Perspectives in Pentecostalism

1
Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• The gifts of the Spirit had largely died out by
  the time of Augustine
• Augustine developed a doctrine the purpose of
  the gifts was to authenticate or verify the
  writing of the Scripture, so the charismatic
  gifts ceased once the canon of Scripture was
  complete.
• Calvin used Augustines writings to support the
  idea that spiritual gifts ceased in the first
  century.

2
Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• B. B. Warfield (Fundamentalism) The Cessation
  of the Charismatic borrowed from Calvin, who
  borrowed from Augustine.
• Basically they together provided a
  rationalization for the absence of the gifts from
  the present day church.
• The 20th century Pentecostal movement is unique,
  particularly because of its spread.

3
Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• According to D. Barrett the Pentecostal/charismat
  ic Christians now outnumber the Reformation
  churches.
• Prior to the 20th century there were only
  isolated episodes of Pentecostal phenomena.
• In another sense therefore the 20th century
  outpouring is not unique, in that throughout
  Church history, God has sought to renew His
  Church by breaking in with the power of the
  Spirit, but for some reason, the larger church
  rejected these movements and they did not
  survive.
• The modern Pentecostal movement is the first one
  in the history of the Church since the Apostolic
  Age to survive.

4
Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• Characteristics of the Ancient Church
• Rise of hierarchy diminishing role of laity.
  (negative development)
• Apostolic age only 2 officers
• presbutero?/episk?po? (used interchgangeably
  implies no hierarchy)
• diakono? - Deacon
• By the end of the apostolic age there were 5
  major cities Rome, Constantinople, Athens,
  Ephesus, Jerusalem.

5
Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• Characteristics of the Ancient Church
• Rise of hierarchy diminishing role of laity.
• At the beginning of the 2nd century there had
  developed a distinction between presbutero? and
  episkwpo?. The Bishops of the 5 cities were
  elevated to positions of power. When the chief
  city of the Empire shifted to Constantinople, the
  Bishop of Rome took over political power in Rome.
  At this point hierarchy developed in the
  Church.

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Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• Characteristics of the Ancient Church
• Rise of hierarchy diminishing role of laity.
• d. Authority issues were confronted from the top
  down.

POPE
Vicar of Christ on earth
CARDINAL/ ARCHBISHOP
BISHOP
PARISH PRIEST
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Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church
POPE
Vicar of Christ on earth
CARDINAL/ ARCHBISHOP
The Episcopal form of church government arose at
the cost of the laity. Laity were excluded from
the ministry. Sacerdotal system developed
clergy became the Instrument of administering the
sacraments and delivering Religion to the
people.
BISHOP
PARISH PRIEST
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Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church

• Characteristics of the Ancient Church
• 2. Period of Creeds and Councils (325-451 AD)
  Nicea-Chalcedon (positive development)
• 4 major ecumenical councils were called to deal
  with heresies. Creeds developed that expressed
  the main elements of orthodox Christianity.
• The modern Pentecostal movement has survived
  because it gave attention to the basic tenets of
  orthodox theology as found in the great creeds.

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Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church
Characteristics of the Ancient Church 3.
Completion of the New Testament Canon. (367-397
AD) Todays NT canon was accepted in both
Eastern and Western branches of the church. They
didnt give us the canon at Carthage they merely
recognised its authority as equal with the OT.
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Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church
Characteristics of the Ancient Church 4. The
Struggle of Church and State Initially the
church was persecuted by the state, but by the
end of the period the church was the recognised
religion of the state. The church has
generally not done well spiritually when it
becomes part of the power structure. However,
too much persecution wipes the church out
completely. It has also been the means by which
heretical doctrines have entered the church (e.g.
penance, indefectability of the priesthood).
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Charismatic Episodes in the Ancient and Medieval
Church
The Origins of Monasticism
CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE
Asceticism Antinomianism
Extremes (An opposition to law)
Belief that physical abuse to the body has spiritual award Can live spiritually separate from the way you live in the world
Extreme Discipline Monasticism leans in this direction No discipline
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Ancient Church Charismatic episodes and
implications.
Two aspects of the information we have of this
era. 1. WRITINGS - (Fathers) Apostles Aposto
lic Fathers 95-150 AD LatinWestern Clement
of Rome GreekEastern Ignatius Polycarp

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Ancient Church Charismatic episodes and
implications.
The Shepherd of Hermas early 2nd century
documents. The Didache. Both have
implications for charismatic activity in this
period. They give directions for discernment of
spiritual gifts. The things that are the most
precious are the most abused so the tendency is
to jettison them, but with that reaction we lose
life as well.
14
Ancient Church Charismatic episodes and
implications.
Two aspects of the information we have of this
era. 2. EPISODES historical records. Secular
church the church which supports the hierarchy
of the church. It is the church in the world
supposedly ministering to the people of the
world. (Seculorum.) The religious church
(Sacerdotium) includes the monastic orders. Also
called the regular church.
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Ancient Church Charismatic episodes and
implications.

