Bethany Bible Fellowship Church, Hatfield, PA
October 1978
The CharismaticMovement:
Testing ItsTruth-Claims
Robert C. Newman
Introduction
Thecharismatic movement can be characterized by two major claims:
(1)The miraculous gifts of the apostolic period are still available.
(2) TheChristian after salvation may receive the fullness/baptism of the Holy Spiritas a 2nd blessing, usually characterized by speaking in tongues.
The spread andimpact of the movement in modern times:
Began about1900, leading to several distinct Pentecostal denominations, usually labeled"old-line Pentecostalism."
About 1960, itbegan to spread into other denominations, there labeled"neo-Pentecostalism" or the "Charismatic movement."
By now, mostChristians have friends or relatives involved. My own situation: I have a brother, sister-in-law &their children in a neo church; the Southern Baptist church where I grew up isgoing liberal, but some of the conservatives still there are Charismatic, mymother has been influenced.
On any Biblicalway of judging salvation, there are many believers in the movement; this,however, does not prove they are right.
Correct theologyis important to everyday life.
Example of acouple coming for marriage counseling: they believe they have been completelysanctified, so how can either one of them be wrong in the dispute they arehaving?
An overview ofthis series:
Not going to tryto examine all aspects of this movement, nor all Scripture related to the same.
Rather, we willtry to look at three of the more prominent gifts claimed by Charismatics,testing them in the light of Biblical parallels and tests (so the seriestitle).
These threegifts or areas are:
We will takethese in the order of ease of testing, from most easily tested to least (whichis the order given above).
Biblical Warrantfor Such Testing:
Do we have anyright to test these claims? Wouldn't that show a lack of faith? Isn't there a danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit?
We have explicitcommands of God to make such tests:
1 John4:1 (NASU) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to seewhether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into theworld.
1Thess5:21 (NASU) But examine everything [carefully]; hold fast to that which isgood;
Prophecy
Claims byCharismatics Today
This is the areawhere orthodox non-Charismatics are most alarmed, as acceptance of additionalrevelation since New Testament times (and during Intertestament times) hasinvariably led to heresy.
MostCharismatics seem to distinguish their own prophecy from Scripture, and treattheir own prophecy as comparable to that of local prophets seen in the NT,e.g., Agabus (Acts 11:28; 21:10), Philip's daughters (Acts 21:19).
But, note thatDavid Wilkerson's Vision makes strongclaims, both implicit and explicit (unnumbered pages = 6, 7, 9, re/ Paul,Habakkuk, Peter, Daniel; page 13 re/ Noah, page 68 re/ not preaching butprophesying).
ScripturalTests for Prophets
(1) Doctrinal:Deut 13:1-5; Gal 1:8-9; 1 John 4:2-3
Deut13:1-5 (NASU) "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you andgives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true,concerning which he spoke to you, saying, `Let us go after other gods (whom youhave not known) and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words ofthat prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you tofind out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all yoursoul. 4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep Hiscommandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But thatprophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he hascounseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land ofEgypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way inwhich the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil fromamong you."
Gal1:8-9 (NASU) But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you agospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As wehave said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospelcontrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
1John 4:2-3 (NASU) By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit thatconfesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spiritthat does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of theantichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already inthe world.
These tests apply to tongues and healing also.
They are not a problem for all Charismatics; norshould the fact that some heresies are Charismatic prove that all are from thedevil.
(2) Predictive:Deut 18:20-22
Deut18:20-22 (NASU) "`But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in Myname which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name ofother gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 You may say in your heart, `How will weknow the word which the Lord has not spoken?' 22 When a prophet speaks in thename of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is thething which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously;you shall not be afraid of him."
CharismaticAttitudes toward False Prophecy
But evasive when dealing with problem in their ownmidst:
Sometechniques used by them to explain away false prophecy:
(1) Deny that message was supposed to have beenprediction from God: note thedanger, even in non-Char circles, of using phrases like "thus said theLord," "the Holy Spirit told me," "God showed me"which imply special revelation.
(2) Attempt to reinterpret the prophecy to fit theevents.
(3) Claim that prophets are not infallible in theChurch age:
Using 1 Cor 13:8 to mean "prophecy will fail (tobe fulfilled)"
Using 1 Cor 14:29 to mean everyone must judge whetherprophets speak from God (even true ones, because not all their predictions arefrom God)
Using the common evangelical concept of doingsomething "in the flesh" to excuse false prophecies withoutdiscrediting the prophet
(4) Claim that the gift of prophecy must be developedthrough trial and error (1 Cor 14:31)
Actually there is a strong tendency to ignore falsepredictions in Charismatic circles (e.g., Don Basham, True and FalseProphets, never discusses unfulfilledpredictions in the whole book!)
