Will and I rented a really interesting documentary all about Tammy Faye, her life, the whole PTL scandal and what has happened since then. I was only in Jr. High when the Bakker's ministry came crashing down. I didn't know many of the details. It was so fascinating to learn the timeline and what happened. We came away with the realization that being raised in California in the Evangelical culture, we were very unaware of a huge Christian flow that existed in other parts of the country.
I remember Grandmother Shackelford watching the 700 Club when she babysat us. We thought it was crazy...all the crying and hand raising and makeup. But I see now how previlant that experience and culture is/was for so many Christians. And I also believe that they were experiencing the Lord in an authentic way.
As I have moved into and experienced the Charismatic church, I have gotten to see the pendulum swing to the other side. On one side, as Evangelicals, we focus strongly on correct doctrine, reasonable faith, knowing the Bible and using it as our road map. As Charismatics, we focus strongly on hearing and knowing God in relationship through the Holy Spirit, finding direction on a daily basis from the Lord, and making spiritual reality part of our daily life. Both Evangelicals and Charismatics have keys that are necessicary for a balanced life of faith.
I remember feeling in College that we talked all about relationship with Christ, and we studied it, but I really couldn't say that I knew what that looked like. How do you talk to and hear from someone you can't see or hear? That question has been at the back of my mind for all these years. And I now feel that I have found an answer to that question. It's not in how much I know about God, or how many Bible verses I have memorized. It is through the Holy Spirit, who makes God known to me in a surprisingly tangible way. Yet it really isn't surprising. Jesus said that he had to leave so that he could send the Holy Spirit to be our comforter, counselor and teacher.
Tammy Faye has many things about her that can be offensive. She openly embraces homosexuals, she wears more makeup than anyone I've ever seen. She has been divorced and remarried, she loves to be on TV, and in front of a camera. She also demonstrates Christlike love to people who are easy to condemn. And isn't that exactly what Jesus did? Wasn't that his offense too? She talks constantly about forgiveness, and how to love. And she has had a lot to forgive. When it comes right down to it, I can learn more about Christ from her than I thought I could.
7 comments:
I just left a comment but it didn't seem to take. What I said was that I love Tammy Faye for those very reasons. I always thought she was offensive until I had a chance to see her on a reality show awhile back. She loved Jesus and other people so obviously and I felt like she could put alot of Christians to shame.
I forgot to mention my other scandalous role model or women that I look up to. Dolly Parton. She is just the complete example of being ones self no matter what conflict that brings. She's adorable and kind and positive and she ranks up there with Tammy faye.
This is a good post. I traversed from one end of the spectrum to the other, so I am pretty familiar with issues involving evangelicals and charismatics, and your observations are right on.
The pastor of the church I used to attend is very prominent in his anti-charismatic stance. But looking back, I now have come to believe that he is only only good at pointing out the flaws of charismatics, but does not have an answer of his own as to how to live out a Christian life with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Of course people in that church degenerated into coming up with mechanics of living a "godly life" and thus mired in legalism which is extremely dangerous.
I met many ex-charismatics in that church, who had some horror stories to tell. It's a good thing that they decided to open their eyes to doctrinal purity, but in essense, they were jumping from the frying pan into the fire of legalism.
Yeah, I like your idea of how charismatics counterbalance the conservative evangelicalism that we've grown up with. I've been feeling more inclined towards a more charismatic life, but I don't know what that would look like. Your statement of how college life looked seems really similar to some of my own thoughts that have gone through my head.
Onboard the ship (Doulos) we had the whole spectrum of the body of Christ, from Anglican all the way to fully-fired (crying and laughing) pentacostal. I loved the shared passion for God that we all had and how that was exhibited there. Now that I'm back I'm drawn towards people who want the Spirit and that whole slightly less 'reasonable' side of the christian walk. Risk is a word I like to use when thinking about that. Anyhoo.. my 2c.
David and Luke, thanks for your interesting comments. David, I think that charismatics sometimes crave the structure found in the Evangelical church. I have noticed, and laughed about the seeming chaos at our own church. There are typos in the bulleton, the secretary has trouble remembering when I have a scheduled appointment, it can feel so haphazard. However, I can't deny that the Holy Spirit shows up, and makes the whole thing work. It is in spite of the human foibles that the ministry happens. If I get frustrated due to "flakiness", I also get to remember that the Holy Spirit comes and goes like the wind, and sometimes the people who are tuned in to Him feel the same way. The life I find just makes the other "inconveniences" worth it.
