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Friday, January 4, 2013

LONNIE FRISBEE INFLUENCED CHUCK SMITH OF CALVARY CHAPEL & JOHN WIMBER OF VINEYARD CHURCH

The rotten charismatic/pentecostal/"signs and wonders" fruit of Lonnie Frisbee is still corrupting to this day. The search for the so-called "radical middle" between fundamentalism and pentecostalism, otherwise known as "power evangelism" (along with the necessary display of questionable "gifts of the Holy Spirit) is typical of Calvary Chapel, founded by Chuck Smith, the Vineyard Church founded by John Wimber, and Sovereign Grace Ministries, founded by  C.J. Mahaney, who were ultimately influenced by the Jesus People of the sixties and Lonnie Frisbee as you will see in the Wikipedia articles here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Frisbee, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Smith_(pastor), and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wimber. SGM, however, has morphed away from pentecostal displays of these gifts toward a more refined or "reformed" Calvinist stance. All three regardless, have had their issues, their corruption, and their own particular problems. The overarching similarities are the authoritarianism, powerful leadership, and members signing covenants agreeing to be submissive, non-judgmental, and non-divisive, and especially not discerning.
A very good description of the "spiritual formation" thrust in the Vineyard movement is in this: http://www.sgm.org.nz/Research%20Papers/Buried%20Seed-Spiritual%20Direction%20and%20the%20Vineyard%20Movement.pdf and Lighthouse Trails Research's article, "The Vineyard Movement Grabs Hold of Contemplative Spirituality" at: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=7137.
More to come.