02 May 2015

Sensate Theology, Power and Unbridled Zeal

Some are very moved by this type of video as am I but my response is a bit different. I'm not totally encouraged by what I'm seeing. There's a great deal of Emotionalism, but what's the nature of the content?


We see miracles and women pastors, a lot of sensational stuff but a lot of it has really nothing to do with Scripture nor is it according to its patterns. We must therefore ask what spirit is at work? Miracles to 'save' people in order to promote sin and disobedience?

Do we think that there can be great workings of the Spirit apart from demonic activity to counter it? Remember Satan is first and foremost a pretender, a counterfeit.

The zeal here is impressive and it puts us to shame, yet clearly there is a great deal of exaggeration both in terms of emotion and fact. Do we lie and exaggerate to build the Kingdom? What power is that?

A lot of the Christianity in the developing world is caught up in the sensational. Pentecostal Theology has filled a vacuum and created a bridge but I don't think I would call it the work of the Spirit. They possess a great zeal but it is not according to knowledge.

I watch this and it makes me want to pray fervently. I pray we may find such zeal but may it be steered by wisdom and I pray for good solid teaching to enter the Chinese Underground Church. The alternatives are troubling.

Their society is ascendant but cancerous. The regime, far from being Communist is floundering trying to find a unifying social ethic. They even seemed to toy with Christianity for a time but are now turning to what may be termed another manifestation of Confucianism. You can't entirely escape history.

But will Neo-Confucianism provide the social framework to support the social upheaval? Their society is screaming. All of the old paradigms have been smashed, and not everyone has benefitted. There's a lot of turmoil and seething discontent. They've got big problems when it comes to the environment and resources. Their success is becoming their downfall. The Cheap Labour model has been so successful it's beginning to slit its own throat. Mao's picture overlooks it all which is at this point an absurdity but they don't know what to replace it with.

Society will look for scapegoats and the government will be looking to maintain order. Hyper-zealous Christians infused with bad theology might spell disaster. It won't mean Beijing is right in its actions but if they go after the Underground Church, which they already are on a regional basis, will it be because of faithful witness or activist theology which seeks to undermine the regime?

I don't know but I am uneasy and watching this sort of video doesn't help. Looking at the comments I find it troubling that virtually no one exhibits any kind of discernment.

Test the spirits.

The ubiquitous force of Dispensationalism is always on the lookout for a global religion and no doubt many think they find it in Islam. I'm on the lookout for a massive manifestation of false Christianity and Dominionism seems to be the tie that binds together everything from Conservative Protestantism to Rome to the Charismatic movement. And the Charismatic movement alone seems poised to become the ascendant form of Christianity in about fifty years. Dominionist Charismatic Christianity is to me a terrifying prospect. It will be the haunt of demons and beasts.

This video which I may have shared before is one I revisit. It still amazes me how this is but a re-casting of the Reformed Dominionist theology. It's the same Kuyperian creature in a different body. Who would have ever guessed such a thing would come to pass? If you understand what he's done to the idea of the Kingdom and the implications of this theology, you will be deeply disturbed. His understanding and assessment of the world is flawed and his blindness is the fruit of the poison well from which he drinks.