tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68172812012-01-28T11:47:51.185-06:00I am President of the Association of Former Pentecostals. I was a Oneness Pentecostal for about 20 years and am now a Lutheran. It usually takes from 7-10 years to recover from the bad effects of extremely emotional religion. Hopefully this blog can help out with a few ideas. Furthermore, it appears that there are similar problems with the Charismatic movement as there are with the Pentecostals. So, Charismatics might find similar problems and hopefully a helpful discussion here.Champlainnoreply@blogger.comBlogger661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-24079843376254916682011-01-30T10:22:00.003-06:002011-01-30T10:26:06.492-06:00

Comments with blatant violations of capitalization, grammar, punctuation or spelling may be deleted. Don't be overly critical of your writing, but don't be sloppy either.Thank you for your cooperation.

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-18076651046830537592010-12-12T14:02:00.002-06:002010-12-12T14:04:42.797-06:00

Seven Deadly Sins: GluttonyWhen studying the Seven Deadly Sins, as traditionally taught by Christianity for over 1000 years, which were probably inherited from moral teachings from the Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates, I was struck by common Pentecostal practices that not only violate these traditional “deadly” sins, but actively encourage these deadly sins.In browsing some

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-71961111986458794502009-06-06T13:04:00.002-05:002009-06-06T13:07:45.970-05:00

Please continue to post comments here. However, please attempt to be reasonable and coherent. Posts deemed to be blatantly irrational, blatantly incoherent, or juvenile will probably be deleted.Thanks to you thoughtful posters, by the way.LutheriusPresidentAssociation of Former Pentecostals

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-33795442646262878362009-02-21T15:50:00.002-06:002009-02-21T15:57:02.435-06:00

Scientific-evidence based arguments for the non-existence (or the existence) of God are essentially incoherent. To explore this, one must ask, “What is science?” What does science really do? Science is, briefly put, correlation of data to a model. It asks: how well does this particular model follow the data and the evidence collected? What is the assumption here? One clearly must have

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-40451628324051487112008-11-11T20:25:00.001-06:002008-11-11T20:33:16.977-06:00

A local church reports that Christianity as a whole has it all wrong. The Reverend Billy Gooseneck of the local Apostolic Beacon church just outside the city limits informs this newspaper that church should not be “dead, dull and boring” but lively like a football game. He mentioned that some scripture speaks of having life “more abundantly.” Supposedly, this “abundant life” means a wild church

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1277422528113699632008-09-15T18:32:00.000-05:002008-09-15T18:34:06.942-05:00

I am no expert on this issue (I am an electrical engineer by profession), but I have thought about this somewhat. I think that mentally ill people are attracted to Pentecostalism because of its irrationality and also because Pentecostalism condones insane and inappropriate behavior such as screaming, shouting, running, wailing, hopping, and other such things where insane people could fit right

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-79597469762655584672008-09-15T18:28:00.000-05:002008-09-15T18:31:51.018-05:00

I think a core attribute of Pentecostalism is participatory entertainment. The service is always emotional, and people always seek particular emotional states during the service. Take yourself out of the religious zone for a moment. Why do you watch some forms of entertainment on television? Why do you watch horror? You get an emotional state plus sometimes a good story. Why do you watch

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1171419354660483812007-02-13T20:13:00.000-06:002007-02-13T20:15:54.673-06:00

What makes our truth better than theirs? I do not approach Pentecostalism with equity. To treat someone with equity requires certain pre-conditions. Scientists generally will not take seriously people talking about things about which they are not trained. Pentecostals are generally deficient in objective rationality. In a rational society, we approach people with more or less equity,

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1169921011260261822007-01-27T12:00:00.000-06:002007-01-27T12:03:31.290-06:00

The following post was put on New Faithchild forum, a Oneness Pentecostal discussion board. Apparently they did not like it because it was deleted within minutes. So I share with you the text I wrote and the link to the original thread there. Perhaps we can discuss the end of the Pentecostal movement here. +++ FCF: Has the Pentecostal Movement died? http://

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1169883194669011622007-01-27T01:31:00.000-06:002007-01-27T01:33:14.683-06:00

Oneness Pentecostalism is not Christian Christianity throughout the ages has very distinctive things about it. The one thing all Christians of just about all times accepted, except for short bursts of heresy here and there (specifically Arianism), is belief in the Trinity. There were debates about the nature of the Trinity here and there, but you cannot deny the trinity and claim to be a

