Question: Why do you speak of Pentecostal charismatics in such a derogatory manner? ... I resent the ...

Question [Excerpts]: Why do you speak of Pentecostal charismatics in such a derogatory manner? In your November ’92 issue you sound as if you have a chip on your shoulder. It’s very demeaning to us. I resent the fact that you categorize all Pentecostal charismatics as believing in the “name it and claim it movement.” You stated later that charismatics love the book Quenching the Spirit by Wm. De Arteaga. This book sounds like it’s straight from the pit of hell!! Neither we nor any of our charismatic friends would ever touch anything recommended by Rita Bennett, because she’s into such error herself, nor would we read anything recommended by anyone from Fuller Seminary. You don’t have to be a good Christian to know that Christianity and psychology don’t mix! Please, please stop categorizing Pentecostal charismatics as being ignorant of Satan’s devices. Except for this one problem, your paper is good and informative and needed to warn Christians.

Response: I did not intend to “categorize all Pentecostal charismatics as believing in the ‘name it and claim it movement’” and as being deluded by De Arteaga, Rita Bennett, et al., as you suggest. If that was the impression given, then I apologize, for that was not intended. On the other hand, in spite of your own and your pastor’s aversion to false doctrine, the Assemblies of God are not as clean as you imagine. Is it not true that Oral and Richard Roberts and positive confession or word faith teachers are popularly received in many large Assemblies of God?

As for the Pentecostal/charismatic movement in general, does it not provide most of the support and following for those who hold to serious false doctrines, such as the Robertses, Hagin, Copeland, Cho, Hinn, W. V. Grant, Tilton, et al.? (I’m not suggestion that each of these men holds all false doctrines, but they all hold some.) Nor is this true only among the fringe fanatics. Is it not the case also with the mainstream Pentecostal churches?

Why doesn’t the Assemblies of God vigorously oppose the false doctrines and practices and outright heresies that are so prominent in the Pentecostal/charismatic movement? Why is there not a strong voice raised from your Springfield, MO leadership against the excesses and heresies promoted by Paul Crouch around the world? (Crouch was raised in the AOG, is really a product of Springfield, and though no longer ordained is very popular in AOG churches.) On the contrary, there seems to be confusion and compromise within the AOG’s own ranks, right up to the top. Let me give some examples.

Glen D. Cole of Sacramento has served at the top level of AOG leadership as an executive presbyter, yet he is deeply involved with much that you say the AOG stands against. He has even had a Catholic bishop perform the Mass in his church at which Cole gave the sermon and said he had “never felt a greater presence of the Holy Spirit at a meeting.” Yes, officially the AOG Bylaws, Article VIII, Sec. !!, seem to oppose the ecumenical movement and forbid participation in it, but the language leaves loopholes. Large enough loopholes, apparently, for the AOG itself to have engaged for some years in official “dialogue” with Roman Catholics, reported upon favorably in the Pentecostal Evangel!

Not only Cole, but AOG pastors Paul Radke and Karl Strader have served on the highly ecumenical North American Renewal Service Committee alongside numerous Catholic leaders and ecumenists. While the AOG seems to deny that David (formerly Paul Yonggi) Cho of Korea is officially affiliated with it, he is very popular with pastors of some of the largest AOG churches. For example, Cho was a featured speaker at the Grand Rapids First Assembly of God along with AOG Assistant General Superintendent Everett Stenhouse. One of Cho’s close friends and supporters, AOG pastor Tommy Reid, has been involved in pushing visualization of Jesus and two-way dialogue with God for years. Cho also was appointed an original committee member of the AOG’s worldwide “Decade of Harvest.”

Your current General Superintendent, G. Raymond Carlson, has been (and I presume still is) on the Board of Reverence of Richard Foster’s Renovaré along with Catholics, ecumenists, inner healers. Renovaré is pushing worldwide Foster’s brand of Mysticism, which includes visualization and advocates the “spiritual practices: of Catholic mystics and the integration of psychology and theology. You say that you don’t know anyone in your “charismatic circle” who believes in integrating psychology and theology, but I guarantee you that most charismatics, like most non charismatics, do believe in it.

The AOG has its own involvement in “Christian psychology” and some of its leaders and pastors of its largest churches are involved in promoting the lies of self-esteem and self-love. You remind me that “there are people of all denominations who do believe in Christian psychologists . . . why don’t you pick on some of the other believers?” Apparently you haven’t read my books and newsletters. I don’t “pick on” anyone. However, I do point out error as I see it in comparison to the Word of God, and I have not been selective in those whom I critique.