Strange Experiences

This morning in the cafeteria, I witnessed a spiritual phenomenon that really disturbed me. At a certain table, a group of students who go to another school in the area were sitting in a circle, touching each others' shoulders and experiencing a strange phenomenon. One of the students began to swoon, his eyes rolling into the back of his head so that all we could see was glazed, white marbles peeking out of his eyelids. He would swoon and then come out of it. This is not the first time I have seen such strange behavior exhibited. I have also talked with these students and have been alarmed by some of the more questionable elements of their theology. Before I proceed, I want to make it completely clear I am not on a witch hunt or anything. I believe these people are Christians and that they love the Lord; in fact, many of my good friends are involved in this movement. I do not wish to offend anyone. However, I do believe some of these strange practices I witness and hear about are neither Biblical or traditionally part of Christianity. The Bible teaches us to "be wise as serpents," "to test the spirits to see if they are from God," and "Not to be carried about by every wind of doctrine." I believe some of these practices are erroneous, when examined in the light of scripture, and could lead to deception. Let me reiterate: I do not want to offend, I just want to critically and logically evaluate some of these teachings in the light of God's Word, like any Christian should.

Today I shall examine the phenomenon I saw today. Though there may be some other term for it, what I witnessed is a phenomenon that I believe is commonly known as being "Slain in the Spirit" (though what I saw seemed more similar to an energy circle where one of them was in a trance). The idea of being slain in the spirit is not found in the Bible, or throughout the history of the Christian church. It was a phenomenon that originated during the last two hundred years in American revival meetings. While there are many instances throughout the Bible of people falling before the Lord, all of those contexts involve voluntary action.

This phenomenon is also closely related to being Drunk in the Spirit, an experience in which the person is overcome by the Spirit of God and jerks about and thrashes on the ground. Sometimes accompanied by ecstatic speech or laughter. While God is not opposed to joy or laughter, this phenomenon has no Biblical or historical basis. The text usually cited to refer to this is found in Acts when the apostles are receiving the Spirit of God and speaking in other known languages. Mockers call them drunk and Peter emphatically denies it. He mentions nothing about being drunk with the spirit. Another text is the one which tells us "not to be drunk with wine, but filled with the Spirit." This verse, however, is a contrast. The Bible also tells us that a symptom of being filled with the Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:23). The erratic, uncontrollable symptoms of being "filled/drunk in the Spirit" seem to stand in contrast to how the Bible describes it.

I hope I have not offended anyone. The point of this post was to hopefully alert my fellow believers to some of the questionable doctrines floating around today, though I've only touched on two of them. My goal when I study the Bible or history or science is to come to a conclusion that fits the evidence the best. When some of these experiences are researched, there seems to be little, if any, Biblical or historical support. My belief is that we should stick to the traditional, contextual interpretation of spiritual matters. I am reminded of the words of R.C. Sproul who said, that "If you come across an interpretation of scripture that has escaped the notice of theologians for two thousand years, then the chances are your interpretation is probably wrong and should be abandoned" (paraphrased). My concern is that people could be led down a path of an incorrect view of God. I encourage everyone to examine every teaching in the light of scripture, taken in its proper context and historical use.