The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Subjective experience

Ok, I have a feeling that we need to separate this idea here. I have read "Charismatic Chaos" by MacArthur and am aware of "Charismticism" in the church. Such as emotionalism; playing on peoples emotions through the music and the sermon. Also there are subjective experiences in the Charismatic movement that I understand as "subjective experiences" because they cannot be verified. Example... I have a Charismatic friend who has told me that God had healed his arm after a motorcycle crash. He did not have full use of his arm and without any medical aid, after time and through prayer, his arm regained it's strength and motion after it was diagnosed by a professional Doctor that it would not. By him telling me that it was God who healed his arm, because it was a miner miracle, because the Doctor told him he would never have full use of it again, is his subjective experience. In other words.... we cannot verify that it was actually God who through my friends prayer, answered his prayer by healing his arm.

Now here is the difference that I see that we should be wary of when it comes to Charasmaticism. I believe that scripture tells us that God answers our prayers. I also believe that God can answer our prayers with unexplainable acts. Such as a miraculous healing. But I don't think that it is something that we can rely on. In other words. If it be His will he would answer our prayers, but not that we should expect Him to do so. That is the reason that I'm not a Charismatic. I don't think we're lead to believe that Gods word tells us that we can expect God to preform miracles for us any time we gather to pray over someone who is sick or anytime we are in need of something. Sorry let me clarify.... I believe He answers all of our prayers.... my mistake.... but what I mean is that it might not be and often times is not in the way we want them answered... such as healing, wealth, fortune etc....

Anyway... sorry I'm not trying to confuse things here. But what I'm trying to do is to understand if there is a valid "subjective experience" outside of the "Charismatic" issue. Because what I'm really trying to do here is guard against possible error.

This is a Pastor from a PCA church and I'd hate to think that I need to worry about liberalism, secularism, emotionalism and a pulling away from sound doctrine and theology creeping itself into this church.

But I am wary.... there is another PCA church south of me about 45 minutes drive that has a conducts a "happy clappy" contemporary service. It is also it's only service. It does not have a traditional service.

Then there is another PCA church north of me about 30 minutes away that is very reformed. It only has a piano, no choir and sings from the psalms. This would be the church that I would prefer to go to, but it's very small and I had issues with my wife about it.

But anyway my point is that there is a pretty big difference between these two PCA churches. The thing is that each Pastor that I have talked too in these churches were very quick to let me know about the other PCA churches in my area and they all know each other and is familiar with the other churches and their programs. So my point is that there are some things that I find that I like and don't like about these different local churches that are all PCA and are "connected."

So in conclusion.... even though I'm sure that the reformed PCA church north of me would not consider ever having a "happy clappy" service, it bothers me that a local PCA church is conducting such a service and that the other pastors don't seemed bothered by it. So this is why I'm a little cautious about the church I'm attending. Not that I'm try to focus on error, I'm just trying to understand this whole "subjective experience" thing. That's all. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Dave.