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Charismatic Chaos
The charismatic movement of the past quarter-century has made an impact on the church unparalleled in history. But one legacy of the movement is confusion and mushy thinking. In Charismatic Chaos, John F. MacArthur calls for biblical evaluation and analyzes the doctrinal differences between charismatics and non-charismatics in the light of Scripture. 'My principal concern,...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
July 10th 1993
by Zondervan
(first published 1992)
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A spring of clarity in times of flooded confusion.
The Charismatic Movement has been growing in popularity in recent years faster than one can keep track. Is there something to it or is it nothing more than a delusion on a massive scale? MacArthur puts forth his all to help clarify what is going on and which side of the fence actually aligns with Scripture. Does the Bible teach that tongues, healing, and prophecy still exist today? Is there such a thing as being zapped in the SPirit? Is experienc...more
The Charismatic Movement has been growing in popularity in recent years faster than one can keep track. Is there something to it or is it nothing more than a delusion on a massive scale? MacArthur puts forth his all to help clarify what is going on and which side of the fence actually aligns with Scripture. Does the Bible teach that tongues, healing, and prophecy still exist today? Is there such a thing as being zapped in the SPirit? Is experienc...more
Another reviewer summed it up pretty well, this book is biased (but what do you expect from the title). The purpose of this book is to prove that charismatics are wrong and he takes the most extreme examples to prove his points. This does make for an entertaining read, but as someone who was raised in these types of churches, from my experience the majority of what he says never happens or were pretty rare events. He makes it seem that most Pentecostals rely solely on spirit revelations but from...more
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John MacArthur is such a clear and thorough writer. This is a very challenging book. John takes a look into the charismatic movement from a biblical perspective and challenges many of its foundational principles. A major thing I got from this was to stop trusting in my own experience as authoritative for how I approach the bible, and instead to let the bible bible speak on it's own. Also, MacArthur, who is a cessationist, gives a case for why the gifts can't have continued. I think that this is...more
Personally, I believe that any religiously conservative Christian should seriously consider reading this book.
It sets forth the position of the charismatic churches, their basis of some form of religious hierarchy upon the “acts” of the apostles, and their interpretation of our need to follow their lead concerning the event of Pentecost.
I suppose that the argument of the book could be summed up as such: do signs, miracles, wonders, “manifestations of the spirit” such as the use of glossolali...more
It sets forth the position of the charismatic churches, their basis of some form of religious hierarchy upon the “acts” of the apostles, and their interpretation of our need to follow their lead concerning the event of Pentecost.
I suppose that the argument of the book could be summed up as such: do signs, miracles, wonders, “manifestations of the spirit” such as the use of glossolali...more
This is an excellent warning against the abuses of Scripture and experiences within the charismatic movement, but I do think that MacArthur pushes the envelope a bit too far. He should differentiate between continuationist Christians (thoughtful, Scripture bound charismatics) and what I would call charismaticism (the abusive branch among charismatics). Not all charismatics are fringe lunatics, and MacArthur seems to paint over all charismatics with the same cynical brush.
This book was definitely one of his better books in my opinion. I know many people may not agree with what he said in this book but you can't deny all the inconsistencies he mentioned within Charismatic churches. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about learn about tongue, spiritual gifts that have ceased, or anything else for that matter that is popular among Charismatics/Pentecostals.
This book challenged me to look beyond the warm fuzzy charismatic movement I was in and to seriously reconsider what I have been taught is "normal". We have a walk with God that needs to be real, uncompromising and without all the superficial embellishments. I am thankful for my spiritual upbringing but in the end there should only be a singular focus: God and his grace that bought us at a price.
This book does not bash charismatics. What this book does is show the problems with the charismatic movement while still showing that not all charismatics believe the same thing as some of the extremists and they can truly love the Lord. "I have many charismatic friends who sincerely love the Lord. And though we disagree on some fundamental issues I count them as precious brethren."-John MacArthur, pg. 15
Wonderful read that I would highly recommend.
Wonderful read that I would highly recommend.
