SUMMARY:
Of course, the cry for revival is noth-ing new. And much has been written and claimed on the subject. But in the last two decades it seems to have become a mantra in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles. The clear expectation appears to be that revival is the instant answer to all the Christian’s and the church’s prayers and problems; clearly not a biblical concept or pattern.
What revival?
The first time the word “revival” really resonated with me was when I heard a charismatic pastor, Lyle Potts, use it to describe what was nothing more than members of a large ethnic family group accepting Christ as Saviour. Lyle came to Canberra in the early 1980s on the basis of a prophetic word that he would establish a 10,000-strong congregation. But within a few years, it became obvious this prophecy would not be fulfilled. He left Canberra a disillusioned man.
Of course, the cry for revival is noth-ing new. And much has been written and claimed on the subject. But in the last two decades it seems to have become a mantra in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles. The clear expectation appears to be that revival is the instant answer to all the Christian’s and the church’s prayers and problems; clearly not a biblical con-cept or pattern.
It is no wonder then that there contin-ues to be such a desperate quest for re-vival. But the recent examples of Toronto and Pensacola demonstrate that when all the rhetoric and claims are stripped bare, they were counterfeit, with serious anti-biblical and often occultic practices in evidence. And it is obvious that this deceptive focus is overly obsessive, spir-itually unhealthy if not destructive and counter productive. Thus predictably, the consequences have been tragic for Christendom.
A South American Phenomenon?
Claims of revival in Roman Catholic South America go back several decades. For example, Winkie Pratney states that the number of “evangelicals ... continues to grow explosively” (Revival: Principles to Change the World, 1983, p 248). In a more recent article, Peter Wagner tends to confirm such a growth trend (The Awesome Argentine Revival: Lessons in Evangelism and Spiritual Warfare from Argentina; provided by a friend, Vivian Munoz; text suggests written in mid-1990s). This trend is also supported by circumstantial evidence.
But there are significant doubts this is the result of genuine revival. Questions include: Is there a system that will secure a revival? Does growth in numbers of itself constitute revival? Has revival been sustained over a long period of time? And does it have definitive identifying characteristics?
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...that the Lord will move by His Holy Spirit in His church. |
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Some Evidence
In late 1987, I spent time with the Rev. Ted Good, a New Zealander and long term missionary in South America, notably Chile. He was then the pastor of the San Pedro Anglican church in Vina del Mar, north of the capital Santiago.
In the context of revival claims, Ted showed me a large Pentecostal church in Santiago, whose pastor, then under investigation for fraud, had 400 martial arts trained bodyguards. Ted’s experience was that people attended church there in the morning, and “robbed their grandmoth-ers” in the afternoon. Hardly evidence of a biblical fellowship or of genuine conversion and Christian character.
Soon after I returned to Australia I saw an ABC TV documentary on the Pentecos-tal church growth in South America, which also threw serious doubts about the revival claims. It showed a large unruly congregation and men furtively carrying sacks full of money out of the auditorium. It queried the integrity of the leadership; and implied that the poor people involved were being fleeced by unethical practices. There appeared no evidence that the gospel was being preached.
Peter Wagner’s article is just as disturbing. It focuses on methodology, consistent with his church growth guru status. He claims that while “traditional crusade” and “general church growth” practices were used, the defining difference in the Argentine revival was the application of “aggressive spiritual warfare” and “power evangelism” (a la John Wimber).
He talks about the establishment of “one of the most sophisticated and mas-sive deliverance ministries anywhere”; of “challenging the spirits and praying against them”; of “actually taunt(ing) the spirits until they manifest in one way or another”; and featuring “miracles, heal-ings and deliverance from evil spirits”.
That’s hardly an orthodox approach and it’s definitely unbiblical, though not inconsistent with the excesses of Toronto and Pensacola. Critically, it ignores the fact that we are new creatures in Christ: “the old has gone; the new has come” (2 Cor.5: 17) (see also The Berean Call, October 2003, Q&A).
The reason for the attraction to Pentecostalism may well be quite simple and largely unspiritual. The significant fact is that these “lower class” people, as Wagner terms them, have been in the bondage of both paganism and the authoritarian rule of the Roman Catholic Church for generations. Thus it can hardly be surprising that they would break these bonds in droves and embrace the freedom that comes with what appears to be a most attractive and exciting alternative. But that does not equate with revival or biblical Chris-tianity!
Also, it is pertinent to ask: if there was a revival in South America, why didn’t Christians flock there (for a zap?) as they did to Toronto and Pensacola? And unlike Toronto and Pensacola, why have the “practitioners” of these revivals not peddled their wares in Western countries? Intriguing questions!
Is it biblical?
Revival is not a word the Bible uses, strictly speaking, nor is the concept. Certainly the methodologies and practices Wagner outlines cannot be found in the New Testament. Although the preaching of the gospel was confirmed by “miracu-lous signs and wonders” (e.g. Acts 5:12 & 14:3).
Peter preached a simple message with the focus on Christ. And the people “were cut to the heart” and “about 3000 souls” were saved (Acts 2). Paul preached Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 1:23). It was on this basis that unbelievers saw the early church as having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
In an excellent article, Olympia Barczynska says perceptively of the gospel that preaching Christ results in “all other things ... find(ing) their rightful balance in the light of Him”. Further, “Following an-other gospel is disobedience to the truth and a turning away from Jesus” (emphasis added) (CETF, Issue 27, p 6). And Jacob Prasch correctly states: “Where there is a real move of God, the Word of God will be central and paramount; everything else will be derived from what is in the Bible” (Moriel, April 2001, p4).
Remember also, we are predisposed to analyse everything; to search for cause and effect; and hence to formulate. The danger of this process is the tendency to filter out the primacy of God; and the microscopic perspective involved, to ob-scure the biblical context. For instance: Pratney gives ten characteristics of reviv-al preachers (pp. 288-290). Interesting? Yes. Prescriptive? No! This progresses to “how to” formulations (Pt. ix; p309). And the false, unbiblical claim that “prin-ciples” can change the world (subtitle). How easily we forget that God cannot be manipulated or dispensed with! (I use Pratney’s book simply for illustrative pur-poses; no endorsement is implied).
Don’t misunderstand me. I am all for praying that the Lord will move by His Holy Spirit in His church. It’s obviously needed. And it’s understandable and right that the nostalgia and yearning for such manifes-tations of the Holy Spirit as in the 1904 Welsh revival should persist. But the Bible makes Christ the Christian’s focus. And the fact is that revival like happiness is a consequence. Making it the objective is to ensure it remains elusive. And it’s a sure way of being deceived.
Thus Jesus, Paul and Peter warned of apostasy in the last days. False prophets will proliferate (Matt. 24:11); “evil men and seducers will grow worse and worse” (2 Tim. 3:13); and even those who call themselves Christians would not endure sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3). The evidence is: this is happening today.
Our Response?
Let us remember Jesus’ exhortation to be wise in our Christian walk (Matt.10: 16). Let us test all things by the Word of God (Is 8:20 c/f 1 Thess 5:21 & 1 John chapter 4), and thus be Bereans (Acts 17:11). Let us live and grow by the Word (2 Tim.3: 16-17), having our eyes fixed on Jesus (Heb. 12:2). And in the process, let us “Go ... and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to observe all” that Jesus commanded us; remembering that He is with us always (Matt. 28:19-20).
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Appeared in Issue CETF NR 31 2005
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-Last revised-
Monday, October 09, 2006
