Differences

Message / Question

Some of your anglican brothers have issues with pentecostals in that they are too liberal... they do what they like... the follow the holy spirit and do crazy things... they get the holy spirit wrong. what do you say to that?

Response

There are certainly differences in the way churches of different denominations function. First of all, the term "Pentecostal" is about as broad as the term "Protestant" in that they are both very broad terms that describe an umbrella picture of churches. Under the "Pentecostal" umbrella, there are quite a few "groups" or denominations, each one having its own distinctives in terms of belief and practice. The "Anglican" umbrella is not a lot different, with come "Anglican" churches being "evangelical", some being Anglo-Catholic, some supporting same sex marriage whilst others strongly oppose it and some barely being Christian in the doctrine (e.g. Bishop Sprong). If by "liberal" you are referring to doctrine (liberal theology), then I would suggest that there are very few Pentecostal churches in that bracket, but there are a lot of Anglicans. I cannot presume that because some Anglicans are "liberal", then all are - and, in fact, I certainly know that that's not the case. So the term "Anglican" doesn't even begin to define the beliefs and practices of all Anglican churches. Likewise, the term "Pentecostal" can never define the beliefs and practices of all "Pentecostal" churches.

I think that you use the term "liberal" however, in a different context to "liberal thoeolgy" and refer more to practice. In general, Pentecostal practice or "style" is quite free and there is no doubt that that style of worship doesn't sit well with people who prefer something a lot more structured. So that "liberal" style of worship is something that those who, like many Anglicans, may prefer a more traditional "structured" approach, find unacceptable. I don't think that the Bible dictates any particular style, it's a matter of taste - some live on the extreme of these styles (i.e. structured vs liberal) but most live somewhere between.

Re the "crazy things" and "getting the Holy Spirit wrong". First up I have to agree that some Pentecostals have done some things that I consider outlandish and even crazy - there are many reasons why this happens, but generally I think that the simply make mistakes in presuming that The Holy Spirit is "prompting" or "leading" them (I think that a lot of Christians of all persuasions should carry a pencil in their pocket so they can always say that they felt lead!). I would also agree that many non Pentecostal Christians have made similar mistakes, claiming that the same Holy Spirit is leading them.

On the other hand, when The Holy Spirit does move in power and in the miraculous, many Christians refuse to believe that The Holy Spirit does such things and they brand Pentecostals as either "faking" such things or being in league with Satan.

People such as Bill Johnson cop a lot of "flack" because of what they teach about the operation of The Holy Spirit and our interaction with Him, but most of the critics actually know very little of the reality of what he teaches or of the fruit of his ministry. Hillsong cops a lot of flack because of their music style and size and allegedly "worldly" ways, but again most of the critics know very little of the reality of the way that Hillsong actually runs and the amazing Kingdom fruit that they constantly produce. My thinking is pretty simple, if you don't like the way that people like Bill Johnson or churches like Hillsong operate, that's fine, just go to a different church where you DO like the way they operate rather than criticizing the one you don't like. Even in The Kingdom, we can have preferences of style, doctrine etc and still be quite OK. One may find the Hillsong style too loud or too "worldly", another might find an Anglican service too boring - neither is right or wrong, they just have different views and respond to different styles.

Do Christians ever make mistakes? Do they ever get the Holy Spirit wrong? Absolutely, some Pentecostals have made big mistakes as have some Anglicans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholic etc. We are all human beings, we all make mistakes. But remember the old saying, if you have never made a mistake, you have never made anything. Hopefully, we learn from mistakes and make appropriate adjustments once we realise that we've erred. Hopefully we are still willing to risk making mistakes - when Peter stepped out of the boat he took a risk. If it wasn't Jesus, he would have got very wet and (if he survived) would have been branded a "fanatic". But if he hadn't taken the risk, he would have never walked on water.

The good thing is that, when Christ returns, the church will be perfect! But until He does, we have to accept that some Christians will see things differently to others and will make mistakes.