John MacArthur is the teacher know made me discover the doctrines of grace and the true biblical teaching about signs and wonders. I read this book because I wanted to confirm what was teached in it in order to be able to share a copy with someone. Some chapters are not too much actual and talk mostly about American auto-declared prophets. Those chapters will seem to come out of another planet for most Quebecois. However, chapter on Tongues and True Spirituality have less American examples and a...more
Mar 14, 2013
Fred Cheock
marked it as to-read
I had read this book. The author was confused between the true manifestation of the Spirit, the crazy and the ignorant, the emotional and the demonic manifestation. The reason is he personally have not experience the presence of the Spirit of God and His power.
Personally, I recommend he goes deeper.
Personally, I recommend he goes deeper.
Throw your hands in the air, roll on the ground and shout for joy that someone has put the charismatic movement in proper perspective. (Many of you won't get this, but my friend Todd would laugh).
Not too long a book. MacArthur rightly describes in detail the heresies within the Charismatic movement. His books being written for the lay person are easy to read and follow. As always he provides extensive notes and Scriptural references. While he at times is harsh toward the Charismatics it is never unbiblical nor unloving. He is in fact gracious and distinguishes John Piper and CJ Mahaney from the likes of Robert Tilton and Kenneth Hagin. When he deals harshly it is always in a spirit of ca...more
An eye opener that reveals the hidden truths of the Charismatic movement, covering the many topics which many Christians are still unsure on how to handle biblically.
Highly Recommend it.
Highly Recommend it.
A must read to understand within the lies and heretics among the preachers and tel-evangelist. It is truly not your real Charismatic New Testament church.
Read this a long time ago but recall loving it. Hoping Pastor John addresses the charismatic mess again since it has been about 20 years since this one.
This book was required reading for a seminary class on the Holy Spirit. I love MacArthur's passion for truth and dedication to Scripture.
Great book! I wish every single within the charismatic movement would read this book!
Pretty good book. Lots of well documented quotes from crazy faith healers.
Jul 31, 2012
Steven Dunn
marked it as to-read
Really need to see this!
Really good.
This book was an enormous help to me. It showed me that I didn't have to worry all the time that I was letting my standing with God slip somehow, just because the emotional displays I saw in the charismatic church were not a reality for me. I'm really a pretty staid individual, and that's alright. The exposure of the doctrinal problems the movement suffered from was a real eye-opener, too, especially the link between Kenneth Hagin and E.W. Kenyon, the New Thought trancendentalist. Highly recomme...more
Excellent.
I read this book many moons ago and it was definitely a page turner at the time. Some of the conversations that MacArthur had with members of charismatic community are both extremely funny, but sad at the same time. I think the book is somewhat dated and on occasions it seems if the most egregious are provided, even if not all charismatic/pentecostalist are that far out there. Never the less, this was a very good book.
A very thourough and interesting examination of the Charismatic movement. I highly recommend it.
Just started reading this book and I am enjoying every minute of it. Very easy book to read and it is broken down very well. I suggest this book if you have questions about the charismatic movement that is taking place. I believe this book is very important as this movement is appears to be gaining ground and popularity.
This book brought about a major shift in my thinking regarding how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. I was hungry to know what I truly believed about charismatic gifts after seeing some serious confusion in the lives of some people deeply reliant on these gifts. Read with an open mind and you may be surprised at the truth.
Though I no longer agree with MacArthurs views I think that he did a good job of explaining his position and the abuses in the Charismatic Movement without shaming specific individuals in the movement. No think he did a good job of effectively explaining his position and being fair to the other side.
awesome. Macarthur does not point the finger or instigates a blame game to bring about confusion. He shows the statements and the acts that some of the heavy hitters have said and held it up the light of rightly dividing the Word. thiese cats have been found wanting...
2.1 - Doctrinal Issues
Another book EVERYONE needs to read...So you think you are attending the right church? you think you are a "good" person. read this and get slapped down.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Apologe...: Charismatic Christian chaos? | 4 | 17 | Apr 26, 2013 07:10am | |
| Christian Apologe...: The Bible and charismatic mania? | 3 | 14 | Oct 26, 2012 12:27pm | |
| Christian Apologe...: What if the Charismatics are right? | 4 | 10 | Aug 31, 2012 06:31pm |
John F. MacArthur, Jr. is a United States Reformed evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969, and as...more
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