WesleyGospel Ministries

O Lord, REVIVE Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. –Habakkuk 3:2

When you evaluate modern evangelical seeker-sensitive “wannabe” revivalists in the light of the Book of Acts, Jonathan Edwards (Jonathan Edwards on Revival), and Charles Finney (Lectures on Revivals of Religion), it becomes clear that there are some false ideas about revival, expressed in preaching, such as…

1. NO PREACHING HELL.

2. NO PREACHING REPENTANCE.

3. NO PREACHING ATONEMENT.

4. NO PREACHING REGENERATION.

5. NO PREACHING OBEDIENCE.

6. Preaching Miracles. – “God has a heart for the nations of the earth.  He has promised the nations to His Son as His inheritance, and the ends of the earth as His possession.  There is a new breed of revivalist emerging in the earth today to answer God’s cry for the nations of the earth to be healed.  This new breed thinks differently and believes God can use their lives to see cities taken and nations discipled. They believe their lives were meant to be salt, thrown into the waters of society, to reverse the curse of barrenness on the land.  God is not just raising up revivalists who will stand behind a pulpit, but revivalists who will go into the Seven Mind Molders of society so that the land can be healed.” [from Banning Liebscher’s The New Breed of Revivalist] | “Igniting the Fires of Revival meetings are on the first Sunday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Christian Growth Center has entered a new season: A time of miracles, healings and financial blessings; a season of suddenlies! This will be an hour of power, so do not miss it.  Come expecting a move of God as we set the atmosphere that is conducive for miracles.” [from Christian Growth Center]

7. Preaching Love.

8. Preaching Community.

9. Preaching Numerical Church Growth.

10. Preaching Holy Spirit. – “We believe revivalists are like supernatural paramedics who carry the life giving breath of God everywhere they go, which is the Holy Spirit. It only takes one man aflame to ignite another and the breath of God daily to sustain the burn. Sustained revival will come from revivalists who sustain the burn within themselves by living from their intimate relationship with God.” [from revivalistculture.com]

11. Preaching Faith.

12. Preaching Tithing In a “Pure” Way. – “We, you and us together, are co-laborers together with the Lord. The anointing that is on this ministry comes into your life the moment that you partner with this ministry because you join together with us in helping spread revival across America and around the world. You share in the same equal reward that the ministry receives. Every soul that gets saved comes to your account. God notices every little thing that you do.” [from revival.com]

13. Preaching Father God, Not Christ the Judge.

14. Preaching Passion.

15. Preaching Involvement In Events. (Good Works).

16. Preaching Prayer and Fasting.

17. Preaching Worship.

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Signs of True Revival – The Great Awakening
Jonathan Edwards’ An Account of the Revival of Religion in Northampton, 1740-1742

1. Awakening to Heaven and Hell in Personal Conversations Among Young People.

2. Awakening to New Testament Rules of Holiness.

3. Sermons Like Those by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield.

4. Rebukes to Lukewarmness.

5. Emphasizing Man’s Responsibility Before God.

6. Preaching Against Church Hypocrisy.

7. People Fainting and Crying in the Spirit for Overwhelming Convictions of Eternity.

8. Hours and Hours of Spirit-Filled, Joyful Prayer and Worship, and Fellowship.

9. Open Air Gospel Preaching (like George Whitefield).

10. Young People Convicted of a Holy Life Involved in House Church Meetings.

11. The Moral Law Taking Hold Over Many Young People’s Lives.

12. Fasting, Prayer, and Feeling God’s Presence.

13. Young People Strictly Avoiding Sexual Immorality.

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Signs of True Revival – The Second Great Awakening
Charles Finney’s Lectures on Revivals of Religion, Ch. 1: “What a Revival of Religion Is”

