Bob Dylan, who at one time scandalized the media with his religious conversion in a Tucson hotel to evangelical Christianity (It was short: 1979-1981), was right when he wrote “The Times, They Are A-Changing”. I know this personally.
In my growing-up-years, my mom would often take me to the Saturday matinees to watch films like Looney Tunes with Donald Duck, Elmer Fudd and that wascally wabbit, Bugs Bunny. Peter Pan and Swiss Family Robinson were on my viewing list as well in those days.
I confess now to my shame, that as a 9 year old, I really can’t say how many times I witnessed exploding cannons and dynamite, anvils dropping on heads or Wile E. Coyote falling over a cliff and the inevitable rising dust cloud on the canyon floor. Nor did I know at the time that Donald Duck was a Nazi, Fudd had ties to hunting and gun violence (a-la Bugs Bunny), or that “Ugga-wugga-wigwam" and hissing at brown and yellow-faced pirates with knotted hairstyles were outdated cultural depictions. I am happy to report that pirates robbing and publicly drunk is still fine though according to re-invented Disney executives.
Today, I am a little more grown-up than I was at nine and am more sensitive to the dark undertones that might be lurking in some of the books, films, newspapers, Disney theme parks and even the progressive news I listen to. That said, I still refuse to part with my copy of Davey Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier, even if it makes the animal activist mad because he killed a bear when he was only three and wears a coon-skin cap. I have to keep some of my boyhood!
Does calling folks from the Canadian Appalachians ‘hillbillies’, folks from rural Canada ‘rednecks’ or fun-loving Newfoundlanders, ‘newfies’, warrant a 2 or a 9 out of 10 in rudeness? Just wondering!
I should say seriously for the record, that trafficking in demeaning characters, such as blackface is not okay (Yes - even when our Prime Minister does it). Likewise, caricatures of East Asian folks with exaggerated buck-teeth and slanted eyes or Jews with hooked noses, or stereo-typing indigenous women as promiscuous is just as monstrously offensiveness. Period!
Regrettably, discrimination is a worldwide problem, not simply a North American one, no matter what ideological narrative the media outlets push our way. I could cite the Caste System in India which essentially determines what a person may or may not do, the Hazara’s in Afghanistan who suffer judgment at the hands of the Pashtun and the repressive religious policies under Xi Jinping, whose 2019 ‘Administrative Measures for Religious Groups’ law (Effective February 1, 2020) intentionally targets Christians and demands fealty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Our world is completely broken and only the transformative power of the gospel will address the depravity of the heart and bring authentic hope for systemic change. That’s right — ‘Only’.
‘The times they are a-changing’ in Christianity as well; or, perhaps more accurately ‘evolving’. Now, this is not something new. Paul’s polemical letter to the Galatian believing community where he goes after other Christians over their ‘twist’ on Jewish dietary laws and circumcision (Galatians 2 & 5) is evidence that turf wars had an early beginning. Indeed, fifty years after the Apostolic age and into the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the former book of Acts church was showing theological tension, with opposing ‘Christian’ views about God, Christ, the Sabbath and what constituted orthodoxy – consequently giving birth to apologists like Clement, Ignatius and Polycarp.
Fast forward to the 21st century and Christianity is all over the map. No, I am not talking about the successful advance of the gospel throughout the world, but rather the increasing theological diversity and splintering of believers into blocs that run the gamete from silent Quakers to tongue-talking Pentecostals, from Seeker-sensitive adventurers to the forerunners of Christian ‘woke-ism’ with their unique epistemology. Let’s add the Vineyard and holy laughter and the Emergent church with its hip Emergers, who pretty well eschew anything that smacks of protestant orthodoxy. Rob Bell and his universalism comes to mind.
Then there are the 3DM-ers with their ‘Huddle’ and ‘Huddlers’ … the neo-Calvinism theology of Acts 29 with its abusive leader issues … and … who can forget the falling gold dust … angel-sightings, angel feathers and the… “OMG – I have gold fillings I never knew about” crowd? Actually, I wish I could forget!
Seems screening or critiquing belief is rude and inappropriate these days. So, the theological pendulum keeps swinging with all its distortions and deceptions – while ‘Spirit-filled’ leaders reserve their fury for pastors not in lock-step with Covid directives.
