In Part 3, The Revival of
Charlatans we discussed the Spirit of God, what it was and how it relates to
the Pentecostal movement. Now we are going to expose the Pentecostal movement
for what it is…DEMONIC in nature. For that we must use context and discover how
the Enemy has infiltrated the hearts and minds of sincere yet deceived people.
I must confess that though these people are sincere, and I do believe their
experiences are genuine, I do not condone nor believe that we should be practicing
such things. After all, as I stated in the previous blog, the church went
nearly 2000+ years without this so called speaking in tongues and it does not
need it now. The Church is Christ’s body and must act in accordance with Christ
not outside of Christ.
From the onset of this section of Orthodoxy
and Religion of the Future, Father Seraphim Rose painstakingly conveys the
message that the Charismatic, Pentecostal Movement is NOT of the Church. First let’s find its origins, then we will
discuss the actions of these Charlatans and finally we will place in context
the true and Orthodox mindset with how to proceed in our thoughts regarding the
movement.
First, the origins. As the book
states on pages 115-17, it comes from the Protestant Revivalism spirit that began
with Martin Luther, but particularly with Charles Parham on December 31, 1900.
He was trying to discover “ancient” Christianity. Had Charles Parham been acquainted
with the Church Fathers, then he would know ancient Christianity has been kept
by the Orthodox Church and the successors of the Apostles for 2000 years. But
alas, he was not. Charles Parham and his disciples were trying to receive the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit, through the power to speak in tongues as it
mentions in Acts. Through the instruction of a young girl, the “gift” was received
after he laid hands upon her, and she spoke incoherently. From pages 118-119 we
see that this “baptism” and “gift” spread like wildfire culminating in even the
Pope of Rome admitting he was a Pentecostal. Thus we see that the movement began
outside the established Church of Christ, and is a relatively new phenomenon,
not something that the Church has preached for a majority of its existence
On Page 126, Father Seraphim Rose
quotes the scriptures of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12-14 where St. Paul discusses
the use of speaking tongues, and states that St. Paul was not trying to promote
it, rather he was trying to minimalize its importance in the everyday life of
the Church. Pentecostals and those who support the speaking in tongues charlatan
movement use these chapters to justify their means. This is a simple misinterpretation
and without proper guidance, misinterpretation happens quite frequently, even
among those of us who profess Orthodoxy. Father Seraphim quotes a person on
page 127, who began to use the word la, repeatedly and then began to speak
wildly. This person by a psychological nature was conditioning themselves to
speaking in tongues, not allowing the Holy Spirit to overcome them. Another
grave error. On page 128, Father Seraphim discusses the repentance aspect of
the movement and notes that many do not feel a need to ask for forgiveness from
their sins after speaking in tongues, because God is inside them. We can see
that this is inconsistent even with Protestant doctrine that calls for one to
come to a saving grace in Christ and violates Romans 3:23. Father Seraphim even
further explains this movement usinh Lutheran pastor Dr. Kurt Koch, who along
with Father Seraphim denotes that this movement is psychic in nature and is a
form of mediumism or to put it bluntly…sorcery. Father Seraphim also denotes
that while many would consider this Christian, the devil does not necessarily
take away our “Christianness” when this act is taking place, rather he replaces
it with what we want to feel and how we want to act, rather than giving us true
and proper experiences in Christ. Meetings of interdenominational charismatics
included free-form prayer and dancing, no consensus of piety or respect for God
(page 151) From pages 151-156 Father Seraphim discusses the laughter within
these meetings and how that this is common among those brought to Orthodox
Priests in the old countries who need an exorcism. This laughter is produced by
those who speak in tongues and is a disregard for the faith in Christ. While laughter
is not a bad thing, lack of respect for Christ is. Father Seraphim also at length
discusses preachers like Rodney Howard-Browne who during his “revivals” would
witness people “slain in the spirit” falling unconscious and being almost superglued
to the floor. Again, signs of possession but not by God. Those who are possessed
by God are in their right minds. Howard-Browne on page 214, states, “I’d rather
be in a church where the devil and the flesh are manifesting than in a church
where nothing is happening…” Brothers and Sisters, if the devil himself is entering
a church, then it is not a church…it is pure and simply Satanic worship.
So, what is the Orthodox, and well
to be honest the Christian response? The Christian response is to have nothing
to do with it. Leave it to its own devices and do not seek it. Seek only that which
is pure and uplifting. Seek Christ
through the saints, the scriptures and leave speaking in tongues alone. Do not forget to pray for those in spiritual
deception, because we could be there just as easily. Seek forgiveness of your
sins, pray, and be at peace.
Amen.
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