1. Preaching the Judgments of God to Excite Fear and Obedience to God’s Moral Law.

2. Preaching Immediate Repentance and Personal Responsibility.

3. Miracles Confirm the Preaching of the Lordship Salvation Gospel.

4. Conversion from Backsliding and towards Obedience to God.

5. Zealous Love for God.

6. Zealous Love for Man–Seeking to Save Sinners from Hell.

Last night I watched the awesome movie Martin Luther (1953) with the family. It is my favorite version. One scene in the movie that is iconic is when he nails the 95 Theses to the door of Wittenburg’s Castle Church:–on October 31, 1517. Rebekah said, “It would be good to read those theses.” I said, “I have them in the Appendix of my New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. And so, after the movie, we read the first 50 theses. Since they were written while Luther was still a Catholic priest, they show that at this time he still believed in Purgatory and in a rightful use of indulgences and confession to the priests. But it also shows that at this time he was beginning to see the sales of indulgences as a false gospel; and as encouraging false repentance. We found that several of these first 50 theses are very relevant to our modern day church context.

Further, I DREAMED last night that I was in the times of Luther! I saw that Luther had posted his 95 Theses on a big scroll-like paper over there on a medieval looking church castle door. I wanted to do that too. I saw the 95 Theses in my DREAM! Then I went to my pastor and asked him if I could do the same thing, because I had a few theses of my own. He said, “No, don’t do that.” I said, “Why! Because it would be too controversial?” Then the dream ended.

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Selections from Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying, “Repent ye,” etc., intended that THE WHOLE LIFE OF BELIEVERS SHOULD BE PENITENCE.

3. It does not, however, refer solely to inward penitence; nay such inward penitence is naught, unless IT OUTWARDLY PRODUCES VARIOUS MORTIFICATIONS OF THE FLESH.

4. The penalty thus continues as long as THE HATRED OF SELF–that is, TRUE INWARD PENITENCE–continues: namely, till our entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.

28. IT IS CERTAIN THAT, WHEN THE MONEY RATTLES IN THE CHEST, AVARICE AND GAIN MAY BE INCREASED, BUT THE SUFFRAGE OF THE CHURCH DEPENDS ON THE WILL OF GOD ALONE.

32. Those who believe that, through letters of pardon, they are made sure of their own salvation, will be ETERNALLY DAMNED along with their teachers.

35. They preach no Christian doctrine, who teach that contrition is not necessary for those who buy souls out of Purgatory or buy confessional licenses.

Note: In the buying and selling of indulgences, salvation from Purgatory and Hell was promised falsely to the people–that they didn’t even have to have a repentant heart towards God for their sins. So, the “indulgence gospel” was a no-repentance gospel…much like the cheap grace and antinomian non-judgmental “love” gospel being preached by many pastors today.

36. EVERY CHRISTIAN WHO FEELS TRUE COMPUNCTION HAS OF RIGHT FULL FORGIVENESS OF PAIN AND GUILT, even without letters of pardon.

40. TRUE CONTRITION SEEKS AND LOVES PUNISHMENT; WHILE THE AMPLENESS OF PARDONS RELAXES IT, AND CAUSES MEN TO HATE IT, OR AT LEAST GIVES OCCASION FOR THEM TO DO SO.

Note: Martin Luther preached that true repentance from sin in the heart seeks and loves God’s punishment for sin in this life–that is, being disciplined by God for our sins (as in Hebrews 12:4-13). (Better to be disciplined by God temporarily in this life, with a repentant heart, than to be impenitent and eternally damned by God to Hell!) But on the contrary, WHEN NOTHING BUT GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND GRACE IS PREACHED–whether through the indulgence gospel of Luther’s time, or through the cheap grace/seeker-sensitive gospel of today which has no Hell or repentance in it–“it causes men to HATE” GOD’S DISCIPLINE FOR SIN. And creates a carnal, unspiritual, and morally lax American church culture!

45. Christians should be taught that he who sees any one in need, and passing him by, gives money for pardons, is not purchasing for himself the indulgences of the Pope, but the ANGER OF GOD.

46. Christians should be taught that, unless they have superfluous wealth, THEY ARE BOUND TO KEEP WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE USE OF THEIR OWN HOUSEHOLDS, AND BY NO MEANS TO LAVISH IT ON PARDONS.

Note: Luther would bear witness against all pastors who guilt the poor of their churches, into giving more to their churches, even when they are struggling to pay their bills, and need to keep the money they have for supporting their families.

