic groups—we will not successfully impact our culture or enact biblical justice on issues such as immigration policy. Charismatic prophet Rick Joyner also challenged what he called “spiritual bigotry” that is caused by “our prideful attitude about the groups we are associated with.”

Many of us don't think "immigration policy" is any of our business, since it's in Caesar's domain.

But more importantly, there is neither Hispanic nor non-hispanic in God's house. Brother Sam having an organization for a special ethnic group, while the NAE exists, is racist, divisive, and wasteful of God's resources!

How is your NAHE "welcoming and celebrating all ethnic groups"? How is it relating to blacks and orientals? How does a Native American join as a native American? How are your efforts helping to "develop a true 'kingdom DNA"?

These activities are a manifestation of our preoccupation with works (like this blog) and rooted in a desire to civilize mankind. That's neither the Way nor the mission!

7. Holiness is not an option. The leaders had a lively discussion on the need for proper accountability so that leaders who have moral failures can be properly restored. Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Kan. decried the “greasy grace” that quickly forgives a fallen brother but does not offer tough love and discipline. “That is no grace at all,” he said. ... .

Restoration is fine, if it follows biblical accountability, chastisement, and discipline! I agree with Bickle who obviously agrees with Bonhoeffer's concept of cheap grace.

8. God is calling us to transform society. Several leaders, including Harry Jackson of Washington, D.C., noted that American culture—and our government—is becoming increasingly hostile to the Christian faith. He and others challenged the group to become active politically, in the current presidential contest and on every level. If we run from our calling to transform culture, we may end up in a fish’s mouth like Jonah. We must engage in a kingdom mission rather than hide behind an escapist Left Behind eschatology. Barbara Wentroble, an apostolic leader from Dallas, noted that Christians for too long have viewed politics, education and the financial realm as evil when we must see those arenas as mountains to claim for Christ.

God warned us that this would happen, didn't He? But He is not calling us to "transform society"! Where is that in the Scriptures! Were're to be salt and light, yes! But in order to bring men to His throne of Grace, so that God can transform them!

We are not of this world! The things of this world are passing away, and that includes "society." My, listen to yourself!

All eight of the "prophetic directives," taken collectively, indicate a broad or general admission of a problem, several address specifics (e.g., absence of humility vs. abundance of pride; lack of fasting and prayer), several encourage direction but, on the whole, I felt they were so far from addressing the questions supposedly "on the table" that it might have been better not to waste the ink and bandwidth.

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Apostasy, Charisma Magazine,
Christianity, Pentecostalism, Religion, Scandals

JUNIOR ROBERTS: It's a start ... !

I'm surprised daddy didn't have a marker to call in on this one.

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CT Blog
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Oral Roberts University,
Richard Roberts

Paulk: A question for all Christians

The heretics of divine deception continue to rack up headlines for the secular media. It's bad enough the Bride is bloodied from without but now she's being unmercifully battered from within.

Add to the embarrassment of Senator Grassley's intent to investigate six huge mega-ministries and the continued slipping and sliding of our Episcopalian and Lutheran "brethren," Pentecostalism's penchant for heresy and debauchery ... specifically the brothers Paulk.

When all is said and done, which will be the greater contribution of the Paulk ministries ...

The number of souls delivered to Heaven and the Throne of Grace
or the number of souls delivered to Hell by their total disgrace?

This fiasco will end with the damnation of thousands as a result of the Paulk's heresies, debaucheries, deceits, immoralities, chicaneries, and continuing churchwide denials? Read the latter - SIN! Something we're all guilty of but not to the degree or with the flagrancy of these sons of Belial!

Will the tally of those rescued by their labors be sufficient to exceed those lost by their lies? Do we really believe God reckons His ledger in that manner?

The eternal question will be: How it is that congregations allow these things to happen?

RELATED CRIB POSTS ON OTHER HERETICS AND APOSTATES:

BEAM
CHARISMA
PAULKS I
PAULKS II
PAULKS III
PEARSON
PENTACOSTALISM
WHITES I
WHITES II

Apostasy, Christianity, Heresy,
Heretics, Paulks, Pentecostalism

WHITEHEADS: Once they fester, they must be popped!

