Concerning Holy Laughter

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Certainly, I would be the first to say that God gives us joy, and this may
result in laughter.  The early 20th c. Apostolic Faith movement does re-
cord incidents of laughter, and of course, there are contemporary examples of
laughter (ie. drunkeness in the Holy Ghost) in Oneness Churches, but it is
imperative that we remember the words of the Apostle Paul:

		'Let all things be done decently and
		in order' (I Cor. 14.40)

This modern 'Holy Laughter Movement' that has taken charisma (and certainly
Trinitarian Pentecostalism by storm) is very disconcerting.  The facts are
many, and I do not wish to send a too-lengthy post, but let me make the
following observations.

The movement was fathered by one Rodney Howard-Browne whose associations
are closely tied to the Rhema (word of faith) movement, traditionally
condemned by Classical Pentecostal organisations.  The spawning ground
became the Toronto Vineyard Church in Toronto, Canada.  This centre was
visited by literally thousands from around the world who came to 'receive
the laughter blessing.'  What began with laughter graduated to more extreme
'manifestations' including barking like dogs and roaring like lions.  Many
who attended the meetings returned to their home churches with this new
'holy laughter,' and it is presently an international trend amongst charis-
matic believers (though there is a controversy about its validity even in those
circles).

I saw a video of Dr Howard-Browne and Kenneth Copeland (a popular prosperity
preacher (U.S.)) conducting this sort of meeting.  I was very disturbed and
unable to complete my viewing of the tape.  The two laughed uncontrollably and
fell all over one another speaking in 'tongues' in an apparent conversation.
Both seemed to have some level of comprehension, but this 'manifestation' is
decidedly unscriptural, and I did feel in my spirit a sickening.  Furthermore,
Dr Howard-Browne called himself 'God's bartender,' likening the 'outpouring'
to an alcoholic experience.  Howard-Browne's preaching is almost always
interrupted by the sweeping and sometimes hysterical laughter of his hearers.

My boss attends an Assemblies of God Church, and she has attended the Toronto
meetings.  Initially, she was very enthusiastic about the restorationist
thrust of the 'revival.'  She returned from Toronto very much changed.  Gradu-
ally, however, she has come to question these manifestations and is greatly
concerned about its epedemic proportions in the Assemblies of God.  Many
traditional churches are becoming acquainted and involved in this 'laughter
movement.'  There is a distinct spirit of ecumenicalism in it all as they
lay aside denominational barriers of doctrine and come together in a
common experience.

Really, no manifestation (if it were real) should be a movement.  All of God's
blessings are meted out to the Church according to God's will.  The laughter
movement is a very dangerous development in the denominal world and will,
I think, continue to evolve into more ominous and less biblical stances and
'manifestations.'  I would be happy to forward a list of web addresses that
include critical information on the movement.

I really feel that our maintenance of a real experience in God (in opposition
to the super- and artificial) will be a great witnessing tool in these latter
days as sincere believers in the Bible will become disillusioned with the
theatrics of modern Christianity.

All Honour to Christ Jesus,





Matthew Shaw
00mcshaw@bsu.edu