50. Christians should be taught that, if the Pope were acquainted with the exactions of the preachers of pardons, he would prefer that the Basilica of St. Peter should be BURNT TO ASHES, THAN THAT IT SHOULD BE BUILT UP WITH THE SKIN, FLESH AND BONES OF HIS SHEEP.

Note: What a parallel to Pentecostal pastors and prosperity preachers:–but also to pastors of all denominations, who would use any method in preaching to move people to give more money to the church, whether through fundraisers, or sermons, or anything. The rule of God’s Word on tithing and giving is clear: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Oh, and not even THIS BIBLE VERSE should be twisted by a pastor in a sermon to stimulate thoughts about giving. The pastor should just shut his mouth about giving totally; and TRUST GOD TO PROVIDE FOR HIS CHURCH!

I dreamed I was at the house of a pastor in which I was seeking a ministry opportunity. I learned a lot of the inner goings on at how and why he thought certain ways when I was there. But in the dream, it was a Saturday morning or something at the pastor’s house, and I was sitting at the table with my dad; and I think Rebekah. The pastor’s wife got up and there was a pot of broth and she asked, “How do you make vegetable soup?” I said, “Green beans, potatoes, carrots, etc.” Then the pastor came in; I almost laughed, because it was like me and him had an inside joke that we had just shared, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then he comes and greets us. I shake his hand with my left, because my right is in use. I felt brotherly love for him. Then he introduces himself to my dad and says, “Hey, are you John’s dad?; I’m Rev. ——–. We’re having a fundraiser this weekend….this and that…and we’re going to have ——- for our guest speaker….there’ll be this….and that….it’ll be great.” Quite a sales pitch! Then I woke up. My dad’s face was grieved.

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The past two Sundays we attended different churches in different towns. One black and poor, the other white and rich. BOTH pastors laid a guilt-trip on their churches to GIVE MORE MONEY TO THE CHURCH: OR YOU’RE IN SIN.

What an amazing book! It is a real revelation of the spiritual climate of America; of where we’ve come from (which is relatively good), where we are (which is bad), and where are probably going (which isn’t good).

In the 1500s-1600s, the Anglicans, Pilgrims, and Puritans dominated the religious landscape of America. Since they lived in different colonies, the Pilgrims and Puritans were civilly protected from the persecution they would have otherwise had in England for being non-conformists to the Church of England. For the Anglicans, the 39 Articles and the Book of Common Prayer defined their theology, as well as Thomas Cranmer’s Books of Homilies. But the Anglican priests were of a very poor character; outcasts in England, they came to America, as a last resort in ministry.

The Pilgrims and Puritans, basically took their theology from the Westminster Confession and from various Puritan theologians from the past. Although this era was very hard economically and spiritually, and some entertained thoughts of missionary activity among the Indians:–for the most part, these white Christian settlers kept to themselves. I would say, in this era of America, the theology was totally orthodox; you couldn’t get more orthodox than the 39 Articles, being directly influenced by Martin Luther and salvation views of the Protestant Reformation. And with the Westminster Confession, although a bit tough to swallow on its doctrine of unconditional predestination, offered a solid Biblical vision of what Christian life is supposed to look like, both in theory and practice.

In the late 1680s, different immigrating Dissenters from England and Europe began to unsettle the orthodox settlers: Quakers, Arminians, Baptists, Antinomians, Jews, etc. It was the beginning of religious diversity in America. It started off in Rhode Island and then took shape in Pennsylvania, which was Quaker territory. The orthodox Reformed and Calvinistic Puritan vision was over with. No more Puritan America. No more Reformed America. Now it was a melting pot for every Dissenter from England that was not burned at the stake. It was a place where all these different religious opinions, could flourish under the banner of economic cooperation, and tolerant political leadership.

