By: Digital Aura

Digital Aura — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:44:39 +0000

Johnson writes eloquently enough, but I feel he misses the mark entirely. I agree with him in his last point and I like what he has to say in the last two lines. Indeed, crying “The End Is Near!” for so long has only served to dampen the effectiveness of the whole Christian movement (not just the Pentecostal body). I must disagree with him, however, concerning his initial statement that the pentecostal movement is “not reducible to one or two readily discernible features.” This may be wishful thinking on his part, or perhaps he’s been desensitized by his long standing membership in the PAOC, but assemblies within the pentecostal movement can easily be identified by their stance on speaking in tongues. He has no right to make this claim – in fact, only an outsider could truly see this clearly. I think one of the biggest issues that got missed here is the fact that the modern PAOC church is made up of very few ‘Pentecostals’. Let me qualify that an outsider could in fact be a member of the church and a Christian. Clearly, this issue does continue to be a factor in not only identifying the PAOC church but in many cases even separating it from other believing churches and outsiders. Many people in the PAOC church do not or cannot speak in tongues. The feeling of being second rate because of this, I feel, permeates and causes segregation whenever the issue is raised. I see, firsthand, the subculture within the PAOC of the ‘outsiders’ that don’t qualify as a speaker of tongues. They tend to congretate, and even seek each other out in small groups, cell studies and other church functions and events. “Spirit-filled” Christians may not be privy to this. Indeed, it contributes to the overall inefficiency of our mandate and our calling as Christians. I’m no biblical scholar, but I find the distinctions “baptised in the spirit” and “filled with the spirit” be frustrating. I’ve lost count how many times God had caused people in the bible to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”, and most of the time that being the one and only time mentioned!
I sit on the board of a PAOC church… and yet as an outsider, myself, I do not make this a divisive point for me. It’s important to realize that this is an important characteristic of the outsider in the PAOC church – the lack of importance that this constitutional principle is given by outsiders makes it a non-divisive issue. In other words, we simply don’t feel it’s important enough to get all bent out of shape about, and so we attend services, and we participate in the various ministries (even leading them) and we worship God in spirit and in truth. Why? Speaking for myself, I see my church family as believers in Christ, not as Pentecostals. I don’t think we should proclaim to be anything but Christians, and so I continue to be drawn by God’s calling on my life to stand up and be a leader in that capacity, and to involve myself in my church. I don’t feel this situation represents a dangerous undercurrent in our assemblies, but it certainly warrants consideration by leaders in the PAOC.
Brian Stiller was close. God doesn’t need more charismatics. He needs Pentecostals to shed the arrogance of that label and just be real Christians.

Comments on: The PAOC’s Identity Crisis (Part 3 of 6)

By: Digital Aura