1.) My perspective is, broadly, charismatic. I was raised in a theologically conservative Lutheran denomination, and have been a member for some 5 years of a theologically conservative Baptist church. The ~35 years in between were mostly in charismatic churches. I believe the gifts of the Spirit - those obviously supernatural (1 Corinthians 12) and those less obviously supernatural (Romans 12) - are operating today, and are every bit as needed as they were some 2000 years ago;
2.) I respect John MacArthur. I've not experienced his ministry - directly or from radio or print sources - but I know enough to respect his ministry.
3.) The only person who benefits when Christians form up a circular firing squad is Satan. When Christians "bite and devour" each other we are doing his work, not the work Jesus commissioned us to do!
Excerpts From John MacArthur's 'Strange Fire' Book Suggest Flames of Controversy Over Charismatic Mov't to Still Burn
By Michael Gryboski
Christian Post Reporter
October 24, 2013|2:25 pm
Here is a response from a charismatic pastor that is at once generally informative and specifically responsive (and hints at some things I'll be saying below):MacArthur argued at the Strange Fire Conference held at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif. on Oct. 16-18 that Pentecostal-influenced preachers like Bishop T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen are advancing a prosperity gospel that is "spirit-centered" when it should be Christ-centered, as well as other controversial remarks.
"If the Charismatic movement was being produced by the Holy Spirit, the glory of Christ would prevail everywhere," said MacArthur in one morning conference session. "It would be Christ-dominated and everyone in the movement would be bowing the knee to the true Christ in belief of the true Gospel."
After John MacArthur's Strange Fire Event: 10 Things You May Not Have Known About the Charismatic Mov't
By Alex Murashko
Christian Post Reporter
October 23, 2013|6:47 am
First, and in somewhat stronger and more direct terms than Pastor David Housholder, I will stipulate that there are some significant problems with teachings common among "Word of Faith" people. At their worst, they distort the meaning of Jesus' redemptive sacrifice and the nature of the believer's relationship with God. I figured that out long ago, in the mid-1970s, years before I heard John MacArthur's name. I think those problems significant enough that corrective and cautionary responses are necessary. My problem with what MacArthur has said is that he is equating a portion of the Pentecostal-charismatic spectrum to the whole spectrum. As Pastor Housholder indicates, the Pentecostal-charismatic spectrum is far more broad than the Word of Faith segment of the spectrum. Many Pentecostals and charismatics have not heard of Kenneth Hagin, et al; many of those who have also reject the unscriptural teachings of the Word of Faith movement. So John MacArthur is painting with a very broad broom and some of the people he condemns actually reject the Word of Faith people he rejects. To be blunt, John MacArthur has been around long enough that he should know he is doing this; Jack Hayford's Church on the Way, Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel (and probably several other Calvary Chapels) are both fairly close to MacArthur's San Fernando Valley church. I won't speculate further in that direction. As Pastor Housholder also suggests, MacArthur is ignoring much that Pentecostals and charismatics do and teach in claiming they focus tightly on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In 20+ years in charismatic churches, I don't know whether I've heard one sermon specifically about the gifts of the Spirit, and I could probably count on one hand the number of times more than a casual reference was made to one of the gifts. As to evangelistic outreach, where do I start?! Ever hear of Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusades? Greg Laurie pastors a Calvary Chapel, and was part of the original Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa in the early 70s. Ever hear of Youth With A Mission and Mercy Ships? Both missions organizations were founded by Loren Cunningham, a former Assemblies of God pastor. Again, John MacArthur should know such things, and should know better than to make the claim he did. And again, I won't speculate further in that direction.When prominent theologian John MacArthur set off a heated debate in the Christian community about his unfavorable view of the Charismatic movement during his Strange Fire Conference last week at his church, some might have wondered what exactly is the Charismatic movement?
MacArthur went so far as to accuse the movement of offering God "unacceptable worship" that "blasphemes the Holy Spirit."
Below readers can get a primer on Pentecostals and Charismatics, who are estimated to number up to nearly a billion people who can be classified as being a part of or having been influenced by this movement within the Christian community.
CP asked the Rev. David Housholder to give a list of "Ten Things You May Not Have Known about Pentecostals/Charismatics." Housholder is the founding pastor of Robinwood Church in Southern California, and holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and is a Fulbright Scholar in New Testament and Philosophy at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhems-Universität in Bonn, Germany.
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2. Pentecostalism is quintessentially American. It began (although there were pre-shocks for centuries) in the multi-ethnic Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, Calif. It is arguably our most influential export of any kind.
3. The churches planted by American mainline denominations (Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, UCC, etc) in the global South are overwhelmingly Pentecostal/Charismatic in their piety. For instance, a Lutheran from Ethiopia (Mekane Yesus) would certainly be considered Pentecostal if visiting here in the U.S.
4. Pentecostals/Charismatics are diverse. They run the spectrum range from Oxford/Cambridge blue bloods in the Kensington neighborhood of London to snake handlers in Appalachia. The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is a product of the largest congregation in the Church of England, Holy Trinity Brompton, which is one of the most influential charismatic congregations in the world. And not just economically diverse. If you find yourself in a multi-cultural congregation in the U.S.A. on a Sunday morning, the overwhelming probability is that you are sitting in a Pentecostal worship service.
5. Pentecostals are not anti-intellectual. The unofficial "Pentecostal Pope," Jack Hayford of Los Angeles, is a Bible-scholar's Bible scholar. Oral Roberts University, Regent Seminary (Virginia Beach) and Southeastern University (Lakeland, Florida) are some of the key centers of higher learning for the movement.
Like I said, what John MacArthur has done and is doing in this is hurtful enough to almost make me ill. Christians should not be attacking their brothers and sisters in Christ in this manner, accusing them of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. And all the more so, Christian leaders should know better!
). But Christians should be have and show unity in ministry (= service!). I would think a Christian leader of MacArthur's experience and (presumably) maturity would understand so basic.
