Timothy J. Robinson

John W. Stephenson

Current Trends in Pentecostalism

8 November, 2000

The Question of Motor Phenomena as Evidence of Renewal

In response to the request for a positional paper with regards to the issue of physical motor phenomenon, and the question of its evidential nature towards revival, this paper has been written. Within the last year there has been an expanding increase in attention given to motor phenomenon, which will be defined shortly, and its implications for renewal. There is a prevailing idea, grown from the grassroots level, that motor phenomenon is an indication, or evidence of revival. Some church leaders have grasped this concept, some after thoughtful consideration, and others have carelessly embraced it. There also has been much concern as to the official position of our fellowship on this matter. Thus far, it appears that local churches are responsible to determine their own approach to this issue. However, in response to the diversity of approaches appearing, there as been a movement to consolidate our fellowship by bringing it to the floor of general conference for discussion.

The thesis of this paper is as such; physical motor phenomenon, though not necessarily negative, is not sufficient evidence for renewal and should not be equated with true spirituality. There are better evidences that will be discussed at the end of this paper, however, there are also some serious complications for Classical Pentecostals that will be discussed as well. First, definitions of the terms used will be given, then a look at Biblical support, followed by history, sociological implications, then final conclusions will be made.

Before dealing directly with the issue at hand, it is wise to first explicate the definitions of the major terms that will be used in this paper. Firstly that of 'motor phenomena'. These phenomena have also been called, 'manifestations of the Holy Spirit' and 'bodily phenomena', of course in a spiritual context of some kind.

This can include: falling to the floor, (so called "carpet time"), Holy Laughter, producing animal noises (i.e. roar like a lion, cluck like a chicken, bark like a dog, etc), uttering "warrior or war cries," wielding imaginary "Golden swords," doubling over as if punched in the stomach (referred to as "doing crunches", "birthing", (squatting on the floor pretending to "give birth"), acting drunk, etc. (Apologetics) These motor phenomena (M.P.) usually occur in the context of a church service and commonly at an 'alter call' (when people gather to an area of the church, usually the front, for prayer).

Renewal is defined as a greater awakening, resurgence of vitality to do the tasks of the Christian, and a revitalized receptivity to the Holy Spirit by a local church or geographic area (Magnuson 934). Don Robinson, a Pastor of a small church in the United States, claims that when revival occurs participants "will have a new attitude toward God, believers, the lost. [They] will have a new determination to be consistent (in their faith), to serve the Lord. [They will have] a new enthusiasm with regard to [thier] faith, faithfulness, and [their] future". With these definitions in mind attention can now be turned to whether M.P. must be present for renewal.

Though this is not an exegetical paper, it is important to begin any Christian study with the Bible. However, when searching for evidence of motor phenomena, the task is difficult. The problem is that there are cases of it, but they are sparse and unique, hardly enough to be considered normative (Wood). Too many people on either side of the issue "are too often limited to simplistic Biblical proof texting" that they are unable to objectively examine the issue (Poloma 43). To avoid making the same mistake this paper recognises that there are far too many passages to examine carefully in a work of this nature, so only a few themes will be considered. Take 'Slain in the Spirit' for example. There are many isolated instances where people have fallen to the ground, but they appear much different from its understanding today. There were no catchers in scripture, nor was there anyone praying over them expecting prostration. Most accounts show that the falling person did so of their own volition (Eutsler 19). It appears that this M.P. was not common enough to merit any teaching on it in the New Testament, perhaps, because incidents of it were so isolated. "There [is] obviously nothing in Biblical times exactly similar to a modern service in which people come forward, are touched, and fall down" (Venable 22). Though there are cases of M.P. in the Bible the experience was never sought, they were "usually filled with paralysing fear, and they would probably flee in fear if you told them it would happen to them again"(Longman). Whatever the case may be, the modern church must resign to the fact that there is no clear systematic Biblical teaching on this matter, but this does not necessarily mean that M.P. are wrong or unjustifiable. "The conviction that the spirit "creates new things," is not unbiblical"(Ruf 32). However, the question may be asked, is it wise to determine whether renewal is happening based on something that is not articulated clearly within scripture? Nevertheless, with the Bible being primarily silent on this issue, one can still turn to lesser sources of authority, history and sociology.

