LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINAR
and WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT
They call themselves an “ecumenical, charismatic, missionary Christian community -- Christians from many different church backgrounds Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists”; they are the ‘Word of God’ community from Ann Arbor, Michigan. This syncretistic community produced a little guidebook called ‘Finding New Life in the Spirit’.
This booklet has been the course outline for every Catholic ‘Life in the Spirit Seminar’ ever since. Is ‘Finding New Life in the Spirit’ a Catholic guidebook? It can be as Catholic as the ‘Word of God’ community is with Presbyterian, Lutheran and Baptist members. The guidebook is so not Catholic that it has been used for Protestant seminars! Naturally it contains no Catholic doctrinal statements, there is no reference to the Eucharist, to Mary, to the Rosary, or to the saints. In fact there is no reference in the guidebook to being Catholic at all.
The guidebook empathizes Scripture, but there is no reference to Tradition. Only Protestants do that. Without Tradition – the guidebook cannot be Catholic.
“Baptism in the Holy Spirit” is a Protestant invention. Explaining it away as “release of the Spirit” is also an invention. There is no reference to "release of the Spirit" in the Catechism or in the Father's writings.
The guidebook implies there is a parallel between the reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the Baptism in the Spirit. This too is an invention.
The guidebook is based on the premise that charismatic gifts can be induced. This is false. Charismatic gifts cannot be induced; they are given where and when the Spirit wills it. (1 Cor 12:11)
There is an undue emphasis on tongues. Otherwise why instruct the participants to say: "I ask you to baptize me in the Holy Spirit and give me the gift of tongues." Why are they told "If you are unwilling to receive the gift of tongues, the Holy Spirit will not be free to work in you." Why is acceptance of this "gift" should be a requisite for the free operation of the Holy Spirit in the individual?
People are told that ‘Baptism in the Spirit’ is the actualization of the gifts they received in Baptism and Confirmation. This is not true. We receive sanctifying gifts at Baptism and they increase at Confirmation. But sanctifying gifts show up only with a deepening spiritual life; they do not appear miraculously or simply because some charismatic laid his hands on a person. The gifts of Baptism and Confirmation are not extraordinary gifts, so to claim that they can somehow morph into extraordinary graces via Spirit Baptism is illogical and absurd!
People are instructed to ask for extraordinary graces. St Teresa in the ‘Interior Castle’ warned not to seek extraordinary graces: "you must never ask or desire Him to lead you by that road" because it shows a lack of humility and that it leaves the soul open to "great danger because the devil needs only to see a door left a bit ajar to enter; third, "when a person has a great desire, he convinces himself he is seeing or hearing what he desires." She warned there are holy people who have never had extraordinary graces and that others had them who were not holy. Furthermore Vatican II ‘On the Church’ §12 states that "The extraordinary gifts are not to be rashly asked for, nor should the fruits of apostolic works be presumptuously expected from them; but the judgment of their genuine character and the ordered exercise of them pertains to those who preside in the Church...." Jesus said much the same in Mt 7:22-23.
There is an emphasis on 'what Paul said'. Yet they disregard what Paul said about how many should speak in tongues and under what conditions. (1 Cor 14:27-28) Instead of 2 or 3, dozens sometimes hundreds will speak in tongues all at the same time and without interpreter.
There are claims made about some supposed distinction between ‘speaking in tongues’ and ‘praying in tongues’. This is pure invention, because Paul made no such distinction.
There is coercion to accept tongues; if one is reluctant to accept tongues it is considered a stumbling block for receiving other gifts. So which is it? Are tongues a free gift or a prerequisite?
People are instructed to open their mouths and to start making sounds like babies – and these unintelligent sounds supposed to develop into languages? Eventually some kind of pseudo language does develop; provided time and effort is given to it. But real languages cannot develop without conscious thought, and surely these tongues remain what they were at the beginning; mindless babble. Now if the Holy Spirit were to give the gift of tongues – charismatic tongues would be actual languages that people could understand. At Pentecost the Apostles received real languages; not babble!
The word ‘empowerment’ is used often. Type ‘empowerment’ into a search engine – a surprisingly large volume of un-Godly stuff will come up. Yet they teach it at the ‘Life in the Spirit Seminar’ that ‘Baptism in the Spirit’ results in empowerment. They make promises of some dynamic, immediate God power, slaying in the Spirit, speaking in tongues type of empowerment – and all that without the requirement of ecclesiastical succession, doctrinal or ritualistic hindrances or having to labor toward holiness. According to charismatics we can be empowered on the spot… just like that!
People are told that they need a 'personal relationship with Jesus'. Catholics consume the Body of Christ in Holy Communion. One could not get more personal than that.
There is an inordinate focus on emotions instead on faith. Charismatics make promises about feeling God's presence and experiencing joy. But human emotions are easily swayed due to our wounded nature from original sin and emotions are perverted with vices. (CCC #417-418, 1768, 1811)
