Peter Fenwick concludes his assessment of the Toronto Blessing in the light of Scripture.

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.

The Receiving Methodology

The claim has been made widely that via Toronto ‘receiving meetings’ people have gone on to experience great advance in the realm of sanctification. It has been claimed that people have moved into areas of very significant holiness where besetting sins previously dominated.

As has been shown earlier in this chapter, the style of receiving methodology is not new in the charismatic movement. It has prevailed for years and therefore comes as no surprise to thousands of Christians. What I am going on to say may well produce a reaction of 'So what? Who cares? The whole thing works so does anything else matter?'

First of all, yet again, the New Testament, indeed the whole Bible, never gives an example of meetings being convened for the laying on of hands, resulting in Christian people being significantly more sanctified. None of the Bible's teaching on sanctification so much as hints that procedures like this could help. Yet we have been presented with this method as the great thing that God is doing in these days.

The second point at issue is that the New Testament tells us most clearly how sanctification will come about. In John 17:17-20, Jesus is praying to his Father for his people and he says “[Father] sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”. He had previously taught in John 15:3, “Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you”.

The Bible never gives an example of the laying on of hands resulting in Christian people being significantly more sanctified.

Paul taught in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is...useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”. When Paul addresses his farewells to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, he says in verse 32, “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified”. We have very similar teaching in the Old Testament, for example, Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”.

What are all these scriptures saying? They are telling us very plainly that sanctification, cleansing and living in righteousness come to the people of God through the word of God, that is, through the scriptures. It is necessary to feed on the scriptures, to meditate upon them, to digest them, to absorb them and hide them away in our hearts. Through them we learn to respond to God's disciplines and to benefit from them; we learn to trust in God working out his purposes in times of turmoil and trial and tribulation.

Supremely we discover who God is - that is, his nature and character - and we read over and over again how much he supports us and how much he has done for us, and indeed, is doing for us.

We become familiar with the full revelation of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we look to in order to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us. This is the pattern set for us in the New Testament. It is the Lord Jesus himself and the apostles who have taught all of this and we surely finish up at odds with them if in these last years of the 20^th Century we go down a different route altogether.

The Bible is clear that we can be converted in a moment following repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus; it is equally clear that the work of sanctification takes a lifetime.

It is a consequence of the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer, through the ministry of the word of God, as shown above. In Ephesians 5:26 Paul teaches that Christ will sanctify and cleanse the Church which he loves with “the washing with water through the word” (emphasis added) in order to ultimately present to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. We will take this matter a little further in the next section.

The work of sanctification takes a lifetime, and is a consequence of the Holy Spirit’s work, through the ministry of the word of God.

The Claimed Testimonies

There were those who claimed that, as a result of the type of ministry I have described, they had an experience of God resulting in a new love for the Lord Jesus Christ, a new love for the scriptures, increased zeal in witnessing and freedom from besetting sins. These are very significant claims.

However, these claims were made and accepted very soon after the ministry experience from which they were said to result. No experienced and responsible pastor would have allowed such a situation to arise. Proper pastoral responsibility to those who believe they have had an experience of God does not involve only the offering of encouragement and support; it also involves ensuring that spiritual progress is maintained and also determining whether the experience stands the test of time.

It is irresponsible to give instant public prominence to someone who believes he has had such an experience, and this for two reasons. First, it does not allow the experience to be tested. Secondly, public applause is the worst possible environment for spiritual growth. Many Toronto leaders were not without pastoral experience. Why then did they allow this?

I believe the reason is that sanctification, love of God, love of Scripture etc were demonstrably biblical, whilst all other features of the Toronto Blessing were not. These testimonies were, in fact, being used to authenticate the Toronto Blessing as a whole, the argument being that if the Toronto Blessing resulted in sanctification, it must be of God and so therefore must its manifestations and methodology.

But did it result in sanctification? As I have said, no time was allowed for testing the claims; testimonies were accepted long before anyone could be sure that there would be permanent fruit. We were being asked to accept these testimonies as genuine in order that we might also accept the Toronto Blessing as genuine, with all that this implied. This was no light matter. We were surely entitled to ask that the testimonies be proved over time before being presented as evidence. I heard of many claims of changed lives, but my own knowledge of the people concerned did not support these claims.

Testimonies of sanctification and increased love for God were, I believe, used prematurely to authenticate the Toronto Blessing as a whole.

I know many people who accepted the Toronto Blessing; most of them I have known for many years. Before they became involved in the Toronto Blessing the majority were agreeable and amiable Christians, and they remain so; but I have not noted startling changes in them. Others were less agreeable before their Toronto experience and unfortunately they also have not changed! Many of both groups reported pleasant experiences of 'carpet time', but I detected no fundamental changes of the sort that were being claimed. To me, of course, this came as no surprise, in view of the general absence of the word of God within the Toronto Blessing.

We may hope that there were some who, because of their genuine and earnest seeking of God, truly met with him and received blessing at his hand. But before we can accept the huge claims of widespread personal renewal, we must have solid evidence which has met the standards of Scripture and has stood the test of time.

Conclusion: Return to the Bible

I feel strongly that the reservations I have set out in this chapter need to be heeded. The Bible must be restored to the position of honour which it formerly had within the evangelical tradition. Unless this happens there is no knowing where Christianity will end up.

Some supporters of the Toronto Blessing object to this emphasis on Scripture on the grounds that it circumscribes God's actions. God, they argue, must be allowed to work in any way he chooses. I fully endorse this latter point, but we must recognise that one of the things God has chosen to do is to give us responsibility for testing things. He has also chosen to give us in the scriptures an account of his character and his ways, thereby equipping us with the means of testing whether or not something is of him.

Scripture contains many warnings, both from the apostles and from the Lord Jesus Christ himself, concerning the danger of deception and counterfeit works. Some of these will be so subtly disguised as to deceive the very elect. We are exhorted to watch, to test, to be on our guard, and to examine all things; and to be ready to reject those things which fail the test.

The Church must return to the Bible as the supreme authority in faith and practice. As I said at the beginning of this chapter, we are in a battle for the Bible. We must reassert its sufficiency as a criterion for judging all things. What possible grounds can there be for thinking that now, at the end of the 20^th Century, God is introducing any other?

In the new year: We turn to Chapter 4 of ‘Blessing the Church?’: From North Battlefield to Toronto, by David Forbes.

Peter Fenwick asks: was the Toronto Blessing biblical – and does it matter?

(This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.)

The Toronto Blessing consisted of three distinctive parts: the manifestations, the receiving methodology and the claimed testimonies.

The Manifestations

I do not propose to spend a great deal of time on these. In Toronto receiving meetings strange things happened; people who were prayed for displayed unusual behaviour. Falling to the floor and lying supine was almost universal, and laughing uncontrollably almost as widespread.

There was a good deal of trembling and jerking, often known as the 'Toronto twitch', weeping and staggering in a seemingly-drunken fashion. Less common, but nonetheless widespread, were many other different physical movements, including certain sorts of dancing and animal movements, and, of course, the notorious animal noises. For the most part, all of these things were declared to be the result of the Holy Spirit being upon people in order to bless them.

