The
Toronto Blessing is a physical
phenomenon that manifests itself by a participant engaging in fits of
continuous laughter orgutturall utterances such as making animal noises,
for varying lengths of time. This laughter and other noise is considered
to be, and is believed by many, to be a manifestation of the Holy Spirit
and an indication of the blessing of the Holy Spirit being poured out
upon the participant. The phenomenon reveals itself mainly in the
presence of many people, primarily during a religious service and also
continually throughout the preaching of the message during that
religious service. The phenomenon may affect a single individual,
several individuals or an entire audience. ORIGINAL PROPONENTS OF THE Toronto Blessing
John Arnott, Pastor of the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church (since renamed the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship).
Rodney Howard-Browne, Pastor of The River at Tampa Bay, Founder of the River Bible Institute, Founder of Revival Ministries International.
MAJOR RELIGIOUS LEADERS ENDORSING AND/OR PARTICIPATING IN THE Toronto Blessing
Benny Hinn,
Kenneth
Copeland, Oral
Roberts, Richard
Roberts, John Arnott,
John Wimber, Karl
Stader, Kenneth Hagin, Marilyn Hickey, Pat Robertson.
- Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion - 1 Corinthians
14:33.
- Holy Spirit does not bring disorder to public worship - 1
Corinthians 14.
- Holy Spirit leads to truth not mysticism - John 14:17, 16:13.
- Holy Spirit speaks of Christ not emotion - John 15:16.
- Holy Spirit speaks through God's word not pointless expressions
- John 17:17.
- The manifestation is never spoken about in Scripture.
- The manifestation was not practiced or taught by the apostles.
- The manifestation was not practiced by the early church.
- Christ never taught about the manifestation.
- The original proponents of the phenomenon teach basic doctrinal
error, claim new revelations from God not consistent with Scripture,
pervert the teaching regarding the Holy Spirit and change the
Biblical teaching regarding the work of Christ.
- Participants use the phenomenon as "evidence" to presume the
superior spiritual character of the participant - such "evidence"
and claim being contrary to Scripture.
- Participants use the phenomenon as "evidence" to presume the
superior spiritual character of the participant in place of the
definitions of true spiritual character taught in Scripture -
Galatians 5:22 - 26, James 3:13 - 18.
- The phenomenon is a continuation of the historical extremism of
ecstatic conduct and utterances that have produced movements such as
the "Holy Rollers", "Shakers", and the various current "tongues"
groups, 1 Peter 4:7 - 11, 2 Peter 2:1 - 21.
- The phenomenon substitutes an ancient pagan ecstatic rite as a
substitute for knowing and learning about spiritual matters through
the study of the Bible - Proverbs 15:14, 2 Peter 1:3 - 11.
- The Holy Spirit is considered a "thing" or "force" instead of a
Person, John 14:16 - 17.
- Participants mistakenly believe they can control the Holy Spirit
by their own actions, Acts 9 - 24.
- Participants mistakenly believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is some mystical, spectacular event that is separate from salvation and they are constantly trying to find that magical event, Ephesians 4:14 - 16, 1 Corinthians 6:19, John 14:17 - 18. (The gift of the Holy Spirit is, by means of the triune God, a manifestation of Christ Himself)
