Anglicanism and the Charismata
Embryo Parson Posted on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 01:08AM Acts 5:38-39
Over at our church's Facerbook, which I created and maintain, a certain anonymous jokester (quite possibly a Facebook friend) recommended that I add "Assemblies of God" to the "Anglican Church" subcategory I listed on the page. I suppose this is because of much of the Anglican Realignment's embrace of "three-streams" Anglicanism, which includes the charismatic stream along with Catholic and Evangelical streams. Indeed, there are many charismatics in these Anglican jurisdictions, including Anglo-Catholic ones). Our jokester wants me to own up to it, I guess, suggesting that a Realignment church is as much like an Assemblies of God church as it is an Anglican church. Not true, of course, but I rather enjoyed the wry wit before I pushed the "reject" button.
I myself have never spoken in tongues, been "slain in the Spirit", received a "word of knowledge", prophesied, or any of that. Nor do I seek any of these gifts. In the past, I have tended toward cessationism. But I long ago shed that position, and this for reasons -- as implied above -- that have nothing to do with a personal experience of any of these phenomena. Rather, I came to see that: 1) cessationism does not hold together exegetically; and 2) there's just too much anecdotal evidence that much of this -- but certainly not all -- may very well be miraculous manifestations of the Spirit's activity.
I have found support for my conclusion in the most unlikely of places. Examples from the Reformed camp, where cessationism reigns supreme, two articles by Vern Poythress:
Modern Spiritual Gifts as Analogous to Apostolic Gifts: Affirming Extraordinary Works of the Spirit within Cessationist Theology and What Are Spiritual Gifts?
and a fairly sypathetic treatment from J.I. Packer:
Theological Reflections on the Charismatic Movement, Part 1 and Theological Reflections on the Charismatic Movement, Part 2.
One can find in modern Anglican theological literature many defenses of the charismata for the modern day. Witness, for example, several excellent articles at The Continuum:
Confessions of an "Enthusiast"
A Bishop of the ACC reflects on the Charismata
In defense of Fr. Wells (Fr. Wells, a personal friend whom I esteem more that words can say, being a champion of cessationism)
Anglican Catholicism and the Charismata
The Charismatic reality of the Church
And lastly, see the exchange between Gillis Harp (a critic of three-streams Anglicanism) and Donald Richmond (a defender) here.
Now, last time I checked, neither Poythress, Hart, Kirby, nor Richmond have any connection to the Assemblies of God. That members of the Assemblies of God have become Anglican and have joined charismatic-friendly jurisdictions should make any Anglican happy, be he cessationist or continuationist.
Reader Comments (2)
God article! Last year our Christian school was "invaded" by a young Pentecostal woman who told students that she could cast out their demons. She caused much confusion and pain in the half day that she was here. This woman has a history of addictions - sex, cutting, alcohol, and now she gets her highs from Pentecostalism. Discern the spirits for many are not of the Lord Jesus Christ. The spirits lie. Even shamans know this. Christians can be so gullible!
4 minutes ago · Like
That said, I don't agree with Fr.Lawrence that the charismata have ceased. They are a mark of the true Church. Emotionalism and spiritism are not. Being slain in the spirit is a spiritist practice that is found among groups like Santaria, some traditional African religions, and many religions with shamans.
I agree wholeheartedly, Alice. While we must make room for the possibility the Spirit still does things today that surprise and discomfort us, we must at the same be vigilant in discerning the spirits for the reason St. John mentions. Plus, as you note, there are a lot of just mere crazies out there in the Pentecostal world, and Pentecostals often do not exercise this needed vigilance when it comes to these people.