Within contemporary streams of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity alone it’s hard to keep up — with its eclectic hybrid of competing theologies like Dominionism, Word Faith, the Bethel Church movement with its ‘fallen asleep’ angels and prophetic cards, the nutty New Apostolic Reformation disciples and crazy Court of Heaven theology — all designed to apparently bring us closer to Jesus (or His kingdom), but in my view shove us closer to confusion and biblical illiteracy! Bob Dylan was right, “The times, they are a-changing”.
Closer to home, The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) is changing as well. At a public level, their formal Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths (SOFET), the closest thing that comes to a creedal document for us …… appears scheduled for a severe theological whittling down come May, 2022. Leadership, who seem hell-bent to un-Fellowship the Fellowship and denominate the un-denomination, publicly calls the effort a ‘Refreshing’, but given the theological intent to turn the document into a generically evangelical subgroup, I find the term laughable, if not patently dishonest! More about that at another time.
At the grass roots ‘boots’ level, there likewise appears to be a growing ‘spiritual but not religious’ demographic evolving within the organization itself, one that is nominally faithful to religious affiliation or identity, often anti or limited-inerrantists in their view of Scripture and embracive of a therapeutic individualism that offers personal validation and helps shape notions of truth, justice and equality. Some might rightfully call such theological thinking: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.1 However, in the same way taxonomists name, define and classify newly discovered organisms, I find it more fashionable to call this new post-modern species within the family — ‘The Sophisticated Pentecostal’.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal sandpapers the label ‘Pentecostal’ from their vocabulary … from their religious identity and … from their Church name! Better to promote the modern imagination of unity on the basis of ‘we all love Jesus’. This planing of the word ‘Pentecostal’ off the church door and everywhere else seems logical and an inescapable result, given that the leader of the denomination is on record as saying “… we are not a franchise anymore’. My vote is for calling ourselves, “The Assemblies of Canada”. Do I see any hands?
The Sophisticated Pentecostal is an a millennialist or a Post millennialist, not that they know what either word necessarily means! As far back as 2015, the Assemblies of God in the south even crafted a position paper in its concern for a creeping tide of ‘Calvinism in the ranks’. Now, a few years later, it seems our cold northern Canadian Maple Leaf winters are not a sufficient barrier to New Calvinism’s growth among our ranks either. Piper, Sproul and MacArthur would be pleased, you think?
The Sophisticated Pentecostal doesn’t really care much for theology or the hard-edges of doctrine like God’s righteousness or wrath. ‘Feelings’ trump everything, as evidenced by worship experiences where how we feel about God is preferred to our response to what God has done for us … and where spiritual leadership prefers soupy ‘principles’ for experiencing the Christian life over doctrinal ground on which folks can stand, to SOLA DEO GLORIA. I guess the Apostles and Nicene Creeds are just decorative.
Can it be that what attracts sophisticated Pentecostals to cultural movements like Wokeism is because it plays on their sense of fairness, a desire for justice and equity and offers (falsely) moral justification? Guilt however, according to Ezekiel 8:1-3 is not based on a person’s race, gender or mainstream social philosophy.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal does not read the Old Testament. After all, the god of the Old Testament is not the Jesus of the New. I notice however that they DO peek at it once in a while to find verses like Micah 6:8 to support their social justice perspective and advocacy efforts.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal embraces religious pluralism and believes that God accepts the worship of all religions. Indeed, a LifeWay Research survey done for Ligonier Ministries in 2020 shows that 42% of evangelicals agree with the 1st statement. Well, there goes John 14:6, I suppose. I am thinking that mixing plain Ju Jubes with the sour ones at the Bulk Barn for the same price is one thing, but a ‘pick and mix’ approach to faith comes with a different price once you hit the ‘Check-Out’ line.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal believes that the majority of people are basically good (46% says LifeWay Research, 2020), that “Love Wins’ (a-la Rob Bell) and that everyone makes heaven – God is just that good! What can I say? I am speechless!!!!
