Tikkun America RESTORE Magazine Issue 21 Iyyar | May 2023 | Page 11

CHARISMATIC IN NAME ONLY

DANIEL JUSTER
It was the end of October 1967 and I was in a time of great skepticism as I worked hard on courses in my junior year at Wheaton College . A chapel forum included the Pastor of a near-by church who claimed that the people of his church had received the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and practiced their expression . Maybe I could find a miracle to confirm faith . Soon after I found myself on a doubleblind date with a new friend . As we left the women off at the Wheaton College nursing school , we spoke about the chapel speaker . We both wanted to go , and so we went together in my car the following week for their Sunday evening gathering .
The church would later grow to over 600 in its evening meeting with many Wheaton students and a handful of professors as well in attendance .
At this point in time , the gathering was small , maybe 35 people . There were tongues and interpretations , prophecy , and prayers for healing . It was a small intimate meeting , but the questions loomed . “ Were these people really speaking from a supernatural Spirit ? Is this really , I Corinthians 14 in practice ? I attended this church from then until the end of May 1969 . At that time , the church represented what was happening in the early charismatic movement .
It was a movement whose leaders and people were zealous to practice the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and who would regularly manifest tongues , interpretation , prophecy , healing , deliverance , and more .
For those who had experienced those exciting days , it was like a return to the book of Acts .
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