I have also gotten to see some of the more toxic aspects of the Charismatic church. (Though not at our church, which is why we are there.) I think that the danger happens when people believe that thru holiness they can experience more of God. It leads to legalism, and rigidity over fasting and other spiritual disciplines. I guess legalism for any reason is really the enemy on both sides of the court.
Luke, I like your use of risk. It is risk to venture into new places. And, faith is risk. It is too bad that there is a split between Evangelicals and Charismatics. It makes us feel like we have to make big changes to be more Charismatic than we are. For me, the difference was allowing God to be outside my boxed definition. It was also about giving up control (not balance, mind you) over how I thought God should act and speak. And another difference was that I had to allow the Holy Spirit to be a more active person. ie. It is OK to ask the Holy Spirit to give revelation, or to teach me, or to help me work through something. People get afraid that Charismatics worship the Holy Spirit, but the fact is that the Holy Spirit is part of the trinity, and therefore God as well. It is OK to talk to him like we would to Jesus. And, revelation from the Holy Spirit always glorifies Jesus, and the Father, and never disagrees with what is in scripture. But it can be more personal than we expect. The other thing I have learned is that the Holy Spirit can move in new ways that we haven't experienced before. New isn't wrong. Throughout the Bible, the moves of God look different at different times. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He appeared as the angel of the Lord at times. He came as a baby born of a virgin. He had to die to achieve our salvation. He came as the Holy Spirit at Pentecost-speaking in tongues and people healing others was new. He appeared to Paul as a bright light. He will also come in a new form at the end. Have we ever seen anything like what happens in Revelation? My point is that the Lord has freedom to do new things that we haven't seen before.
All that said, I have also learned that He made me who I am, which means that I like to understand what I believe. So, while some Charismatics would say I need to check my mind in at the door, and receive directly through my spirit, I have learned that the Lord can speak to me so that I am able to receive it-including my mind.
OK, that was really long. Its fun to talk about this stuff.
Heidi, you made a lot of excellent points that make me think. I've been in Evangelical churches for the past 20 some years, and been conditioned to think of the Holy Spirit only in the abstract, but not as a Person even though the Bible is very clear about Him being in the Trinity.
If anything, the Holy Spirit should be more "personal" to us , if you will, because Jesus has ascended to heaven and will not come back until his Second Coming, but the Holy Spirit is right here with us.
I guess like a lot of people, I am afraid of what the "new" things will be that you mention in response to Luke's comment. For one thing, I think they need to be checked against Scripture to make sure they are consistent with God's Word (from the land of the obvoius :)).
One major disagreement I have with charismatics is on what constitutes a miracle. To me, a changed heart is just as miraculous as a change that defies nature. An unbelieving person breaking down in repentence is just as miraculous , if not more, as a deaf person's ears being healed. Now, the former may not sound as sexy and sensational as the latter, but from a Biblical standpoint, it is a miracle. I cannot get past that disagreement.
Well, more things to ponder upon. If you have time, come and check out my blog. Mine is similar to you in that there are postings about my life as well as my musings on the faith. I used to work with Dave Shack.
David, the distinctions over miracles is one I haven't heard of in the church we are in. I agree with you completely that changed hearts are just as miraculous as anything else. I have noticed, though that we are more likely to expect the obviously supernatural response than I would have been before. I appreciate, though that the pastor and wife of our church always give God freedom to be God. That is, we can't control the outcome of a prayer. We submit to the Lord's will.
Healing is another place where there are two different definitions running. When we first visited our church, it was for a "healing" seminar. We were pretty nervous that it would be some wierd Benny Hinn thing. However, it was all about inner healing, which is basically allowing Jesus to deal with our issues and wounds. It was very biblical, and not sensational. Since then, I have learned a lot about "healing." We are definately likely to pray for physical healing, and expect more than just the Lord's grace to deal with suffering. But I'm also seeing how Jesus healing our inner issues is just as/even more important in the long run.
On the other note, we live in an apartment complex with a big hill outside our building. It's nice.
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