I'm spending more time than I used to with people on both sides of the conservative / charismatic evangelical distinction. I used to spend time mainly with people on the conservative side. And I call it a distinction rather than a divide because I don't think they especially are divided. And the more time I spend, the more I realise that the issue isn't Word v Spirit - both sides (at their best) agree that Word and Spirit work together on both sides. (Of course, there are non-evangelical charismatics, who don't bother with the Word, but I'm talking about the evangelical ones).
I think the distinction is the tension between discernment and passion. Conservatives tend to stress discernment more; charismatics passion. At their worst, the conservatives get too discerning and not at all passionate. At the charismatics' worst, they get really passionate, but with no discernment for truth.
A good church and a mature Christian should exhibit both a burning passion for God, and discernment over what is true and what is false.
4 comments:
I'm not sure I agree that the problem is over-discernment on the conservative side. I think the danger at both extremes is wanting a blanket answer rather than one that requires genuine discernment. So at the Conservative extreme you have an uncritical rejection of all things charismatic, while at the Charismatic extreme, you have uncritical acceptance of any passing phenomenon. But I'd agree that passion and discernment are two extremes we need to go to at the same time.
Makes sense, but for - shall we say a friend of mine(!) - the key question is whether a pretty conservative evangelical (pretty as measure of degree rather than attractiveness!) could survive and flourish doing a curacy in a largish new wine church? Any thoughts?
Caleb - probably depends where you are. The usual reasons I hear from conservatives for rejecting charismatic stuff are often valid - saying God is already present, no need for what often amounts to emotional masturbation, stuff centred on my experience rather than God. As you say, though, that often then results in being discerning but then overdoing it and throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
frosty - at least one of the two-year students on the committee may well be heading to a large New Wine church. For me, I'd probably be a lot lot happier at St Andrew's than St Aldate's (both New Wine). But then even some of the people most into New Wine at college (and who spend a lot of time in the common room) admit they'd not want to work at Aldate's...
They do say with curacies it's the incumbent not the church that matters though. I'd be willing to go New Wine-wards or whatever if it was the right guy there (including having some discernment, wanting good Bible teaching, wanting me to become a better Bible teacher). On the other hand, my sending diocese just seems to keep getting more dominated by conservative evangelicals, so it's unlikely to be a major worry for me.
Surely discernment is just a spiritual gift useful for checking whether someone's got demons or not?
Post a Comment