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Charismatic Reformation
The following article was written for the blog that I have not started as of yet, CharismaticReformation.org. It is in raw form and still needs some revisions. It is a sort of mission statement to outline the purpose of the blog. I welcome anyone's feedback on it.
One universal element to be observed among the various social and religious movements throughout history is commonality of thought, a consensus upon what are to be the central values of the group and how those values define the goals of the movement itself. These movements are often antidotal, resulting from a perceived need to challenge or change practices that do not seem to contribute to the newly realized ambitions of the group. This was the case during the Protestant Reformation. The fathers of the Reformation determined that the Roman religious structure did not provide a suitable framework within which the Gospel could be communicated to the common man; in their minds it had been corrupted by the traditions of men and what they believed to be the abuses of papal authority. Consequently, the illumination received by the Reformers regarding such vital Protestant themes as justification by faith, propelled them outside the established religious architecture into a building of their own making.
Today the situation is not so dire, and there is no central religious establishment we should protest. Yet some of us in Pentecostal-Charismatic circles see the need for change - not the radical kind of change that requires severing all ties from existing institutions, nor the sort of contentious change that has long been a part of church history – but change that rebuilds and restores without utter demolition and that makes ready for the continual fashioning of a holy house. We do not intend to undermine the accomplishments of our spiritual fathers and mothers. Rather we recognize an opportunity to hold fast to that which is good and proven, while substantiating all that agrees with sound doctrine and fortifying the convictions thereof. This kind of reformation, however, does require self-examination. It is to be understood that many will be skeptical and apprehensive about the prospect of arriving at conclusions different than those of whom they were taught; and self-examination means that a willingness to do this is required, though such changes will not always be necessary. But we must realize that we actually do a disservice to the legacies of our mentors by choosing nostalgia over excellence; and excellence is to be measured first and foremost against the standards set forth in the Holy Scriptures, as they are interpreted in a sound and consistent manner. If what remains of our convictions after trial by fire is drastically different than what we first imagined, we are the better for it. And if we are really secure in what we believe, there is no reason to fear objective scrutiny. Let us not lament the wood, hay, and stubble. When we through fear and anxiety protect ourselves from critical examination either from within or without, we make for ourselves religious cliques of peculiar dialects that gradually become less and less able and willing to communicate, both to unbelievers and the broader community of Christian faith – a community we assume would greatly benefit from our own doctrinal emphases, but also one that we all too often dismiss as having little to offer us. Yet we understand from the Scriptures that reconciliation is not only vertical, but horizontal; and the primary commandment of the New Covenant is to love our brothers in Christ. It may be that many of them have rejected us. Maybe they misunderstood us. Perhaps they associate us with the doctrinal excesses of our movements. Whatever the case, let us foster an attitude of love, as can be demonstrated by our willingness and eagerness to seek an understanding of other perspectives, while being wholly prepared to explain and defend our experiences in the light of Scripture.
Does this mean that Pentecostals and Charismatics should blend into the fabric of the greater Evangelical community? Certainly not. We are distinct in that we not only believe in a present-day manifestation of the Holy Spirit consistent with the earthly ministry of Jesus and the book of Acts, but we believe our experiences should be consistent with this belief. This is a distinction we should be zealous about maintaining, not in a separatist way, but in a way that humbly acknowledges that we are receiving the fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Joel, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ Himself; and being thus empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, we acknowledge that we are supernaturally enabled by grace to work the works of Christ to bring glory to His name, preaching the Gospel with the full expectation of it being confirmed by the Lord Himself.
Despite our Spirit-baptized Christian experience, we must admit that there is much room for improvement if we are to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. We should be working towards a spirit of excellence that will reinforce our spiritual advantages, while making improvements in areas where we lack. We should ask ourselves what are to be the distinguishing marks of this move towards excellence in Pentecostal-Charismatic ministry. An obvious one has already been mentioned, and it is one that will frame the rest – self-examination. This is the process by which we consider ourselves in the greater scope of Church history, noting our strengths, weaknesses, failures, potential, and fruit – not by comparing ourselves amongst ourselves, but by contrasting our own beliefs and practices with other sectors of the Church presently and throughout her history. In doing this, we acknowledge that an ideal representation of the Church has never existed; instead we observe, through various developments over the centuries, lessons to be learned rather than a perfect and representative church model. However, we should learn that there is much to be gleaned from a study of church history extending beyond the last century.
