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Fed up with Charasmatic movement

Discussion in '2003 Archive' started by Xingyi Warrior, Jul 28, 2003.

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  1. Xingyi Warrior

    Xingyi Warrior New Member

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    I have been a member of the First Baptist church since the age of ten. In the mid 80's I began attending private school at a full gospel church in a town we lived in. Soon afterward, my entire family switched from the Baptist Church to the charismatic ministries. I have attended a number of different charismatic churches in the past 20 years and it pains me to make the statement I am about to becuase I have had many good experiences and near and dear relationships with my charismatic peers. But I am fed up wih members of my family and many friends who are charismatics. In the 20 years that I have been associated and intermittently active in these churches and have watched them degenerate into a bunch of fringe movements with increasingly goofy, thrill seeking congregations. The charismatic movements I am familiar with are the most self righteous, and judgemental of the Christian denominations that I know of - placing themselves in a closer walk with God because of the nature of (often unruly) their praise services, claims of miracles, etc... Most of the Baptist people I know have a perhaps, less dramatic experience with their worship, but their family life is usually stable and their children are usually well behaved and active in a ministry. This is in contrast to a lot of charismatics I know whose family life is a disaster and their kids are strung out on drugs, having premarital sex, and the reason for so many "outpourings" of emotion at the alter every sunday. It is difficult for me because I want to return to the Baptist denomination and raise my son in such a church but my relatives are so judgemental and insist that unless I'm "rolling in the isles" that I'm not experiencing a true walk with God. Currently I'm not going to church anywhere because my life is in limbo right now because I will be graduating with my master's degree in 6 months. I am currently living in Springfield , Missouri but I will have to move because the pay her sucks and I will never be able to make a good living for my family. When I move I plan to get far away from my relatives and get back into the Baptist church. Its really good to be able to come to a place like this and associate with people who I have something in common with.
     
    #1 Xingyi Warrior, Jul 28, 2003
  2. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    I'll definitely be praying for you!

    By the way: "Xingyi"?
     
    #2 Don, Jul 28, 2003
  3. I Am Blessed 24

    I Am Blessed 24 Active Member

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    Hi Xingyi and welcome to the BB. Why don't you go to the Welcome to the Baptist Board.com Forum and introduce yourself so we can all welcome you. It is at the top of the main page.

    I agree. I went to a Charasmatic church for two years...they are very self-righteous. This church in my town has now been labeled a 'cult' and there is a web site to debrief people coming out of it.

    Blessings,
    §ue
     
    #3 I Am Blessed 24, Jul 28, 2003
  4. Xingyi Warrior

    Xingyi Warrior New Member

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    "Xingyi?"

    Xingyi is an abbreviation for Xingyichuan one of the three internal martial arts that make up the body of the division in Chinese kung fu also including Ba gua Zhang, and Tajichuan. The reason I use that handle is that the very first BB online I belonged to was a Kung Fu forum and the moderators gave me that name as a Unique Identifier because all the others I selected were taken. It was based upon the fact that I have studied and practiced Xingyichuan most of my life and its a unique, easy handle to remember and wherever I am I just log in with the same name and password. It cuts down on having to remember a bunch of different ones.

    The curch in your town probably represents the fringe but I, as well, have been in similar churches. It's a pity because as I said earier there are many very good pentecostal, assemblies of god, church of god, etc... that honestly are doing the Lords work. Its just that due to the nature of the services they tend to attract a lot of freaks with genuine emotional problems who can act freaky without the ridicule they would recieve in mainstream society.
     
    #4 Xingyi Warrior, Jul 28, 2003
  5. Ben W

    Ben W Active Member
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    There is a Charasmatic Baptist Denomination, The Pentecostal Freewill Baptist Church.

    I see alot of problems in the Charasmatic movement having been involved myself, yet in the Southern Hemisphere they are blitzing all others in getting people saved. That is what the mainstream churches need to learn from churches in the Charasmatic movement, how to really reach people with the Gospel.
     
    #5 Ben W, Jul 29, 2003
  6. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Well, that's the problem, isn't it Ben?

    If they're putting their faith in ANYTHING other than Jesus Christ--i.e., speaking in tongues means I'm saved, etc.--then are they saved?
     
    #6 Don, Jul 29, 2003
  7. Mike McK

    Mike McK New Member

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    I attended a great charismatic church and I attended an abusive charismatic church that bought into the false teachings of the Word of Faith cult.

    There are charismatic churches. There are Word of Faith churches. There are Third Wave churches. There are are Latter Rain churches.

    There a lot of really good charismatic churches out there and it would be a huge mistake to lump them all in together.

    I think that there is a good place in the church at large for the charismatic movement and we need to welcome them but we also need to stand up against the false teachers who prey on charismatics and against the abuses that are coming in through the back door.
     
    #7 Mike McK, Jul 29, 2003
  8. untangled

    untangled Member

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    Hey People [​IMG]

    Well, I see where all of you are coming from. I was almost ordained in the Church of God. However, when I started visiting other churches besides the one I went to I saw that God did not want me there. I do like praise and worship music in services as well as traditional music.

    The Bible states to worship in "spirit and in truth" and "decently and in order". Some people take it too far either way in my opinion. For instance, I recall the last time I was at a church that was extra-biblically charismatic. There was a woman there that sang a song with her two young daughters. After the song was over people said Amen and clapped their hands and that was fine. However, the next thing I knew the lady started screaming and shaking at the top of her lungs for about five minutes in the pulpit. She dropped to her knees and screamed louder. She finally got up and started making her way to her seat. Half way there she went into it again. She ended up taking ten minutes of the service. Everything was focused on her. It was the last time I ever went to that church.

