By Sam Storms (www.samstorms.org)

I didn’t ask that question. Justin Peters, well-known cessationist and critic of all things charismatic, did. He actually has a series of programs citing examples of strange and often unbiblical things that certain Pentecostals or charismatics do or say.

Make no mistake. I don’t for one minute endorse the things he cites. The examples he provides are indeed quite weird and bizarre. But the way in which Peters presents his case is itself quite weird, and to put it mildly, profoundly unfair and un-Christian.

There are approximately 645 million people in the world today who identify as either Pentecostal or charismatic. Among them there are certain leaders and popular voices who believe “weird” things and have amassed a considerable following among those who are gullible and undiscerning. But for every one misguided teacher or internet personality there are thousands of faithful and biblically rooted, gospel-centered pastors and professors in the charismatic community. And for every one of those who naively falls for the “weird” things said and done there are, again, thousands who do not.

I don’t know how many programs or examples Peters has cited who do “weird” things, but I doubt if it amounts to more than two dozen. Even if there are several more, the point I want to make still stands.

I’m not a mathematical genius, but two or even three dozen, or even several hundred, out of 645 million is a fraction of a fraction of one percent. But the way Peters present his case, and what he wants you to think, is that charismatic Christians are all given to these weird and unbiblical practices. The fact is, an infinitesimally small fraction of those who identify as Pentecostal-Charismatic are guilty of these strange antics. But Peters clearly wants you to believe that most of us are.

If that is not his intent, why doesn’t he title his programs, “Why is this one charismatic weird”? I’ll concede that some charismatics are weird, and I pray that they will put an end to their bizarre beliefs and behavior. But the way Peters portrays them is typical of the breed of hyper-critical, cynical, judgmental cessationists who have nothing better to do than point out to you the incredibly tiny fraction of our community who are misguided.

I wonder what Peters would say if I launched a series of programs titled, “Why are Cessationists so Mean, Cynical, and Judgmental?” I suspect he would push back and remind me that the examples I might cite (and trust me, I could cite several of them, including Peters himself), are but a tiny fraction of those who embrace cessationism as a theological conviction. Why would I lump them all together and send a message to the Christian community that “Cessationists are Weird”? It’s a good question. I would never do that. Most cessationists are kind, humble, and God-fearing brothers and sisters in Christ.

But it evidently is ok for Peters and those of his camp to try to persuade you that most, if not all, charismatics are weird and believe and practice strange things and should, for that reason, be denounced and avoided. Some undoubtedly do strange things. And they should be called out in love and humility and instructed in the truth of Scripture. But they are such a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the worldwide charismatic community that they hardly represent the much larger whole.

Why, may I ask, doesn’t Peters launch a series of programs titled, “Why are the Vast Majority of Charismatics godly, Bible-believing, Christ-exalting brothers and sisters of the faith?” And then proceed to cite their biblical convictions and devotion to the glory of God. I can tell you why. No one would read his articles or watch his You Tube channel. No one would invite him to speak in their churches or at their conferences. He traffics in singling out the strange folk in our family because they are the ones that draw a crowd. I’ll come straight to the point. There isn’t much financial gain in pointing out the good, godly and Bible-believing charismatics. But there is considerable profit in focusing on the odd outlier.

I should point out that those who are regarded as “weird” believe in the foundational truths of the Christian faith. They affirm the Trinity, the virgin conception and incarnation of God the Son, the sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and personal return of Jesus Christ to consummate his kingdom. They believe that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. To put it simply, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, with whom we will spend a glorious eternity worshiping our Lord and Savior.

Do such folk sometimes say odd things? Yes. Do they on occasion engage in practices that lack biblical support? Without question. Can their ministry style be manipulative and presumptuous? Undoubtedly so. But none of that means they are not Christians. I could just as easily ask: Do some cessationists quench the Spirit? Yes. Do they on occasion fall into legalism and display a religious spirit? Without question. Are they prone to prideful judgmentalism? Undoubtedly so. But again, none of that means they are not Christians.

What, then, might be the best, most fruitful, and constructive way forward? I don’t believe it is by snide ridicule and condescending denunciation. Rather, let’s begin by praying for one another. Now there’s a novel thought! Let’s begin by embracing one another as fellow members of the body of Christ. The next step might even be to sit down face to face with those we regard as “weird” and, with humility, carefully evaluate what we (and they) believe and how we (and they) behave in the light of God’s Word.

Ought not our default position be to look for the good in others rather than obsess with the bad? Have we not all at one time or another embraced beliefs that, by God’s grace, we later came to recognize as error? I’m not saying we shouldn’t identify false teaching when we see it. But it can be addressed with loving correction instead of caustic, self-righteous vitriol.

I seem to recall something Jesus said concerning the way in which the world will know that we are his disciples, and as best I can tell it is not by our harsh, arrogant criticism of one another, but by our love (John 13:35).