“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Of course I do. I was a Pentecostal and highly involved with this stuff. For years I witnessed “Prophets” give false prophecies, wicked and evil people speak in “tongues,” amongst a host of other things. I’ve watched people work themselves up to emotional fervor, become convinced about this or that particular prophecy, confirm it through various spiritual signs, and then the prophecy and their expectations are utterly destroyed. I’ve witnessed people who did nothing but go from one emotional high to another, who in the end got broken and through all of that didn’t know the slightest thing about the Gospel.
There is no significant difference between what the Charismatics do, whether it’s Catholic or Protestant, and what Oneness Pentecostals do, who deny the trinity, or Wiccans, or Satanists, or “Psychic” vampires, or Stage Hypnotists.
“There are people who have been healed by charismatics and there are before and after x-rays and tests to prove they’ve been healed. A number of charismatics are very gifted and bring great good to others.”
And Benny Hinn has people who swear up and down that he cured their cancer, but that certainly doesn’t change all his false prophecies and heretical teachings, right?
Do you know what is biblically supposed to happen to a false prophet for even just ONE false claim?
I don’t really disagree with your first paragraph. But to cite Benny Hinn or someone who doesn’t really heal doesn’t sway my mind when there are before and after x-rays and tests of people whom Jesus heals through those whom He has gifted with healing abilities. The presence of phony healers doesn’t mean there aren’t some of have charismatic gifts of healing.
“to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit” -1 Cor 12:9
I do have the same concerns as you when it comes false Pentecostalism. One has to be discerning and run away from any Pentecostal movements not coupled with strong Orthodoxy.
I had run into situations where the Bibles genuine exhortation to examine one-self and to ‘test the spirts’ were seen as “introspection” and there-fore not spiritual. One was expected to accept what-ever when the Bible and conscience seemed to indicate danger or “don’t go there”!
The Holy Spirit is supposed to equip the saints for ministry and to be a comfort in a time for trouble...He always points toward Jesus, his resurrection, and teaches our hearts about the deep things of God bringing them to mind as He will. The joy or “times of refreshing” He brings are gifts but are not the whole object of why He is a part of our lives.
Many of the Assemblies of God churches show good balances between Orthodoxy and the Numinous experiential. Where you see strong Orthodox teaching in the Charismatic or Pentecostal churches where the teaching of the blood stained cross is not shunned, that’s where you will see the Holy Spirit ready to move in full measure “as he will”!