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1168747982322345852007-01-13T22:08:00.000-06:002007-01-13T22:13:02.350-06:00

Imagine a World Without Pentecostalism/Charismaticism I want you to use your imagination. How would the world have turned out if the Azusa Street Revival did not happen in 1906? Think hard. How many religious people would have studied more constructive theology and joined more rational churches over the years. It has been 101 years since this revival. Think of all the wasted minds and

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1168142023868250292007-01-06T21:53:00.000-06:002007-01-06T21:53:43.876-06:00

Broaden Yourselves to Prevent Despair I think one of the most important things an Ex-Pentecostal person should do is to make sure that the majority of social contacts in their circle are non-Pentecostal. I cannot stress this enough. Remember that Pentecostalism isolates you from the wider community because it is so weird. When you are sufficiently isolated, they can manipulate you because

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1168141967989830962007-01-06T21:52:00.000-06:002007-01-06T21:52:47.996-06:00

Pentecostal and Charismatic Chruches: How to Take Them Down I wish to open this thread to a challenge for all of us to think about. If these crazy churches are a danger to society and caused a lot of ruckus in our lives, how can we stop them? I think the key is to analyze what allows these churches to exist. (1) All churches need money, (2) Money usually comes from church members and

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1168141917778660192007-01-06T21:51:00.000-06:002007-01-06T21:51:57.783-06:00

This is How Pentecostalism Destroys Our Families I think this is a very important topic. Let’s run through the questions and see if we can generate discussion and possible solutions. You can answer as many as you like. Has Pentecostalism caused a divorce in your family? Has Pentecostalism caused your kids to break off contact with you? Has Pentecostalism caused your

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1168141839508290822007-01-06T21:48:00.000-06:002007-01-06T21:50:39.520-06:00

The isolation within Pentecostalism is dangerous. A constricted intellectual horizon will limit your options. Even though there are thousands of resources for help out there, if you do not know anything about them because of your isolation, you will wither on the vine in loneliness and despair. So, all the help out there, which poses a threat of getting you out of there, will be labeled as

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1163976470332670602006-11-19T16:44:00.000-06:002006-11-19T16:47:50.346-06:00

Dealing with Cynicism after Pentecostalism When one initially leaves Pentecostalism, it is a bitter cup to drink to admit that we were fooled and that we believed in something so stupid. Usually, after we leave, we must build defense mechanisms to protect ourselves. We do this because after a recent escape, we must vow never again to be fooled by any such movement or anything similar. This is a

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1161046217312633872006-10-16T19:47:00.000-05:002006-10-16T19:50:17.333-05:00

Be Proactive In our recovery from the ill effects of Pentecostalism we have to relearn some things that outsiders may take for granted. One example is the recognition that we are in control of our lives and that nothing is going to happen unless we make it happen. Sometimes this is called being Proactive. Stephen Covey, in his bestselling book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1157383707775819432006-09-04T10:25:00.000-05:002006-09-04T10:28:27.796-05:00

Former/Current Pentecostal Musicians I have been a musician since I was 10 years old on the trumpet. I then picked up the French horn, the bass guitar, the drums, and the electric guitar, with piano chording thrown in for good measure. Much of my musical career has been in Pentecostal churches, although I now play for my local Lutheran church about once per month. I think that being a

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1146887414686081862006-05-05T22:47:00.000-05:002006-05-05T22:50:14.703-05:00

Igniting the Fire Within The leading effectiveness guru, Stephen Covey, explains that when we achieve wholesome and proper integration among the Four Areas of human nature, we experience something akin to ignition of a fire when all the proper elements in their proper proportions with sufficient heat explode into combustion. The Four Areas are as follows: physical, mental, social/

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1144520982563691902006-04-08T13:28:00.000-05:002006-04-08T13:29:42.586-05:00

Isolating the Problem – Stress and Anxiety Management When leaving Pentecostalism, you will have a ton of problems to work through – which obviously is the reason for these forums. Often we get in a state of stress and anxiety because we know in our heart that something is wrong, but we cannot quite understand what is producing these feelings. Remember, our feelings are like thermometers

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1142813705584079192006-03-19T18:12:00.000-06:002006-03-19T18:15:05.610-06:00

Pentecostal Fraudulent Style of Thinking In dealing with Pentecostals, one will notice that even among those who are intelligent, that they have a particular style of thinking that resists open and rational discourse. One will notice that in debates with Pentecostals that it is extremely difficult to get them to focus upon the issue. One will notice several errors in thinking and logic