The 1700s was a time of promise and peril for American spirituality. The bad news was, that in order for the nation to stand unified against the English king; and maintain its independence, the politicians figured they needed a philosophy that would allow government leaders a level of tolerance and allowance for all these different religions. That philosophy was called Freemasonry. George Washington (d. 1731), Benjamin Franklin (d. 1790), and most of the Founding Fathers joined this sect in order to gain a sort of universalist viewpoint of all these religions; and then unify all the people “under God” or “the Grand Architect of the Universe.” Steering away from the Anglican and Puritan vision of God, the Founding Fathers embraced a universalism couched in terms of Enlightenment rationalism and deism; which then led to liberal Christianity flourishing in the nation.

But God rose up two prophets to respond to this satanic apostasy: Jonathan Edwards (d. 1758) and George Whitefield (d. 1770). Edwards is considered the “last of the Puritans,” and known for his Hell-fire and brimstone sermons such as “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The Great Awakening took place under his fiery preaching; and there were great outpourings of the Holy Spirit during his church services, and many very wicked people were brought to a thorough repentance from sin, and resolved to live in holiness. Whitefield was the Calvinist and neo-Puritan counterpart of his Arminian-Anglican friend and Methodist church founder John Wesley (d. 1791). Whitefield came to America and preached the Gospel of repentance and faith for salvation from an eternal Hell; in collaboration with Edwards and other Great Awakening preachers. It would be wrong to say that Edwards and Whitefield made the whole nation reformed Christians again; that would be entertaining an unrealistic notion. But they did revive a great mass of reformed Christians out of a spiritually dead cesspool and melting pot of apostasy and religious diversity. The Great Awakening was Puritanism’s “last hurrah” in America.

Liberal Christianity got worse and worse through the influence of Enlightenment rationalism. In response to the apostasy, the Second Great Awakening was spearheaded by Charles Finney (d. 1875). He was a Presbyterian with an Arminian or Wesleyan influence; and he innovated the idea of creating and organizing revival meetings. This led to the Methodist-dominated camp meetings, where revivalist-style preaching and prayer meetings could occur; where deeper holiness could be pursued, and sometimes, spiritual gifts were experienced, such as dreams, visions, trances, and even tongues. The Holiness and Methodist leadership also used this as a platform for the cause of Abolition of the slave trade. The African Methodist Episcopal Church was formed, however, by some disenfranchised black Methodists who felt they were being racially discriminated against in their white-dominated Methodist churches. This also led to other independent black churches being formed, such as Baptist ones. But it is clear, at least in my estimation, that a truly spiritual and even prophetic–almost Catholic saint-level–of holiness and spiritual gifts was attained by some of the black women in these Methodist-holiness camp meetings, such as Jarena Lee and Zilpha Elaw.

Highlights from the book end here.

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Following in this spiritual heritage, William J. Seymour (d. 1922), a black Holiness pastor, appeared on the Los Angeles scene with his Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission, proclaiming an experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Bible evidence of speaking in tongues. Many people, especially the Methodist-holiness types flocked from all over America, and other countries, to receive the experience for themselves. So, this Azusa Street Revival lasted from 1906-1909, for three years; and was eventually quenched when a white woman became jealous that Seymour married a black woman instead of her. This jealous woman, Clara Lum, stole Seymour’s mailing list for his newspaper The Apostolic Faith, so he no longer had a donation base for his ministry; and also, had no means of communication with the newly forming Pentecostal Movement.

The Charismatic Movement of the 1960s and 70s was not as Wesleyan as the Azusa Street Revival, but it probably had much of God’s Spirit at work in it. America’s Christian culture had become much more diverse than Pennsylvania ever was in the 1600s. Now there were Eastern religions and New Age cults everywhere; and liberal Christian denominations, known as “mainline,” had become the most popular; Hell and repentance and old Puritanical ideas were lost mainly; and only a love and a Father and universal brotherhood idea of Christianity remained. Yet there were some conservative reformed types, but they all opposed the Charismatics entirely. Dennis Bennett (d. 1991), an Anglican priest who was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, appears to have been the most orthodox of the leaders in this movement.

