The Same Spiritual Dynamics In a Different Wrapping

The world-wide movement referred to as the Toronto Blessing (or often just refreshing or renewal) started when pastor Randy Clark, from the Vineyard Church in St. Louis, visited the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in January 1994. During the series of meetings in Toronto, Randy Clark passed on the particular manifestations of power which he, himself, had received through the laying on of hands from Faith preacher Rodney Howard-Browne at Rhema Bible Training Centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It is significant that Rhema Bible Training Centre is the place run by Kenneth E. Hagin for training people in the Faith teachings. It was there that the Swedish leader, Ulf Ekman, received the “anointing” which he brought back to Sweden, and which resulted in the development of the Word of Life movement that I became a member of, and it is significant that Randy Clark received his anointing which started the Toronto movement in this very same place, and from an extreme Faith preacher at that — it shows that the two movements share a common source.

Previously, the pastor of Toronto Vineyard church, John Arnott, had himself been longing for manifestations of power. He went to a meeting of Benny Hinn’s in 1992, where he heard God (as he assumed) speaking to him, telling him to stay close to Benny Hinn and to those who had the anointing. Later, he too visited Rodney Howard Browne’s meetings, and eventually, John Arnott from Toronto succeeded in getting the manifestations of power for himself. After that, Randy Clark visited his church in Toronto, and from that time the characteristic phenomena began to spread rapidly from there, and on a world-wide scale (hence “Toronto Blessing”). Rodney Howard-Browne is originally from South Africa, and since 1987 he runs an independent ministry based in the United States. After having watched several videos of Rodney Howard-Browne, I can only say that he operates in the same kind of power that I experienced in the Faith movement in Sweden. When it comes to the practice of spiritual phenomena, he seems to be even more extreme than most Faith preachers. I am convinced that the power transmitted from Rodney Howard-Browne is not that of the Holy Spirit.

Since the recognised origin of the Toronto Blessing is the same as the origin of the power I have experienced in the Faith movement, I believe my experience from that movement may also be a valid comparison concerning the Toronto Blessing.

In earlier chapters, I have described some of the extraordinary experiences people have had in the Faith movement, such as falling, shaking, trembling and convulsing involuntarily, breaking out in uncontrollable fits of laughter for no apparent reason, and getting drunk without drinking alcohol. As I have pointed out, these phenomena have all been attributed to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and have been interpreted as tokens that God is blessing someone in a special way.

During my time in the Faith movement, I, like most of the others, was totally convinced that these phenomena were the works of the Holy Spirit. There was also an abundance of testimonies, seemingly of the highest quality, of people being healed and restored in connection with these phenomena. Many testified to having received a new zeal and devotion in worship, Bible reading, prayer, and evangelism.

However, after a time, I began to realise that the manifestations were part of a deception that was leading people astray from a simple faith in Christ and the written Word of God. While allowing for the possibility that the Holy Spirit may do a work in certain individuals even in such a setting, generally, I do not believe that these manifestations were His doing. The fascination with these phenomena led to a bondage to teachings that turned out to be thoroughly un-Biblical. Furthermore, they led to an unhealthy subjection to leaders who had gone very far astray in spiritual matters.

Allowing for some differences between the Toronto Blessing and the Faith movement, there are also some alarming similarities. I will concentrate on the latter because it is these similarities that are the worrying aspect. In the Toronto Blessing, it is basically the same kind of phenomenon that are experienced. Furthermore, the attitude to the phenomena is basically the same, and there is a tendency towards an increasing desire for more and more of the exciting experiences. This is why something that seems to start comparatively innocently may end up as something that has gone very far astray. In my judgment regarding my own participation in the Faith movement, it was this misdirected longing for experiencing spiritual power that led me into occult experiences.

In the Toronto movement, you see a different wrapping for the same kind of spiritual dynamics, and I recognise exactly the same tendencies in the Toronto Blessing as in the Faith movement. The recognised origin of the Toronto Blessing was the Faith preacher Rodney Howard-Browne’s anointing during meetings at Kenneth E. Hagin’s Rhema Bible Training Centre, and it is this same anointing that has spread through the Toronto Blessing.

There are also some differences between the Toronto movement and the Faith movement. In the Toronto Blessing, the behaviour tends to be less strict and the atmosphere tends to be more relaxed or undisciplined, depending on which way you look at it. For someone who has been in the Faith movement, the Toronto Blessing appears less rigid. This is perhaps reflected by a more compassionate attitude by John Arnott, senior pastor at Toronto Airport Church, than the attitude you would find in many of the Faith teachers. On the other hand, there tends to be even more of the involuntary jerks of the body, and more of animal-like sounds in the Toronto Blessing, signifying an unsound spirituality.

There have been some splits both between the Association of Vineyard Churches, headed by John Wimber, and the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, and also between some Faith churches in Sweden and churches affiliated with the Toronto Blessing. However, these controversies have only been concerned with the tip of the iceberg of false spirituality, and whereas some of the excesses may have been dealt with, the very basis of these excesses has been left untouched.

It appears to me that the Toronto Blessing is a large-scale initiation into a spiritual dimension that may lead to occult experiences. It is the people who are the most enthusiastic and zealous who run the greatest risk of getting into the danger zone. Worst of all is the fact that it is the leaders who are the chief promoters of this misdirected spirituality. Therefore, there is little opportunity for ordinary members of these movements to attempt to steer a better course. The only way for them to stay clear of the danger zone is to avoid getting too involved in the movement, or to leave it.