.
Building
Charismatic
Bridges
and
removing walls
and barriers
to the Holy
Spirit's work
to bring
Christians
together in
unity
by Dr. Vinson
Synan
Dr.
Synan's message is as relevant today
as it was when it was first
delivered to Charismatic Christians
in 1974. Excerpt from Charismatic
Bridges, by Vinson Synan,
first published by Word of Life,
Ann Arbor 1974. -ed.
Charismatic
renewal has been
ecumenical from the
beginning
One of the greatest fruits of these
movements has been a warm Christian fellowship
that crosses ecclesiastical barriers. Although
no one planned it, most charismatic prayer
groups have been, in fact, ecumenical from the
beginning. There always seems to be a special
spiritual dynamic when charismatic Catholics,
neopentecostals, and classical pentecostals
join hearts and voices in prayer, praise, and
worship, giving common witness to the
magnificent work of the Holy Spirit in the
body of Christ.
In the beginnings of the American pentecostal
movement (from about 1900 to 1910) most
Christians who received the pentecostal
experience were members of the traditional
Protestant denominations. Their first impulse
was to go and share with their churches the
good news that "the Comforter has come." Yet,
in time, several new pentecostal denominations
were formed, primarily because the established
churches expelled the early pentecostals under
charges of fanaticism. Walls were built then
out of necessity as widely separated groups
gradually formed what we now refer to as the
classical pentecostal denominations. Despite
this development, the historic goal of the
movement remained the same: the renewal of the
entire church by the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit before the second coming of Christ.
God calls us to tear down
walls that separate and divide
The present-day charismatic renewal is roughly
at the same stage as the Pentecostal movement
was in the first decade of its existence.
There is a great deal of interchange between
the various sectors of the renewal: great joy
is experienced as participants see persons
from other traditions receive the Spirit's
fullness. But there seems to be a definite
trend now toward the building of charismatic
walls that could eventually divide charismatic
Christians rather than unite them. Of course,
no one would plan such a thing, but these
walls could gradually appear, and become
hardened quite unconsciously, if efforts are
not continued to keep the lines of
communication open.
We now speak of the "Catholic Charismatic
Renewal," the "Lutheran Charismatic Renewal,"
the "Orthodox Charismatic Renewal," and so
forth. Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist
pastors and laymen have joined also in
denominational, charismatic fellowships, while
classical pentecostals meet with themselves in
their various national and world conclaves. If
we do not pray earnestly for unity in the
Spirit, we shall witness the great Pentecostal
charismatic movement fragmented into carbon
copies of the present day ecclesiastical
divisions.
Already there are reports of prayer group that
welcome only Catholics, while others serve
only Lutherans, etc. There are even some
classical pentecostal groups that make a hobby
out of denouncing "neo-pentecostalism," as if
this renewal constitutes a direct danger to
their tradition rather than the historic
fulfillment of their mission to the world. The
most striking feature of the groups that
practice such exclusivism is a turning inward,
a loss of the experience of victory, and a
decline in both spirit and numbers. Indeed,
some prayer groups have ceased to exist,
precisely because of their exclusiveness.
I believe that God has called us to build
charismatic bridges rather than charismatic
walls. We must always endeavor to "keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"
(Ephesians 4:3) if we are to effectively
evangelize the world and renew the church…
The Holy Spirit breaks
down barriers and builds bridges
The Holy Spirit
breaks down barriers and builds bridges
between God's people. I am convinced that the
only grass-roots ecumenical movement in
existence today is the charismatic movement.
When Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Greek
Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, and
Methodists, etc. receive the pentecostal
experience, their first impulse is to share
their newfound joy with others. This sharing
is often with people from other denominations
who gather in prayer groups for fellowship and
praise. As the Holy Spirit manifests himself
in joyful praise and worship, consciousness of
dogmatic differences fades in overwhelming
adoration of Jesus Christ.
When a Christian is filled with the Holy
Spirit, most of the barriers of suspicion and
prejudice fall immediately as perfect love
flows from heart to heart. This did not come
about as a result of planning in some
ecumenical boardroom but because of the
sovereign will of God. This is not man-made
ecumenicity but a Spirit-led coming together
on the basis of a commonly-shared experience
with the risen Lord.
Of course, many deep doctrinal differences
remain between the various Catholic and
Protestant denominational traditions. These
differences will not disappear overnight just
by our saying "praise the Lord" together. Yet
our coming together in praise gives a
different perspective to our differences and
at least gives us an opportunity to have
precious fellowship together in the Lord.
The past 500 years have not been hopeful ones
for the cause of Christian unity. The present
Pentecostal - charismatic movement appears to
be the most hopeful breakthrough since the
Reformation for true unity in the Spirit. May
we all wait before the Lord "until we all
attain to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature
manhood, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
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Dr. Vinson Synan is one of the
leading authorities on the history
of Pentecostalism. Writing and
editing more than 18 books in his
lifetime, he has contributed works
such as The Holiness Pentecostal
Movement in the United States,
The Old-Time Power, and his
most recent major work, The
Century of the Holy Spirit. In
addition to these publications Dr.
Synan released his memoirs titled An
Eyewitness Remembers the Century
of the Holy Spirit in 2010.
His work and writings are
authoritative resources on the
history of Pentecostalism and
various other topics in the church.
In addition, he was one of the
founders of the Society for
Pentecostal Studies (SPS) in 1970.
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