PENTECOSTALISM VERSUS PAGANISM:
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
By
Charles N. Spence Jr.
"Now concerning spiritual gifts,
brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that you were Gentiles,
carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led" (1 Cor.
12:1-2). Paul sought to remind the Corinthian brethren from whence they came
because they were allowing their former ways to pervert their worship to God.
He reminded them of the time when they were under the control of the idols. The
phrase "Carried away" literally means to be possessed by the gods.
They were acting like their former selves under the control of the pagan gods
they worshipped. An example of how pagans behaved under the control of idols is
found in 1 Kings 18:25-40. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to see who was the true God. In this challenge there is contrast
between the irrational and the rational. As the prophets called on Baal, they
did so by shouting and leaping and cutting themselves (1 Kings
When
Jesus taught on how one must pray, he exhorted the people by saying, "But when ye pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do . . ." (Matt. 6:7). In the NIV the
passage reads, "Do not keep on
babbling like the pagans . . ." The word "Babble" is
translated from the Greek word BATTOLOGEO and literally means to stammer; to
repeat the same things over and over, to use many idle words. Jesus went on to
say, "Do not be like them . .
." (Matt. 6:8). In the following verses Jesus gave the model after
which one should pray. He mentioned nothing about a prayer tongue. Again, there
is a contrast between rational and irrational worship.
When
the Pentecostalism of today is compared to the Pentecostal experience of the
Bible, there is no comparison. There are actually two models we can compare
modern day Pentecostalism to: The Pentecostal model of Acts 2:2-6 and the pagan
model of 1 Kings 18:36-37. In the Pentecostal model of Acts 2:2-6 is found the following
attributes:
There came a sound from heaven as a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they
were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and
it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there
were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together
and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own
language.
In the account, what takes place is audible (Sound of
rushing wind), visible (Cloven tongues of fire sat upon them), and miraculous
(Unlearned Galilaeans speaking in the languages of
the nations represented). Only one other time did this phenomenon take place.
The Holy Ghost in like manner fell upon the Gentiles (Acts 10). Peter said, "And as I began to speak, the Holy
Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." The Gentiles received the Holy Spirit in
accordance with the Pentecostal model in Acts 2. When the Gentiles began to
speak in tongues, Peter and the men with him "Heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." They
could not have heard them magnify God unless the men were able to understand
the language in which the Gentiles spoke. Thus, the Gentiles did not speak
using idle words or nonsense syllables. To do so would be in accordance with
the Pagan Model.
Some
background into the Corinthian paganism reveals that about 200 BC there arose a mystery religion called the Attis
Cult. Clashing symbols and drums that drove them into a frenzy of excitement,
gashing their bodies aroused the worshippers. In the 2nd Century AD
there was a man named Montanus who was known for his
ecstatic utterances while a priest for the Attis Cult
before his conversion. Eusebius records the following description of Montanus Madness. "He was carried away in the spirit
and wrought up in a certain kind of frenzy and irregular ecstasy, raving and
speaking and uttering strange things" (Ecclesiastical History pg. 196).
Baal
or pagan worship focused on sensory perception. Music, dance and prostitution
accompanied it. In one of his essays, Eugene Peterson referred to it as worship
that sought fulfillment through self expression; worship that accepted the
needs and desires and passions of the worshipper as its raw material. Harlotry
is worship that says, "I will give you satisfaction. You want religious
feelings? I will give them to you. You want your needs fulfilled? I'll do it in
the form most attractive to you."
In
comparing what is historically referred to as the Pentecostal model with the
Pagan model, what is more like modern Pentecostalism? You be the judge!