A couple of positive movements have blossomed as a result of the Great Inoculaton (see previous post). In frustration over the form over substance emphasis of the church at that time, the Pentecostal church and the Social Gospel movement have grown enormously as people have sought to make their life in Christ meaningful beyond the business of church.
Each one had a beautiful and vital gift that they brought to the church. Pentecostalism brought the experience of God as a person into our lives. It wasn't just the 'sign the card and get on with your life' mentality - it was embrace God and be intimate with Him. The Social Gospel got us out of our churches and into the streets, where we were able to feel in a very real way what Christ meant when He said that we are His body, His ambassadors, that we are The Plan. Each of these 'felt' much better - and there's nothing wrong with bringing feelings, experiences and meaning into our relationship with God.
Both of these were born out of the frustrations of those "raised Christians" - those who knew (like me) that we were called to intimately know God through Christ and that we were to be a real factor in this world. What beautiful children are experience and ministry, and I would never want to lose them.
BUT - -- - both of these groups eventually became so infatuated with their 'children' that they ended up marrying them, in a spiritual sense.
For (most) Pentecostals, experience became the defining factor in a relationship with God and in church. How you 'feel' was placed on par with the Word. If you weren't 'feeling' Him, speaking in inexpressible (and unintelligible) ways with Him, then you were falling short in your relationship with God. These feelings were more important than what God actually had to say on the subject. I hate to sound harsh, but it's true. As a result, many people became discouraged because they weren't experiencing what those around them claimed to be experiencing, and instead of relying on God's truth ("I will never leave you nor forsake you") they felt lost and forsaken because they felt lost and forsaken. God's Word trumps feelings every time - or else we would never survive the day.
The Social Gospel also made this critical error. Of course, we're to be out in the streets, and it feels good to be actually out there doing things for the poor, the homeless, the down-trodden. But the Gospel is still the good news of a changed life, not just a helping hand. However eventually the "Helping Hand" became the gospel and the Word became secondary. A cup of water became more important than a changed heart. I know - a cup of water is a key first step and Christ honors that, but it must lead to the Word. Christ healed people so that they would know He had the power to forgive. Read Luke 5:17 - 26. It doesn't even appear as if Christ is going to heal the paralyzed man - that "all" He is going to do is forgive him. He only heals to prove to the unbelievers that He can forgive. Why? Because coats and cups of water are temporary and the Word of God is eternal. And you better believe that 2000 years later that paralyzed man is much happier that he was spiritually healed than that he was physically healed.
When you become infatuated with the 'children' you end up losing your true spouse. The Word is our true Spouse. He must always be first and foremost. Every experience and every charge into the streets must be weighed against the Word, not vice-versa. Only the Truth can set you free, and when Christ sets you free, you are free indeed.
There are laws against parents marrying their children - because we know what happens if they ever procreated: UGLY.
Let's not throw out these beautiful babies (experiencing God, hitting the streets) with the bathwater. But let's not marry them either.
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