DRIPPINGSStewart McClean had two rules for his Vinyl Cafe "Story Exchange": 1) the stories had to be true, and 2) they had to be short; after that it's up to you. My blog seeks to offer Biblical reflections ("drippings from the honeycomb," Ps 19:10) in a similar fashion. Here you'll find answers to people's questions, reflections on the Bible, my studies and current events, etc; all creatively Chris. My prayer is that they will prove edifying for all who read them.
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Traditionally Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism have been recognized as the main visible branches of Christianity. However, since the rise of Pentecostalism, with all of its distinctives, it is worth asking if Pentecostalism is part of Protestantism or unique enough to be its own branch of the visible family tree? A Brief History Coming onto the scene through an indebtedness to dry and dead nominal liberal Protestantism, the holiness tradition and Baptist leaders, Pentecostalism had its origin at a ‘Bible study’ in Topeka Kansas in 1901 on gifts of the Spirit. More famously it gained attention through a ‘revival’ in Azuza Street, California in 1906. Not without an early moral rocky road Pentecostalism soon burst onto the world stage, largely indebted to the subjectivity and experientialism of Romanticism and Post-Modernism. It progressed through 3 phases: Pentecostalism (think denomination), the Charismatic Movement (think Pentecostal doctrines entering traditional denominations) and the New Apostolic Reformation (a belief God is reforming His Church through a return to a revival like in Acts with apostolic figures). Though not universal it has deeply imbibed the Word of Faith movement and Health and Wealth message. Today Pentecostalism is a broad movement with some 600 million adherents (though about ¼ of all Pentecostals are not Trinitarian). Three Caveats:
A Chart of Contrasts:   From a cursory survey of key areas of faith and practice, much like the differences between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy, it is apparent that Pentecostalism, while related to Protestantism historically and in many ways similar, is in fact a fourth branch of visible Christianity. This is especially so where the “Health and Wealth” and “Word of Faith” movements are felt strongest and may be less apparent in more settled Pentecostal denominations or where the charismatic stage is less strongly exerted upon a individual/church/denomination.
this is impossible; such practices are deeply rooted in Eastern religions. Such a lie is simply meant to ensnare the unsuspecting in an ultimately unhelpful and spiritually harmful exercise.
How did Western culture move from the Lord’s Prayer to Eastern Meditation? Two basic things: a) as many Christian churches became nominal and prayer became lifeless people sought for an alternative to meet a most basic human need, and b) during the 60s, and through the influence of groups such as the Beatles, the West was introduced to Eastern Transcendentalism, or the practice of meditation.[1] This fit very well with the reactive Hippy years. Now meditation is now wrong, it just depends on how we define it. Eastern meditation involves “emptying” whereas Christian meditation involves “filling.” Both are aiming at peace but only one can achieve true and lasting peace. Christian filling produces a peace that comes from getting right with God through belief in the Gospel, a peace that comes from asking God to fill you with more of His Spirit, a peace that comes from seeking forgiveness, knowing Him, and bringing your deepest longings and needs before Him, a peace that comes from worshipping Him in thanksgiving. Christian meditation is the exact opposite of Eastern meditation. Likewise, when Scripture speaks of meditation, we think or ponder upon God’s character as revealed in His word; we meditate upon Scripture, its meaning and application (Josh 1:8). In Lk 11 Jesus told the story of a person who had a demon cast from them, yet the troubling sequel of how, “finding the house swept and put in order,” that demon went and found seven of its nastiest friends and returned! (Lk 11:24–26). I’ve often likened this story to the ejection of nominal Christian in Canada and its replacement with many false religions more dangerous than the falseness of nominal Christianity. More specifically, if we meditate and let our mind “float,” “drift” and be open and free, what spiritual force are we opening ourselves up to be filled by (other than the living God)! Rather than following the CAA article’s 5 steps, allow me to recommend 5 better and biblical steps:
[1] Nigel Scotland, The Baker Pocket Guide to New Religions. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2006), 193. Reading through the opening chapters of the Book of Acts reveal some key marks of the early Church. These are helpful to recognize to see what ought to be the marks of the Church today:
May we pray that the Church of today will reflect our glorious beginnings! There are many things I, as a pastor, would rather write about, but it often behoves me, for the sake of my sheep and those who would be gathered in, to defend the faith, to protect and guard from error, so that the saints may be edified and sinners saved. This is where Jude found himself: Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3) Liberalism (and I daren’t even give it the satisfaction of enjoining it to that blessed title, Christianity), is a new religion that was birthed in the nineteenth century (1800s). Like Satan posing as an angel of light or a wolf dressing in sheep’s clothing, Liberalism (lateral deists as a friend of mine calls them), guises itself as Christian, though in peering into the [initially] subtle differences, one finds an entirely different religion. We’d do well to know what Liberalism is, so in spotting it, we might turn from error fix our eyes upon the truth of Jesus. A newspaper from the 1920s, an era where Liberalism and orthodox Christianity were in conflict, contrasted the chasm like differences between the two.  One author who wrote on the subject was J.G. Machen in Liberalism and Christianity (1923). In his classic work he argued that Liberalism was indeed a new religion.  To further illustrate the differences, consider the Fellowship’s Statement of Faith (1953) (and still today) contrasted with the much more orthodox United Church Statement of Faith (1925) and their most recent statement, Songs of Faith (2006), on the subjects of the Bible, Jesus and Mankind (these three are chosen because of their centrality in the faith):
Doctrinal error and moral misguidedness—accommodating to the world, syncretism—has meant that the once largest Canadian Christian denomination is now one of the fastest dying religions in Canada (the old statistic was that one church building closed each week; now the figure is that, with the Anglican Church and some others, 10,000 buildings will close in 2020 alone). While a dead orthodoxy can certainly lead to closed churches, a vibrant orthodoxy normally to lead to spiritual flourishing and healthy churches (as seen in the independent and non-religious study from Ontario in 2015).
Like Jude, may we cling to the “faith once for all delivered to the saints,” which along is true, which alone can save; and having come near the end of our Old Testament journey in Cover to Cover, may we take heed of the danger that will come to God’s people when we compromise with the world in belief and practice (i.e. Judges). |
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