Thoughts on the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movement

My background is in the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement. I believe there is a wealth of misunderstanding concerning the people in this movement. However, I am not here to defend it. In fact I have some serious concerns for the churches of our day.

I grew up in a family of traditional Pentecostals and have attended some fairly wild meetings. On the other hand we also attended some churches where the bible was front and center. In more recent years, I have spent more time in fellowship with believers with different backgrounds. I would add that the average member of some Pentecostal churches read, understood and quoted the Bible much more than those in some of the Evangelical churches I have attended.

My time in Evangelical churches has caused me to appreciate my Pentecostal background even more than before. There is a joy in these meetings that is difficult to describe. The advent of the Charismatic movement of the seventies when it came into the mainline denominations had a positive effect on us. We were able to see that God was moving everywhere and not just among the hardline and often legalistic Pentecostals.

When we entered the House Church environment we began to be exposed to many different backgrounds. It was really exciting to learn from them all. After having been out of the Charismatic world for many years, I have become more aware of the strange ideas that have crept in since the advent of the Prosperity Gospel.

Now I am sort of in the middle. I still believe that there is more joy among those who believe the supernatural gifts are still in the church today and are willing to experience them. I also understand the hesitation others feel when the excesses are seen on the national level.

My experience is that the House Church environment is a healthier place to experience the spiritual gifts. There is much less the tendency of exaggeration and a better place for testing our experiences against the Word of God. However, to my dismay, many Charismatics are drawn to the bigger, better produced gatherings in the Mega churches.