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I had an interesting experience recently. My mother had been asked to sing in a mass choir for an audio recording in a country church. The church was in the middle of nowhere, and my mom was nervous about driving along a deserted road at night in the middle of nothing, and so after asking me to go with her, I, being the good son that I am, decided I would go and give her some late-night driving company.
As you probably are aware from the title this was a Pentecostal church. I should mention that I grew up in a classical Pentecostal home. My dad was (and is) a Pentecostal pastor and from the time I was born to the time I was 20. The Pentecostal church was the only one I was remotely familiar with. That was before life happened. That was before my own journey into emergent, holistic and missional ministry started (Or perhaps it was the beginning of that journey.). I should also mention that this particular experience was my first time in such a church in quite a while.
As the mass choir (three churches) sang, I felt a stirring in my spirit, but not the same stirring of the spirit these people were singing about or any type of “stirring of the Spirit” you might expect to be told about in a Charismatic church. I, instead, began to feel increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that every song and every prayer was all about…ME. All about MY struggles. All about MY healing. All about MY “Holy Ghost Experience”. All about MY salvation. And with each “ME” mention, there was more shouting and louder singing and crying. At one point, the Southern worship leader (this is in the deep South, by the way) yells out, “Come on! Get up, people! You’re in a Pentecostal church!” No Gospel, no teachings of Jesus, and no depth.Something inside me clicked…off.
This is not the Pentecostal/Charismatic experience I will be talking about throughout the remainder of this article. This is the type of experience that, sadly, many have come to expect from a Pentecostal church. Some, at the mere mention of the word, may have conjured-up images of a Robert Tilton “give-me-your-money-and-claim-your-healing” televangelist or practically any televangelist on religious broadcasting. Some may have images of an extreme fundamentalist dogma that has no room for intellectual thought or deep theological questions. Some may have images of a bunch of people babbling nonsensical gibberish and calling it God. This, although it is unfortunate baggage that comes along with some of the tradition (as other traditions have their own baggage), is not the Pentecostal/Charismatic experience I choose to lock myself into. There is, however, a tradition and energy within the Pentecostal/Charismatic experience that I am proud to be associated with for many reasons.
The word “Pentecostal” does not refer to “tongues of fire” or dancing or shouting, as many Pentecostals themselves might even think it does. It doesn’t refer to running around the church screaming or wearing long sleeves and dresses (and hair) that comes all the way down to the floor. It doesn’t refer to “GAWD TOLD ME…!” simple-minded preachers and simple-minded theology. The word actually comes from Acts 2 - the Day of Pentecost, which was the beginning of the Christian church as we know it. The Pentecostal tradition of the faith makes its reference to the early Jewish Christians on that day who experienced “tongues of fire” and unknown languages among other things. (Acts 2:4)
I affirm the belief in the Trinity (Father. Son. Holy Spirit. One God.), and therefore, I believe the Holy Spirit is God’s presence on Earth and throughout the Cosmos. I believe the Holy Spirit is the voice that draws us to the way of Christ. The Holy Spirit guides and directs our lives and leads us to a life that is “God-and-others-focused” and not “Me-focused.” Although it’s not mentioned in the Bible, I believe the Holy Spirit is the voice that protects us (Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t get on that airplane. Maybe I should take a step back from the road. Maybe I shouldn’t eat so many chocolate-chip cookies) and convicts us when we’ve hurt someone or done something sinful.
But, because of what I experienced in those early years in the Pentecostal/Charismatic church I learned that there is much more to the Holy Spirit. I learned that the Spirit of Jesus is very much alive and is not simply risen from the dead and into Heaven. That Spirit is alive in Christian community and there is great joy and freedom from ourselves in experiencing that Spirit. This is not limited, by the way, to Pentecostal/Charismatic churches by any means either. I’ve experienced the bubbling joy of the Spirit in quiet solitude, in Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist churches as it certainly is experienced in Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Eastern Orthodox churches as well.
I have experienced overwhelming sensations as I worshipped in Charismatic circles, however. There is something powerful that I have seen and experienced happen when these groups of Charismatic worshippers come together and sing out to God. I’ve seen people get up from wheelchairs and walk, some for the first time in their lives, because of the overwhelming power of God’s Spirit. I’ve experienced a release from depression personally because of the amazing Spirit of God. Call it superstition but I believe it was something entirely supernatural.