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1140886605015329592006-02-25T10:55:00.000-06:002006-02-25T10:56:45.020-06:00

Illustration of Pentecostal Survival Systems The central act of Pentecostalism is speaking in tongues under usually violent emotional release or paroxysm. The other fundamental act of Pentecostalism is the emphatic demonstration of the Gifts of the spirit when they think that God is talking to them or moving upon them. Note that none of these central acts of Pentecostalism are based

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1140886521318640442006-02-25T10:53:00.000-06:002006-02-25T10:55:21.333-06:00

Pentecostalism & Pavlov's Dogs Recall Pavlov’s dog experiment where he would ring a bell when he fed his dogs. He would bring food to his dogs and they would salivate, and he would ring a bell at the same time. Eventually, the dogs would salivate upon the ringing of the bell without the food. Thus, one manipulated the dogs into salivating with the ring of a bell by connecting it with

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1139684181293289292006-02-11T12:52:00.000-06:002006-02-11T12:56:21.316-06:00

There is a regular visitor to this site, “Rachel.” She writes: I've never seen alcohol do one good thing for anyone. Aside from that, you do not understand scripture. Alcohol is excess is what is a sin. WINE is not a sin. Other alcohol is because it leads to drunkeness. So while it may not necessarily be a SIN to drink alcohol, we must remember our witness and realize what the

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1139681158008989072006-02-11T12:02:00.000-06:002006-02-11T12:05:58.026-06:00

Similar Frauds: Talking to Pentecostals Steve Hassan, in his book, “Releasing the Bonds,” introduces a good strategy for starting a conversation with Pentecostals about fraud. The strategy is to NOT talk about Pentecostalism, but to introduce another parallel fraudulent movement, describe it in detail, and get the Pentecostal to agree that the other movement is using Mind Control,

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1139156816693138142006-02-05T10:24:00.000-06:002006-02-05T10:26:56.710-06:00

Psychotic Imprudent Ignorant Presumptuousness I was trying to put a finger on the phenomenon where Pentecostal preachers assert things with authority where they have total ignorance on the subject. They “presume” about a particular subject, they do no research before hand, and then they get behind the pulpit and rant and rave on a subject with recklessness. For example, I have

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1137860450895850562006-01-21T10:19:00.000-06:002006-01-21T10:20:50.916-06:00

Stop the Bleeding: Horrible Consequences of this Cancer Why do we post here? Why did we set up an organization called Association of Former Pentecostals? Why do we FIGHT? Why do we care? Why do we give a da*m? We do these things to stop the flow of people into Pentecostal churches who are destroyed personally, financially, spiritually, and mentally. We do these things because we

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1137338583389540042006-01-15T09:20:00.000-06:002006-01-15T09:23:03.406-06:00

Triggers of Alternate Personalities (Anointing) Steve Hassan in his book, “Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves,”distinguishes between the Cult Self and the Authentic Self among those who are under Mind Control (Chapter7). In Pentecostalism, the situations are analogous to cults, but in most cases the churches are not cults, with the exception of some extremist

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1137259607647448332006-01-14T11:24:00.000-06:002006-01-14T11:26:47.660-06:00

Taking Responsibility for Recovery Many of us have suffered abuse. Many of us have participated in co-dependent situation where we were part of abuse – both active and passive. We all suffer from these wounds and some of these wounds will stay with us for a long time – if not our entire lives. However, the abuse for most of us is in the past. The past is like frozen concrete: we

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1136763629521811172006-01-08T17:35:00.000-06:002006-01-08T17:40:29.533-06:00

Tough As Nails: The Power of the Ex-Pentecostal I keep thinking about how tough one has to be to escape from Pentecostalism, renounce all the experience and go through the long grueling process of recovery. Hard experience tends to harden us. When one looks at great achievers – those that go beyond a large percentage of the population – say 80-90% - and make a large wave in the larger

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1136050326400864002005-12-31T11:28:00.000-06:002006-01-08T17:43:05.813-06:00

The Oneness Pentecostal Fraud The Oneness Pentecostal heretics play the grand game of equivocation in their historical claims to be the “true church” that existed throughout history in small groups from Pentecost to 1913 where Ewart invented Oneness Pentecostalism. There were heretics from time to time that used the wrong baptismal formula. There were other heretics from time to time that

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1134523746415795172005-12-13T19:27:00.000-06:002005-12-13T19:29:06.426-06:00