• Types of monasticism
• Anchoritic reclusive, live in isolation,
  severe asceticism.
• 2. Cenobitic communities.

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529 AD at Monte Casino, Italy, Benedict developed
regular monasticism. Benedictine
compartmentalised daily regimen into three
aspects.
STUDY
WORK
WORSHIP Prayer

• In the dark ages the only really sane places were
  the monasteries.
• Brain drain of Europe brightest students left
  the world to study in monastries.

17

• New orders developed at the beginning of the
  Renaissance.
• Cistercians mendicant (preaching, begging,
  ministering)
• Augustinians scholarship
• Dominicans preaching Instrumental in the
  Inquisition coercion instead of persuasion by
  preaching.
• Jesuits Ignatius Loyola
• Marines of the Papacy answered directly to
  the Pope.
• Famous for
• 1. Late entry to monasticism 16th century.
• 2. Did not live in monasteries individuals are
  assigned to educational institutions.
  Distinguished scholars.
• 3. Secret police of the Pope. Intellectuals of
  the Church.
• 4. Significant in Counter Reformation Loyola
  and Xavier missionaries of 16th Century.

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• Evidences of the gifts of the Spirit virtually
  died out in the secular church by 500 AD.
  Spiritual ministry was routinized.
• In the church in Rome there were 7 exorcists
  whose function was simply to be bouncers in
  church meetings. The true spiritual ministry of
  the church was taken from the laity and invested
  only in the clergy.

19

• Episodes of manifestations of the Spirit died
  out in the secular church but have regularly
  appears in the religious orders throughout church
  history.
• Up till 500 AD the Old Catholic church
• By 500 AD became the Roman Catholic church.
• 1054 spilt between Eastern Greek and Russian
  orthodox and Western Roman Catholic church.

20

• Within Old Catholic church
• Secular church parish church.
• Religious orders monasticism, repeated episodes
  of charismata
• Heretical movements when the church closed the
  doors to the Holy Spirit, He broke in, in
  another way. Most conspicuous work of the Holy
  Spirit.

21

• Montanism/Montanus
• A pagan priest of Cybele cult in Phyrgia, Western
  Asia Minor.
• Converted in 150 AD. Saw that the church was
  quite successful but complacent.
• Historians are critical of him because he was the
  instrument of revival, which threatened the
  established church. But, Tertullian joined the
  Montanists, and he was considered the greatest
  theologian of his day.

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• Montanus emphasized
• Holiness call for repentance
• Urgency about the Second Coming
• Empowering the Church exercise of Spirit-gifts
• There were extremes
• Encratism exaggeration of holiness theme.
  Sins committed after baptism were unforgivable.
  Marriage considered unspiritual.
• Specific dating and placing (Phrygia) of the 2nd
  Coming.
• Abuses in exercise of spiritual gifts. Prophetic
  utterance equated in authority with Apostles
  teachings (i.e., NT writings).

23

• Montanism
• Total rejection by the Church
• They could have rejected the abuses and received
  the emphasis.
• The Montanists needed the church for balance and
  the church needed the renewing which came from
  their emphasis.
• Virtually, all such revival movements were thrown
  out of the church and rejected as heretics or
  fanatics.
• Heresy is soul-destroying error which ignores or
  rejects truths required for salvation.
• Fanaticism moving in energy of human effort and
  not in the Spirit of God.
• Revival movements have deteriorated and been lost
  to the church, due to both heresy and fanaticism.

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• Successors of Montanism
• Sabellianism
• A view deriving from the thought of Sabellius,
  which was essentially a modalistic monarchianism
  God is one being, one person, who successively
  takes on three different forms or manifestations.
• Taught One Person in the Godhead, appears in
  different forms at different periods in history.
  The era of the Father, the era of the Son, and
  the era of the Spirit.
• The Jesus only movement believe you must speak in
  tongues for salvation in the era of the Spirit.
• Proculists Trinitarians

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• Successors of Montanism
• A view deriving from the thought of Sabellius,
  which was essentially a modalistic monarchianism
  God is one being, one person, who successively
  takes on three different forms or manifestations.
• Taught One Person in the Godhead, appears in
  different forms at different periods in history.
  The era of the Father, the era of the Son, and
  the era of the Spirit.
• The Jesus only movement believe you must speak in
  tongues for salvation in the era of the Spirit.

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PHILOSOPHIES OF CHURCH HISTORY

• The Roman Catholic View

TODAYS CHURCH
Development
Continuity
APOSTOLIC AGE
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PHILOSOPHIES OF CHURCH HISTORY
2. The Reformed and Dispensationalist View
Discontinuity
APOSTOLIC AGE
Degeneration
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PHILOSOPHIES OF CHURCH HISTORY
3. The Restorationist View
APOSTOLIC AGE
Discontinuity
Partial Recovery
Apostasy
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PHILOSOPHIES OF CHURCH HISTORY
4. The Pentecostal/Charismatic View
APOSTOLIC AGE
Continuity
Successive Waves of Recovery
Degeneration