When engaged in dialogue about the issue of the Toronto Blessing I found that all who were supporters of it nevertheless sought to play down the matter of the manifestations. It was said to me by people that they did not like them, but it was necessary to put up with them in order to lay hold of God's best.

Even though the whole of the Toronto Blessing was claimed to be a sovereign move of God, the mood amongst the practitioners generally ended up being to get these particular things under control - a strange way to respond to an alleged sovereign act of God!

Toronto practitioners generally ended up playing the manifestations down and trying to get them under control – a strange way to respond to an alleged act of God!

Generally speaking, people who went forward more than once at successive meetings tended to repeat whatever was the manifestation which they first received. If they became pogo jumpers, for instance, that is probably what they repeated at future meetings. It was also common for people who were prayed with to receive the specific manifestation characteristic of the person praying for them.

Backtracking from a Biblical Defence

During most of 1994, claims were made that all of these manifestations could be successfully held up to biblical examination, though I have to say, I have only ever seen attempts to give biblical authentication to the following seven: drunken staggering, losing bodily strength and thus falling down, laughing uncontrollably, weeping, trembling, lion roaring and convulsions.

This last one, convulsions, is a strange odd one out. Gerald Coates wrote in 'Toronto and Scripture' (Renewal magazine, November 1994) concerning “manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence” that “Scripture gives more than sufficient evidence and endorsement for the following responses”. It was the strange odd one out because when he talked about convulsions he said “most if not all references to do with convulsions have a demonic source”. He proceeded to quote only Mark 1:25-26 and Mark 9:18, both of which are examples of the demonic at work.

This matter is in fact doubly strange as Gerald began by declaring he would give scriptural ‘endorsement’ for such responses. Convulsions, either in the form of strange uncontrollable jerks, or on the floor contraction-like writhings, were very common features of Toronto meetings, but I have never seen or heard of any being declared demonic.

Around the world at conferences and in papers, the claims that these things were biblical were strongly challenged. I do not propose here to repeat the basis of that challenge because the attempt to biblically vindicate, such as it was, has now been largely withdrawn.

The attempt to biblically vindicate the manifestations has now been largely withdrawn.

Late in 1994, the Vineyard International Council, a body which had some oversight of the churches which related to John Wimber, made the following statement which was reported in Alpha magazine:

We are willing to allow experiences to happen without endorsing, encouraging or stimulating them; nor should we seek to explain them by inappropriate proof-texting. Biblical metaphors (similar to those concerning a lion or dove, etc.) do not justify or provide a proof text for animal behaviour...The point is, don't try to defend unusual manifestations from biblical texts that obviously lack a one to one correspondence with a current experience. (emphasis mine)

I can only presume that this is a complete retraction of what was said in the earlier days. For example, in May 1994, Bill Jackson of the Vineyard Champagne Church, Illinois, produced a paper which was subsequently widely circulated and entitled, 'What in the world is happening to us?'. In his introduction he says, “Our purpose in putting this paper together is to develop a biblical apologetic for what we see happening among us. Much of what we are seeing is strange to the natural mind.”

That paper was issued to leaders who went to the Airport Vineyard Church, Toronto, and was then well used by them in their own churches in this country. The proponents have since clearly conceded that there was no biblical foundation for these manifestations.

I am in little doubt that no concession would have been made were it not for the fact that lots of us who are profoundly troubled by these things had made a very strong challenge about the feeble biblical ground the claims stood on. Without that challenge, for the reasons that I have already given, thousands of ordinary Christians would have continued in the delusion that it was all thoroughly biblical.

What Needs Biblical Justification?

However, that was not the end of the debate, because that same Vineyard International Council effectively then asserted that a biblical basis was not needed for such things. I quote again:

The absence of proof texts does not disallow an experience. If so none of us would, a) go to Disneyland, b) use computers, c) have worship bands.

All Christians ought to find a statement like this at very least surprising if not outrageous. How anyone can dare to say that we need no more biblical justification for something that is supposed to be a great move of God than we need for going to Disneyland, is completely outside the range of my whole Christian experience.

I am in little doubt that no concession would have been made were it not for the strong challenge made by many who are profoundly troubled by these things.

As this issue of what needs biblical justification and what does not will be dealt with in future instalments of Blessing the Church?, I will take this matter no further. Sufficient for me to say that it is now acknowledged there is no biblical basis for these strange things, even though they were a fundamental part of the whole Toronto experience.

Changing Declarations

We are not at the end of our problems with these manifestations. Many of their advocates have since begun to acknowledge that there is “a lot of flesh” and some demonic activity. In other words, they are saying 'there is something wrong'. But I have to draw attention to a number of things concerning these new statements.

• They do not go on to eradicate that which is of the flesh, or the demonic.
  
• They do not even go on to identify it.
  
• For most of 1994 it was emphatically declared to be the Holy Spirit at work - all of it.
  

Manifestations accelerated and got stronger when the one ministering cried such things as, “More Lord”, or wafted his hand towards the receiver. I ask myself what kind of Lord did they suppose they were appealing to, who will give them control of that sort over another believer? I further ask, what kind of Christian would want to have that kind of control?

Instead of being disturbed by this, many in this movement rejoiced that, as they supposed, God was using them.

But if they did find manifestations which were wrong after all, what were they going to do with the 'prophetic' interpretations which accompanied them? When someone roared like a lion, it was said that manhood was being restored to the Church; a man cock-a-doodle-dooing was God saying 'Church wake up!'; when young girls danced as round a totem pole, God was giving them a warrior spirit, and if your feet became hot there was God giving you the gift of evangelism. There have been many other such prophetic interpretations.

Next week: The receiving methodology and the claimed testimonies.

Peter Fenwick continues to assess the roots of the Toronto Blessing.

(This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments)

Restorationism: The Promise of Triumph

In the 1970s most of the ‘new churches’, as the house churches are now called, were swept by Restorationist teaching, which created great expectations of triumph for the Church of God. It was embraced as a very welcome antidote to the widespread and gloomy views of the Church's future which had been disseminated by Dispensationalist teaching.

According to that Dispensationalist view, the Church on earth could look forward only to deterioration leading to failure and ignominy. As is so often the case, one extreme position was rejected, only for another to be embraced.

Restorationism came presenting an absolutely opposite view of the Church, and taught that the Church would, in this age and before the return of Jesus, become overwhelmingly successful in every area of human life. In particular, this meant that the Church would overwhelm the secular world - not by military means, but by the force of righteousness.

The Church's influence would be so massive and extensive that it would dominate Government, education, business and finance, the judiciary, law enforcement, the arts etc. This did not mean that there would necessarily be a Christian political party in Parliament; that would not be necessary. The Church would be seen to be so glorious in wisdom and righteousness that Government and political leaders everywhere would come to it for counsel and advice.

Education planners and captains of industry as well as leaders in other fields of human activity would all in similar fashion be accepting the Church's standards and the Church's direction for their affairs. The righteous rule of Christ which is foretold following the return of Christ to the earth would be in very large measure realised before his return.