It is quite clear that M.P. is nothing new to the church and have occurred all throughout church history. In the interests of brevity only a few events can be mentioned. The Great Awakening with John Wesley experienced much M.P., people "cried as in the agonies of death, who were struck to the ground and lay there groaning. . ."(Venable 22) George Whitfield's ministry also saw much of the same activity, as did the Quakers and Jonathan Edwards' ministry (22-23). Other older instances involved Martin of Tours, St. Bernard, "the Radical Reformation in Switzerland, Les Convlusionairs de St. Medard in Paris . . . or the Roman Catholic parish missions in French Canada in the nineteenth Century" (Kydd 74-75). It was also common during the Cane Ridge camp meetings in Kentucky, and all throughout Pentecostal history (Venable 23). Needless to say, it has been common throughout the centuries. What we can note from these occurrences is that the M.P. involved was not to the extreme extent that the church has seen in this last decade. For the most part, there was something else that was the focus of the event, not the M.P. Ronald A.N. Kydd, a recognised Church historian speaking of M.P. throughout Church history writes, "In most cases, most [M.P.] turn out to be temporary and relatively unimportant spiritually"(79). Jonathan Edwards' ministry, for example, focussed on the judgment of God, which then caused bodily responses. Using history we can conclude then that M.P. are not something that should gain the foci of our attention.

Another area that can shed some light on the subject is sociology and psychology. The Pentecostal theologian, Mark J. Cartledge, using the work of a sociologist named Patrick Dixon, concludes that what happens in church services when M.P. occurs is in fact altered states of consciousness (125-126). However, he maintains that this does not denote that they are then wrong. "Encountering God is always a holistic event that includes the body and the soul; and is never something 'purely spiritual'"(Ruf 5). Cartledge argues that these experiences are no different then that of enjoying the sensation of being in a great Cathedral and listening to Gregorian chants, or being carried away by the beauty of a sunset (126). The trouble is determining when are these altered states of consciousness hypnotism, which is when the subject loses his volition. Patrick Dixon accepts that "the style or worship in some [church] meetings could slightly predispose some to a very mild hypnotic effect" (Cartledge 124). He also "argues that all behaviour is infectious (e.g. the number of people who cross their legs and arms in the room at the same time). The effect of being in a social group is therefore present in charismatic gatherings" (124-125). In addition, the more people are used to and comfortable with M.P. the more it will happen (Venable 24). The upshot of all this is if M.P. is a result of sociological crowd dynamics or behavioural psychology, then it is a poor indication of a renewal.

To further complicate the matter, these M.P. are common in other religions. For instance, all the same M.P can be found occurring in the sect of Hinduism that focusses on the power of the Kundalini; the similarities are shocking (Collie). Are the experiences of the Kundalini the same as within Charismatic / Pentecostal churches, meaning that they are just psychological / physiologically determined responses to stimuli, and not phenomena at all? This question is difficult to answer because levels of suggestion cannot be calculated; they could be incredibly high, or the reverse. One thing is clear though, these are human experiences.

A wise understanding of M.P. is that they are simply cathartic. God is not making anyone fall, shout or jerk, rather, they are responding in their own manner to what God is doing on a spiritual level; everyone then responds differently. Crying for example is a physical phenomena caused by sadness or extreme elation, God does not make people cry as an end in itself, but their bodies are reacting to the emotion. Then the issue of these occurrences happening in other religions is then inconsequential, as absurd as saying that because other people cry in other religions Christian crying is wrong. Thus sociology tells us that perhaps it is not wise to say that God's power literally throws someone down (slain in the spirit), but rather it is their body reacting to something. That something is a matter of great debate. Is it God they are responding to, or hypnotic suggestion from their surroundings or perhaps the speaker? (Some even suspect the devil). Due to this subjective nature of M.P. it seems that they are a poor choice for an evidence of renewal.

However, this idea of catharsis for some, lends to the conclusion that these M.P. are in fact valid evidences of renewal in a symptom like manner. The argument being: when God moves people respond with M.P. thus, when M.P. is happening, renewal is happening. Although this may be true in some cases it is faulty logic because, as the classic logic axiom states, 'the truth of a particular does not necessarily mean the truth of the universal'. There are many who are experiencing renewal that do not experience these M.P., in addition, there are instances when M.P. are either faked, or brought upon by earlier mentioned mental suggestion techniques. All this leads to the conclusion that M.P. are not valid evidence for renewal.

It must also be made clear that though M.P. are not clear as evidence, they are not to be diminished either. The German Charismatic Theological Commission observed that, "by rejecting everything extraordinary then would moreover 'quench' the genuine effects of the Spirit. To limit the actions of God to what is expected and 'ordinary' is contrary to a total surrender to God which has to leave the law of acting up to God"(Ruf 17). Their point is heeded, but a better objective criterion for renewal must be established.

M.P. having thus far failed in Biblical support, appears throughout history but never focussed upon and came up illogical to use as a evidence in terms of sociology because of its' ambiguous nature, it must be concluded that M.P. must not be the basis of determining whether renewal is happening. Ronald Kydd, speaking in terms of spirituality articulates this point. "Physical phenomena, whether tongues, prostration or laughter . . . must not become the criteria for which we identify spirituality" (79). What is then a valid criterion for true renewal?

