THE CHARISMATIC RENEWAL TODAY (Part 1) From the middle of the 60s up into the 80s the mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches were affected by what became known as the "Charismatic Renewal Movement". As with any spiritual movement the fruit produced was mixed. The spiritual lives of thousands of clergy, religious and laity were, in many cases, profoundly altered. Thousands of congregations and parishes, from across the denominational spectrum, experienced spiritual revivals. Also, however, there are many "horror" stories that can be told. As a personal participant and a student of that Movement, I believe I can say with some authority that overall the Movement produced much good fruit for Jesus Christ and the Kingdom. Of course not every manifestation of the Movement was healthy and extremes here and there abounded (and unfortunately continue to abound). So what has happened to the Charismatic Renewal Movement? From my vantage point the mainstream Protestant denominational and Roman Catholic manifestations of the Movement in the United States have all but ceased to exist. Some might argue that the Movement has been assimilated into the mainstream "bureaucracy" of the church, and in some cases I would agree. However, in my opinion in most cases it "ran out of steam", so to speak. Others would claim that the "Charismatic" part of the Movement matured and became a general movement for spiritual renewal. Those who insisted on continuing to emphasize the charismatic gifts and the more physical manifestations of the Movement opted to join classical Pentecostal churches or become a part of the burgeoning independent Charismatic Church segment of the Renewal. (to be continued)
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 14:49:23 +0000
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