Gullibility, the Great Sin of the Charismatic Church

A notable article at Charisma by a writer who describes himself as "an unashamed Pentecostal/charismatic believer, a lifelong tongues speaker (since Jan. 24, 1972), one of the four principle (sic) leaders who served in the Brownsville Revival, the author of an in-depth, scholarly treatment of divine healing, the man who wrote Authentic Fire in response to Pastor John MacArthur's Strange Fire."  After detailing some instances that show the utter gullibility that has historically marked the charismatic movement, the author concludes:

I stated in my Authentic Fire book that noncharismatics are to be commended for being careful not to be duped and misled, but they often display a cynical, skeptical spirit, which is a weakness. Charismatics, on the flip side, are to be commended for being willing to step out in faith, but we often display an extreme gullibility.

It is high time for this nonsense to stop, beginning with each of us reading this article (me included) searching our own hearts and lives.

I'm totally for taking the leap of faith and diving into the deep waters of obedience, but by God's grace, I will do so with my eyes wide open and my feet planted firmly on the Word of God.

There is a vast difference between faith and foolishness.

Yes, well, apart from this author's own credibility problem (as to his involvement in the dubious "Brownsville Revival"), I have long felt that the glaring lack of discernment evidenced in the charismatic movement is the most telling clue as to the bogus nature of its claim to represent "Spirit-filled" Christianity. The New Testament is clear about this: to be truly "Spirit-filled" is to be able to exercise discernment as to spiritual matters, and the charismatic movement has failed abysmally here. Consequently, this casts doubt on the overall credibility of the movement.

It is disheartening in the extreme to observe, as I have, the same sort of gullibility in much of "Three Streams" Anglicanism.  All too often it is as though the charismatic stream has overflown its banks and inundated the other two, accounting for why one former AMiA Anglican priest speaks cynically of the tributaries of Three Stream Anglicanism as, "you know, the charismatic, the charismatic, and the charismatic."

Not long ago I argued the case for pressing on from this wild and wooly state of affairs to "Catholic maturity".   I argued that it isn't necessary for charismatics to cease being charismatics, but instead to enter the One River of biblical and Catholic belief and devotion, where they will find, as the ex-charismatic Orthodox priest cited in this article put it, "all . . . nascent Pentecostal longings matured and fulfilled in the timeless tradition."

When we're rooted in the "timeless tradition", which Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky saw as nothing less than "the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church", we will no longer be vexed by gullibility and every wind of doctrine.