This certainly does not mean that other traditions in the faith have not experienced such wonders. I’ve heard stories from Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, and others telling of miracles that have happened because the powerful and mystical Spirit of God was among them. I can say, based on my own church experiences, there is a teaching in many Charismatic churches that Christians should “expect” to witness the supernatural presence of God for themselves. That aside from reading and hearing about Jesus one can actually experience Jesus. One can emotionally, mentally, spiritually and sometimes physically feel the presence of Jesus in relevant and new ways. And through that expectancy I have felt that amazing and indescribable presence of Christ in Christian community. The teaching of expectancy is a valuable teaching I have proudly adopted from my heritage.
Another valuable teaching I have held strongly to is the teaching of Spiritual Gifts: that in every human being there is a spiritual force that has been placed there by God. This force was placed in us to spiritually connect with God. (Ask any monk who has spent time in silence and solitude or experienced "centering prayer" about some of their spiritual encounters with God as their spirits become in tune with God's Spirit.) When we begin following the way of Jesus, these spiritual gifts manifest themselves in unique and mysterious ways. There are some, my wife for example, that have a spiritual gift of intercession (as she prays for others, I’ve seen her quite literally feel their pain), some have a spiritual gift of giving to others which is something we should all do as Christians, but I’m thinking of those special individuals who have experienced “the calling” to leave their comfortable lives for a life spent giving to the poor and oppressed of less-comfortable nations – my wife’s parents, for example, are missionaries in eastern Europe..
Note: Whether or not someone is Charismatic has nothing to do with these spiritual gifts in a person’s life and how that gift functions in their life, by the way. This is simply a teaching that is central to the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition of following Christ.
The gifts of the Spirit and the experience of the Spirit are wonderful, and I would invite every person to experience these wonderful things. But the purpose of these gifts is the same as any other worship experiences – to be and make disciples, loving God with heart/soul/mind/strength and loving others. As intimate an experience we might have with the infinite God, without the missional calling to do those things mentioned above, it is simply an experience, and not the Gospel.
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Bryan,
Thank you so much for broaching this subject. I can see that when the emerging church (listening ears, nonjudgmental, relevant to nonChristians) embraces the traditionally-charismatic aspects (Spiritual gifts, signs and wonders), what a powerful Church will result!
Imagine being able to dine with a gay man at a café, listen to his heart, build a friendship with him, invite him to your gathering (and he comes back a second time!), but also be able to lay hands on him and see his sprained ankle or even cancer healed in the name of Jesus! Intellectual appeal + meeting of real needs = a community that people will want to join.
Bryan, I, too, am a Southern Pentecostalized (UPCI) emergent believer. We're the Lynard Skynard of Southern-Fried Christianity. We're the NASCAR, beer-bellied, halter-top wearing, redneck stepchildren of the Church. Of course we can't listen to Lynard Skynard, watch NASCAR, drink beer or wear halter-tops! We can, however, have big bellies and durn well be rednecks! Having been an Episcopalian worship leader in the Mid-Atlantic (ie. The North) for over 3 years, as well as a budding rock star and wanna-be guru, i've now experienced a few more colors in this curious rainbow. Whereas I used to hate where I came from (religiously speaking), I've come to realize that we we're not all that different from other traditions. Other "persuasions" suffer from the same crap that we did (do): gross ignorance, intolerance, bigotry, egocentrism, self-indulgence, gross ignorance, super-superstition, hysteria, cultural irrelevance, gross ignorance and the list goes on and on. Did I mention gross ignorance? These issues that are present in the religious world are awful but the fact that they are prevelant and common somehow comforts me. I realize that just as The South had Skynard, The North had Neil Young. So take heart, dear Bryan: The bitter pill of past religious experience is as common as our humanness! Peace and Love! dh
YES! Thank you so much for this article. I linked to it and posted about it over at my blog. Blessings to you!
Penteocost?
it's the outdpouring of the HS:it's His power in us and through us.all we 'do' is nothing so to speak..we just walk out of our true identities BEING the LIVING MINISTRY you know in the laundry tasks, the coofee with friends, the 9-5 job (uHHgh! it pays the bills i guess)..
i'll get round to reading corintians on this..paul talks about this as HIS work.
REST IN HIM...ENJOY WHO HE IS IN AND THROUGH YOU AS YOU
Hi Bryan! It is refreshing to see and hear words like this from a person whose roots are in the Pentacostal church. I was raised Southern Baptist, and although I come from different circumstances, I see a similar shift taking place in many circles of faith. There is a definite shift from focusing on religion and traditions to an inner spiritual movement not blocked off by boundaries we've seen in the past. Instead we are free-roaming Christians, searching for truth in more than just our backyards. We are putting down the swords we've (differing denominations) fought each other with for so long, arguing over whose doctrines were better or more true. But the truth is, the truth resides in all of us, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, cultures. In the Bible, we are reminded that God's word is written in our hearts and minds.