The Neocharismatic Movement began in the early 1980s under the ministry of John Wimber (d. 1997) and his formation of the Vineyard churches. This was like a “phase 2” of the Charismatic Movement. Because, whereas that move had focused on bringing tongues and spiritual gifts to liberals:–the Neocharismatic or “third wave” movement was focused on conservative evangelicals like Southern Baptists, Presbyterians, etc. This gave rise to “reformed Charismatics” and “Charismatic Calvinists” like Jack Deere, Mike Bickle, Sam Storms, John Piper, and Wayne Grudem. But it has to be noted that in the early days of this movement, Leonard Ravenhill (d. 1994) played a role as a prophetic revivalist type of overseer to which a lot of these guys looked up to. Ravenhill, a Holiness preacher from an era long past, who was deeply influenced by William Booth and the Salvation Army in his youth–was not opposed to “signs and wonders and prophecy” per se–but his preaching emphasis, as always, was on SALVATION, PRAYER, and HOLINESS. May we follow in his footsteps all the way to Heaven. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Further Reading

Edwin Gaustad’s The Religious History of America.

Harry Stout’s The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism.

Michael Crawford’s Seasons of Grace: Colonial New England’s Revival Tradition in its British Context.

Dee Andrews’ The Methodists and Revolutionary America, 1760-1800.

William McLoughlin’s Modern Revivalism: Charles Grandison Finney to Billy Graham.

Charles Johnson’s Frontier Camp Meeting: Religion’s Harvest Time.

Donald Mathews’ Religion in the Old South.

Christine Heyrman’s Southern Cross: The Beginnings of the Bible Belt.

Vinson Synan’s The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition.

Mack Tomlinson’s In Light of Eternity: The Life of Leonard Ravenhill.

I’ve only grazed the surface on the subject of economic profits in light of Christian ethics. Alejandro Chafuen’s Faith and Liberty has helped me spawn some ideas about logical Christian thought on economic growth.

These moral theologians and economists of the late medieval Spanish Catholic scholastic tradition, followed in the footsteps of Thomas Aquinas. The ones I’m mainly referring to here are: Duns Scotus, Saint Bernardino of Siena, Luis Saravia de la Calle, Juan de Medina, Juan de Mariana, Francisco Garcia, Domingo de Soto, Saint Antonio of Florence, Conradus Summenhart, Martin de Azpilcueta, Antonio de Escobar y Mendoza, and Pedro de Aragon. In chapter 10 on “Profits,” the author demonstrates that these men developed the first Christian economic thought towards free market capitalism; and especially as it relates to morals and ethics.

They held the view that:–being a SALESMAN is…

1. Good when selling at a just price (not charging too much).

2. Bad if your company relies on government bailouts (e.g., General Motors).

3. Bad if you have to lie, charge too much, or sell an immoral product.

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Further, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, good motives for making a profit are to:

1. Provide for your family.

2. Help the poor.

3. Help your country maintain its supplies.

4. Pay employees for their work.

5. Improve your company’s merchandise.

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Further Reading

Aquinas, St. Thomas. Summa Theologica. II-II, q. 77, art. 4, reply.

Bernardino of Siena, St. On Contracts and Usury.

Chafuen, Alejandro. Faith and Liberty: The Economic Thought of the Late Scholastics. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2003. Chapter 10: “Profits.”

De Roover, Raymond. San Bernardino of Siena and Sant’ Antonino of Florence: The Two Great Economic Thinkers of the Middle Ages. Cambridge, MA: Kress Library, 1967. Especially chapter V: “Business Ethics.”

John Duns Scotus. Political and Economic Philosophy, Introduction with Latin text and English translation and notes by (†) Allan B. Wolter, OFM, Franciscan Institute Publications, 2001.

Laures, John. The Political Economy of Juan de Mariana. Fordham University Press, 1928. Part 2, Section 2: “Problems and Principles of Money.” From the book summary:

Mises Bookstore

Vinson Synan’s In the Latter Days is a shorter version of the material contained in The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition. It is a scholarly reference of Pentecostal and Charismatic church history, of spirituality, and chock full of bibliographical material. I have taken my lead from Synan in reviewing the content of his chapters, and I have put my own spin on them. These are not thought-for-thought chapter summaries.

Chapter 1 briefly states that there has been activity of the Holy Spirit all throughout church history.