Restorationist teaching created great expectations of triumph for the Church.

Almost as a by-product, the Church and its members would become wealthy as a grateful world brought its riches and laid them at the Church's feet. Such beliefs clearly opened the door wide for the ‘health-and-wealth’ errors of the so-called 'Faith Movement'.

It was strongly felt that evangelism would probably not be needed. It would be enough for non-Christians to see how good the 'new brand' of Christianity was as relationships were put right, and as Christians loved and served each other and bore each other's burdens. They would voluntarily press into the Church in great numbers and thus be readily converted. Persecution was not really expected, failure was out of the question, and trials and tribulations were not on anyone's agenda.

Interpretation of Scripture

It must be said that the errors of Restorationism, and errors they are, did not result from the Bible being by-passed as I described last week concerning other practices. On the contrary, extensive appeal was made to the Bible. It is not within the scope of this chapter to thoroughly examine what went wrong. But the nub of the error was as follows.

Jesus and the Apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, took many statements and incidents from the Old Testament and applied them to the Church, thus usually giving them a wider meaning. These statements and incidents originally concerned either certain individuals or the whole Jewish people. Restorationist teaching followed that pattern and applied it to other Old Testament passages relating to promises given to Israel, transferring them to the Church.

I submit to the reader that this approach is not legitimate. Jesus was the divine Son of God and knew all things. He therefore had an absolute right to say which Old Testament passages apply to the Church and which do not. Furthermore, Jesus promised the Spirit of Truth for all believers (John 14:15) which enables us to discern those passages of the Old Testament that were for Israel and those that can be applied to the Church.

Great Expectations

Without doubt, Restorationism was an ultimate statement of over-realised eschatology. What is more, its expectations were to happen soon. When this was being declared in the 1970s and the early 1980s, no-one seriously believed that the year 2000 might arrive without much of this victory already well in place.

The expectations amongst the people of God were quite enormous and they would return in their thousands from the great Bible weeks fully expecting to see progress within the following months.

Naturally the churches themselves expected to see a power and beauty which far exceeded anything that had been experienced in the previous 2,000 years of Church history. Attempts were made to show that throughout the years, certainly since the Reformation, the Church had become, by successive stages, more powerful and more beautiful, and now the ultimate was about to be achieved.

Restorationism was the ultimate statement of over-realised eschatology.

It must be said that there was a great deal of human pride in all of this. It was believed that it would be the charismatic churches which would achieve this, and in particular, the Restorationist charismatic churches. They would pave the way for the other churches to participate, provided of course those other churches embraced Restorationist principles. If they did not, they would be completely by-passed by God himself as he fulfilled his purposes in the earth.

None of this has happened. None of these massive expectations have been fulfilled and many of the people who were in receipt of those promises had reached a point of disappointment and considerable disillusion.

The truth is that the very opposite has happened. In all of those fields that I have previously mentioned where the Church was expected to exercise such a powerful influence, the decline of decades has not even been arrested; moral deterioration continues and the Church which was to have been such a strong influence for good frequently finds itself an object of scorn and ridicule. It has become more than ever marginalised and tends to be thoroughly ignored by Government, industry and society in general.

Restorationism was never openly repudiated, but quietly slipped out of prominence. However, the hunger amongst the people of God for something very spectacular to happen had been born and continues to this day. The great cry was then 'God is doing a new thing' and the momentum has been kept going by new phases with the cry being repeated each time. However, there has still not been any delivery of the expectations.

Hunger for Breakthrough

John Wimber, in 1983, began a process that was to greatly widen this sense of expectation beyond the Restorationist movement. He successfully appealed to the mainline churches, even though he himself was not a 'mainline' man. He taught that signs and wonders allied to evangelism (‘power evangelism’) would lead to great progress in the conversion of the United Kingdom. It did not happen.

Strange things undoubtedly did happen in Wimber meetings and particularly during the ministry times as people screamed, fell about and trembled. The momentum was thus maintained. It was felt that something was happening and that it was all going to lead to a great breakthrough for the Kingdom of God.

The hunger amongst God’s people for something very spectacular to happen continues to this day.

When in 1990 the Kansas City prophets were introduced into the United Kingdom the whole matter of expectations stepped up a gear. It was prophesied that there was going to be a revival later that year which would surpass the revival which had taken place in this nation in the 18^th Century under the Wesleys. Yet again nothing happened, the expectations were not fulfilled and the question undoubtedly arose: how much more can even the most gullible people take of this sort of thing?

By this time, undoubtedly, anxiety was at large in charismatic circles. Thus, when the Toronto Blessing appeared, the need for something remarkable was so great that the questioning and testing procedures that should always be applied to such things were frankly superficial and sporadic at best.

Even though the Toronto Blessing was accompanied by manifestations never before seen in the whole history of the Church, including the New Testament record, because something remarkable undoubtedly was happening it has been taken on board in a most indiscriminate manner.

Decline in Bible Knowledge

Let me now turn to the second factor which made the charismatic Church vulnerable to departure from biblical truth and practice.

When the house churches first emerged, there was a lot of healthy radical thinking about Christian life and practice. The object of all of this was to endeavour to re-establish something which was perceived to have been lost, namely the simplicity and purity of the life of the early Church, as depicted in the New Testament.

Therefore, all church practices were subjected afresh to the scrutiny of God's word, and I believe that most objective critics would judge that a very great deal of good emerged from that. Even though leaders in the older denominations often saw house churches as a threat, some of them recognised how their own churches might benefit from the discoveries of these new churches.

The search was on for absolute honesty in all aspects of church life and for genuineness in the exercise of charismatic gifts. Anything that was even slightly false was questioned and as an example, house churches were dangerous places to be for anyone wishing to indulge in super-spirituality.

Unnecessary meetings were scrapped, along with cumbersome committees; silliness in charismatic things was given short shrift, and ridiculous prophecies were given no houseroom at all. There was the development of genuine fellowship and great generosity, and in the realm of demonology there was no dualism whatsoever; Christ was King over all.

The Toronto Blessing was taken on board in a most indiscriminate manner, because something remarkable undoubtedly was happening.

However, in a concerted attack on legalism, diligent application to the Bible itself also came under attack, and whether the message was intended or not, large numbers of Christians began a process of taking personal Bible study less and less seriously. At the same time, expository and doctrinal preaching came to be regarded as old hat, intellectualism, heavy and wearisome.

As a result, there has emerged a famine of the Word of God, and whilst I do not believe that this is confined to the charismatic churches it has nevertheless left large numbers of Christians without the capacity to judge for themselves from Scripture whether a thing is of God or not. They are defenceless against error, in the form of both doctrine and practice, taking hold of the Church of God.

Misuse of Scripture

It even becomes possible for leaders to seriously misquote the scriptures and the people believe that God is speaking. One video of the day showed Rodney Howard-Browne addressing an audience of thousands who cheered as he declared, “Don't try to understand this. Don't you know the natural mind cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God?”

