In a previous article we looked at the origins
of the March for Jesus. In this paper we are going to examine one particular
phenomenon which some of the founders of this march are involved in. The
founders were Graham Kendrick, Lynn Green, Roger Forster, and Gerald Coates,
and the phenomenon to which I am referring is the so-called "holy" laughter.
Roger Forster, who also heads Ichthus Fellowships, and Gerald Coates, who also leads the Pioneer network of charismatic churches in England, are two among many who have endorsed this movement.(1) Coates "noticed limited incidents of people laughing and crying uncontrollably, or falling on the floor as if overcome by God's power."(2) He also learned of other churches in which people were laughing and collapsing to the floor."(3) Charisma magazine reports:
"Without him referring to the phenomenon from the pulpit, the laughter broke out at his own church, Pioneer People, in southwest London. 'We saw it happening throughout the month of May,' said Coates, who also is a leader in the March for Jesus organization.
"According to Coates, congregations have been transformed since the movement began. In his own church there has been 'a new spirit' and a fresh generosity among members. Stories of changed lives pour into his office daily. 'It's a different church,' he said."(4) Coates adds: "This could be the biggest thing to hit the church in my lifetime."(5)Such a report of "changed lives" may sound wonderful but we need to know more of the background of this phenomenon before we jump on the bandwagon.
Holy laughter, also known as the "Toronto Blessing," "a time of refreshing,"
"another Pentecost,"(6) and "laughing in the spirit"(7) is encircling the
globe including places such as Argentina, Cambodia, China, Switzerland,
Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Britain, Canada, Ireland, United
States, and South Africa.(8) The person who is most responsible for this
phenomenon is Rodney Howard-Browne, a South African evangelist who was
born in 1961.
In his book, The Touch of God, Howard-Browne describes an experience he had in 1979:
"Suddenly the fire of God fell on me. It started on my head and went right down to my feet. His power burned in my body and stayed like that for three whole days....
"My whole body was on fire from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. Out of my belly began to flow a river of living water. I began to laugh uncontrollably and then I began to weep and then speak with other tongues.
"I was so intoxicated on the wine of the Holy Ghost that I was literally beside myself. The fire of God was coursing through my whole being and it didn't quit....Because of that encounter with the Lord, my life was radically changed from that day on."(9)In 1987, Howard-Browne "prophesied that God would send missionaries to America for revival, which he has defined as manifestations of 'supernatural signs and wonders.' "(10) In April 1989, while he was preaching, some unusual manifestations began to take place: "People began falling out of their seats; some were laughing and others were crying."(11)
This laughter can break out during a communion service or even when
serious sermons are preached. Rodney Howard-Browne reported: "One night
I was preaching on hell, and laughter just hit the whole place. The more
I told the people what hell was like, the more they laughed." "The Holy
Ghost...might have you do something that no one's ever done before, and
he might have you do something that's totally unique. But don't question,
and don't argue, and don't ask, and don't try to devise and to plan it
out but just follow the prompting of the leading of the Spirit of God and,
oh, great and wonderful things shall be done, for God will move in diverse
ways and with diverse anointings in these last days."
Obviously, laughing during a communion service or during a sermon on
hell can hardly be called the "leading of the Spirit of God," yet we are
being told that this movement is of God. For example, Charles and Frances
Hunter, proponents of "holy laughter," relate: "There is a powerful new
wind of the Holy Spirit blowing, but it's lots more than a rushing mighty
wind! There's an energizing, forceful sound that's coming with this new
wind of the Spirit and it is the exciting sound of joy, joy, joy, joy!
Not only an inward joy, but it's bringing a vocal joy, a holy laughter,
right along with it. It's energetically stirring us to higher levels with
God!"(13)
The Hunters also brag: "The Spirit of God is swiftly moving in breathtaking
and sometimes startling new ways, and people of every tongue and every
nation are letting out what is on the inside of them....they are running
at a fast pace to 'Joel's Bar' where the drinks are free and there is no
hangover!...one of today's signs 'in the earth beneath' is the 'holy laughter'
which is supernaturally overcoming people in services all over the world!"(14)
Jill Austin exclaims: "The joy of the Lord started with bubbling and
ended with a flood of laughter in Toledo, Ohio, as the refreshing move
of the Holy Spirit touched the people. We had never seen such a wide-spread
outbreak of hilarious laughter hit a group for almost an hour. Adults and
children acted like there was one big 'swimming party' and they enjoyed
themselves to the fullest!"(15)
Tricia Tillin reports that in one video of Howard-Browne's meetings,
she "saw little talk of repentance or holiness and there was no reverence
of God. People were 'zapped' no matter what their lifestyles or circumstances,
no matter if they were saved or not. The Spirit of God is not indiscriminate.
Satan is!"(17)
The Bible clearly tells us that the Holy Ghost is only given to them
that obey God (Acts 5:32). John 14:17 states that the world cannot receive
the Spirit of truth. Ephesians 1:13 reveals that it was only after an individual
believed that he was sealed with the Holy Spirit. Since "holy" laughter
can be received by those who are unsaved, we can plainly see that this
phenomenon is not of God.
Also, under the so-called "anointing" of "holy" laughter, some people
even start to rip their clothes off.(18) There's one place in the Bible
which tells us about a person taking his clothes off. This individual,
however, was not a Christian. Luke 8:27 tells us that this man "had devils
long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the
tombs." In other words, he was demon possessed. After Jesus cast out the
demons, the Bible reveals that this man was found "sitting at the feet
of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind" (Luke 8:35; Mark 5:15). People
in heathen lands who get saved also have a tendency to put clothes on,
but in the meetings where so-called "holy" laughter is taking over, people
are taking their clothes off. Isn't this fact alone enough to reveal to
us that this movement is not of the Holy Spirit but is of the spirit of
Satan?