Some Examples of Failure in Charismatic Prediction
DavidWilkerson in The Vision (1973), page 16:
Bestyears ahead, but stock market plummets
ScotRoss in Scott Free (1976), pp 119-120:
Girlin auto accident to recover, but she dies
DonBasham in New Wine magazine for Jan 77,page 29:
In his own experience, he hears 8 to 10 times as manyerroneous predictions as valid ones!
Conclusions
1. Charismatics are not using Biblical tests towardfalse prophecy in their own circles (imagine not using any tests re/ falsedoctrine).
2. Charismatics are not taking the Biblical attitudetoward false prophecy in their own circles (e.g., in church discipline; imaginenot using discipline in church for other capital sins).
3. It does not appear that the Charismatics have thesupernatural gift of prophecy.
Healing
Charismatic Claims
Thematter of healing is somewhat less testable than is prophecy:
1. You need medical expertise to diagnose a person'scondition before and after.
2. Many physical ailments are either caused by oraggravated by the mind; doctors distinguish organic and functional problems.
Charismatics agree with non-Charismatic Christiansthat God can and does heal in answer to prayer.
They differ in claiming:
1. God wants you well, so only your lack of faithprevents healing.
2. Charismatics often emphasize gifted healers, suchas Kathry Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, A. A. Allen, etc.
Scriptural Characteristics of Healings
1. They were often "not done in a corner"(Acts 26:26)
SeeMark 1:45; Matt 15:30-31; John 11:47-48; 12:9-11; Acts 4:16-17
Mark1:45 (NASU) But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread thenews around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter acity, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him fromeverywhere.
Matt15:30 (NASU) And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them [those who were]lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at Hisfeet; and He healed them. 31 So the crowd marveled as they saw the mutespeaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing;and they glorified the God of Israel.
John11:47 (NASU) Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council,and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing manysigns. 48 "If we let Him [go on] like this, all men will believe in Him,and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
John12:9 (NASU) The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; andthey came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whomHe raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus todeath also; 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away andwere believing in Jesus.
Acts4:16 (NASU) saying, "What shall we do with these men? For the fact that anoteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live inJerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 "But so that it will not spread anyfurther among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man inthis name."
2.The healings were not restricted to just certain kinds of diseases:
Matt4:23 (NASU) Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in theirsynagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind ofdisease and every kind of sickness among the people.
Matt8:16 (NASU) When evening came, they brought to Him many who weredemon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all whowere ill.
Mark6:55 (NASU) and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and thereon their pallets those who were sick, to the place they heard He was. 56Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying thesick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch thefringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.
3.The healings were typically produced quickly:
Onlyone seems to occur in stages:
Mark8:22 (NASU) And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesusand implored Him to touch him. 23 Taking the blind man by the hand, He broughthim out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands onhim, He asked him, "Do you see anything?" 24 And he looked up andsaid, "I see men, for I see [them] like trees, walking around." 25Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and wasrestored, and [began] to see everything clearly.
A fewoccurred as the person is obeying Christ's command:
John9:6 (NASU) When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle,and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, "Go, wash in the poolof Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, andcame [back] seeing.
Luke17:14 (NASU) When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves tothe priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed.
4.The healings produced complete results:
Matt8:14 (NASU) When Jesus came into Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lyingsick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her; andshe got up and waited on Him. (Peter'smother-in-law is immediately up and working.)
John5:5 (NASU) A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 WhenJesus saw him lying [there], and knew that he had already been a long time [inthat condition], He ^said to him, "Do you wish to get well?" 7 Thesick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool whenthe water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down beforeme." 8 Jesus ^said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet andwalk." 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and[began] to walk.
Nowit was the Sabbath on that day. (The lameman is immediately walking and carrying a load.)
5.The healings were permanent. Wedon't mean that the people never got six again or that they didn't eventuallydie, but Jesus' enemies were not able to use this against him.
Acts10:37 (NASU) you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout allJudea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.
38"[You know of] Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the HolySpirit and with power, and [how] He went about doing good and healing all whowere oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (This suggests Jesus' reputation was good several years later amongnon-Christians.)