This is taken from 1 Corinthians 2:14 and is almost a correct quotation. Paul actually says 'the natural man', not 'mind', and he is clearly referring to unregenerate man, non-Christian man. Paul goes on to talk about the Christian man, and asserts that this man has the mind of Christ (v16 of the same chapter). Such a man is, 'a spiritual man' and is required to judge all things (v15). What the Apostle Paul teaches is the complete opposite of what Browne is saying, and yet Christian people sit there cheering this appalling manipulation of the word of God.

Many people in the Toronto movement eventually took steps to put some distance between themselves and Rodney Howard-Browne, but many did not. This dictum of Browne's: that is, the by-passing of your mind and your critical faculties, has been carried far and wide into the Toronto Blessing churches and has become a fundamental factor in the whole 'receiving process' of this phenomenon.

I quote examples of what has been said in English churches.

“Don't let the Bible get in the way of the blessing.”

“Some of you Bible-lovers need to put it down and let God work on you.”

“The Bible has let us down. It has not delivered the numbers we need.”

“You must not let your mind hinder the receiving of the blessing.”

The result of all this is that when a new teaching or a new experience comes along, many Christians have no way of assessing whether or not it is of God. Even when the Holy Spirit with them is telling them 'This is very queer', they jump in just in case it is God at work they do not want to miss him.

There has emerged a famine of the Word of God, leaving large numbers of Christians defenceless against error.

If people act in this way, it is inevitable that they will end up in trouble sooner or later, and many well-meaning charismatics have been up one blind alley after another.

The dangers are compounded by the fact that too many preachers/leaders have few skills in expounding the scriptures and laying out the truth before the people. Some hardly speak from the scriptures at all, and of those who do, too many spend their time spiritualising and allegorising them.

Conclusion

The burden of what I am saying is this: within charismatic churches great expectations have been built up among the people of God; expectations that something spectacular, something extraordinary, something perhaps even sensational is going to happen.

Disappointment has followed disappointment, but no-one can possibly be satisfied with the simple life of patiently enduring hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, nor faithfully persevering in the face of setbacks, disappointments and defections as the Apostles evidently had to; no, there must be something very big round the next corner.

But because we live in a day when personal knowledge of the Bible is at its lowest ebb for years, and the capacities for discernment and spiritual discrimination have been discarded, the people of God are left wide open to almost anything.

Am I asserting that absolutely nobody in any pro-Toronto church has received any blessing at all from God? No, because God is always eager to bless hungry children who are truly seeking his face and I am therefore in no doubt that there will be individuals who have been truly blessed of God.

However, from my own experience, I have to add that it is on nothing like the scale that people would have us believe. There have not been huge numbers of lives remarkably changed, nor have there been large numbers of conversions, nor have there been significant numbers of healings. I shall have more to say about this next week.

Next week: was the Toronto Blessing biblical – and does it matter?

Originally published 1995. Revised and updated December 2017.

Peter Fenwick looks at the roots of the Toronto blessing.

It is the Church's task to proclaim God's will and intentions to the world: a world which over the past 50 years has progressively abandoned God's laws and standards.

The condition of society is now so serious that many Christians, myself included, believe that only a full-scale revival can reverse this moral decline.

Since January 1994 the Toronto Blessing has been hailed as either a great revival or its precursor. Because of the earnest desire for revival in the hearts of many it is understandable that these claims have been widely accepted, but we must recognise that their hopes and expectations have led many people to embrace the movement without fully considering all the implications.

Can we be sure that the Toronto Blessing was a genuine move of God? There were many features of the Toronto Blessing which have given me grave cause for concern; features which, if unchecked, will seriously impair the church's ability to perform its God-given task.

My greatest fear springs from the fact that the Bible no longer occupies the place which once it did in the evangelical community. Indeed, the whole controversy surrounding the Toronto Blessing is in fact a major battle for the Bible. Traditionally, evangelicals have sought a firm biblical foundation for all matters relating to doctrine and conduct. It is my contention that the Toronto Blessing represented, in its day, the most recent stage in a process whereby this tradition is being gradually eroded. Am I right to fear that it will soon be abandoned altogether?
In this article I will set out the stages which preceded the Toronto Blessing in the process of erosion to which I have referred. It will, I hope, become clear that the Toronto Blessing is no sudden or unexpected phenomenon; but that in fact the ground has been well prepared by the acceptance of previous unbiblical practices.

Over the next two weeks I will also offer an explanation as to why the Church has become vulnerable to such errors and indicate the features of the Toronto Blessing which are unbiblical.

Because of earnest desire for revival, many have embraced the Toronto movement without fully considering all the implications.

Unbiblical Practices

During the 1980s and early 1990s a number of practices were introduced, mostly in the charismatic churches, which had either no biblical foundation or only a very dubious one. These practices were accepted without question and are now a normal part of much charismatic theology. Here are some examples.

End of meetings ministry times

This is now a normal part of many charismatic meetings, both in churches and in joint celebrations. People are called forward for prayer and usually laying on of hands, with a view to deliverance from rejections, hurts, abuses, fears, inadequacies and such-like; the hope is that they will go on in a more positive way of living. Sometimes people are prayed for in order to receive particular gifts. Usually the subjects of prayer have little, if anything, to do with the content of the sermon.

All of this has been a common part of charismatic meetings for a long time, despite the fact that there is neither precedent nor teaching anywhere in the New Testament for this practice.
It has to be said that it has not created any significant opposition, since it has seemed harmless enough and has surely been practised out of good motives; what can possibly be wrong with seeking to bless someone? The fact that in many cases the same people come forward time after time has also not raised too many questions.

'Word of Knowledge' healing meetings

This again is a very common charismatic practice. Someone, usually from the front of the church, but not exclusively so, makes a succession of statements to the effect that, 'There is someone here with...' and there follows the recital of a number of ailments. People are expected to stand, declaring themselves to be the person referred to. Prayer is made and the whole procedure moves on. There is often little or no checking out as to whether a healing has taken place.

However, the real point at issue is that this technique was never practised by Jesus nor by any of the apostles at any point in the whole of the New Testament. This has not been considered important by those concerned, since the assumption is that from time to time some people do actually get healed, and therefore the feeling is that if it works, albeit occasionally, it is acceptable.

During the 1980s and early 1990s a number of practices were introduced, mostly in the charismatic churches, which had either no biblical foundation or only a very dubious one.

Demons as the cause of sin

Over the last 40 years or so, there has been an ever-increasing tendency to identify demons as a primary cause of sin in Christians. It goes without saying that if a demon is causing certain sinful human behaviour, then repentance for sins is not appropriate and is rarely called for; the matter will be dealt with by exorcism. The blame for sin can be laid fully at the door of the demon.

Once again this is profoundly contrary to New Testament practice and teaching.

The doctrine of territorial spirits

It has for a number of years been sweepingly assumed that hamlets, towns, cities or nations are dominated by specific spirits whose size and power is appropriate to the population mass over which they are said to rule.

