Tom,

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Do you equate someone raising their hands in worship, with the Charismatic movement?

For today, I must say yes. I am very suspicious when people come in the door and start raising their hands in a church that traditionally does not. IMO, it is this subtle (signature) behavior of the Charismatics that eventually leads to the rest of their "merrymaking" and predatory attempt to proselytize the weaker members of the congregation.

They accuse the subject church of being "dead" because of its lack of "gifts" and then especially attack orthodox church doctrine as being unnecessary. The wiser Christian members see this coming but lose out for lack of numbers. Inevitably the more traditional church splits, or worse yet, disappears as a conquest of the "superior spiritual beings".

This is very pronounced in churches that are not reformed with solid and sound Scriptural armor. These disasters are pronounced in un-reformed so-called non-denominational churches. Un-reformed Baptist Churches and the more liberal Lutherans are not far behind as victims.

It goes without saying that another sign of the downfall of the victim church is a new and complete disregard of Scriptural sanity, reverence for the word and orthodoxy in the music. Meaningless and often drum driven music and informality in the worship service becomes more and more an attraction to others. Others, who simply do not want to consider the fact that we are sinners in desperate need of God's redemption and Scriptural guidance. The preaching of the word becomes a minor detail. I've never met a Charismatic that was not also an Arminian.

The Gospel is turned upside down and understood to be only a way to self-help and worldly prosperity (IMO, happy, clappy nothingness).

With all of this horrible and cancerous damage done, and being done, to the churches, the sole Scriptural defense of the Charismatic seems to be: "Where does it say in Scripture that we can't raise our hands?"

There, I said it.

Denny

Romans 3:22-24


Denny

Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." [John 6:68]