Yeah I say unto thee, ye Oneness people. It is you who have blasphemed my name and called that name of my son my name. For this you are accursed, for I am Yahweh, the One true God. It is you who bind people in chains and make them slaves to workers of iniquity and the filthy love of money. You are cursed! May my wrath, the wrath of God come down a visit upon your heads and upon the heads of thy

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1134257043486932852005-12-10T17:23:00.000-06:002005-12-10T17:24:03.490-06:00

The Isolation of Pentecostal Youth Another thread here inspired me to write about the pain and isolation of Pentecostal young people. As many here know, I was in Pentecostalism from 7 years old until my late 20’s. In those crucial teenager years, we learn things about ourselves in the transition from child to adult. We learn how to make adult friendships, we bond with our peers for

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1134256956079933502005-12-10T17:20:00.000-06:002005-12-10T17:22:36.090-06:00

I was pulled into church at the age of 7-8 and went to the altar almost every time after church to “seek the Holy Ghost.” I would cry my eyes out for long periods saying, “I love you Jesus,” and many other things but the tongues never came for years. I did not talk in tongues until I was 13. So, this was five freaking years of pure torture for me. (As I remember this stuff, I am feeling very

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1130006250646386262005-10-22T13:36:00.000-05:002005-10-22T13:37:30.653-05:00

Recovering from Extremism Often when we leave our former Pentecostal or Charismatic state, we have the initial tendency to reject everything outright that we were taught – and this is a necessary process. Often, in this rejection of everything we were taught in religious extremism, there is the impetus to embrace its exact opposite – and this is often useful in the exploratory phase upon

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1130002705897205142005-10-22T12:37:00.000-05:002005-10-22T12:38:25.900-05:00

Temporary States of Psychosis We write much about the constant stretching and contracting of the emotional faculty within Pentecostalism and Charismania. We need more research in the area of temporary psychosis because I think that extreme emotional religions often produce in healthy minds a state of temporary psychosis. I think that for long periods – days – after an extreme religious

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1130002629230399262005-10-22T12:35:00.000-05:002005-10-22T12:37:09.240-05:00

Caricature versus Character As Pentecostals, did we really get to know people? Did we learn the strange little things about individuals like why they do a particular thing, and that maybe they learned some neat insight from their parents? Pentecostals are extremely deficient in getting to know people other than Pentecostals. People outside of Pentecostalism are really abstractions to

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1127575507695667352005-09-24T10:22:00.000-05:002005-09-24T10:25:07.703-05:00

Pentecostal Violation of Social Norms I was trying to put into words something about Pentecostalism that is part of my theme of character, and the lack of a serious system of morality within Pentecostalism, which I assert amounts to an anti-morality within Pentecostalism. Have you noticed that Pentecostals have a lust for the violation of social norms? It is not that they are “

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1127085063420161142005-09-18T18:08:00.000-05:002005-09-18T18:11:03.436-05:00

Pentecostalism Attacks Our Integrity The buildup of integrity in life is a long process of growth. We make small promises and keep them – to others and to ourselves. This builds character and confidence. We build relationships with others over time, and the work and the effort eventually blossoms into a strong friendship or partnership with another human being. We become honest with

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1126371372510006712005-09-10T11:54:00.000-05:002005-09-10T11:56:12.520-05:00

This is not a straight-forward “law” of Pentecostalism, but it is indeed a large enough problem that it could still affect some who have left the movement. I listen often to stories of Pentecostals about having a hard time motivating their children to take school seriously. They know in their hearts that the kids are capable and intelligent, but the kids are almost compulsive

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1125934254456825822005-09-05T10:29:00.000-05:002005-09-05T10:30:54.466-05:00

As far as the Oneness Pentecostals are concerned, we have won the debate war for the most part. How many of them will say that if one does not do the Acts 2:38 3-step plan, one is hell bound? And, among those who say this, how many really believe this? Also, think back to before Jay set up the Ex-Pentecostals and Ex-Apostolic sites on Yahoo. Before then, how many would have held to these

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1125813060307599292005-09-04T00:49:00.000-05:002005-09-04T00:51:00.316-05:00

As there are not many books written about the subject of our struggle, we are the vanguard of this entire movement. We are the ones pushing forward the frontiers of leaving Pentecostalism, Charismaticism and other allied fringe groups of religious fanaticism. In being the Vanguard of the entire movement, we are the first to arrive at the new ideas and the first to implement them. There will be

