Charismatic Movement
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Parallels Article: Comments
The following e-mails are commenting on the two-part article Parallels Between the Charismatic and New Age Movements. The e-mailers' comments are in black and enclosed in "greater than" and "lesser than" signs. My comments are in red.
>Hello Gary:
I just finished reading both articles entitled: Parallels between charismatic and new age movements. I would like to say that both of them are really good. I did not realize that you had information on your site regarding this subject, but I can see that you have been in the past an attendee to this type of churches. Both articles are good, and give an overview of what's going on in the charismatic world.<
Thank you, as needless to say, I've had charismatics complaining about those articles!
>Lately, I have been checking Jesus is Lord and they are even more anti-charismatic. So it is a pleasure to know that you take a middle-road approach to this type of things....
Joe
5/18/2000<
Interesting you should consider me "middle-of-the-road" as the charismatics who have e-mailed me have accused me of writing "hate mail" as the one follow-up I posted demonstrates.
>Dear Gary,
I read your web page with much interest. I attend a university in South Africa. Unfortunately we are constantly bombarded by "Charismatic students" trying to "convert" us at every turn. Some students and I have set up a society which is attempting to challenge some of the so-called "truths" presented by "Charismatic students". We have found your web page most uplifting. At least some people out there think like we do!
Congratulations,
Michael
5/17/2000<
I am thankful my site is of help to you. And God bless you in your studies.
>Gary,
1. Did you personally experience speaking in other tongues and if so did you use it as a "prayer language"?<
Yes on both points.
>2. If yes, do you still possess this manifestation and exercise it in a devotional capacity?<
No.
>3. Or did you come to repudiate this manifestation and just see it as a passing phase in you spiritual life?
Ken
7/13/1999<
I stopped "speaking in tongues" a long time ago. My reason for doing so was two-fold:
1. At the time I started "speaking in tongues" I don't even think I was saved! I may have been. It was a very confusing time of my life, but I generally date my salvation to some time later.
2. After I was saved, as I listened to myself "speaking in tongues" I realized I was just repeating the same sequence of sounds over and over again. This led me to conclude that either I was simply speaking gibberish, or I was repeating the same thing over and over again. Either way, it was not Biblical tongues speaking.
My study of Scripture had shown me that speaking in tongues in both Acts and 1Cor were real languages, not gibberish. And, of course, Jesus warns against "babbling" on in prayer. So I repudiated the experience as not being Scriptural.
I would suggest a small book by J.R.W. Stott titled, Baptism and Fullness. It expresses very well my feelings in this regard.
Books and eBooks by Gary F. Zeolla, the Director of Darkness to Light
The above e-mail exchange was posted on this Web site May 2, 1999.
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