By Gary E. Gilley
Something happened on January 10, 1994, at a Vineyard Church near the
Supporters say that on this occasion the Holy Spirit was poured out on that small congregation, resulting in spontaneous, uncontrollable laughter. Thus began a "revival" that continues to this day and has impacted churches throughout the world. Hundreds of thousands of visitors, including thousands of pastors, have attended the services at the Toronto Airport Vineyard (now called the Airport Christian Fellowship) in hopes of catching and transporting the spirit of this revival. And it seems to be working. Churches across the globe are claiming similar experiences, which, in addition to "holy laughter," include shaking, making animal noises, swooning, and being stuck in "Holy Ghost glue." It has been reported by some that up to seven thousand churches in
Rodney Howard-Browne, a South African minister associated with the Word-Faith Movement, is the recognized "Father" of holy laughter. He claims to have had his first experience with these phenomena in 1979, while challenging God to "touch me" or Howard-Browne was going "to come up there and touch You." God apparently responded by causing him to feel as if his body was on fire and he broke out in uncontrollable laughter (see Howard-Browne's book, The Touch of God). In 1989, while preaching in
It was Clark (who had already experienced strange phenomenon in his church) who preached the revival sermon in
Recently, the Association of Vineyard Fellowships expelled the Airport Vineyard Fellowship from its association for "going over the edge." Even the Vineyard has recognized that the Revival has gone too far and is now trying to distance itself from it. What criteria the Vineyard could possibly use to do this is unknown. A criterion unused by either group is found in Isaiah 8:16,19-20:
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples … And when they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
John Arnott, the pastor of the Airport Vineyard Fellowship, tells his followers that they are not to even entertain the thought that they might become involved in any kind of counterfeit revival. Yet, the apostle John warned us to Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (I John 4:1).
Wild Experiences Coming Out of
One of Howard-Browne's books has a section titled "Holy Ghost Glue." In it he recounts the story of a wealthy woman who got "stuck" in the spirit. As Howard-Browne tells it:
"She was lying there from noon until 1:30 … At 1:30, she tried to get up. She wanted to get up. She couldn't. All she could do was flap her hands. So she was lying there flapping away -- flap, flap, flap, flap … 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 … At 4:30 the woman was still saying, 'I can't get up. I'm stuck to the floor.'"
She flapped so long that, as Howard-Browne put it, he ended up "walking out on the Holy Spirit":
"I turned to the pastor and said, 'Look, I haven't had either breakfast or lunch. It's 4:30. I'm not stuck and you're not stuck. These people are going to stay here with her, so let's go have a meal before the night service.' The ushers told us later that at 6 o'clock the woman finally peeled herself off the carpet. Then it took her an hour to crawl from the center of the church auditorium to the side wall. She had been stuck to the floor for six hours!" (Manifesting the Holy Spirit, pp. 26,27).
Another experience from John Arnott:
"When Randy Clark preached at the Airport Vineyard, the pastor claimed that 'almost 80 percent of the people were on the floor. … It was like an explosion. We saw people literally being knocked off their feet by the Spirit of God. … Others shook and jerked. Some danced, some laughed. Some lay on the floor as if dead for hours. People cried and shouted'" (The Father's Blessing, by John Arnott, pp. 71-72).
Prophecies and Revelations
In a message titled "Receiving the Spirit's Power," revival leader Carol Arnott (John Arnott's wife) claims she had a conversation with the Holy Spirit. During the dialogue, the spirit that spoke with her communicated sorrow over being separated from Jesus:
"'You know, the Father, and Jesus and I have been together for all of eternity. But when Jesus went back to heaven to be with God the Father, I came to earth.' And He said, 'I am so lonely for Jesus.' He said, 'So that when people really, really love Jesus, and really honor Him, and really worship Him,' He said, 'I love to be around those kinds of people.' … He misses Jesus, and He misses the Father" (Counterfeit Revival, p. 111).
Rarely is the self-gratifying orientation of "Counterfeit Revivalists" more prominent than in John Arnott's book The Father's Blessing. In a section titled "Jesus Wants a Love Affair with You," Arnott describes how Jesus appeared to a woman and fulfilled all her fantasies. Jesus laughed with the woman as together they ran around with arms stretched out like airplanes; Jesus lay on the ground with the woman and played Legos; then Jesus played with her hair and met her deepest needs and desires (pp. 20-22).