I've been so disturbed by the embarrassment brought about by "Christian" leaders this year and last (Christy, Tester, Haggard, Pearson, Paulks, Whites, Bynum/Weeks), that I promised myself I wouldn't go there again.

Bottom-line, what brought me here again is J. Lee Grady's piece on Pentecostalism's huge White-head! It needs to be lanced before the whole body becomes diseased ... my opinion, not his.

I subscribe to Charisma Magazine to receive Grady's online editorial called "Fire In My Bones" ... always a good, brief read; and Grady is usually a discerning and skilled Christian-writer, but not this time.

His article, There’s a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On, coming from a charismatic leader and and magazine, is not part of the solution, it's part of the problem. At its foundation it's as carnal as "Bishop" Thomas Weeks III receiving a standing ovation from his church after pummeling his wife and being released from jail.

The article is more of the same old Christian-spin and overwrought White-wash. Friends, there is forgiveness, there is self-control, and there is restoration; but there is also condemnation! It is the only thing which will cleanse the pockmarked face of Pentecostalism. Grady even goes so far as to modify Bynum's beating with the politically correct "allegedly."

In reality, Grady is telling us sin is not the problem; he's telling the injured, who lie devastated around the intersection at Avarice and Pride, that its their fault and that THEY need to be careful about how they react to these events. See the following ...

Ultimately we must come to a place of humility as we face this crisis. We must admit that we too might stumble into compromise or moral failure if we held a stressful leadership position. How would you act if you had Juanita Bynum’s preaching skills, Randy White’s huge congregation or Ted Haggard’s access to the White House?

I am so tired of Christian leaders telling us the stress of the calling to higher position is responsible for their transgressions I could puke! That's tantamount to saying Jehovah Jireh called me but is incapable of providing what I needed to do the job He gave me.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25

The advice offered by Grady is the same-old trinity of secular psychobabble that I'm so sick to death of ...

1. It’s OK to be angry.
2. It’s necessary to grieve.
3. It’s essential to pray rather than criticize.

These very public people need to make very public demonstrations of remorse, contrition, and guilt. [Psalm 51] If the church continues to follow the world's methods of discipline the word should be removed from our lexicon.

On the surface there is nothing patently wrong with Grady's advice - in fact, one paragraph sounds more like the true heart of the writer ...

Holy anger should boil inside us as we see how the name of Jesus is maligned and misused in today’s church. We must aggressively seek accountability and integrity at a time when we have been compromised by hyper-prosperity preaching, carnal showmanship and self-absorbed charlatans. America’s pastors should lift their voices in this hour and denounce this shameful charade before the false prophets of Jezebel completely hijack the American church. The people of God need bold prophets who are not afraid to draw lines and call down the fire of holiness from heaven.

Hoorah! Amen! Preach it brother! But then he intermigles this:

For those of us watching this painful drama, it’s tempting to become cynical, discouraged or judgmental.

There's that setup word, "judgmental." The reader is warned, "Don't you dare take offense at what these dear brothers and sisters have done, don't you dare show your God given emotions ... for shame, you'll be worse than them."

Folks, this steals the prophetic voice from among us; it diminishes the prophetic office and those who hold it. Discipline becomes an anachronism.

But godly people sometimes do ungodly things—and these scandals are a clear indication of deeper issues God wants to address. In this time of unprecedented spiritual shaking we must respond properly.

There it is, the spin! The excusing of sin! The adoption of worldliness ... political correctness!

Now a setup phrase, "respond properly." In this context, a proper response would be indignation, outrage, and gnashing of teeth. But that's not what Grady is advising, is it? What in the world does properly mean to a faithful follower, when his leader has betrayed his trust? It means, "You better watch out how YOU respond; your leaders are watching you!"

Friends, the "pewsters" didn't commit these acts, the leaders did.

And this: "godly people sometimes do ungodly things" ... yes, and sometimes ungodly people do godly things. Good grief!

Before you say anything negative about Randy White, Bishop Thomas Weeks, Ted Haggard or any other leader who may have disappointed you, pray for them by name and ask God to grant them His loving correction, His amazing forgiveness and His full restoration.

Just speaking of their confessions is something negative ... we can't avoid it! Especially when addressing their sins. Does this mean they're "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law"? God help us! Unlike non-believers, authentic Christians (to their credit) confess their sins openly. Are we suggesting we cannot speak of their confessions because it's politically incorrect to do so?