As evolving beings, we are just now, in the last century starting to expand our ideas of spirituality, funny how they've stayed the same for so long while science, education, politics and the economy have flourished. Could this be the reason for what many called the "Lost Generation"? I don't think we've been lost, I just think we forgot that the way is given freely to each of us. That we don't have to ask our pastor or other religious authoritative figure what we're supposed to believe, we can figure it out for ourselves b/c it resides in each of us, we've just let the world's whirlwind blind us. Although it's nice to get back in the old church building every now and then to feel the coming together of united hearts in fellowship, I find my church service mostly in nature, closely communing with God and His creation in silence where He is found. Nature is where science and spirituality come together and prove each other.
With the growing interest and emergence of quantum physics among other scientifically proven studies and theories and the parallels of early gnostic and esoteric Christian teachings (which I believe every Christian should study), more of the secular community is starting to realize the two cannot be separated. Growing up in the church, I found many people to be quite put off by the piouty in the church and it's people. Their belief in God dwindling with no one to reassure it, only judge it. When I was in high school (8-10 years ago) and college there was a growth in the youth dept. of many churches. I saw strong leadership emerge, but I also saw the elders holding many of us back from our rightful places in the church. People, there is so much more we can learn if we just listen to our children and youth. Being without inhibitions, without mental constraints, children are most valuable in experiencing the true prescence of God. These leaders in the church are now adults, they are you and me Bryan, we are the future. There are vital steps we need to take in order to get the world back on track. True, there is no escape from the apocolypse, but that doesn't mean we don't have some sort of control over when and how it takes place. Afterall, we are given the freedom to choose our destinys, we are made in His image, and He has made all things, and He is love. This is an exciting time for all God's children. The future is full of possibilities waiting for us to put them into faithful action. The truth is, we have no excuses anymore. We have the information in front of us and we must choose to gather it, or live in ignorance, which to some may be bliss, but in reality is just complacent selfishness. The Bible tells us, "seek and ye shall find". Are we seeking, because we all still seem to be looking for something.
Bryan, as a former Word of Faith independenct Charismatic who attended an AG college and converted to the Episcopal Church before going to the Charismatic Episcopal Church and then to liberal Methodism with a stint in the Vineyard somewhere inbetween, I dig your post. Here's my question...do you think the Vineyard can mentor the emergent movement on how to integrate the charismata and the like in a way that is culturally-relevant and doesn't reinforce the hang-ups so many people get from Pentecostalism?
Thanks, Bryan, but what does your text have to do with the emerging church?
Thanks for sharing so many of your thoughts. Gustavo, I suppose I could have articulated the relationship between the emerging church and pentecostalism/charismaticism. While most emergent churches out there would reject the idea of further denominationalism, many of these churches (though certainly not all) are sponsored or birthed out of that denominationalism. For instance, a great many of emergent churches are birthed out of the Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches. I think my original intent was to see where some of the experience-based elements of the pentecostal/charismatic church fit in with the experience-elements of the emerging church. Many of you have already articulated some great examples of this. As the church emerges to bring congregations back together, I'm interested in seeing where this merging of traditions will lead us (in a good way). What do we all have to bring to the conversation? Apparently a lot!
It is refreshing to hear that other people have been impacted by both the Charismatic and Emergent movements.
You have identified some of the "hits and misses" of your classical Pentecostal experiences, which I can personally relate to, but have traded in some of the "misses" for another gospel.
I was with you until you added the following which illustrates your inter-spiritual, emergent, synchronistic approach to spirituality which is based in experience and not in Scripture. (See my notes below.)
"... in every human being there is a spiritual force that has been placed there by God (even non-believers in God--God is in everything, even those who do not believe in Him?). This force was placed in us to spiritually connect with God (even non-believers in God?). (Ask any monk who has spent time in silence and solitude or experienced "centering prayer" [a mystical form of prayer that often opens an individual to the spiritual world but not to experiencing the God of the Bible] about some of their spiritual encounters with God as their spirits become in tune with God's Spirit. [You're talking about a different 'god."])"
You have identified some of the "hits and misses" of your classical Pentecostal experiences, which I can personally relate to, but have traded in some of the "misses" for another gospel.
I was with you until you added the following which illustrates your inter-spiritual, emergent, synchronistic approach to spirituality which is based in experience and not in Scripture. (See my notes below.)