The General Secretary for the Assemblies of God in the United States, George O. Wood, wrote an address for their General Council with regards to the laughing phenomena and its increasing popularity. He adamantly expresses that 'Holy Laughter'(another M.P.) is not evidence of real renewal. His conclusion of what is evidence of renewal is noteworthy.

When revival occurs it is always marked by deep repentence, passion for holiness, travailing, fasting and prayer, resurgence of spiritual gifts and fruit, unity in the body, deliverance of the oppressed, anointed music, Christ-centred living and preaching, signs and wonders, ardent evangelism and missionary efforts, resurgence of young people preparing for full-time ministry, diminishment of social problems and crime and - - most importantly of all - - the salvation of the lost!

The Bible may not express to us exactly how to understand M.P. but one can at least make use of with what he does know about M.P. and renewal. The problem with M.P. is that they tend to distract the believers from the real point of renewal. Kydd comments, "We have focussed, perhaps fixated, on highly charged moments of great spiritual intensity, and we have assumed that true spirituality is to be found primarily, if not exclusively, in these moments"(80). Focussing on these crisis moments has created a modern sacramental theology "and it is invalid" (81). True spirituality, or true renewal, should be a 'renewed' emphasis on both the fruit and the gifts of the spirit (Magnuson 934). If one was to summerize what those are all about it would be simply "Christlikeness". "A valid biblical spirituality must centre upon Jesus Christ. It must elevate as the ideal the attainment of Christlikeness (Phil 3.7-14) understood in terms of the revelation Christ has given us in Scripture" (Kydd 81). The only true way to know if renewal is happening is whether or not lives are being transformed into greater Christlikeness. Kydd continues, "Further, a valid spirituality will lead us into the world, following our Lord, prompting us to reach to others, rather then permitting us to ghettoize ourselves in retreats of Holy ecstasy" (81).

However, there is a problem that Pentecostals will have to face when answering the question of whether M.P. is evidence of renewal. The PAOC's Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths states, "The initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance" (Statement). The purpose of Spirit baptism, is similar to that of renewal, but more along the lines of empowerment for ministry. However, its validity is not judged by whether or not the person is subsequently empowered for ministry or has an increase in the fruits of the spirit, but by the physical sign, or phenomenon, tongues. Using this same logic, some will say that M.P. is the 'initial evidence of renewal'. "Just as glossolalia is a symbol of divine-human encounter, so the phenomena associated with the Toronto Blessing may be too. The nature of the symbols are different but the sign value appears to be very similar (Cartledge 131). Most Classical Pentecostals would adamantly disagree with this, nevertheless, it is the same logic being implemented. Perhaps in the future Classical Pentecostalism will have to re-examine their apparent double standard on this issue.

Having examined M.P., it is clear that they are not a sufficient criterion, or evidence for renewal. It should be made clear in churches that M.P. does not equate real renewal. Sometimes M.P. occurs, and other times it does not. Grander evidences like the fruits, or Christlikeness should be what we judge renewal by. Renewal is a complicated matter and should never be reduced to a simple equation. Fruits are hard things to judge by, however, the Church must not give into the temptation to use M.P. as an quick evidence for renewal, renewal is just not that easy.

Work Cited

Cartledge, Mark, J. "Interpreting Charismatic Experience: Hypnosis, Altered States of Consciousness and Holy Spirit?" Journal of Pentecostal Theology. 13 (1998): 117-132.

Collie, El. "Kundalini Signs and Symptoms" Shared Transformation.

http://users.aol.com/ckress/symptoms.html (November 6, 2000).

Eutsler, Steve, D."The Doctrine of Prostration." Paraclete 22 (1988): 18-20.

Kydd, Ronald, A. N. "A Retrospectus/Prospectus on Physical Phenomena Centred on the Toronto Blessing." Journal of Pentecostal Theology. 12 (1998): 73-81.

Magnuson, N., A. "Renewal." Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Gen. ed. Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984.

"Manifestations" Apologetics Index http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/m00.html#manifest (November 6, 2000).

Riss, Richard. "The Manifestations Throughout History" St. Louis Catch the Fire Conference.

http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/history/riss7.html (November 4, 2000).

Robert Longman "Notes on Being Slain in the Spirit." Spirithome.com

http://www.spirithome.com/slainman.html (November 5, 2000).

Robinson, Don. "Evidence of Revival."Grace Baptist Temple. http://www.brandonweb.com/gbt/sermonpages/joshua7.htm (November 5, 2000).

Ruf, Veronika., The German Charismatic Theological Commission. "Concerning Extra Bodily Phenomena in the Context of Spiritual Occurrences." Pnuema. 18 (1996).

Poloma, Margaret. "Inspecting the Fruit of the Toronto Blessing: A Sociological Perspective." Pneuma. 20 (1998): 43-70.

Venable, Jerry, D. "Slain in the Spirit." Paraclete 22 (1988): 18-20.

Wood, George, O. "The Laughing Revival" Unpublished Work.