Chapter 2 focuses on the statistics of Pentecostals and Charismatics as of 1990. Mentions atheism, communism, the prosperity gospel, etc. Mentions the church growth success of a Jotabeche Church with Pastor Javier Vasquez, due to open air street preaching and enthusiastic Spirit-filled worship. But “broad is the road that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13): the prosperity preachers have come to dominate contemporary Pentecostalism:–Kenneth Copeland, TBN, etc. 2 Peter 2:3: “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.”

Chapter 3 states that cessationism in the organized church led Augustine to influence theologians for centuries into a cessationist view (especially “Augustinian” theologians like Martin Luther, John Calvin, etc)–the fathers of Reformed theology: Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Puritan. Strange though, Augustine lived shortly after the Desert Fathers! And even retracted his cessationism in The City of God, book 22, because of the countless healing miracles that later occurred in his church! Montanus (d. 175) and Edward Irving (d. 1834) unsuccessfully tried to restore Pentecostalism, but were left as examples for others to improve upon. The Irvingites and the holiness-Pentecostals eventually restored speaking in tongues and miraculous gifts. Prior to the 1700s with John Wesley and the Methodists (and the 1600s Camisards and Covenanters), it was among the Catholic mystic-saints and mystical theology that any type of charismatic theology or Christianity could exist (namely, saints Antony the Great, Patrick, Brigit, Benedict, Columba, Hildegard, Dominic, Francis of Assisi, Vincent Ferrer, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross).

Chapter 4 states that the predominantly Methodist “Holiness movement,” the Keswick Conventions, and the Fundamentalist movement all laid the theological framework for “the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” But it would be some “camp meeting” Holiness people in the 1880s, who began to experience and teach the doctrine that speaking in tongues was evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit; yet most Holiness people said it was demonic. At the Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909), William J. Seymour popularized speaking in tongues throughout the Holiness movement (citing Acts 2:4 as proof of assurance). Soon after, Pentecostal denominations were formed:–“they saw the revival as the culmination of the teachings of [Charles] Finney, [Phoebe] Palmer, [D. L.] Moody, [A. B.] Simpson, and others” (p. 52).

Chapter 5 states that early in the 1900s, various Methodist and Baptist missionaries in non-American countries became tongues-speakers who were baptized in the Holy Spirit. This happened quite rapidly! Population-wise, however, Brazil and Chile are the largest Pentecostal countries on the planet–and now about 40-50% of all Latin American countries are Pentecostal. [Note: I have a theory: Spanish mysticism cross-over through Catholic Jesuit missionaries in the 1500s, etc: Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross indirectly could have influenced the supernatural, mystical Catholicism of Latin America. So then, their supernatural worldview was probably primed for Pentecostalism by Spanish Catholic mysticism.] However, with regard to Pentecostal spirituality, the Pentecostal Methodist Church in Chile has the most impressive history (headed by Jotabeche Church, mentioned in ch 2). Synan says, “Chile is the ‘most Pentecostal’ nation in the world” (p. 62). They are known for their dreams and visions of Jesus, ecstatic prophecy, tongues, healing, open air Gospel preaching (with classic Methodist soteriology), and traditional Methodist-style cell groups.

Chapter 6 shows that critics of Pentecostals have come from many camps:

(1) Fundamentalists say they are demonic, ungodly, heretical, and insane.

(2) Journalists say they are weirdos.

(3) Psychologists say they are mentally ill.

(4) Sociologists say they are prone to be poor, uncivilized, fornicators, and criminals.

(5) Non-Pentecostal theologians reject the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.

I think its safe to say: as a Pentecostal, the more godly and theological you are–the better off.