It is consequently assumed that effective evangelisation of such a location will not happen until these territorial spirits have been engaged in spiritual warfare and decisively expelled. This is not the same as praying for the conversion of one's friends and family. It is praying for the extermination of these evil spirits and very often actually addressing them.

There is not a shred of New Testament teaching or practice to support this kind of activity. The theology of it is based on a passage in Daniel (10:13) where the Prince of the kingdom of Persia is said to have withstood an angelic helper sent by God to Daniel. This Prince of the kingdom of Persia hindered the angel for 21 days.

It is pure speculation to assert that this Prince was a demon. Since Daniel was not waging spiritual warfare in the modern sense of the word; since there is not another single example in the whole of the Bible of this sort of activity; and since we are given no theological explanation of it all, it is therefore astonishing that a definitive theology has been built up from this brief incident and has introduced into the charismatic church what is now a very dominant practice.

As I have already said, this practice is deemed to be vitally necessary before proper evangelisation of a particular territory can be expected to succeed. For almost 2,000 years the Church has not known this dogma and consequently has been unable to engage in this activity. It is amazing that it has nevertheless achieved such astounding success at different times and in different places.

These practices were accepted without question and became a normal part of much charismatic theology.

Christians Vulnerable to Error

The whole point of presenting these examples (and there are others) is to demonstrate that the charismatic movement has been taking on board teaching and practices that have either no, or at best flimsy, biblical foundation and turning them into dogma.

It is almost certainly true that many members of charismatic churches do believe that there actually is a biblical foundation, and this fact will raise a different concern in subsequent articles.
But the ground for accepting such practices has been well and truly prepared and into this situation there has come an even more unbiblical teaching, namely the Toronto Blessing.

Next week: Two factors which have made the charismatic church vulnerable to departures from biblical truth and practice: the rise of restorationism and a decline in biblical knowledge.

First published in 1995. Revised and updated (including all references to time frames) November 2017. Previous articles in this series can be found here.

The wind of the Spirit is the key solution for the nations.

Winds of change are once more blowing across Africa. And as South Africa’s Tshego Motaung has well illustrated, it is her own country that is again resisting the phenomenon.

When British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous ‘Winds of Change’ speech to the Cape Town Parliament in 1960, he was talking of the reality of national liberation sweeping the continent.¹

South Africa’s political elite, however, were in denial of it, resisting the inevitable for 30 years until God intervened in answer to much prayer – specifically in Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk being reconciled through their common faith in Jesus Christ.²

Now there is a new movement of change, writer and political economist Tshego points out – a growing recognition of God’s purposes for Israel among African nations. And the irony is that the black majority government of South Africa is actually moving in the opposite direction again, downgrading their ties with the Jewish state while being taken in by Palestinian propaganda.

Fulfilment for Isaiah 19?

Nevertheless, Tshego is clearly excited by the fulfilment of ancient prophecies as African nations forge closer ties with Israel. As MC for the recent Africa Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC) pre-launch event in Johannesburg, Tshego³ was reminded of the Isaiah 19 prophecy of a time when a highway of reconciliation would link Egypt, Israel and Assyria (Isa 19:23-25).

And she believes that what was described at the time (700 BC) as Egypt refers to most of what we know as Africa today.

“Initiatives like the AICC are some of the tools for bringing fulfillment to these prophecies,” she wrote in a recent online article for Gateway News (South Africa).⁴ “However, it is fascinating to notice how the current South African political leaders are acting in the same way their predecessors did in 1960, when they resisted the winds of change.”

There is a new movement of change sweeping Africa – a growing recognition of God’s purposes for Israel.

A further irony, in my opinion, is that a huge swathe of churches in South Africa are pro-Israel – and are in fact in revival because of that (as I believe the two are directly connected). The wind of the Holy Spirit is clearly blowing across the nation - what other explanation is there for nearly two million people turning up to a prayer meeting on a farmer’s field on 22 June this year?⁵ But the political leaders are trying to avoid the spiritual climate by sinking their heads in the South African sand (of which there is plenty). Like true believers down the ages, the country’s Christians are being counter-cultural and we should pray that their courage will not fail them at this desperate hour.

It is worth remembering that the Church also led the way for change in the apartheid era. Through much prayer and witness and a determination not to back down, they eventually won the battle. If the pattern is repeated today, political leaders will undoubtedly succumb. Perhaps it’s just a matter of when – not whether – the South African government repents; not only of its corruption, but of its anti-Israel stance.

Winds of Change – for Good and Ill

Winds of change have also blown through Britain since the 1960s – and on the whole they have wreaked havoc (rather as Hurricane Harvey has done in the USA) as family life has been seriously undermined and the Church has remained largely silent.

As the social structure of the UK continues to collapse, my prayer is that we will cease to resist the wind of the Spirit that is willing and wanting to rebuild our shattered society. The wind that blew on the Day of Pentecost changed the world (see Acts 2:2). Jesus spoke of a blowing of the wind, and of our response to it, when referring to the need for people to be “born again” in order to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:8). This wind also came in the form of Jesus breathing on his disciples (John 20:22).

Winds of change have also blown through Britain since the 1960s – and on the whole they have wreaked havoc.

But the blowing of wind can also be negative, as I’ve intimated with my reference to havoc-wreaking hurricanes. St Paul writes about those who are easily led being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14) and when Jesus summed up his amazing Sermon on the Mount, he talked of destructive winds that would topple houses of thought and ideology built on the sand of lies and propaganda (Matt 7:24-27).

Word and Spirit Together

There is a growing movement dedicated to a coming together of the Word and Spirit in our churches which I believe holds out a very precious hope of future restoration. Too many of our churches (in the UK at least) favour one over the other, concentrating on preaching the Bible on the one hand or emphasising the gifts of the Spirit on the other. But many are now recognising that the time has come to weave both streams together.

The result, certainly according to legendary early 20^th Century evangelist Smith Wigglesworth in an extraordinary prophecy made shortly before his death in 1947, will be spiritually explosive.

He said at the time:

When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed the world, has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores – even the Wesleyan and Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to mainland Europe and, from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.⁶

Notes

1 Harold Macmillan actually said: “The wind of change is blowing through the continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.”

2 See elsewhere in this issue.

3 Tshego Motaung holds an MA in Global Political Economy from Sussex University, has spent years in corporate South Africa and also worked as Trade and Investment advisor for UK Trade and Investment.

4 Motaung, T. Winds of change blowing again in Africa, but will SA get it? Gateway News, 4 August 2017.

5 The actual estimate is 1.7 million.

6 See the full word here. See also Cooper, J, 2015. When the Spirit and Word Collide. River Publishing.

It is always the right time to seek revival among the body of believers.

South African-born journalist, Charles Gardner, brings a second report on the signs of revival currently in South Africa.

The South African revival to which I referred in an earlier dispatch is now in full bloom, as evidenced by an extraordinary prayer meeting attended by an estimated one million people.

The ‘Call to Prayer’ – named It’s Time – came from farmer-evangelist Angus Buchan in response to allegations of corruption in Government, an intolerable crime rate, violent student protests, and immorality at many levels.

