I once attended a Apostolic/Pentecostal Church in Colorado Springs in the 1970s. At the time, it was very popular and well-known there.
Many, many regulars spoke in tongues or prophesied. After about a month, the religious education director said to me:
“Alas, I see your not speaking in tongues or prophesizing during worship... What’s wrong?”
I replied, “Well, you know I almost did once but it seemed I would be faking it. It just didn’t feel real...”
He replied, “Go ahead and just fake it, then. The Holy Spirit will start speaking thru you after a while.”
Well, I was shocked, actually, to get that response.
I also noted that because this guy had brought so many of us young GIs into this church, from various bases around: Cheyenne Mountain (me), Peterson AFB, the Air Force Academy, Ent AFB and Fort Carson, he was given a new Cadillac from the pastor, as a reward for bringing in almost 200 of us.
Anyway, the whole setup disturbed me, so I stop attending.
One of the guys who lived in my barracks still was going, and he told me later that the same RE at this place had him give an allotment from his paycheck, because, dig this, he ate at the chow hall free, so he didn’t need food, and he lived in the barracks, so he didn’t need to pay rent, so he could give most of his pay to the Lord!
I think he was asking all the young single military men to do so. Cadillacs are NOT cheap.
Very sad testimony for that denomination.
I wonder if anyone ever called them on the fake stuff and coercion to tithe.
Yeah, when I was young I went to all kinds of different churchs. The Pentecostal one was different from all of the others. I will say they were more enthusiastic than all of the other churchs. However I could detect they were bringing some of this on themselves. They were going into trances. Once they knocked out a glass pane by my pew. I don’t see the reason for it so I left.
That story reminds me a little bit of my friend’s experience when he visited a Charismatic/Pentecostal church 20+ years ago. He should have known right there that it was going to be a problem when the “pastor” was female.
He said they all sat in a circle, and different members in the group began speaking in tongues while he just sat there trying not to break out in nervous laughter.
After the meeting, the “pastor” approached him and asked if he had ever received the gift of tongues. He said that he had not.
So, she told him that she would teach him. She said, “Just start repeating, ‘Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah’ over and over again until the Spirit takes over!” So, he reluctantly tried.
After about five-ten seconds, he felt stupid and stopped. At that point, the “pastor” got excited and and asked, “What happened? Did Jesus get a hold of your tongue?!”
He sarcastically replied, “No, I think it’s this gum I’m chewing!”
And with that, she gave him a dirty look and walked away...
You witnessed corruption there? Paul ripped the Corinthian Church for a variety of bad behaviors.
One of my younger brothers attended a United Pentecostal Church in Ft Collins thru the 80s and 90s. His pastor was a straight shooter, and wouldn’t have tolerated the stuff that you say happened where you attended.
For a few years my family attended a UPCI Church in Davenport, IA. The old school pastor retired, and a young, intelligent man was voted in. It was his first pastorate, and in no time, he was drifting off into the showtime Assembly of God style. Nowadays the guy isn’t even a pastor.