I’ve recently engaged with an article from Evangelical Times where the author claimed that he needed to escape from the so called Calvinistic charismatics.. As mentioned before, I did contact ET and make two requests, first that they would publish a response giving the New Frontiers/Reformed Charismatic side of things to enable a fair hearing. Second that they gave full access to the existing article so that the person (I offered) could respond in full.
I am disappointed but not surprised that this reasonable request was stonewalled. I received a reply from “the support team”, directed by the editor explaining that I could if I wanted to see the whole article take out a subscription and then choose to write a letter to the editor, printed at his discretion or comment below the article, subject to moderation of course.
As I explained in my reply, I found this disappointing, first because I had contacted them as an elder in a New Frontiers’ church. I had not even received a personal reply from named person, let alone the editor. I also thought it was cheeky, to say the least that they sought to get me to take out a subscription on the back of a grievance. Offending people in order to get them to pay you is a fascinating business model which I don’t expect to take off. Comments and letters to the editor in any case do not offer the space to respond and to correct serious erors as would be needed here.
Anyway, in the meantime, I have at least been able to watch this interview with the article author. I presume that it covers the same or similar content to the article. As I commented in my last post, the interview doesn’t seem to raise the kind of questions or challenges that you might expect or would be reasonably pertinent. In fact, rather than dealing with theological substance, it seems to play to a certain kind of gallery in terms of its complaint.
The main objections were as follows. First, that there were some people within New Frontiers who longed back for the days of the Toronto Blessing. Of course this is true and there will be people who will look back on it negatively and those who look back positively within the wider charismatic movement. The reality though is that any of us can look back with nostalgia to particular events, moments or conferences, the preaching of Martyn Lloyds Jones, the three times on a Sunday and once midweek days or whatever. In both of those examples the longing is just as much for an experience which may have been helpful to some and unhealthy for others. Furthermore, we all to a degree cultivate through our choice of clothes, style of music and dress code a kind of atmosphere.
Secondly, he complained that we do not take the Law seriously. As I’ve observed before, there are differences between non charismatics about how the law, as fulfilled in Christ applies to believers today. I can speak personally and you can check out my own position here on this blog about my own approach to the Law. I believe that Christians are called to obedience in their walk with Christ, discipleship means teaching people to obey Christ’s commands. Indeed, Christ’s demands that look beyond externals to the heart are more than the original Law’s emphasis on externals.
Then there is the complaint that we don’t preach enough on Hell. I wonder how much a preacher who is faithfully committed to expository preaching, systemically through books of the Bible will preach on Hell. It should not be absent but nor should it dominate more than the attention Scripture gives to it. Furthermore, we must remember that preaching on a Sunday is to God’s people, to the elect, to those who are already saved.
Fourthly, he talks about our big bands and performance worship music. There are some large churches in New Frontiers, then there are some medium sized ones and smaller still. The three churches planted out or being planted out from Church Central South are small, often with just one or two musicians and an absence of technical light and sound shows to manipulate. In our church, the practice is to spend some time in a form of open worship with some songs led from the front but lots of opportunity and space for people to share. We then will have communion or prayer in small groups and after that there is teaching for adults and children in separate groups. The close is often quite low key with no final song but a simple prayer and dismissal.
The reality is that hymns on the organ, classical music and contemporary worship styles all touch on the emotions and all can be used manipulatively. However, to state confidently that this is happening is to seek to read the hearts and motives of others. Is it not pssible that there is genuine emotion expressed in sung worship?
He argues that we use the same reformed language but mean different things by it. Unfortunately, he does not offer any evidence for these claims. This means that it isn’t really possible to verify the claims or to check if the language is used differently who is in fact, if either side using the language rightly. The test of course should be whether or not it is Biblical.
The big finale of the interview seems to be that the blame for the terrible danger of us reformed charismatics falls on the shoulders of non-charismatic pastors/preachers. Well, I have no desire to comment on others. My responsibility is for my own preaching and teaching. I would encourage Tom too to focus on his own responsibilities. However, it does feel a bit like the reformed charismatics have been somewhat used as a foil for an internal battle within one narrow traditionalist camp.
Faithroots 
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