With such tactics, it's no wonder that even Howard-Browne has described
one of his services as "total pandemonium." In fact, here are his own words:
"I remember one service where I just went and sat down for an hour and
a half. I just went and sat down. Well, there was nothing else I could
do. Total pandemonium--people falling off of their chairs, people crying,
people laughing and some were wailing--some were shaking. So, I just said
to the people, I said, 'Look, just come up when you're ready and lift your
hands and God will touch you.' I was sitting on the platform--just sat
there and watched them for about an hour and a half. People came right
up, got to the front, lifted their hands--BAM!--on the floor. I just sat
there. I didn't even pray. You say, 'What'd you do?' I just sat there and
twiddled my thumbs. I thought, 'Lord, I wish every meeting was as easy
as this.' Now I had preached the word already and taught the word of God,
and then I went and sat down. And they came walking up, got to the front,
lifted their hands--BAM!--under the power of God."(21)
Do the above disturbances and commotions sound like something that is
Scriptural? Hardly! I Corinthians 14:40 clearly states: "Let all things
be done decently and in order." Think of the sacredness of a communion
service and then envision having this bread which represents the body of
our Savior, Jesus Christ, being thrown around and desecrated. Not only
is something of this nature not "done decently and in order" but is it
extremely disrespectful and blasphemous. Blasphemy and irreverence, however,
seem to proliferate during these laughing meetings. For example, Rodney
Howard-Browne calls himself the "Holy Ghost bartender."(23) He claims he
is serving "new wine"(24) and Charles and Frances Hunter refer to this
as " 'Joel's Bar' where the drinks are free and there is no hangover!"(25)
Howard-Browne encourages people to: "Take another drink...the bar is open....Be
filled! We loose the power! Have another drink!"(26) Romans 14:17 tells
us: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Also, we cannot loose the power. Only
God can do this.
As can be seen, the Holy Ghost is taken lightly. Not only is Howard
Browne supposedly a "Holy Ghost bartender" but Frances Hunter makes mention
of "Holy Ghost glue." Describing her laughing experience, she relates:
"We went to a Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship banquet in Houston....The
man [the speaker] said, 'Well, Jesus, bless Frances!' Down I went faster
than you could blink an eye, followed one second later by my precious husband!...I
tried to get my hands off of the floor, but nothing happened. I couldn't
believe what had happened to me, because it was physically impossible for
me to move....I felt as though someone had given me a divine alka seltzer
because way down deep in the very center of my being I began to feel a
most peculiar type of `bubbling.'...then it abruptly came out of my mouth
in the form of the loudest laugh I have ever heard....no pressure on my
mouth could keep the laughing back. I laughed, laughed, laughed and laughed....I
stopped laughing just as quickly as I started, and suddenly I was released
from the bed of Holy Ghost glue in which I had been resting!"(27)
Actually, the spectacle of uncontrollable laughter and animal noises
may be new to the church world but the occult has known such phenomena
for a long time. Joy Smith, an ex-follower of Swami Baba Muktananda discloses
that the Swami "would transfer what was called 'guru's grace' to his followers
through Shaktipat (physical touch). This 'grace' triggered the gradual
awakening of the Kundalini which in turn produced various physical and
emotional manifestations. Manifestations included uncontrollable laughing,
roaring, barking, hissing, crying, shaking, etc. Some devotees became mute
or unconscious. Many felt themselves being infused with feelings of great
joy and peace and love. At other times the 'fire' of Kundalini was so overpowering
they would find themselves involuntarily hyperventilating to cool themselves
down."(29)
We also find that Anton Mesmer, a Mason and the founder of "animal magnetism"
or "mesmerism," which was the forerunner of hypnosis, and who called his
sessions "seances," was able to cause uncontrollable laughter. One occult
book gives this description of his sessions: " 'His patients sat round
a large oak tub which was filled with water, iron filings and powdered
glass, and from which iron rods protruded. The patients applied these rods
to the afflicted parts of their bodies while Mesmer marched about majestically
in a pale lilac robe, passing his hands over the patients' bodies or touching
them with a long iron wand. The results varied. Some patients felt nothing
at all, some felt as if insects were crawling over them, others were seized
with hysterical laughter, convulsions or fits of hiccups. Some went into
raving delirium, which was called "The Crisis" and was considered extremely
healthful.' "(30)
Another report of his sessions reveals the following: " 'Some are calm,
tranquil and experience no effect. Others cough, spit, feel slight pains,
local or general heat, and have sweatings. Others, again, are agitated
and tormented with convulsions. These convulsions are remarkable in regard
to the number affected with them, to their duration and force. They are
preceded and followed by a state of languor or reverie...Patients experienced
more or less violent perspiration, palpitations, hysterics, catalepsy,
and sometimes a condition resembling epilepsy.' "(31)
Yet another interesting factor is that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was called
the "divine drunkard" by his followers.(32) Hundreds of people flew to
India to "drink" from Rajneesh's "wine."(33) "Often referred to as being
'drunk on the divine,' Rajneesh encouraged his followers to come and 'drink'
from him. Bhagvhan's (sic) spiritual 'wine' was often passed along with
a single touch to the head. Many of his Sannyasins [disciples] would fall
to the floor in ecstasy after their encounters with Rajneesh."(34) (Does
this sound strangely familiar?! Something is wrong with the church when
it starts to experience the same phenomena as the occultists.)
In an additional article we will look at several more individuals who
have endorsed the laughing revival, but in the meantime, "Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world" (I John 4:1).
--Dr. Cathy Burns
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