“CHARISMATICS AND THE NEW
MILLENNIIUM”
Nigel
Scotland - EAGLE £8.99
A Review by Stephan Jenkins
What
does Nigel Scotland’s readable book have to offer?
His introduction ends with a quotation, “Everywhere one looks,
throughout the Anglican Communion the ranks of the renewed are swelling.
Reading the statistics and monitoring the vitality, there is little doubt
this is the predominant trend within world - wide Anglicanism, and it is
conceivable that by the next century renewal Christianity will be on the verge
of becoming the mainstream of the Episcopal Church.”
(from “New Millennium, New
Church” by R.Kew & R.White –Cowley Publications 1992, p19)
Pray that this renewal will not pass by the Church in Wales. Let none be uneasy about the word “renewal”.
There is nothing about the 19th or 20th
century Renewal Movement in Wales but Nigel Scotland makes this telling point
about the Welsh Revival of 1904, “it brought this same range of experiences to
thousands of believers and unbelievers alike.
Yet many received no instruction on the basics.
Within four years thousands who had been touched were no longer in the
churches.” Yet
Scotland is not as pessimistic about the present day.
He mentions how renewed Roman Catholics study the Bible more, how there
has been a greater interest in the Eucharist where the Holy Spirit has moved in
healing.
The
book tackles a number of subjects relevant to the Christian experience, the
first of which is worship. He quotes Mark Stibbe, “The greatest of all spiritual petitions is neither for
gifts nor for fruit but for a deeper intimacy with Jesus Christ”;
and the chapter ends with a quote from Bishop Michael Marshall
“The worship is over let the service begin.”
The churches in England have been touched by
the Holy Spirit since the 1960’s. They,
through Scotland, are effectively saying, “Let
us share but let us learn from each other.
We desire for you not a ‘revival’ or ‘blessing’ that will touch
some churches and fade but one that will sweep through the Church ‘in Wales’
and will grow to the four corners of the earth.”
And quoting Lesslie Newbigin, “There are no ‘truths of reason’
except those that have developed in an historical tradition.”
Michael Mitton (former Director A.R.M. England) is quoted
as saying of England in 1994, “The charismatic movement is running out
of steam. There is a real
need for ritual, a need for liturgy, and a need for a connectedness with roots
which are seen in the Jewish, Celtic and Orthodox Traditions”
In chapters on Worship. Leadership and
Ministry, Authority and Pastoral Care, Spiritual Battle, Prophecy, Healing and
Signs and Wonders, Scotland looks honestly and biblically at the subjects.
He notes the involvement of prominent Anglicans in the Renewal Movement
such as the Bishop of Pontefract, David Pytches and Tony Higton, but doesn’t
follow through either the Roman Catholic contribution or the work
of
organisations such as Full Gospel Businessmen’s International.
Possibly the chapter on the Healing Ministry is the most broadly based in
this respect. He’s not averse to washing dirty linen in public,
looking honestly at the abuses of heavy shepherding, hype and hysteria, faith
teaching, demons in everything teaching, personal touching and pushing,
directional and false prophecy and churches within the Church. Often he refers back to Chris Brain and the Nine
O’clock Services as a warning of what can go wrong.
He celebrates personal wholeness, commitment, increased giving, freedom
in worship and every man and woman ministry.
What
is significant is how Nigel Scotland traces the links between John Wimber and
the New Wine Conferences and the Renewal Movement in England.
These links are particularly important to later chapters on Revivalism,
Church Planting, Charismatics and Theology and Charismatics and the Third
Millennium. My only criticism
of the last chapters is that the role of Alpha,
as a biblical underpinning to renewal, is encompassed on one hand by theologians
such as Tom Smail. Alister McGrath and Nigel Wright and on the other hand by the
Conference Teaching popularised in the writing of Mark Stibbe, Bruce Collins and
others. Throughout the book
Michael Mitton provides encouraging
and useful comment. He does
not want debates about “the Baptism” but “a personal experience of the
Holy Spirit bringing an awareness of love and holiness of our Father, and
equipping us to serve our Lord Jesus”.
Editor’s note.
We welcome book reviews from our members. They are printed, as are other articles, as the personal opinion of the contributor.