Another key characteristic that should mark a Charismatic Reformation is attention to spiritual legacies, an understanding of the principles of spiritual parenthood as expressed so greatly in Paul’s letters to Timothy, as well as in other places. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. Because of rapid cultural changes in the West, including the Western Church, there is a tendency within Western culture to create generational gaps that serve as barriers of communication between generations. These barriers are amplified when spiritual parents cease to rear spiritual children, or when spiritual children fail to appreciate their spiritual ancestry. This can lead to further alienation between generations, and beget an illegitimate migration away from the core spiritual ideals. In considering these principles of spiritual legacies, two statements come to mind: there is no substitute for experience and there is no success without a successor. Whenever some spiritual quality existing in a generation is not reproduced in the next generation, this signifies decline and failure.
It should be no secret that there has long been an anti-intellectual bias among Pentecostals and Charismatics. Perhaps, to some extent, this was inevitable. What must have seemed like a great departure from Evangelical orthodoxy with the introduction of glossolalia as a core religious practice in the early 20th century necessitated the emergence of a people who were united by a newfound experience more than a theological school of thought. It was some time after Azusa Street that Pentecostal groups formed explicit statements of faith, and even then there was resistance to such a move within some of their ranks. We must remember that those at the forefront of the movement in the early days were not only uneducated, many of them were vehemently anti-education; and what may have been meant to stay the perceived threatening influence of theological high-mindedness was not without consequences. We should identify those consequences and do our best to correct them. This not only means that we should carefully examine the extent to which this has affected the quality of teaching in our churches, but it also means that we must explore the effects that this teaching has ultimately produced, whether good or bad. In doing so, we move toward doctrinal purity and gain a more accurate theological perspective.
One of the greatest opportunities for us is to revisit the very thing that distinguishes us from much of the larger Christian community, that is, our emphasis on the present-day manifestation of the Spirit as is outlined in 1 Corinthians 12 – the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, gifts of healings, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Sadly there are many within Pentecostal and Charismatic churches who have never witnessed the operation of most of these gifts. This is a shame. If the manifestation of the Spirit is given by God for the common good, our failure to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in these ways – either because of willful ignorance, fear, or a lack of desire to experience the fullness of the power of God’s power – we are shortchanging ourselves and our brothers whom we are commanded to love. Who among us cannot recall an account when, through a gift of the Spirit, a brother was encouraged, a trap was avoided, or a life was saved? Have we gotten so far beyond the emphasis on the Spirit’s workings in our churches that we have found some other means of accomplishing that which can only be accomplished by the hand of God? If any of us can say that this is not our experience, then praise be to God, but even among those of us who can say they regularly experience the gifts of the Spirit, none of us should be completely satisfied. There should be within each of us a perpetually unquenchable and earnest desire to see the glory of God.
The hour of our Lord’s return is closer with every passing day. Set before us is the opportunity to fully utilize every means the Father has placed in our hands to fulfill the Great Commission. To do this, we must ensure that we are progressing towards a mature understanding of the ministry of Christ through His body, such that we a more complete habitation of God in the earth. It is with this understanding that I extend to all the invitation to join in a Charismatic Reformation. This invitation is not extended from a presumed position of authority, but rather it is the introduction of a forum through which information and opinions can be communicated from varied perspectives and where relevant topics may be discussed among peers. What is intended is not the formation of a conclusive dogma, but an open-ended dialogue that will serve to contribute towards an exemplary company of heavenly ambassadors executing the will of God in the earth.
One universal element to be observed among the various social and religious movements throughout history is commonality of thought, a consensus upon what are to be the central values of the group and how those values define the goals of the movement itself. These movements are often antidotal, resulting from a perceived need to challenge or change practices that do not seem to contribute to the newly realized ambitions of the group. This was the case during the Protestant Reformation. The fathers of the Reformation determined that the Roman religious structure did not provide a suitable framework within which the Gospel could be communicated to the common man; in their minds it had been corrupted by the traditions of men and what they believed to be the abuses of papal authority. Consequently, the illumination received by the Reformers regarding such vital Protestant themes as justification by faith, propelled them outside the established religious architecture into a building of their own making.