"... in every human being there is a spiritual force that has been placed there by God (even non-believers in God--God is in everything, even those who do not believe in Him?). This force was placed in us to spiritually connect with God (even non-believers in God?). (Ask any monk who has spent time in silence and solitude or experienced "centering prayer" [a mystical form of prayer that often opens an individual to the spiritual world but not to experiencing the God of the Bible] about some of their spiritual encounters with God as their spirits become in tune with God's Spirit. [You're talking about a different 'god."])"
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Bryan,
Thank you so much for broaching this subject. I can see that when the emerging church (listening ears, nonjudgmental, relevant to nonChristians) embraces the traditionally-charismatic aspects (Spiritual gifts, signs and wonders), what a powerful Church will result!
Imagine being able to dine with a gay man at a café, listen to his heart, build a friendship with him, invite him to your gathering (and he comes back a second time!), but also be able to lay hands on him and see his sprained ankle or even cancer healed in the name of Jesus! Intellectual appeal + meeting of real needs = a community that people will want to join.
Posted by Chris Smith | Posted at 08/04/2006 9:40 PMBryan, I, too, am a Southern Pentecostalized (UPCI) emergent believer. We're the Lynard Skynard of Southern-Fried Christianity. We're the NASCAR, beer-bellied, halter-top wearing, redneck stepchildren of the Church. Of course we can't listen to Lynard Skynard, watch NASCAR, drink beer or wear halter-tops! We can, however, have big bellies and durn well be rednecks! Having been an Episcopalian worship leader in the Mid-Atlantic (ie. The North) for over 3 years, as well as a budding rock star and wanna-be guru, i've now experienced a few more colors in this curious rainbow. Whereas I used to hate where I came from (religiously speaking), I've come to realize that we we're not all that different from other traditions. Other "persuasions" suffer from the same crap that we did (do): gross ignorance, intolerance, bigotry, egocentrism, self-indulgence, gross ignorance, super-superstition, hysteria, cultural irrelevance, gross ignorance and the list goes on and on. Did I mention gross ignorance? These issues that are present in the religious world are awful but the fact that they are prevelant and common somehow comforts me. I realize that just as The South had Skynard, The North had Neil Young. So take heart, dear Bryan: The bitter pill of past religious experience is as common as our humanness! Peace and Love! dh Posted by donavon | Posted at 08/07/2006 6:28 AM
YES! Thank you so much for this article. I linked to it and posted about it over at my blog. Blessings to you! Posted by Dorcas | Posted at 08/08/2006 7:51 AM
Penteocost?
it's the outdpouring of the HS:it's His power in us and through us.all we 'do' is nothing so to speak..we just walk out of our true identities BEING the LIVING MINISTRY you know in the laundry tasks, the coofee with friends, the 9-5 job (uHHgh! it pays the bills i guess)..
i'll get round to reading corintians on this..paul talks about this as HIS work.
REST IN HIM...ENJOY WHO HE IS IN AND THROUGH YOU AS YOU
Posted by tracy | Posted at 08/10/2006 4:37 AMHi Bryan! It is refreshing to see and hear words like this from a person whose roots are in the Pentacostal church. I was raised Southern Baptist, and although I come from different circumstances, I see a similar shift taking place in many circles of faith. There is a definite shift from focusing on religion and traditions to an inner spiritual movement not blocked off by boundaries we've seen in the past. Instead we are free-roaming Christians, searching for truth in more than just our backyards. We are putting down the swords we've (differing denominations) fought each other with for so long, arguing over whose doctrines were better or more true. But the truth is, the truth resides in all of us, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, cultures. In the Bible, we are reminded that God's word is written in our hearts and minds.
As evolving beings, we are just now, in the last century starting to expand our ideas of spirituality, funny how they've stayed the same for so long while science, education, politics and the economy have flourished. Could this be the reason for what many called the "Lost Generation"? I don't think we've been lost, I just think we forgot that the way is given freely to each of us. That we don't have to ask our pastor or other religious authoritative figure what we're supposed to believe, we can figure it out for ourselves b/c it resides in each of us, we've just let the world's whirlwind blind us. Although it's nice to get back in the old church building every now and then to feel the coming together of united hearts in fellowship, I find my church service mostly in nature, closely communing with God and His creation in silence where He is found. Nature is where science and spirituality come together and prove each other.