I can just hear Isaiah, Amos, Malachi, and Jeremiah confronting the leaders of their day with their disappointment: "I'm angry and you've disappointed me, but I'll pray for you!"

Under normal circumstances, when a leader disappoints you, yes! But not when they've egregiously sinned against God and the church! Cleanse the Temple! Pentecostalism is surely sending the wrong message by leaving these apostates in power and encouraging others to imitate them. Is there no fear of the Lord among them?

Lee, your callers asked you a question, "What in the world is happening to the church?" Tell them, my brother, tell them! Sin and Satan have entered the hearts of Pentecostal leadership and are bringing her down. Period!

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Technorati
Read this rather interesting take on the White's split

RELATED CRIB POSTS

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MEGA CHURCHES: Finally Someone Is Making Sense ... !
MEGA CHURCHES: This Report Reminds Me of Why ... !
PENTECOSTAL FAILURE: My Imagination ... ?
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DIVORCE: Paula & Randy raising the White-flag!

Apostasy, Christianity, Church Discipline,
Mega Barns, Pentecostalism, T. D. Jakes,
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DIVORCE: Paula & Randy Raising the White Flag!

Both the secular and Christian media are reporting the breakup of the Whites ... no not The Whites the popular Bluegrass/Country musical family ... the Whites, internationally renown MegaBarn co-CEOs, prosperity-gospel proclamators, who've confessed and possessed for over fifteen years.

The married duo pastoring one of the nation's biggest churches is planning for divorce.

Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International in Tampa, Fla., announced their decision to split at their Thursday evening service, shocking most congregants and bringing some to tears. [Christian Post]

Adding a little emotional context is this ...

Members of Without Walls International Church reacted with tears and a chorus of "Oh, no's" after the Whites' announcement at Thursday night's service.Randy called Paula to the podium about an hour into the service. He was somber; Paula appeared choked up. [MSNBC - Tampa Bay Online]

I agree with Duane at The Black Informant on this one ...

I am a firm believer in scripture and the passage found in Numbers 32:23 is no exception: “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.”

But I'm not fool enough to think that these false teachers will just wilt and wither away without vocal condemnation! What but pride and greed can be at the heart of this continuing soap opera in the Pentecostal temple? Sadly there are few voices expressing outrage from within the tent [another here].

If this continues, the good people of the excitable-side of the church will be forced to hide for shame and the Pentecostal landscape will be littered with empty MegaBarns from sea to shining sea ... and I plan to be on the sidelines cheering their demise.

What I don't understand is how good decent, fairly aware people can continue to be fleeced by so many ... ssssoooooo many?

What her forthcoming divorce will mean for Family Praise Center in Northwest San Antonio remains unclear. White plans to keep Tampa as her base and continue preaching there, but she's putting down some roots here. She bought a nearly $700,000 home outside Boerne earlier this month, about the same time she was giving a five-week sermon series at Family Praise Center, founded by Bishop Rick Hawkins. Increasingly, White, Hawkins, his son and the San Antonio church have developed closer links.

White is a rising TV evangelist who has widespread appeal among evangelical Christians, particularly women. Her "Paula White Today" show is broadcast nationally on major networks such as CMT and BET and her Life By Design empowerment conferences, based in New York City, are spreading to cities nationwide. [My San Antonio.com]

Without Walls is more about the Whites, showmanship, arrogance, and filthy lucre than it is about the saving of souls. The sooner the wrath of God is poured out on this awful group of filchers and milchers, the better off the authentic church will be.

I have no compassion on those who accept a call to teach and line their pockets in the process, ultimately ending in personal disaster and bringing public reproach up on the cause of Christ.

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Read this rather interesting take on the White's split

RELATED CRIB POSTS

BIG AIN'T BETTA
MEGA CHURCHES: Finally Someone Is Making Sense ... !
MEGA CHURCHES: This Report Reminds Me of Why ... !
PENTECOSTAL FAILURE: My Imagination ... ?
SIN: Call It What It Is!

Apostasy, Christianity, Mega Barns, Pentecostalism,
T. D. Jakes, Randy & Paula White, Without Walls, Word of Faith