Chapter 7 makes note of several significant developments in Pentecostal history. In 1943, Pentecostals were allowed to join the National Association of Evangelicals:–the first time they were recognized as part of mainstream Protestantism. Prior to this, charismatic-type Christians were always in the “sect” status (Jansenists, Camisards, Irvingites, early Methodists, etc). World War II saw the appearance of Pentecostal millionaires, doctors, lawyers, and other high profile professional leaders. Mixed with this, were the post-World War II healing revivals of William Branham, Jack Coe, and Oral Roberts:–which preached a doctrine of prosperity for the first time. However, Branham was opposed to it. This especially took off in the 1950s with the influence of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). When Branham later declared himself to be the prophet Elijah, and afterwards died, it seems that most of the dissent from a prosperity-oriented Pentecostalism died with him. David du Plessis and Dennis Bennett were major leaders in the Charismatic Renewal of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and miraculous gifts in the historical mainline, non-Pentecostal churches (but these were not as radical and expressive for charismatic gifts as traditional holiness-Pentecostals were).

Chapter 8 shows that under the influence of the ecumenical movement and Vatican II, Catholics came to be more accepting of Protestants and likewise. This opened up the door to Catholic Charismatics who speak in tongues and experience spiritual gifts (or charisms). The first outbreak of “Catholic Pentecostalism” was at Duquesne University in 1966, when Ralph Kiefer and Bill Storey, two theology professors, read David Wilkerson’s The Cross and the Switchblade and John Sherrill’s They Speak with Other Tongues. This led to prayer groups and weekend retreats for Catholics seeking the Pentecostal baptism in the Holy Spirit with tongues and spiritual gifts. In one of these meetings, a student entered the room and was “suddenly slain in the Spirit, falling prostrate on the floor”…and said, “I cried harder than I ever cried in my life, but I did not shed one tear. All of a sudden Jesus Christ was so real and so present that I could feel Him all around. I was overcome with such a feeling of love that I cannot begin to describe it” (p. 110). This later spread to Notre Dame. A good amount of literature on experience of the Holy Spirit came out of this movement. One of the most noteworthy was Kilian McDonnell and George Montague’s Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit (1994), taken from the writings of the church fathers. However, liberal theology is a bad influence here; as are Marianism and other Catholic heresies; so be careful with such literature. I think their strength, however, is their awareness of theological history largely unknown to Protestant Pentecostals:–such as Catholic saints and mystical theology. But we must be careful of too much ecumenism too. If we are too friendly with Catholicism, we will lose the Gospel of Jesus Christ: that salvation from Hell is through repentant faith alone, by grace alone, in the cross of Christ alone; and there is no other way to be saved from Hell except through this Gospel, as taught in Romans 3-8.

Chapter 9 shows that in the 1970s, there was a “Cloudburst” of the Charismatic Movement throughout the denominations. Especially as the Jesus Movement took off; many of the formerly drug-oriented hippies found release and healing through the Pentecostal baptism in the Holy Spirit. David Wilkerson became a hero at this point; as did Keith Green and his Last Days Ministries, and his mentor Leonard Ravenhill, the holiness revivalist/evangelist. There was the “1977 Conference on Charismatic Renewal in the Christian Churches,” in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, in which charismatic leaders in the ecumenical movement came together, Catholic and Protestant, preaching and worshiping together for Christian unity. While we should hang on to the Reformation view of salvation, we should seek unity with Catholics on all other terms possible, I believe. Then there was the “1980 Washington For Jesus” rally, organized by Pastor John Gimenez of the Rock Church. Favoring the likes of Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party, “they loudly and unitedly spoke out against drug abuse, homosexuality, and abortion, and in favor of prayer in public schools” (p. 131). [Note: my first home church after I got saved was influenced by John Gimenez and the Rock Church.]

Chapter 10 explains that 1983 began the starting point for men like John Wimber, the Vineyard churches, and others of a “Third Wave” conservative evangelical/charismatic view. C. Peter Wagner said, “I see in the 80s an opening of the straightline evangelicals and other Christians to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that the Pentecostals and charismatics have experienced, but without becoming either charismatic or Pentecostal” (p. 138). And now today, we have people like Jack Deere, Wayne Grudem, Mike Bickle, and people who call themselves “Reformed Charismatics“; or, like Sam Storms, a “Charismatic Calvinist.” [Personally, I see myself as a Wesleyan third waver:–more of a William J. Seymour holiness-Pentecostal, but still adopting aspects of Puritan theology. Although I am independent, the denomination I theologically agree with the most is Assemblies of God.]