With the growing interest and emergence of quantum physics among other scientifically proven studies and theories and the parallels of early gnostic and esoteric Christian teachings (which I believe every Christian should study), more of the secular community is starting to realize the two cannot be separated. Growing up in the church, I found many people to be quite put off by the piouty in the church and it's people. Their belief in God dwindling with no one to reassure it, only judge it. When I was in high school (8-10 years ago) and college there was a growth in the youth dept. of many churches. I saw strong leadership emerge, but I also saw the elders holding many of us back from our rightful places in the church. People, there is so much more we can learn if we just listen to our children and youth. Being without inhibitions, without mental constraints, children are most valuable in experiencing the true prescence of God. These leaders in the church are now adults, they are you and me Bryan, we are the future. There are vital steps we need to take in order to get the world back on track. True, there is no escape from the apocolypse, but that doesn't mean we don't have some sort of control over when and how it takes place. Afterall, we are given the freedom to choose our destinys, we are made in His image, and He has made all things, and He is love. This is an exciting time for all God's children. The future is full of possibilities waiting for us to put them into faithful action. The truth is, we have no excuses anymore. We have the information in front of us and we must choose to gather it, or live in ignorance, which to some may be bliss, but in reality is just complacent selfishness. The Bible tells us, "seek and ye shall find". Are we seeking, because we all still seem to be looking for something.
Posted by Tiffany Pippin | Posted at 08/11/2006 11:29 AMBryan, as a former Word of Faith independenct Charismatic who attended an AG college and converted to the Episcopal Church before going to the Charismatic Episcopal Church and then to liberal Methodism with a stint in the Vineyard somewhere inbetween, I dig your post. Here's my question...do you think the Vineyard can mentor the emergent movement on how to integrate the charismata and the like in a way that is culturally-relevant and doesn't reinforce the hang-ups so many people get from Pentecostalism? Posted by Mike | Posted at 08/12/2006 6:51 AM
Thanks, Bryan, but what does your text have to do with the emerging church? Posted by Gustavo F. (k-fé Fé Natábua (Oráculo)) | Posted at 08/13/2006 8:15 PM
Thanks for sharing so many of your thoughts. Gustavo, I suppose I could have articulated the relationship between the emerging church and pentecostalism/charismaticism. While most emergent churches out there would reject the idea of further denominationalism, many of these churches (though certainly not all) are sponsored or birthed out of that denominationalism. For instance, a great many of emergent churches are birthed out of the Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches. I think my original intent was to see where some of the experience-based elements of the pentecostal/charismatic church fit in with the experience-elements of the emerging church. Many of you have already articulated some great examples of this. As the church emerges to bring congregations back together, I'm interested in seeing where this merging of traditions will lead us (in a good way). What do we all have to bring to the conversation? Apparently a lot! Posted by Bryan Thompson | Posted at 08/16/2006 2:37 PM
It is refreshing to hear that other people have been impacted by both the Charismatic and Emergent movements. Posted by Matt | Posted at 07/30/2007 2:49 AM
You have identified some of the "hits and misses" of your classical Pentecostal experiences, which I can personally relate to, but have traded in some of the "misses" for another gospel.
I was with you until you added the following which illustrates your inter-spiritual, emergent, synchronistic approach to spirituality which is based in experience and not in Scripture. (See my notes below.)
"... in every human being there is a spiritual force that has been placed there by God (even non-believers in God--God is in everything, even those who do not believe in Him?). This force was placed in us to spiritually connect with God (even non-believers in God?). (Ask any monk who has spent time in silence and solitude or experienced "centering prayer" [a mystical form of prayer that often opens an individual to the spiritual world but not to experiencing the God of the Bible] about some of their spiritual encounters with God as their spirits become in tune with God's Spirit. [You're talking about a different 'god."])"
Posted by Dave | Posted at 11/29/2007 7:21 PMYou have identified some of the "hits and misses" of your classical Pentecostal experiences, which I can personally relate to, but have traded in some of the "misses" for another gospel.
I was with you until you added the following which illustrates your inter-spiritual, emergent, synchronistic approach to spirituality which is based in experience and not in Scripture. (See my notes below.)
"... in every human being there is a spiritual force that has been placed there by God (even non-believers in God--God is in everything, even those who do not believe in Him?). This force was placed in us to spiritually connect with God (even non-believers in God?). (Ask any monk who has spent time in silence and solitude or experienced "centering prayer" [a mystical form of prayer that often opens an individual to the spiritual world but not to experiencing the God of the Bible] about some of their spiritual encounters with God as their spirits become in tune with God's Spirit. [You're talking about a different 'god."])"
Posted by Dave | Posted at 11/29/2007 7:21 PM