Published by Eagle, 258 pages : £4.99

Evangelicals Now, April 1995

This book is essentially an anecdotal history of the charismatic movement, written from the perspective of an enthusiastic insider, full of testimonies of people apparently blessed by this phenomena. For the most part however, it does not actually address the theological questions raised by the manifestations associated with what has come to be known as the Toronto Blessing.

There are always two parts to any book - the content and packaging. When any book says on the front cover "A balanced and informed perspective...", and in the preface, uses phrases such as "sound guidance...solid facts...wheat from the chaff" (vii) I am suspicious. When it then invites me to trust the names of just about every well known and respected Christian leader, including Billy Graham, who apparently endorse this movement, I am even more skeptical. In this case glizzy packaging has become a substitute for content. Let me give a few examples.

I could find only one short quote from Billy Graham, hardly enough to warrant his name appearing five times on the cover. But worse still, what Billy actually says has nothing to do with the Toronto Blessing (p.218). It seems his name was added to sell the book. I have seen personal correspondence from Billy in which he distances himself from this movement. If this is true of this one instance, it raises question marks as to the trustworthiness of the book as a whole. Mike does not help himself by the fact that none of his quotes are annotated with page numbers so it is impossible to trace them to the works listed in the acknowledgements.

Mike rejects criticisms with emotive language such as, "some people glibly dismiss the Toronto Blessing as dangerous fanaticism, or as an eerie occult manifestation..." (page 4). It is surely naive to assume critics are glib or to equate the occult with the eerie. The Bible describes Satan as an angel of light and a roaring lion, not "eerie" feelings.

The fundamental weakness of the book, and the theology it represents, however, is the appeal to experience as the ultimate verification for discerning a work of God, rather than the plain teaching of the Scriptures. This is particularly evident when Mike endorses the "barnyard noises" and "lion roaring" phenomena (p.14), something incidentally, John Wimber has now described as no different from football hysteria, and not to be endorsed, embraced or accepted by the church (Church Times, 30th September 1994 p.8). Mike offers no critical reflection either from Scripture or church history when he describes how,

"some bounced like road drills, one or two even resembled turkeys gobbling!...it sounded as though I was in London Zoo or the African jungle" (p.14, 17).

Mike's criteria for validating such phenomena? "I was left with a profound sense of peace - a warm glow through my whole body.." (p.15). How on earth one can deduce from Scripture that "roaring people are usually intercessors involved in promoting unity..." (p.99) defies the imagination. Speaking of an 8:00am, Prayer Book communion service, during which there was an outbreak of hysterical laughter, Mike insists, "This had to be the Holy Spirit!" (p.146)

I am left asking, on what basis could "laughter" during a solemn act of remembrance of the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross to pay the penalty for our wickedness and rebellion, be evidence of the Holy Spirit's working? Would the Holy Spirit lead us to laugh at the cross?

Ironically Mike quotes extensively from my own criticisms of the Toronto movement and concedes the wisdom of caution where, "the church appears to be experiencing phenomena which goes beyond the clear parameters set down by Scripture." (p.157). Mike then completely ignores such authoritative teaching in Scripture saying, "Yet if it is the Spirit himself who is transcending these barriers, what can the church do?" (p.157). He assumes to be true the very point in question! Surely this "logic" sets in contradiction the work of the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures which He inspired. Such reasoning destroys any basis for rational discussion on the meaning of God's Word, for at any point of disagreement with contemporary phenomena, appeal is made to supposedly spiritual "discernment". It is in reality merely a modern incarnation of the Gnostic heresy of the 2nd and 3rd Century.

The stated aim of the book is to investigate the Toronto Blessing objectively and thoroughly and the back cover claims that Mike has taken care to speak to key people both within the movement and antagonistic to it. Whether Mike did or did not is not clear from the contents because I could find little evidence of his having spoken to anyone critical of the movement. Ironically I appear to be his chief critic and he relies on written material produced for my congregation. The assumption made from the very outset is that the Toronto Blessing is a work of the Holy Spirit and the rest of the book attempts to defend that assumption.