Healingin Charismatic Circles
1.The "healing meeting"
a. A strong emotional atmosphere, a charismaticpersonality, suggestion, all conducive to curing psychosomatic illnesses andtemporarily overcoming some other diseases by hysteria, hypnotic suggestion.
b. Selection: healers regularly control those allowed on stage.
SeeNolen, A Doctor in Search of a Miracle,66-67.
2. The "insufficient faith" principle– a tendency to teach that it is your fault if you are not healed, thoughit doesn't look like this explains the differences observed.
3. The "hidden healing" principle –if you have real faith, you will believe you are healed even if the symptomsdon't go away. See Katie Fortune,"Receive All God Has to Give," 15; A. C. Gaebelein, The HealingQuestion, 106; Washington Star
4. The Disappearance of Cures:
a. Gaebelein (95-96): a committee of 11 ministers, 8doctors, 3 professors, 1 lawyer investigated the C. S. Price campaign in Vancouver,taking months to trace down 350 cases who professed healing at meetings:
b. Nolen investigated meeting of Kathryn Kuhlman inspring of 1973 in Minneapolis; with cooperation of Kuhlman, Nolen was an usher,helping patients; 82 claiming healing at meeting agreed to cooperate in study;about a month later, only 23 showed up at interview; these showed improvementin bursitis, migraines, skin problems, varicose veins, multiple sclerosis, allknown as diseases in which the psyche is important, or which tend to improvecyclically; found no evidence of miraculous cures; since none of the 5 claimingcancer cures returned, he wrote or visited all claiming such:
1died 12 days after meeting
1died 40 days after
3rdhad cancer still growing at press time
4thstill has cancer, not a malignant type
5th had and has Hodgkin's disease, thoughpresented at time as lung cancer.
Conclusions
1. Charismatic "healing" is highlyselective. It seems to work bestwith psychosomatic diseases. Fewcoming to meetings claim healing of organic diseases. Among those who do, the cures have a strong tendency todisappear on later investigation.
2. Those claiming healing often refuse to accommodatefurther investigation, believing that to investigate is to show lack offaith. The hidden healingprinciple leads to misleading testimony during the actual healing meetings bythose who have really never been healed.
3. The great faith-healers of previous generationshave suffered from diseases and died like other humans.
4. There is "a great gulf fixed" betweenCharismatic healing and that of the Gospel accounts.
Tongues
The Problem of Testability
Thereare about 5,400 known languages of earth.
Themost versatile linguists rarely can handle over 100.
(Dr.Robert Dick Wilson, Princeton OT scholar, knew 45.)
The average person in the US knows one language,though he or she has often had some exposure to one more.
So there is a real problem of testing whether aclaimed language is what it is said to be.
Some Scriptural Materials on Tongues
In Acts 2:4-11, these are known human languages.
1 Cor13:1 (NASU) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not havelove, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have [the giftof] prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have allfaith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And ifI give all my possessions to feed [the poor], and if I surrender my body to beburned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Notethe context (vv 2-3): these arethings Paul has not done.
Note also the origin of diverse human languages (Gen11): would good angels haveseveral languages?
Not all speak in tongues: 1 Cor 12:30
1 Cor12:30 (NASU) All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak withtongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
Not nearly as worthwhile as speaking in a languagethe whole church understands:
1 Cor14:19 (NASU) however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mindso that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Problems in Charismatic Circles
There is a tendency to claim that most manifestationsof speaking in tongues are angelic languages, unlike the Biblical situation;charismatic languages are not similar enough to be only one language.
There is a tendency to claim that tongue speaking is the
Linguistic analysis of taped tongue-speaking showsthat English-speaking tongue-speakers use the speech sounds of English.
These "languages" spoken show littleevidence of grammatical structure.
Comparison of recorded tongues with theinterpretation show unequal length for tongue and interpretation,
Volunteers without tongue-speaking experience canspontaneously produce contrived speeches that experienced tongue-speakerscannot distinguish from the "real thing."
Conclusions
1. As with prophecy and healing, the phenomena oftongues in the modern charismatic movement differ significantly form thoserecorded in Scripture.
2. Modern linguistic study suggests thattongue-speaking today is just a rearrangement of sounds native to the speakerrather than a different language.
3. Being far more difficult to test than prophecy orhealing, it is harder to prove or rule out supernatural causes fortongues. Yet is it therefore ofthat much less value for proving the charismatic movement has any closerrelation to God (or Satan) than other evangelical groups.