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1125771058292594902005-09-03T13:09:00.000-05:002005-09-03T13:10:58.300-05:00

Getting back to the subject with life after the religious fireworks, the greatest thing I have is peace. I feel like a normal person. I like the fact that I am shocked when I come upon a Pentecostal and their mannerisms, which disgust me – the religious stuff, not the personal, family mannerisms. They appear to me as children who need to be tolerated because they have not yet grown up. I feel

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1125768514944305352005-09-03T12:27:00.000-05:002005-09-03T12:28:34.946-05:00

Friends and Former Pentecostals, Please check back periodically at our fladship forums here, http://p212.ezboard.com/bexpentecostalforums And at our BRAND NEW webpage here, http://ex-pentecostals.org/ for upcoming developments within the movement. Kind Regards, JP ISTRE President, Association of Former Pentecostals derkrash-at-earthlink-dot-netJP Istre

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1125768403910062772005-09-03T12:23:00.000-05:002005-09-03T12:26:43.916-05:00

For those of you who wish to make a difference in the Ex-Pentecostal movement apart from writing on forums, I hope to hash out some serious plans here. We already have a place online here where people can meet and exchange ideas. However, to have real success, we have to have real people on the ground meeting up with others on a regular basis. Humans must have the human touch. These forums

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1125768052734235832005-09-03T12:18:00.000-05:002005-09-03T12:20:52.746-05:00

I wish to open this to a possible interesting discussion. After many of us have been out of Pentecostalism for a considerable length of time, when we look back on our experiences we notice one glaring thing about the entire experience. Pentecostalism promotes Bad Character. It has a problem with basic morality. It attracts people of low morals and the leadership seems to be infested

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1097599254204601962004-10-12T11:40:00.000-05:002004-10-12T11:40:54.203-05:00

Many on this board have noticed that Pentecostals regularly self-destruct. They go on for days – even weeks – as rational people in their normal lives, but inevitably, they will explode, lose their cool, and destroy something in their lives. The reason for this is that they are addicted to a Life Changing Transformation accompanied by an intense emotional ejaculation. Recall the central

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1092770253625490722004-08-17T14:16:00.000-05:002004-08-17T14:17:33.626-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I posted this to Oneness Pentecostal discussion board: +++ A dear family member of mine, who happens to be Oneness Pentecostal, told me something recently that disturbed me. I do not know why I continue to be shocked by certain sections of ministers in some corners, but I thought that some of you thoughtful Oneness people might have a few comments on this. He told

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1092319361026187232004-08-12T09:02:00.000-05:002004-08-12T09:02:41.026-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I just wish to interject that music is indeed an important art form, but there is a danger in it if one is not aware of it. I have been a musician since I was 12 years old. I have played the trumpet, French horn, drums, bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and light chording on the keyboard/piano. I even have a home recording studio, I wrote over 25 songs

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1092065439602462372004-08-09T10:30:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:52:21.670-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com When confronting a Pentecostal, one must remember that Pentecostals are stuck in a mental thinking loop that prevents them from thinking in the normal sense about anything relating to religion. They have designed an enormous list of code words designed to trigger thinking patterns in a particular way. Think of it as a computer program or a computer virus. When you hear

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1092065391106606062004-08-09T10:29:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:51:47.823-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com The critical juncture is Azusa Street where the white people’s experiment from Parham in Topeka Kansas met up with African American folk customs together in one congregation. After a period of melding these two things, they exploded across the world. The African tradition and the white tradition alone could not push it forward, but the melding of the two made for the

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1092065342400712902004-08-09T10:28:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:51:29.813-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com There is a phenomenon in Pentecost that I notice that might be called: Reprogramming to Fit the Experience. We all hear the rants from many apostolics that “some, but not all” churches are abusive and teach things not in the Bible, or according to established Christianity. The ideal that they hold on to, the speaking in tongues, the emotional explosions and abreactions,

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1089379894070049262004-07-09T08:30:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:50:39.836-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com Please note that I enabled comments.

