I am Pentecostal and I believe in tongues, prophesy and healing. I am an ordained minister in the Church of God, and until they kick me out for being too outspoken, I’ll remain a member. There are many Pentecostal pastors who are genuine and sincere men of God, hard workers who make tremendous sacrifices for the kingdom of God.
The problems that I will address in this article really lie with the excesses of a minority of celebrity pastors, evangelists, musicians, and to a deeper extent with the mentality of the majority of those who constitute Pentecostal and charismatic congregations, and more recently the apostolic church. There are many who will take issue with what I have written. I have even received threats over it. However, I write this article not to criticize but to provoke. My sincere desire is to see reform in the Pentecostal church. Reform from what, you ask? Keep reading.
Main Points
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- Charismatics crave the sensationalism at whatever cost.
- The leaders are above question – don’t touch God’s anointed.
- Scripture is not the foremost authority in those churches.
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Desire for the Extraordinary
The many problems associated with fringe charismatic groups (including the apostolic church) stem from one root – a lust for the sensational. Biblical truth is not enough for the typical Pentecostal. There must be more. As a result they are always looking for something new. They care little about doctrine, proper exegesis or biblical integrity – these things are just not spiritual enough. They want anointing, power, visions, revelations – or any semblance of such – genuine or fake. It saddens me to visit churches and to witness the zeal the members have for spiritual things, but coupled with a poor foundation of sound doctrine, it makes them an easy target for wolves.
Not too long ago in Trinidad (2000), a particular minister was being heralded from the most renowned pulpits in the country. He had allegedly inherited a multi-billion dollar fortune, and had promised to give financially to churches. As a result some pastors were giving assurances that “there would be no more poor people in Trinidad”, and “When the Hindus see how much money there is in Christ, they would not be able to remain Hindu”.
When I first heard of him, the very first thought that entered my skeptical mind was “What is this guy really up to?” Time would authenticate my suspicions. Pastor “Kitty” subsequently lured some of the more affluent members of other churches, and formed his own congregation of “elites”. Nothing ever materialized of his alleged fortune. He eventually spent some time in jail and is awaiting trial for fraud.
[2014 update: This pastor, after being disgraced and defrocked, allegedly killed someone whom he owed money, and then committed suicide.]
Why do these things happen to Pentecostals over and over again? Aren’t they supposed to be the discerning ones?
Don’t Question Me
The apostolic church believes that it is rebellious to question the teachings and practices of authority figures. They are taught not to question. How do I know this? Because I went to Bible School, and that’s what we were taught. Every Pentecostal has heard this at some point: To rationalize is to make rational lies. It is contrary to “faith”.
Once I lent a copy of Hank Hanegraaff’s Christianity in Crisis to a believer, and I would recommend that book to any serious Christian. She later said that the Holy Ghost told her not to read that book. They would vehemently defend their pet preachers – whether they’re right or wrong – but scarcely contend for the Word of God. How I admire the zeal of the typical charismatic but how I wish that same zeal could be redirected to contending for the faith (Jude 3) instead of defending the often indefensible.
As a result pastors who think they are apostolic or prophetic can proliferate a plethora of false prophesies, and never be branded as false prophets. “Don’t touch God’s anointed.” As long as they have the (financial) support of the congregation, they can get away with anything they want. I think it is imperative for some pastors to keep their people in ignorance, so they will always maintain a following. They would rather be celebrities among their own, than faceless and nameless servants of Christ content to await their full reward in heaven.
More Anointing Please!
Have you ever wondered why charismatic preachers can’t just say what they have to say without the fanfare and commotion? The answer is that preaching must be done in an anointed manner, or at least perceived to be so. They respond much better to someone running around the stage, than some boring guy teaching from the bible. They want what they consider to be “anointed preaching”.
Charismatics don’t know the difference between anointing and crowd control. They can’t differentiate between the presence of God and goose bumps. Hence they would always be prey to con artists posing as men of God. From my experience, people pay more regard to personalities and celebrities than to the content of their message. The mere presence of a big named preacher or singer is sufficient to bring the best out of a crowd – and they call the ensuing applause, the anointing.
Unscriptural Manifestations
Because they are always seeking the sensational, the most absurd “moves of God” are wrought in their churches. Meetings where people roll on the carpet, laugh uncontrollably, and even squeal like pigs are now being branded as genuine revivals. What once prompted Jesus to cast out a devil (Mark 9:20,26), is now being foisted as a genuine manifestation of God’s Spirit. There are some preachers who, in their honest moments have their misgivings, but just want so badly to believe these things are of God. They can’t afford not to. To do otherwise is to surrender the sensationalism they so avidly crave.
Fake Miracles
Anyone can fake a few miracles as long as they have the right disclaimers to bail them out at the right time. So many preachers claim the power to heal, yet so few genuine miracles take place. I have been at a “miracle” service where the evangelist prayed for someone’s healing then told them to run up and down the aisle. Then the crowd began to celebrate the great healing they just witnessed. The problem is that the person came in with an ear infection not a leg problem. I wasn’t quite sure how running proved that the person’s ear was healed.
Too many prophets and apostles
Today every one is a prophet or apostle. Everyone has a prophesy or a word for you. From the moment someone starts to give me a word, my defences immediately go up. Because I know from experience that these prophets can say anything they “feel”. Even if their prophesy does not come to pass, they will just say that you didn’t have faith. The latest craze is prophesying earthquakes and natural disasters if the country does not turn to God. And of course, if nothing happens, they will just say the church prayed away God’s judgment. People outside the charismatic church can easily spot these errors, but for some reason charismatics are blinded to them.
Conclusion
It is true that what I wrote does not apply to the entire charismatic or Pentecostal church. But it does refer to a significant enough minority – and this includes the apostolic church. If charismatics were not so gullible, there would be fewer scandals plaguing their churches. It is ironic that in a movement where the power of God is so emphasized, that laymen are so emasculated of the power to think for themselves, and to rationally search truth for themselves. My desire is to see such reform in the charismatic church.
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