Among fence sitters and lion tamers

James Beverley is a Canadian theologian and expert on New Religious Movements. He seems to be on a friendly basis with J. Gordon Melton, a Christian scholar who defends such movements, including groups most others would consider to be cults.

"Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing" is Beverley's "investigative report" into the controversial charismatic revival known as the Toronto Blessing, named after the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church (today the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship). The book was published in 1995, only a year after the revival at Toronto had begun.

Unfortunately, the book is extremely bland, boring and downright confusing. The author is a fence sitter of truly major proportions. Is he for or against the Toronto Blessing? He doesn't even seem to know the answer himself. As another reviewer pointed out, Beverley criticizes the Airport Vineyard for weak preaching, a faulty view of the Holy Ghost, an equally faulty view of signs and wonders, anti-intellectualism, elitism and a lack of emphasis on the person of Christ. Sounds like pretty damning criticism, especially since these are attacks on the central points of the Toronto Blessing. Yet, the author nevertheless remains a positive observer of the movement?!

The whole book is built around "on the one hand" and "on the other hand". Since the Toronto Blessing is very extreme (these are the guys who roar like lions or bark like dogs at their nightly marathon meetings, remember?), this fence sitting come across as somewhat ludicrous. I get the impression that Beverley desperately wants to find something positive in this revival, perhaps because of personal charismatic leanings (his participation at Vineyard services has not always been Platonic). He appeals to the Vineyard leaders to discipline the movement somewhat, which they of course never did, since the unusual "manifestations" are surely the whole *point* of this revival, and what marks it out from others.

Sometimes, I honestly don't understand the author's point. Thus, he claims that Rodney Howard-Browne isn't really a Word of Faith preacher, which may or may not be the case, but nevertheless spends considerable time proving that Howard-Browne was indeed an assistant pastor at a Rhema church in South Africa. But surely Rhema is a Word of Faith outlet? Beverley also misunderstands the criticism that the Vineyard is "New Age". I take this criticism to mean, not that they are literally into crystals or astrology, but that their spiritual experiences are in many ways similar to those of New Age believers, and equally subjective. The claim that the Toronto Blessing is new agey in this sense may or may not be true, but it cannot be deflected simply by pointing out that the Vineyard leaders have attacked New Age in their published writings (I'm sure the Word of Faith movement or even Christian Science attacks New Age). The author even quotes an example of a New Age believer who attended a Vineyard service, was slain in the Spirit, but interpreted the whole thing as something akin to Eastern mysticism!

Frankly, I read this book mostly for the guilty pleasure of peeping into some of the bizarre "manifestations", my favourite being the guy who was pretending to fly around the meeting hall like an eagle, prompting the Vineyard leaders to propose that somebody throw a rabbit on the floor to make the "eagle" land! Another episode, told by Rodney Howard-Browne, is about a guy walking on all fours, roaring like a lion and claiming to be the lion of Judah, at which one of Rodney's assistants retorted: "And I'm the lion tamer, so sit down and shut up!"

I mean, these guys are priceless. Where do I sign up???

Since this was a rather harsh review, I guess I have to point out that I never met James Beverley and have no particular grudge against him. I just didn't like his book, that's all. In this case, a fiercely partisan book such as "Counterfeit Revival" by Hank Hanegraaff, is actually better. No fence sitting there.

As for the Toronto Blessing itself, I readily admit that I'm somewhat fascinated by its more frivolous aspects. I agree with Beverley (and presumably Melton) that we aren't dealing with a cult. Rather, it seems to be the greatest keg party in the world!