In several places Mike's broad generalisations are breathtakingly superficial. For Mike "signs and wonders" are normative for the church today. Hence he can claim that churches were "awash with signs and wonders" (p.145), and that "Every missionary returning from the Third World has stories to tell of God's wonder working power" (p.70). Having been a missionary myself travelling to parts of the developing world, I for one can testify to God's providential mercy and grace, but not of signs and wonders.

Essentially Mike's theology is pragmatic. The liberal view that "it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere", has been replaced by "it doesn't matter what you believe as long as it works, or you've had an experience..."

First, the book is dangerous in its theology. It encourages an uncritical acceptance of dubious phenomena as being from God when there is no biblical warrant. One person from HTB is favourably quoted as admitting,

"I spent over an hour rolling on the floor hysterically crying and laughing. When I left I was so drunk! I couldn't get into the car." (p.27)

Mike does not seem to think it necessary to explain how this is compatible with self control, one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit's work. In one passage Mike reduces the church to the level of a metaphor (p.53), claiming that while the Church may have been baptised in the Spirit, its individual members have not necessarily been. This absolutely contradicts what the apostle Paul plainly asserts. We are offered a two-stage theology which denies the plain teaching of Scripture. In another passage on miracles Mike seems to share the views of the heretical "Latter Rains Movement" when he says,

"...the Holy Spirit releases the untapped natural potential, and enables a person to become the supernatural being that he or she was always capable of becoming." (p.76).

I was similarly appalled by Mike's explanation for the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. He attributes it to "Peter's impetuousness and lack of sensitivity, than the moral judgment of a righteous God." (p.158) Did they really die because an "impetuous" Peter couldn't handle the "power" of the Holy Spirit?

Second, the book is divisive in the Church. In the last chapter under the heading "A Time for Choices", Mike recommends that,

"if your church leader is not prepared to run a "receiving meeting", or feels too uncomfortable doing so, then you need to find the nearest church to you where such meetings are held" (p.248).

The implied intent is to encourage people to join churches which endorse "Toronto".

Third and most seriously, the book is derogatory toward God. It is replete with phrases which denigrate the high name of God. It is surely wrong to speak of Christians being "legless", or "merrily sozzled.." and of having "a skinful of the Holy Spirit" (p.26), or the "undiluted 100 per cent proof Spirit" (p.27).

It is grievous to hear that "The Holy Spirit doesn't simply come so that people can become "pissed as newts" (p.28). Does He really? In another testimony it is claimed the Holy Spirit "divebombed Kensington Temple" (p.139), on the "Holy Spirit's whistlestop UK tour." (p.227). I am left feeling that the "spirit" Mike describes is not the "Holy Spirit" I have come to know through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ironically the most helpful section for me, was Mike's attack on the Faith Movement teachers such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin. He is appropriately blunt in branding Frederick Kenyon and Kenneth Hagin's work as "nakedly from the occult" (p.169), and Rodney Howard-Browne's ministry "remarkably similar to Hindu practice.." (p.92). He also concedes that there is a "straight line connecting" the leaders at Toronto with these Faith teachers (p.106). However, if this is true, it is surely shocking to say that the founders of the "Toronto Blessing", Randy Clark and John Arnott, were merely "unwise in their choice of spiritual mentors." (p.111). God has commanded that we have nothing whatsoever to do with false teachers. (Gal 1:8-9, Titus 3:10, 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14, 2 John 1:10-11). Nor is it good enough to say that such contact with heresy and occult teaching merely, "watered down the Spirit's anointing at times." (p111). Surely it is not merely a question of "wisdom" or "dilution" as Mike suggests. God has plainly prohibited contact with false teachers, and any "blessing" apparently received from their ministries, against the will of God, must surely be as lethal as the apple Eve ate in the Garden of Eden because it was "pleasing to the eye" (Genesis 3:6). My concern is that a book such as this will entice others to eat of that forbidden fruit also.