The Sophisticated Pentecostal does not think much of altar calls. After all, they are a rather recent phenomena, rooted in the First (George Whitefield) and Second Great Awakening (Charles Finney) and even though successfully popular with evangelists Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham … they can be manipulative and engage people’s emotions unnecessarily. I know that Matthew 10:32-33 does not explicitly say altar call or ‘going forward’, or ‘seeking the altar’” or ‘hitting the sawdust trail’ — yet hundreds of thousands of folks have treasured the opportunity and experience as among their deepest cherished spiritual moments in life. Doesn’t matter, it seems. Dump it, is the unspoken intent!
The ‘modern’ Pentecostal church seems headed towards reinventing itself more as a life-style brand like Nike or Columbia: Comfortable, with an inspirational message thrown in that is socially responsible.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal enjoys dark sanctuaries, colored lights and pastors dressed in grubby jeans. Makes church feel more like a Skillet or August Burns Red concert. And ‘No’, they do not turn up the lights when the sermon begins so you can read your Bible. I find it hilarious that we talk (John 1:4-5) and sing (Here I Am to Worship) about Jesus being the Light in the darkness, while standing in the dark. I confess I often wonder about those entering stygian crypt-like sanctuaries depressed in body, soul and spirit. I suppose they feel encouraged by it.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal does not ‘Plead the blood’. Yah, I know – there is no Scriptural evidence for such a practice. Interestingly, there is no biblical evidence of anyone, Apostles included, ever praying to the Holy Spirit or worshipping the Holy Spirit for that matter … but that does not seem to stop folks. I guess its all right to theologically pick and choose!
The Sophisticated Pentecostal reveres the Bible. Well actually and more specifically, they revere the New Testament, but do not read much of it – mostly just the four gospels and especially the words of Jesus printed in red!
An argument can be made for moral proximity, but I wish the social justice warriors in the church could see that it was the priest and Levite who were rebuked for neglecting the guy lying on the Jericho road; not the entire country, continent or world.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal has adopted a generically evangelical paradigm, one that ‘filters their religious content through a therapeutic, individualistic lens, which encourages the purging of traditional, denominational features in favor of a lowest common-denominator, homogenous version of evangelical identity, belief and practice.’ (Stewart, Adam. The New Canadian Pentecostals. p. 85)
The Sophisticated Pentecostal is enamored with the politically ‘progressive’ left with its talk of equity, disadvantaged racial groups, excessive differences in power and wealth, white-privilege, anti-nationalism . . . yet is soft, if not tone-deaf and mute on the monstrous killing of babies as a party platform. I guess the child in the womb is there by permission and it can be revoked whenever.
The Sophisticated Pentecostal enjoys creating its own reality; even pretending that it works! It’s a world of special knowledge, rather than self-evident truths. Settling for a simple answer to a complex situation like meaning, purpose and contentment in life, they seem occupied with the grey colors – the ambiguities, uncertainties and many voices out there. Dealing with the black and white ones first seems to escape them.
I suppose I could add to the list … engages in yoga and sees it as a spiritual practice … believes that Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God the Father … drinks alcohol … and sees the Holy Spirit as a force, not a personal being. But I won’t!
All of this leads me to conclude that the Pentecostal identity is slowly moving towards a new unaffiliated spiritual identity and with it, a new ‘sophistication’, one that casts practicing Pentecostals as antiquated, infantile and undeveloped knuckle draggers … and sees this cadre of nouveau, coming-of-age Pentecostals as more advanced, more mature spirituality and freer of entangling theology. In other words, more sophisticated!
Now exactly how we arrived at this Mad-Hatter sophistication is a subject for a later blog. What I can say is that out of respect for the current hysteria over cultural appropriation fueled by the social media and the growing religion of Wokeism, my wife will not be taking up the Middle-Eastern practice of belly-dancing. For one thing, like me she IS Caucasian and for another . . . well, let’s just not talk about that!!! She reads my blogs.
Finally, some Dylanologists have suggested that Dylan’s genius was biblical in that a number of his songs seem to be informed by Scripture. To illustrate, in “The Times They Are A-Changing,” he speaks of writers and critics who “prophesy with your pen and keep your eyes wide.” Sometimes I thoughtlessly think that is what I am trying to do here. “OnlySaying …”
1. “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” See Smith, Christian and Denton, Melinda Lundquist in Soul Searching.
1. "A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth."
2. "God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions." 3. "The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about one’s self." 4. "God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem." 5. "Good people go to heaven when they die."
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