Call to Prayer

Affectionately known Oom Angus¹, the preacher has made a huge impact on the nation since experiencing a dramatic encounter with Christ in 1979. In recent years, he has focused his attention on men, imploring them to live up to their responsibilities by leading their families in prayer and dedication to God.

For seven years he held annual weekend camps at his KwaZulu-Natal farm Shalom, initially hosting just family and a few friends, but eventually drawing some 400,000 men. Similar events, known as ‘Mighty Men Conferences’, have since spread to other parts of the country as well as to the UK.

But with the country now embroiled in chaos led by a Government apparently steeped in corruption, Angus believed it was time to call Christians to serious prayer – and the venue chosen was 2,500 acres of farmland near the central city of Bloemfontein.

With the country now embroiled in chaos led by a Government apparently steeped in corruption, believers are gathering in prayer.

Believers responded by travelling from all parts of the country to set up camp, pray over many issues such as abortion, crime, injustice, and poverty, and draw inspiration from the beloved evangelist with his uncompromising message focused on living according to the Bible’s precepts.

“You will sleep with no-one until you are married!” he urged young men, adding (echoing a phrase used by Britain’s legendary Pentecostal evangelist Smith Wigglesworth): “God said it; we believe it and that settles it.”

Healing for Israel

An Israeli flag could be clearly seen fluttering in the breeze as a video camera panned across a sea of people stretching some 1.4 kilometers from the main platform, and strong gusts of wind accompanied prayers in scenes akin to the initial Holy Spirit outpouring recorded in the New Testament, (Acts 2:2).

I mention the Israeli flag to further support the thesis of my previous article on the subject: blessing the Jewish people is a key to revival, something the UK church has yet to grasp!

In addition to YouTube videos, I have friends taking part who have kept me informed of progress, and it is difficult not to see this as further fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28). Such a time could quite conceivably coincide with the restoration of Israel along with the judgment of those nations opposing them (Joel 3:1f).

Blessing the Jewish people is a key to revival.

It’s Time is evidently inspired by the biblical promise of healing for Israel when God’s people humble themselves and pray.

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain (South Africa has been suffering a severe drought), or command locusts to devour the land, or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:13-14)

I do not have an exact count of the attendance at this event, but my sources tell me that as many as 1.7 million people had registered beforehand. That is equivalent to the population of Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city, and greater than Birmingham, Britain’s second city.Mighty turnout: Men gather in great numbers for the Karoo Mighty Men's Conference in the heart of South Africa's farming community.

Clearly, prayer leads to revival, along with blessing Israel as I have already emphasized. There is a distinct correlation between this move of the Spirit and a general understanding and support of Israel, to whom Christians are indelibly attached. If we cut ourselves off from our Judaic roots, the Church cannot truly exist (Rom 11:17f).

Churches in South Africa Today

Churches in all parts of South Africa – black and white as well as English and Afrikaans-speaking – are bursting with new life as they provide a counter-culture to secularists and humanists. They are especially a thorn in the flesh to the Government which is reportedly rife with corruption and virulently opposed to Israel - even to the extent of virtually cutting off diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. This is in spite of the fact that it was Jews who led the resistance to apartheid in the days of the whites-only Parliament.

Angus, who has led a similar gathering in Israel, has proved a huge inspiration as he urges men to run their homes, love their wives and exercise Godly discipline with their children, which leads to inevitable clashes with political correctness!

Moreover, the default position of many of South Africa’s churches today is an understanding of God’s everlasting love for Israel and of the church’s enormous debt to them – for the Bible, for their Saviour and much more. A friend of mine put it this way: “If you don’t believe in God’s plan for Israel, you’re a biblical atheist.”

The point is that these South African Christians have woken up, having come to love God’s chosen people. UK churches are in desperate need of gaining similar biblical truth.

For revival, you have to be in the right place with God so that, as far as is possible, his thoughts become our thoughts (see Isaiah 55). We don’t worship Israel, as they are human and sinful like us, but we do worship the God of Israel who has blessed us with his precious Word and with his Son, the Jewish Messiah, who is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Fear vs Faith

I have re-visited my home country a number of times in recent years to see family and friends, and I became aware that it is no longer divided along apartheid lines, but between those who live in fear – the secularists who erect huge steel barriers to protect their property from burglars – and those who live by faith and in freedom, who love their neighbours and believe in the country’s future under God.

For revival, you have to be in the right place with God.

I appreciate that Jesus warned of deception in the last days, but I feel that sometimes we are in danger of straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel on this point. Author/preacher RT Kendall, writing of how Israel as a whole failed to recognize their Messiah, says: “We are all so sure that we would recognize the authentic Christ. You could not have told a Sadducee or a Pharisee that the Messiah would come to Israel without them knowing and acknowledging him. But he came and they rejected him.”²

There are many signs that this revival is authentic. And if we wish the same for our nation, we need to humble ourselves and pray, repenting of our wicked ways, especially over our treatment of God’s chosen people.

References

¹ Oom is Afrikaans for 'Uncle'.

² Why Jesus Died (Monarch Books), p40.

‘Mighty Men’ revival linked with support for Israel.

Although hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions – have been affected by it, few in the Northern Hemisphere seem to have heard of the South African revival.

I’m not referring to the 1860 awakening led by my ancestor (by adoption) Andrew Murray,¹ but to a current movement that is drawing huge crowds – especially men – to Christ. And it is my belief that there is a distinct correlation between this move of the Spirit and a general understanding and support of Israel, to whom Christians are indelibly attached – if we cut ourselves off from our Judaic roots, the Church cannot truly exist (Rom 11:17f).

Churches in all parts of South Africa – incorporating black and white as well as English and Afrikaans-speaking – are bursting with new life as they prove a counter-cultural provocation to secularists, humanists and others (who are trying it on there too) and especially to a Government rife with corruption and virulently opposed to Israel, even to the extent of virtually cutting off diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. This is in spite of the fact that it was Jews who led the resistance to apartheid in the days of the old whites-only Parliament.

Angus Buchan and Shalom

One man perhaps stands out among the many leaders of this movement for the influence he has had – and that is Angus Buchan, a humble farmer who doubled as an evangelist soon after a dramatic encounter with Christ in 1979.

His campaigns reaped rewards, but then God called him to focus his attention on men – and he has been faithful to this task ever since, drawing both young and old men to weekend camps initially held at Shalom, his KwaZulu-Natal farm, for seven consecutive years.

I believe there is a distinct correlation between the present move of the Spirit in South Africa and a general support of Israel.

It began with just family and a few friends but, six years later, was accommodating a staggering 400,000 men who had gathered from all corners of the land to hear the uncompromising word of God challenging them to take responsibility as heads of their families by serving Christ with all their hearts.

The magnificent Drakensberg mountains, not far from the farm where an Israeli family heard how Jesus is the fulfilment of Yom Kippur.The so-called Mighty Men Conferences have since spread elsewhere, including the UK, as faith in God has swept across the countryside like a prairie fire. Friends of mine from the Karoo area of the Cape, who in the early days travelled 500 miles to join the camps in far-off KwaZulu-Natal, are now involved in helping to host events in their own farming district.

