Playlist: Charismatic Churches (topic)
Letters to Seven Churches (Part Nine): Philadelphia
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Philadelphia church's commendation for its faithfulness and likeness to Christ in the letter of Revelation 3 sets a standard that its successors failed to maintain. Within roughly a generation after the letter, outside pressures from aggressive Judaism prompted an intense focus on prophecy, which was overemphasized and …
Worship and Culture (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughCharismatic Churches experiment with new cultural forms of worship such as praise dancing, praise bands that include rock and roll, drama troupes performing plays, and events like Racing for Jesus. They view these spontaneous expressions as more authentic than traditional liturgical services marked by fixed orders of psalms, …
What the Holy Spirit Does (2005)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughCharismatic churches, as illustrated by events at the Brownsville Assemblies of God in Pensacola, Florida, and the related Toronto Blessing or Brownsville Outpouring, feature phenomena such as hysterical laughter, wailing, jerking, deep inhaling, animal sounds like barking or roaring, being slain in the spirit, and behaving as …
Seeking God in the Mundane
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPentecostalism originated in the United States during the late nineteenth century as an outgrowth of the Holiness Movement within Protestantism. Its founders sought to advance beyond a single altar-call conversion by pursuing full sanctification through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This baptism became the movement's central …
Private Religion
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughCharismatic Churches exemplify whole denominations that deliberately display their piety outwardly to impress others. They emphasize speaking in tongues as evidence of holiness and special divine favor, claiming it represents the language of angels and a gift from the Lord. This practice, however, often manifests in hysterical …