Today the situation is not so dire, and there is no central religious establishment we should protest. Yet some of us in Pentecostal-Charismatic circles see the need for change - not the radical kind of change that requires severing all ties from existing institutions, nor the sort of contentious change that has long been a part of church history – but change that rebuilds and restores without utter demolition and that makes ready for the continual fashioning of a holy house. We do not intend to undermine the accomplishments of our spiritual fathers and mothers. Rather we recognize an opportunity to hold fast to that which is good and proven, while substantiating all that agrees with sound doctrine and fortifying the convictions thereof. This kind of reformation, however, does require self-examination. It is to be understood that many will be skeptical and apprehensive about the prospect of arriving at conclusions different than those of whom they were taught; and self-examination means that a willingness to do this is required, though such changes will not always be necessary. But we must realize that we actually do a disservice to the legacies of our mentors by choosing nostalgia over excellence; and excellence is to be measured first and foremost against the standards set forth in the Holy Scriptures, as they are interpreted in a sound and consistent manner. If what remains of our convictions after trial by fire is drastically different than what we first imagined, we are the better for it. And if we are really secure in what we believe, there is no reason to fear objective scrutiny. Let us not lament the wood, hay, and stubble. When we through fear and anxiety protect ourselves from critical examination either from within or without, we make for ourselves religious cliques of peculiar dialects that gradually become less and less able and willing to communicate, both to unbelievers and the broader community of Christian faith – a community we assume would greatly benefit from our own doctrinal emphases, but also one that we all too often dismiss as having little to offer us. Yet we understand from the Scriptures that reconciliation is not only vertical, but horizontal; and the primary commandment of the New Covenant is to love our brothers in Christ. It may be that many of them have rejected us. Maybe they misunderstood us. Perhaps they associate us with the doctrinal excesses of our movements. Whatever the case, let us foster an attitude of love, as can be demonstrated by our willingness and eagerness to seek an understanding of other perspectives, while being wholly prepared to explain and defend our experiences in the light of Scripture.
Does this mean that Pentecostals and Charismatics should blend into the fabric of the greater Evangelical community? Certainly not. We are distinct in that we not only believe in a present-day manifestation of the Holy Spirit consistent with the earthly ministry of Jesus and the book of Acts, but we believe our experiences should be consistent with this belief. This is a distinction we should be zealous about maintaining, not in a separatist way, but in a way that humbly acknowledges that we are receiving the fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Joel, John the Baptist, and Jesus Christ Himself; and being thus empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, we acknowledge that we are supernaturally enabled by grace to work the works of Christ to bring glory to His name, preaching the Gospel with the full expectation of it being confirmed by the Lord Himself.
Despite our Spirit-baptized Christian experience, we must admit that there is much room for improvement if we are to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. We should be working towards a spirit of excellence that will reinforce our spiritual advantages, while making improvements in areas where we lack. We should ask ourselves what are to be the distinguishing marks of this move towards excellence in Pentecostal-Charismatic ministry. An obvious one has already been mentioned, and it is one that will frame the rest – self-examination. This is the process by which we consider ourselves in the greater scope of Church history, noting our strengths, weaknesses, failures, potential, and fruit – not by comparing ourselves amongst ourselves, but by contrasting our own beliefs and practices with other sectors of the Church presently and throughout her history. In doing this, we acknowledge that an ideal representation of the Church has never existed; instead we observe, through various developments over the centuries, lessons to be learned rather than a perfect and representative church model. However, we should learn that there is much to be gleaned from a study of church history extending beyond the last century.
Another key characteristic that should mark a Charismatic Reformation is attention to spiritual legacies, an understanding of the principles of spiritual parenthood as expressed so greatly in Paul’s letters to Timothy, as well as in other places. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. Because of rapid cultural changes in the West, including the Western Church, there is a tendency within Western culture to create generational gaps that serve as barriers of communication between generations. These barriers are amplified when spiritual parents cease to rear spiritual children, or when spiritual children fail to appreciate their spiritual ancestry. This can lead to further alienation between generations, and beget an illegitimate migration away from the core spiritual ideals. In considering these principles of spiritual legacies, two statements come to mind: there is no substitute for experience and there is no success without a successor. Whenever some spiritual quality existing in a generation is not reproduced in the next generation, this signifies decline and failure.
It should be no secret that there has long been an anti-intellectual bias among Pentecostals and Charismatics. Perhaps, to some extent, this was inevitable. What must have seemed like a great departure from Evangelical orthodoxy with the introduction of glossolalia as a core religious practice in the early 20th century necessitated the emergence of a people who were united by a newfound experience more than a theological school of thought. It was some time after Azusa Street that Pentecostal groups formed explicit statements of faith, and even then there was resistance to such a move within some of their ranks. We must remember that those at the forefront of the movement in the early days were not only uneducated, many of them were vehemently anti-education; and what may have been meant to stay the perceived threatening influence of theological high-mindedness was not without consequences. We should identify those consequences and do our best to correct them. This not only means that we should carefully examine the extent to which this has affected the quality of teaching in our churches, but it also means that we must explore the effects that this teaching has ultimately produced, whether good or bad. In doing so, we move toward doctrinal purity and gain a more accurate theological perspective.