Default Position: Love for Israel

Angus has proved a huge inspiration as he urges men to run their homes, love their wives and discipline their children in the fear of God, leading to inevitable clashes with political correctness. But as the corridors of political power darken, the light of Christ shines brighter.

Author of the best-selling Faith Like Potatoes which has been made into a powerful movie, Angus has also led meetings in Israel, where Pentecostal-type manifestations such as a mighty, rushing wind (see Acts 2:2) have been evident.

Moreover, the default position of many of South Africa’s churches today is an understanding of God’s everlasting love for Israel and of the church’s enormous debt to them – for the Bible, for their Saviour and much more. This is certainly reflected in the publishing realm, led by Joy magazine (also published in Afrikaans as Juig), the biggest circulation Christian periodical outside the United States. The same can be said for the popular South African news portal, Gateway News.

The default position of many of South Africa’s churches today is an understanding of God’s everlasting love for Israel and of the church’s enormous debt to them.

A recent event involving CMJ (the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people), for whom I volunteer, bore this out in no uncertain terms. One of our workers travelled a thousand miles from Cape Town to KwaZulu-Natal to speak at a Christian gathering about the significance of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – and how Jesus is the fulfilment of this Jewish holiday, their holiest day of the year.

A statue of Andrew Murray, a much-revered figure in South African history.About 70 people turned up to hear her at a farm in the shadow of the Drakensberg mountains, where I grew up. It so happened that a secular Israeli family touring South Africa rang to inquire about overnight guest accommodation. The owners, Hendrik and Ina Goosen, warned them that a Christian meeting would be taking place. But they said they didn’t mind, and the family – mum, dad and three children – turned up for the entire talk which was followed by refreshments. They were overwhelmed by the experience, and by the love people had for Israel.

Wonderful Spiritual Legacy

I have re-visited my home country a number of times in recent years to see family and friends, and I became aware that it was no longer divided along apartheid lines, but between those who live in fear – the secularists who erect huge steel barriers to protect their property from burglars – and those who live by faith and in freedom, who love their neighbours and believe in the country’s future under God.

South Africa has a wonderful spiritual legacy. I have already mentioned the legendary devotional writer and revivalist Rev. Andrew Murray who, after learning Dutch in Holland, came out from Scotland to pastor Afrikaners who had fled the British-ruled Cape in search of more favourable pastures. The country was also greatly influenced by the Pentecostal pioneers of the early 20^th Century – particularly John G Lake and David du Plessis – and it was around this time that the young Nelson Mandela was strongly influenced by Methodist missionaries, who also paid for his education.

My thesis of the link between Holy Spirit revival and love for the Jews is backed up by another famous Scot, Robert Murray McCheyne, along with his fellow countryman Andrew Bonar, who together encouraged the evangelisation of the Jews back in the 1830s. Both led missions to Palestine (as it was then known) and Jewish communities in Europe. And when revival broke out in his local parish of Kilsyth, McCheyne took this as a sign of God’s promise to Abraham and his heirs that “I will bless those who bless you” (Gen 12:3). God’s favour was on them because they honoured the Jews, the apple of God’s eye.²

South Africa is no longer divided along apartheid lines, but between those who live in fear and those who live by faith and in freedom.

On the other side of the same coin is the horrendous legacy of the so-called Berlin Declaration of 1909, in which 56 evangelical leaders concluded that the Pentecostal outpourings at Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906 and in Sunderland, England, in 1907, were of the devil. Werner Oder, a UK-based pastor and son of a Nazi, believes this amounted to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and sowed the seeds of the Holocaust.³

It is interesting that, despite early success in Europe, the Pentecostal movement made comparatively little impact on this part of the world whereas it has been a very different story in Asia, Africa and South America.

I appreciate that Jesus warned of deception in the last days, but I feel that sometimes we are in danger of straining at a gnat but swallowing a camel on this point. My favourite author/preacher RT Kendall, writing of how Israel as a whole failed to recognise their Messiah when he came, says: “We are all so sure that we would recognize the authentic when it arrives. You could not have told a Sadducee or a Pharisee that the Messiah would come to Israel without them knowing and acknowledging him. But he came and they rejected him.”⁴

Requirements for Revival

Some years ago I received a dramatic vision of revival in Doncaster, my home town, during a celebration service involving a number of churches, and immediately shared it with those present. It was of a beautiful new square complete with fountains, trees and smart buildings, and I told them that, although I believed God was saying this would indeed become a material reality in the town, it was also a picture of revival to come.

Two weeks later the local paper published an artist’s impression precisely reflecting that vision – and this lovely square, complete with 16 fountains, now adorns the Waterdale area of the town centre and is flanked by the new municipal offices and a modern theatre called Cast, where the town’s pastors recently met for the first time for mutual encouragement. A similar feature, also with fountains, has now been announced for the area adjacent to Doncaster’s railway station.

I keep telling friends and pastors here that, if they wish to see this vision (of revival) fulfilled, they must start blessing Israel – by praying for them, helping their poor, defending them from unwarranted attack and anti-Semitism and, most of all, by reaching out to them with the very Gospel which has so blessed us (Rom 1:16, 10:14).

If we want to see revival, we must start blessing Israel.

In South Africa, meanwhile, up to a million people are expected to descend on the central city of Bloemfontein (which, incidentally, translates ‘flower fountain’) in a fortnight’s time (22 April) to pray for their nation, following a call from the man they have all come to know as Oom (Uncle) Angus!

Don’t forget that Jesus is returning – not to London, New York, Paris or Cape Town, but to Jerusalem, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5)!

If you really love Jesus, you will love the Jews!

Notes

1 My orphaned great-grandfather, also Charles, was brought up in the Murray parsonage in Graaff-Reinet, 500 miles from Cape Town. Our family is forever indebted to Rev Andrew Murray Snr and his wife Maria, who had 16 children of their own!

2 Peace in Jerusalem by Charles Gardner (olivepresspublisher.com), p164.

3 Ibid, p162-3.

4 Why Jesus Died (Monarch Books), p40.

Catharine Pakington reviews 'Too Many to Jail – The Story of Iran's New Christians' By Mark Bradley (2014, Monarch Books)

I had heard of the rapid growth of the Iranian Church, so was pleased to come across this book about a house church movement that now has too many members to be confined to jail. Growing in the face of great opposition it can have lessons for us in a changing political climate.

Mark Bradley works as a researcher for a mission agency focussed on the Middle East having been involved with the Iranian Church for over 20 years. His earlier books 'Iran: Open hearts in a Closed Land' (2007) and 'Iran and Christianity' (2008) explored reasons for openness to the Gospel in this inaccessible nation. Too Many to Jail brings the story up-to-date, looking at the impact of disputed elections, tension with the West over nuclear capability and increasing official persecution of Christians. Why have these events encouraged rather than hindered the Church?

Iranian Revival: Hype or Reality?