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1087404789324597922004-06-16T11:51:00.000-05:002004-08-09T11:02:45.143-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com Sometimes I get into a nostalgic mood. It might be the French in me, or the South in me. However, for the purposes of this forum, I have a few things I would like to share. I can remember vividly life before my family converted to Pentecost. I was 8 years old when we converted. But, I can still see those images, relive the moments, and smell the smells in my mind of

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1083015671556762732004-04-26T16:41:00.000-05:002004-08-09T11:01:56.290-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I made these comments on the previous post on the Pentecostal church service notes. I might have been angry as one might gather from these notes: +++ I would like to make note of a few things in here. There are constant attempts to excite the crowd into frenzy both before and during preaching. The music was designed to get the people running and jumping. The

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1083015580192502842004-04-26T16:39:00.000-05:002004-08-09T11:01:15.863-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I took these notes during a Oneness Pentecostal (Apostolic) church service: +++ February 1, 2004 Church: [deleted] City: [deleted] Pastor: [deleted] Writer’s Notes in brackets: “[Notes...]” 7:03 PM. Singers start slow ballad, “At Your Feet.” People stand, sing along, and raise hands. The lead singer attempts to get the crowd in worship mode. 7:07 PM. Song ends

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082736236905190662004-04-23T11:03:00.000-05:002004-08-09T11:00:53.070-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com Those churches in and around the San Francisco vicinity are extremely whacky. Maybe they see all the decadence around them and react in extreme fashion like you say. Having lived there for some time, I can say that things over there just do not make sense and thus people are likely to turn inward and form little communes of isolation, and thus the churches over there

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082647508892729902004-04-22T10:25:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:59:59.266-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I posted this to a Oneness Pentecostal Discussion board: +++ If a pastor is abusive in any way, he must be removed. There should be little tolerance for nonsense from people in a leadership position violating basic ethics. Before attending any church, I would request to know the constitutional, written procedure by which office holders are held to discipline. If any

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082647433086607872004-04-22T10:23:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:59:21.350-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I also posted this to a Oneness Pentecostal discussion board: +++ I am a bit new here, so bear with me. But, I think that the term “Authority” suggests an author. As in, what did he write? This assumes that he is a learned man who has studied and written an exit paper from a learned institution demonstrating his knowledge, i.e., his authority. Since graduates of

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082647311339516702004-04-22T10:21:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:58:37.940-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I posted this to a Oneness Pentecostal site and received strange responses, but mostly silence: ++++++++++++ There is a great danger in our society, among men who wish to go the way of their own. It is the concept that a church should be like an army with a commander at the top, complete with lieutenants and colonels. With this mindset, one gets the idea that whatever

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082645090382213922004-04-22T09:44:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:57:40.083-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I wish to explore two things that I find charismatic organizations using to influence people: sensory overload and expected response. When something comes at you quickly and like a machine gun, you have no time to think; your instincts take over. When someone pitches you something in a high-pressure manner, they are overloading you with information, a loud sound form

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082644868397178752004-04-22T09:41:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:56:44.183-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com After leaving Pentecost, there are strange emotions that we have to deal with for years. Sometimes these emotions hit us at the strangest and most irritating times. The problem is that it is painful to think about these things. After the emotion passes, we really do not wish to deal with it because it hurts. However, I have personally found a plan of action that

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082644656206613992004-04-22T09:37:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:55:59.986-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I heard many preachers through the years say that they used to dance with the Devil and now they dance with the Lord. This is the most telling thing about them. Church is their dope. I do not know about most people's opinions, but this does not sound like God to me. People probably fall for the emotional trap Pentecostals set often, trying to hype God up into some

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082644478997077412004-04-22T09:34:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:54:29.093-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I would like to expand upon the most subversive things that Pentecost does to people: breaking traditional bonds of friends and family. After all the love bombing and the “friendly” introductions when entering into a Pentecostal church, one will often find himself a bit estranged from one’s family. The problem is not the family, but one’s new methods of thinking and

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082644321805957472004-04-22T09:32:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:53:49.676-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com Some Thoughts on how to get out Once you make your decision to leave, there are many things to think about. If you are not married, that is a good thing. If you are married, then that will be a problem. If married, one must strengthen the marital relation. Increase the number of talks, dates, and communication, avoiding too much talk about religion. Think back to

Champlainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6817281.post-1082644229942256682004-04-22T09:30:00.000-05:002004-08-09T10:53:28.463-05:00

derkrash-at-yahoo-dot-com I run into a few people, still Pentecostal – specifically Apostolic – who think that those leaving the faith are “bitter” and “rebellious.” I heard this from just about every dark corner of Apostolicism about those who “leave the faith.” It appears that in their twisted mind, there is no legitimate reason to leave the faith, and all that leave have some strange problem

Champlainnoreply@blogger.com