Coping With Spiritual Division in the South

Mary Ann Morgan  - "Worshiping hand on blue" - Flickr

Disclaimer: They say honesty is the best policy, but it can sometimes lead to hurt feelings or offense. What I have to say in this post may hurt some. All I can do is apologize in advance and tell you that writing posts such as this helps me sort through my thoughts and clarify my positions. Of course, feedback is always welcomed.

Generalizations    

      I'm not sure if the average Southerner is aware that there are certain stereotypes pitted against them when it comes to spirituality. It may not be the case for every Northerner to hold these views, but this one did. What I'm talking about of course is the stereotype that most Southerners who go to church are swinging off the chandeliers, speaking in tongues, falling over in the aisle types of worshipers. Or they are people who check their mind at the door, sing hymns and passively listen to a preacher shout fire and brimstone at them. 

     In some instances the stereotype holds true. I remember one time especially when my wife and I brought my mother to a church we had just started attending. The first two weeks went well, some people spoke in tongues, but whatever. The third week, however, the one we took my mother to, had a guest speaker. This guy and his family traveled all over the south singing and evangelizing and boy did he have energy. Up and down the aisles he went shouting and praising God, yelling about his dear ole daddy who was a Pentecostal faith healer, HALLELUJAH! CAN I GET AN AMEN??? Needless to say my mother looked uncomfortable. 

     Divisive Doctrine 

     What I didn't know until after moving down here though was that most of the South is dominated by the Baptist denomination. I was told that most Baptists don't really care for the Pentecostal beliefs of manifestations of the Holy Spirit. This was later confirmed to me by a classmate of mine who is in fact a Baptist pastor (although he seemed to have a change of heart about the topic in high school).  You might be asking, "what are the manifestations?" It's things like speaking in tongues, "faith healing," prophecy and getting slain in the Spirit. Here's a video of what some people think of being Slain in the Spirit:

     Okay, so minus the special effects, that's what it supposedly looks like sometimes to be "slain in the Spirit." Anyways, upon being told the Baptists don't preach that, my thoughts were a mixture of "That's to bad," but also "I don't really blame them it's kind of hokey."
   
     It's "too bad" because most manifestations like the ones listed above are proof of the Holy Spirit working in one's life. The book of Acts gives us an example, " Even Jesus himself said "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If we cut out the work of the Holy Spirit in this fashion we are essentially limiting what God can do in our lives. Don't we limit God enough already?
    
    The "I don't really blame them" part comes from the rampant abuse of manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I've been to enough churches where it seems like people can operate speaking in tongues like they do a light switch. How many times have we heard about phony faith healers on the news getting busted for fraud? Speaking in tongues and whatnot is not the end all be all work of the Holy Spirit like it is portrayed in a lot (not all) of Pentecostal churches. As mentioned in the verse above Jesus proclaims that the Holy Spirit helps you act as a witness to him. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate as Jesus says to his disciples, "But the the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name will teach you all the things and remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26). So it seems we need the Spirit to guide us in our interactions with others to effectively share the Gospel, not just for hooting and hollering in church.

     Division is Everywhere

     As I look back in my life I realize this doctrinal division over the Holy Spirit isn't just present in the South, but all over the US and possibly more parts of the world. It was present when I grew up in the North, in any part of the North I lived in. I have been coping with this spiritual division all my life.
     
     The coping has become more prominent lately though as my more Baptist leaning past has been clashing with new Pentecostal/charismatic experiences.

    In a little church in Tennessee I was invited to a meeting of a group of pastors. There was a challenge to come up front to see if one would want to declare themselves one who would lead others to Christ in an official capacity. After I walked up the next thing I knew the speaking pastor breathed on me and I fell back on to the floor. I had been "slain in the spirit."
     Who's the stereotype now? Ever since that ecstatic experience I've been speaking in tongues, albeit quietly and privately. I feel like that experience also gave me great insight into the kingdom of God, I can see connections I could not before. My faith has been deepened and I have a desire to cultivate it in myself and others.

The Rise of Non-denominational Churches     

      I feel like I have landed somewhere in the middle as far as my philosophy goes for this stuff and I think that is why I thrive so well at non-denominational churches. I also wonder if this doctrinal division is why so many non-denominational churches have become more popular. At these growing churches, the manifestations of the Holy Spirit don't overshadow the gifts and purpose of the Holy Spirit, yet the Holy Spirit is recognized as an integral part of the Christian life and needful for spreading the Good News.

    In closing I'd love to eventually see a unified Church not only in the south, but throughout the world. I know however that as long as humans have to look at the glory of God through dark glass my wishful thinking might not be fulfilled until the end.