The author outlines former president Ahmadinejad's objections to Christianity before presenting evidence that the reported Church growth is not mere Christian hype. Three chapters explore reasons for Iran's new Christians turning from Shia Islam. I was intrigued to see how the promotion of Islamic revolution by Khomenei and, later, Ahmadinejad resulted in many looking for answers elsewhere.

But then, what is it about Iran's culture and history that makes Iranians particularly attracted to Jesus? It is interesting to see how different aspects of Iranian culture are fitting together at this time: positive images of Jesus in Muslim writing as well as revered poetry combining with a surprising attraction for Western ideas and attitudes. The full account is worth reading.

House Churches Vital

What are the house churches? Examples are given and common themes identified before considering why they have been reaching the majority Muslim population in a way that "building churches" seldom did. These churches share an expectation that God will work supernaturally; family plays an important part and all groups have experienced persecution and suffering. Unlike 'building churches', these meetings are ones that Iranians feel comfortable joining. It can still be risky, but so much less so than entering a closely monitored church building with an alien culture. When persecuted, it is easier for house churches to regroup.

There is also the important role of technology providing the means for the Iranian Church in the diaspora to support, teach and set a standard of orthodoxy protecting a new movement from heresy. Others in the worldwide Church contribute through prayer and resources, some interceding fervently from their own experiences of persecution.

Suffering Part of the Story

Suffering is still very much part of the story and there is a substantial chapter in this book describing the pattern of persecution with some detailed testimonies. This part is not easy reading but necessary to understand what continues today. It should challenge us as we read that most come through the fire stronger in their walk with the Lord and with greater zeal to bring others to know Him.

We are left with a sense of awe at God's sovereignty as He builds His Church in Iran through suffering linked with His working through Iranian believers in other lands and the worldwide Church. That means we can all be involved and see God equipping us to stand for Him, wherever we might be, whatever changes we may face.

A Gripping Read

I came to this book with limited prior knowledge and found it gripping to read and deeply challenging. There are many testimonies from those involved with the Iranian Church, supporting the sense that the book has been thoroughly researched and carefully presented to give an accurate view.

The format and style make it accessible with a summary of the history of Christianity in Iran before 1979 given in an appendix, as are a list of aggressive acts towards Christians in Iran and the Final Testament of Mehdi Dibaj, murdered shortly after his release from prison.

Too Many to Jail (Lion Books, 303 pages) is available to purchase for £8.99 from Amazon.

With greed and corruption becoming an everyday part of life, Britain is looking more and more like it did in the 18^th Century - just before revival happened.

The sudden departure of England's much heralded football manager transferred sports news from the back page to the front page of our newspapers.

Sam Allardyce had only been in the job 67 days before he was forced to resign following a sting set up by the Daily Telegraph with men posing as businessmen from the Far East. They recorded him agreeing to a £400,000 deal in which he would help "get around" strict bans on third party transfer regulations.

Allardyce left his employment with the Football Association with a reported half £1 million payoff for just over two month's work, during which he organised just one international football match - which England won, giving him a 100% record for his England career!

It is astonishing that a man who was being paid a salary of £3 million a year could fall for such an entrapment. Why would he risk everything for an additional £400,000 on top of the immense salary he was receiving? It is surely an example of the incredible power of greed. However large the salary, greed will always try to get a bit more.

Greed is Now Normal

Greed is the driving force in so many people's lives today; it has become a banal part of our culture, affecting every area of life - from banking and the growth of vast international business conglomerates to sport and entertainment. It seems that no area of society is free from greed and corruption, with the result that the gap between rich and poor is getting ever wider.

The rich are growing richer and the poor are growing poorer, leaving the way open for injustice and exploitation of the powerless. The greatest health problem facing the rich nations is obesity while millions in the poorer nations go to bed hungry every night. Yet the vast injustice of this situation leaves most people in the Western nations untroubled. Why is this in nations that have had the Gospel for centuries, where biblical values of justice are part of the foundations of their civilisation?

Greed has become a banal part of our culture, affecting every area of life.

Abandonment of 'Traditional' Morality

Surely the reason has to be connected with our turning away from our biblical foundations. In Britain children are no longer taught basic biblical morality in state schools and we now have a generation of parents who have virtually no knowledge of the Bible, leaving many children growing up with no ultimate standards of right and wrong.

George Whitfield

What can change the nation? Can we learn from the past?

Revisiting 18^th Century Britain

A similar situation existed in the latter part of the 18^th Century and the beginning of the 19^th Century. Crime, lawlessness, adultery and drunkenness were the foremost characteristics in all ranks of society, as Hogarth's pictures of London vividly illustrate. Violence and unrest were everywhere and there were frequent riots, as well as fears that the French Revolution might spread across the Channel and engulf the nation.

Church attendance was the lowest it had been for centuries. In 1800, just six people took communion on Easter day in St Paul's Cathedral. It was at this stage that the Evangelical Revival began to change everything, with the Methodists and Nonconformists reaching the working classes and the evangelical Anglicans reaching the upper echelons and the burgeoning middle classes produced by the Industrial Revolution.

Today, many children are growing up with no ultimate standards of right and wrong.

Gospel-Driven Cultural ChangeJohn Wesley

A striking example of their success in changing the nation can be seen in the social statistics. Throughout the 19^th Century, crime rates fell dramatically. By 1870 there were only 10,000 in the jails of England and Wales. But even more remarkable was the continuing fall over the next 30 years. By 1910 there were only 3,000 prisoners in the nation's jails, despite the population rising from 25 million to 35 million!

Social historians attribute this astonishing fall in the crime rate to the success of the Evangelical Revival in transforming the moral and spiritual life of the nation. It all began with a small group of Christians, like Wilberforce, Wesley and Whitfield, in the dark days of the late 18^th Century. They had a passion for the Gospel and cared deeply about people.

In addition to preaching the truth, they also applied the Gospel to the great social issues of their day, working for causes such as the abolition of colonial slavery and the end of child exploitation in the mines, mills and factories of England. It was through their faith in God that the nation was transformed.

Dramatic Loss of Faith

Today, there are many similarities with the early 19^th Century. The latest British Attitude Survey (published May 2016) shows that 48% of the population say they have 'no religion'. It is remarkable that 50 years of immigration has not resulted in significant numbers converting to other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism - the British people have simply lost faith in any religion, so they have nothing to hold onto when difficult times come.

The mission field is wide open for Christians with a passion for the gospel to share their faith with their non-Christian friends and neighbours. An even greater Evangelical Revival could happen in 21^st Century Britain!

The British people have lost faith in any religion, so they have nothing to hold onto when difficult times come.

Revival Happening Now?

Churches in Reading have been sharing their faith on the streets since May this year with some amazing results - and a similar movement has been happening this month in Liverpool, where Christians report an astonishing new openness to the Gospel and hundreds of ordinary people giving their lives to Christ on the streets.

People are fed up with the greed and corruption they see everywhere. The fields are ripe for harvest. We hope to publish details of the developments in Liverpool next week. Maybe the only thing holding back revival in Britain is that many people in churches have not yet woken up to the spiritual hunger of people around them!

Jesus said, "The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)