One of the greatest opportunities for us is to revisit the very thing that distinguishes us from much of the larger Christian community, that is, our emphasis on the present-day manifestation of the Spirit as is outlined in 1 Corinthians 12 – the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, gifts of healings, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Sadly there are many within Pentecostal and Charismatic churches who have never witnessed the operation of most of these gifts. This is a shame. If the manifestation of the Spirit is given by God for the common good, our failure to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in these ways – either because of willful ignorance, fear, or a lack of desire to experience the fullness of the power of God’s power – we are shortchanging ourselves and our brothers whom we are commanded to love. Who among us cannot recall an account when, through a gift of the Spirit, a brother was encouraged, a trap was avoided, or a life was saved? Have we gotten so far beyond the emphasis on the Spirit’s workings in our churches that we have found some other means of accomplishing that which can only be accomplished by the hand of God? If any of us can say that this is not our experience, then praise be to God, but even among those of us who can say they regularly experience the gifts of the Spirit, none of us should be completely satisfied. There should be within each of us a perpetually unquenchable and earnest desire to see the glory of God.
The hour of our Lord’s return is closer with every passing day. Set before us is the opportunity to fully utilize every means the Father has placed in our hands to fulfill the Great Commission. To do this, we must ensure that we are progressing towards a mature understanding of the ministry of Christ through His body, such that we a more complete habitation of God in the earth. It is with this understanding that I extend to all the invitation to join in a Charismatic Reformation. This invitation is not extended from a presumed position of authority, but rather it is the introduction of a forum through which information and opinions can be communicated from varied perspectives and where relevant topics may be discussed among peers. What is intended is not the formation of a conclusive dogma, but an open-ended dialogue that will serve to contribute towards an exemplary company of heavenly ambassadors executing the will of God in the earth.
Comment
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Comment by Christopher R. Dockrey on January 23, 2010 at 8:40pm
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I'm glad to hear you say that, Brother Ndoh. This idea for the blog came about as I began to think about the fact that one day people your age and mine would be leaders. The questions began to come after that. How do we lead? How do we respond to our fathers in the faith? How do we prepare our future sons and daughters in the Lord? What should we teach them? How do we avoid the traps that others have fallen into? How should we relate to the broader community of Christian faith? How can we help establish a culture in which the Holy Spirit can demonstrate and glorify our Christ? I cannot answer all these questions myself, nor should I seek to do so. But there must be a forum where we challenge each other and sharpen each other so that we will be prepared to lead when the time comes. One thing is for sure: every day we are building our legacies, consciously or not. It is better that we ponder the paths of our feet and make deliberate steps toward a spirit of excellence.
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Comment by PASTOR NDOH STANLEY ANYE on January 23, 2010 at 9:55am
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Wow Brother chris.i wish to be close to people who seem to reason like u.That was just my thoughts, it's just the way i think.Just create this blog and i will be a part of u.
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Comment by Dr. Henry, President of the AOCI on January 18, 2010 at 11:36am
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Well Said Chris. God bless you sir as you stive to please the LORD and be what He wants you to be. You offer great points and it is my special blessing to be associatied with you. If I can help in any way, let me know and I will do my best.
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I appreciate your feedback, Dr. Henry. And you can just call me Chris. I have heard about Pneumafoundation.org, but don't know much about them. I will have to visit their site later.
To elaborate on where I'm coming from a bit, I think that scholarship is important, particularly as a means of establishing a framework within we can sustain Spirit-empowered ministry that glorifies Jesus Christ. If there is anything that history has taught us about moves of the Spirit, it is that they do not last. And I believe there are definite reasons why. Hopefully we can objectively and [intellectually] look at the early days of the Pentecostal movement, the charismatic renewal, and the current state of Pentecostal-Charismatic ministry, and find out where we are lacking.
But just so there is no misunderstanding, I am not what people would call an educated man per se. Although I highly value people such as yourself, who have obtained degrees, I do not possess one; nor do I intend to get one any time soon. As limited as this may be, my focus is on self-education, self-examination, self-discipline, the Holy Ghost, and the importance of generational impartation. These are some of the aspects of what I think are necessary to reform Spirit-empowered ministry that will not fizzle out. If we are somehow able to foster a culture of excellence, it will check human ego, ulterior motives, false doctrine, and excesses; and it will hopefully ensure that we reproduce the quality of ministers that God desires - men and women of character consistent with 2 Peter 1:5-8, who will take up the sword of the Spirit turn the world upside down again.
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Reverend Dockrey, your work in the blog called Charismatic Reformation is a much needed article, particulary for both our charismatic/pentecostal and evangelical brothers and sisters. Are you familiar with Pneumafoundation.org? They want to bring scholarship throughout the charismatic/pentecostal world. Rev, I appreciate this article and will feauture it on the AOCI site. Keep up the great work and I am so proud at the quality of clergy our LORD has drawn to this worldwide fellowship. Having my roots as a pentecostal, this article rings very dear to me. I have ensured scholarship accompanies the pentecostal experience at all ventures. Thank you for what you are doing and the LORD bless you sir.
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