Bizarre claims from The Father's Blessings
(1) A delightful woman came to
This woman used to play soccer, and Jesus told her gently that she took the glory for herself. So she wept and repented, then they played soccer together. She laughed and laughed at His long robe, then she asked Him to be the goalkeeper. He was so strong, He knocked all the balls away. But then He let her have a goal, and she laughed some more.
Then Jesus told her she always acted like a boy. She said this was true because her father wanted a boy, and it hurt her. But Jesus showed her that He wanted her to be a girl. She explains that she saw, like a movie before her eyes, the yard she used to play in as a child. She had a pretty flowered dress on, and they danced together, and her hair blew in the wind. Jesus told her, "You know, forever -- I wanted you as a girl." And she cried and cried. "It was so wonderful because He planned me to be a girl. It was so beautiful."
Another evening Jesus showed her herself as a baby, and He tickled her. She laughed and laughed, and baby noises came out of her. Another time, she was one year old. She was holding a toy, but she couldn't play with it because she didn't know how. And she looked into the eyes of Jesus and asked Him to explain how to play with this toy. And He took time and told her (pp. 123-124).
(2) Carol (Arnott's wife) has often prayed for me (John Arnott), and I would stand there trying to receive from God, yet not feeling anything. I would say, "Honey, is the Holy Spirit flowing in?"
She would say, "Yes, just receive." Then she would say, "Whoops, where did you go?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you went somewhere, and God's anointing for you came back on me."
Some of you who minister know what that feels like. When you are praying for someone else and they do not receive, the anointing comes back to you and you just about fall over -- either you or the person who is helping you.
I asked Carol why I didn't receive, and she told me that I was trying to stay in control. I argued with her, but she was more convincing: "You will not surrender; you will not give yourself to God" (p. 125).
(3) Carol Arnott gives this vision, which could have been taken right out of a Disney movie. -- The scene changed, and I was walking, holding His arm. I kept looking around thinking, "Gee, I don't recognize this place. I wonder where I am? This doesn't look familiar at all." Then I happened to look down, and I thought, "Oh, it's gold! Oh, my goodness, I am walking on the streets of gold. This is heaven! I'm the bride of Christ. I am marrying Jesus." This is the wedding day. Lord, this is incredible. I was standing in an open spot when Jesus walked up and said, "Carol, may I have the first dance?" I thought, "Oh, no, I can't dance. My wedding veil is too long." As soon as I thought that, out of nowhere came cardinals and blue jays -- all these little birds -- and they picked up my veil, and I danced with Jesus (pp. 164-165).
(4) John Arnott writes: It is no coincidence that we have seen people prophetically acting like lions, oxen, eagles and even warriors. In Steve Witt's church in
One lady who played the keyboard and weighed about 115 pounds was on all fours, snorting and pawing the ground like an angry ox or bull. It was obvious that she was surprised and a bit frightened by what was happening, but at the same time she seemed determined to follow the Spirit's leading (p. 178).
It is almost impossible to keep up on the bizarre claims coming out of
Perhaps a quote by Rodney Howard-Browne might help us understand how and why "Christians" can be so gullible:
"I'd rather be in a church where the devil and the flesh are manifesting than in a church where nothing is happening because people are too afraid to manifest anything. Every time there is a move of God, a few people will get excited, go overboard, and get in the flesh. Other believers will get upset, saying that couldn't be of God. Don't worry about it either. Rejoice because at least something is happening … If someone comes in the meeting, rolls around on the floor, laughs in the Holy Spirit, and does it in the flesh, at least he's not getting drunk or taking dope" (No Laughing Matter, p. 66).
In contrast, A.W. Tozer takes the Biblical position:
"Any of it [teaching] that is good is in the Word of God, and any that is not in the Word of God is not good. I am a Bible Christian and if an archangel with a wingspread as broad as a constellation shining like the sun were to come and offer me some new truth, I'd ask him for a reference. If he could not show me where it is found in the Bible, I would bow him out and say, 'I'm awfully sorry, you don't bring any references with you'" (Counterfeit Revival, p. 67).
* This report has been excerpted and or adapted from an article by the same name in the October 1999, Think on These Things, Southern View Chapel,
