by: Doug Banister
Zondervan, 1999, 208pp.
*****
[Highly recommended read guaranteed to challenge your dearly held suppositions, in a good way!]
Pastor Doug Banister draws for the reader an outline of what the ideal church would look like if it were to adopt the emphases of both the classic Evangelical and the Charismatic traditions-- of the Word and the Spirit. My own experience of having been reared in a denomination that was an odd cross between the two and then spending all but the last eight years of my adult life in ‘Evangelical’ churches has brought me to a unique readiness to consider Banister’s wise peacemaking perspective. For the past eight years I’ve been privileged to know a warm Pentecostal tradition from the inside. I’ve witnessed the same strengths and weaknesses (in both traditions) that Banister so aptly puts into writing. His well-reasoned and candid approach will help both sides to get past token tolerance and begin to understand and even welcome each other’s strengths.
A word regarding the labels: As Banister himself explains, both ‘evangelicals’ and ‘charismatics’ belong to the broader classification of ‘evangelicalism’, born out of the Protestant Reformation. These popular labels are used loosely, to differentiate the two camps based on whether or not they emphasize a distinct ‘second blessing’ of some sort; thus Pentecostals are lumped into the ‘charismatic’ camp. As one quickly discovers even scratching the surface of church history, our forebears are not so distinct. Banister devotes an entire chapter to ‘Our Common Heritage’ noting how both sides claim ‘as one of us’ people and movements such as: The Pitetists, the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, Wesley, Finney and Moody, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and The Keswick Movement.
This is not, however, a dry history or theology book, but a very readable and personal entreaty to recognize the ‘genius of the AND’, that is, to figure out a way to incorporate the strengths of both traditions into a single church, thus the title of his book: The Word and Power Church. Banister vulnerably weaves in his personal transformation from stoically teaching and defending sound doctrine minus passion to encouraging a broader, more experiential faith and practice yet not at the expense of ‘rightly dividing the Word’. In two key chapters he lays out the legacy brought to the Body of Christ from each of these divergent camps, encouraging each side to tap into the strengths of the other for a more robust and effective church.
Evangelicals are noted for their thoroughgoing expository preaching, their emphasis on the authority of Scripture, their already-but-not-yet view of the Kingdom which gives them quiet power in the face of suffering, their emphasis on the process of spiritual growth as opposed to a crisis-driven spirituality, and their use of small groups for Bible study and accountability.
Charismatics, on the other hand, are exemplary in the priority and expectation they bring to prayer, to the power of the Kingdom being here in part now, to actually hearing from God through prophecy, words of knowledge and tongues, to participatory worship, and to the use of spiritual gifts in a small group setting.
The second half of the book is devoted to unpacking these ten distinctives to show what a “Word and Faith church” might look like in practice. Banister speaks from his own experience of implementing these priorities in his own Evangelical Free Church. These are decidedly the toughest chapters to read charitably. One wonders, for instance, how differently the book might have been written if the author had not himself unexpectedly received the gift of a ‘prayer language’. There is no doubting that our experiences influence how we interpret doctrine. Having said that, Banister does an excellent job of navigating the ‘mine fields’ of doctrinal disagreements to extract the truth that often lies between two extremes. The chapters in this section were not of equal strength. Some were weak, others excellent. For instance…
The chapter on discovering spiritual passion, (“We Need the Caboose”) fails to effectively distinguish between emotionalism/feelings and genuine spiritual passion. It hints at the nature of genuine passion: “Genuine passion always results in an obedient life” but fails to differentiate if from emotion. This chapter is based largely on an interpretation of Jonathan Edwards’ writings and driven by the author’s own ‘quest for spiritual feelings’. He seeks to pair “a principled, obedient faith and a deeply emotional spirituality.” (126,127) Yes, faith is more than intellectualism and obedience. But is it of necessity ‘deeply emotional’?
The following chapter on worship evangelism is the weakest in terms of having Biblical precedent. It speaks of church models and cultural studies and experiential results more than Scriptural reasoning. The felt presence of God is spoken of as though it were ‘on tap’ for churches that elect to use it for evangelism. Sadly, in making a case for its effectiveness, the author denigrates churches with more staid forms of worship to less effective status.
Banister redeems himself in the final chapters-- one on healing, the other on fillings of the Spirit. To each he brings a broad perspective and invites a stance that sees God as bigger than any one experience or dogmatic doctrine. ‘God is God. He does what He chooses.’ (151) He suggests that growing spiritually will be marked by different experiences or processes for different people. It is not needful or effective to try to emulate another’s experience. Should we pray for deeper works? Certainly, Paul did (Eph.3:16-19). But we cannot control the way God chooses to answer those prayers. “Some may experience God’s power, love, filling, and fullness in a dramatic, crisis-type event. Most will experience these blessing in a gradual but ever-increasing measure.”(175)
Final appendices cover 1) key arguments against cessationism, 2) a defense of personal prayer languages, and 3) advice for leaders desiring to implement changes in their churches
Due to the controversy inherent to the topics under discussion this book will not be 100% agreeable to most readers but that is precisely why it needs to be read! Doug Bannister’s gentle conciliatory style in evaluating non-essentials coupled with his uncompromising commitment to the written Word will challenge you to evaluate your own convictions. His writing is well worth a careful and prayerful read in hopes that God will use it to begin to strengthen and knit us all into a more loving and co-operative Body for His greater glory.
--LS
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