    However, I try to remain open minded about worship. I do not believe in acts such as this but I do believe there is nothing wrong with uplifted hands and an "Amen" in agreement with God's Word.

    My two cents.... [​IMG]

    God Bless each and every one of you.


    In Christ,

    Brooks
     
    #8 untangled, Jul 29, 2003
  9. Xingyi Warrior

    Xingyi Warrior New Member

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    Yeah its funny that when people do that in mainstream society an ambulance is normally called. I've been in some churches where things have gotten so out of hand that I was beginning to fear for my personal safety. I kind of wonder that in such churches what exactly would prompt a pastor to say enough and try to bring things under control? I have felt the spirit of God moving in and around me before but I have never been motivated to act as insane and abnormal as some of the people I've wittnessed before.
     
    #9 Xingyi Warrior, Jul 30, 2003
  10. TaterTot

    TaterTot Guest

    I have seen 'em bark, jerk, "birth the spirit", and shoot imaginary arrows at demons running through the balcony - all in one service and all in the name of "revival".
     
    #10 TaterTot, Jul 30, 2003
  11. N Carolyne

    N Carolyne New Member

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    I have to disagree with all of you. As a current member of my Assembly of God church I can honestly say I have found where I belong. I grew up in a strictly Baptist- and nothing else- family and I have never in my entire life felt closer to God as I am now in my pentacostal church. And by the way, none of my Baptist family are currently attending their churches- just myself and my husband.

    I have never been in a service that had occurances as you were recounting- the jerks and screams and so on.... You can't judge an entire demonation based upon a few fringe elements.

    I've been attending my Assembly of God church for approximately 6 years now, and there's never been a church split. While growing up in Baptist churches I went through about 5 church splits.

    There is some truth to the fact that there are some pentacostals who believe they are "holier" or "taking the high way to God" as compared to other denominations. There are people like that in EVERY denomination. I've met Baptists who were rudely dogmatic in there once saved always saved beliefs as well as their view that one can't be saved following the Rapture.

    I may get personally attacked for stating all this..but I felt the need to defend the pentacostal, specifically the Assembly of God, doctrine.
     
    #11 N Carolyne, Jul 30, 2003
  12. Xingyi Warrior

    Xingyi Warrior New Member

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    You obviously go to a very good church and if you would read the thread closer most people agree that there are some very good churches that are Charismatic. I was mainly interested in a growing trend as you should be aware of, that seems to be in the form of praise and worship services, revivals getting more sensational and over the top. I've been to many that could be considered genuine and I have no problem with lifting your hands in worship and shouting "Amen" or speaking in tounges. But I have wittnessed some pretty bizzzare stuff that was passed of as a "move of the spirit" when I interpreted it as more of some severe, underlying emotional trouble of the perpetrator. I'm of course referring to the outpouring of emotion at the alters where some lady is crying so loud that you cant hear the music playing, mostly because her husband has just left her or her daughter is pregnant etc... Hey a good cry can be medicine to the soul but brought on by God or appropriate for a church service? Maybe not. I have wittnessed one lady who was at the alter and began shaking uncontrollably (I honestly thought she was having a Gran Mal seizure) she was speaking in tounges and her eyes were rolled back into her head. I was concerned for her safety but the only steps taken were that she was surrounded by a bunch of people who layed hands on her. Maybe prayer was the best thing at that point. The bottom line is that if you are genuinely happy in the Lord and excited enough to participate in praise services and revivals as such then I have no problem with that. But as I've observed lots of people come to Charismatic churches to act goofy as it provides an emotional release from the doldrums of everyday life and its stresses. Not different from the way some non believers confront the situation by heading to bars. When this is passed off as a genuine manifestation of the spirit is where I have to draw the line.
     
    #12 Xingyi Warrior, Jul 30, 2003
  13. dianetavegia

    dianetavegia Guest

    Don, I had an email friend for about 4 years who finally admitted to me that she had me on prayer chains for my salvation. Seems if I don't speak in tongues, I'm not saved, according to her AOG church. We no longer write each other. Once I gave her scripture, she blocked my emails.

    Diane
     
    #13 dianetavegia, Jul 30, 2003
  14. BrianT

    BrianT New Member

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    Either she wasn't AOG, or she didn't know her own church's position. The AOG does not teach that that tongues are needed for salvation.
     
    #14 BrianT, Jul 30, 2003
  15. dianetavegia

    dianetavegia Guest

    Brian, I guess that's what really threw me for a loop! We'd written back and forth for years and discussed other issues.... prayed for each other... and then that. Maybe she had left the AOG and gotten into another church but she was quite defensive that I was bound for hell because I couldn't have the Holy Spirit if I didn't speak in tongues.

    Our son and his wife attend AOG in Baltimore. They were both raised Baptist but our daugher in law wants a woman pastor. :eek:

    Diane
     
    #15 dianetavegia, Jul 30, 2003
  16. N Carolyne

    N Carolyne New Member

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    [I'm sorry. Non-Baptists are not allowed to post in this forum. - RG]

    [ July 30, 2003, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob Griffin ]
     
    #16 N Carolyne, Jul 30, 2003
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