Following recent discussions some folks have been asking questions about different expressions of Charismatic Christianity. The Charismatic movement is huge and impossible to define into easy movements. So instead I am going to focus on three streams (representative rather than exhaustive).

And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:7-8 ESV)

This morning I preached on God as Judge. And through that what might be Godly judgement. Instead of placing judgement in the law court we placed judgement in the context of the story of salvation - especially those who in the Old Testament God called to be Judges. Characters like Gideon.



God's judgement then isn't waiting patiently for us to fail so that we can be dragged before the prosecutors and handed sentence. Rather God as judge is active, working for justice and transformation in the world and in his people. With God's judgement of a problem comes the solution to that problem, most extravagantly evidenced in the incarnation and the sacraments.

Following on from yesterdays reflections on StrangeFire and Augustine I have been pondering what the conference means for the wider charismatic culture. Especially in the light of the Panel session and the session on Is There a Baby in the Bathwater.

Calling Catholics our brothers in Christ, that is an offence to the Gospel

- Justin Peters

At least we know where we stand.

I first came into contact with the Charismatic movement in my late teens. I was a part of City Church in Canterbury, a church in the New Frontiers Network. We were encouraged to read Wayne Grudem and Piper, discouraged from reading Kenneth Copeland. Calvinism was sound, Arminianism was tolerated. American Charismatic Christianity was represented by a little bit of Wimber and Sovereign Grace Ministries, but there was often a note of caution. The wider Charismatic scene in the UK seemed similar, with differences of opinion mostly coming down to old fashioned Arminian / Calvinist lines.

On Twitter #strangefire has been trending. It's a conference headed up by John MacArthur and raising significant concerns about the Charismatic movement from a Reformed perspective. You can find a live feed of the conference on the Strange Fire website, and read some transcripts of talks at The Cripplegate.