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Charismatics seem to be everywhere these days. If you yourself are not a charismatic, chances are that at least some Catholics you’ve come to know over recent decades have turned out to be charismatics. They are often outgoing and friendly. They smile a lot. They often exhibit a certain ecumenical openness toward evangelical Protestants, especially those of a Pentecostal bent. Upon reflection, this is probably quite natural. Charismatics often seem to share more in common with evangelical and pentecostal Protestants than they do with many of their fellow Catholics. Many Catholics would probably be taken aback if someone waltzed up to them and asked “What’s the Lord been doing in your life?” But not charismatics! They talk easily about their faith, the Bible, Jesus, and their spiritual struggles and conquests. Just like Evangelicals and Pentecostals! That’s not a bad thing. Love of Scripture, zeal for the Gospel, and eagerness to share one’s faith are admirable qualities in themselves. Indeed, there are numerous personal testimonies that experience with the charismatic movement has been the beginning of a serious walk with God or rediscovery of faith. Yet for all the enthusiastic personal testimonies, there are just as many bad experiences that often lead people away from God and the faith entirely. While there is much to admire about many charismatics as individuals, many Catholics nevertheless have serious misgivings about charismatic beliefs and practices. The charismatic movement is enjoying its day in the sun nowadays, but what also must be kept in view for the long term are the tried and true traditions that have served the Church well for centuries and will continue to be foundational for Catholic faith and morals long after contemporary movements of enthusiasm are supplanted by whatever is the theology du jour a hundred years from now.
For their own part, evangelical Protestants were raising serious theological questions about the charismatic movement well before Catholics got involved, but most Catholics, including those who subsequently joined the movement, seem relatively unaware of them. To make matters worse, substantial Catholic analyses of the charismatic movement were nowhere to be found when Catholics first got involved. The term ‘charisms’ is not even mentioned in the new (1983) Code of Canon Law. In light of the deep historical roots of the Catholic Faith, in light of the profound traditions of mystical and ascetic theology, in light of the fact that a Catholic convert like Cardinal Newman could declare that “to go deep into history is to cease to be Protestant,” it is particularly distressing to meet Catholics today whose practice of the faith seems so utterly devoid of historical consciousness as to suggest that little matters beyond Bible study, extemporaneous prayer, and their own experience of a personal relationship with Jesus. Why is it that charismatics often seem to regard the Church, canon law, clerical authority, sacraments, and the rich theological, philosophical, and liturgical traditions of the Church as secondary, if not incidental or even deleterious, to their practice of the faith? Why do they so often seem to elevate extraordinary expressions of spiritual experience, certain forms of prayer, and certain ‘charisms’ (like healing, ‘prophecy,’ ‘words of knowledge,’ and exorcism-like practices) above the ordinary means of grace provided by our Lord through his Church? Why do they seem emotionally more at home with contemporary practices of Evangelicals and Pentecostals than they do with those of their own Church traditions? Why do their expressions of faith sometimes remind one of what Harvey Cox called “Catholicism without priests”? Something seems awry here.
One hunch is that what attracts so many Catholics to the charismatic movement is not so much any “new Pentecost” or “springtime” that the Church has allegedly experienced since Vatican II, but a withering spiritual deprivation suffered in the wake of the Council, amplified by a parching thirst for something more than the shallow puddle of spiritual resources they were left with after the legacy of devotional, liturgical, spiritual, and theological traditions were cast to the four winds, leaving them in a spiritual wasteland. The Index of Leading Catholic Indicators since Vatican II is crystal clear about this: the collapse of foreign missions, the evisceration of religious orders, the closing of seminaries and churches. One would have to be blind to not see this. Then into this spiritual wasteland came the apparent panacea of Protestant Pentecostalism, recently liberated from its local Protestant moorings, with all of its promise of energizing spiritual rejuvenation in a new, laity-led, ‘portable’ form! “Fire!” “Anointing!” “Glory!” “Dominion!” How could a spiritually impoverished Catholic resist? On the one side were the smouldering embers of “wreckovated” churches and eviscerated, disoriented parishes of the 1970s. On the other side was the promise of something altogether new and exciting that seemed to promise quick results.
Even as well-disposed as Pope Francis seems toward Pentecostal charismatics, many seem to miss the fact that he expresses important reservations when addressing Catholic charismatics. For example, in his June 2014 address to Catholic charismatics, he warned them not only of the danger of divisiveness but the danger of excessive planning and organization in an attempt to become “‘managers’ of grace” or “arbiters of God’s grace.” Pointedly, he declared: “Don’t act like a tollhouse for the Holy Spirit!” and “never lose the grace of letting God be God!” Again, the larger context of his views regarding new ecclesial movements (including the Catholic Charismatic Renewal) is seen in the letter published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith on June 14, 2016, with the title Iuvenescit Ecclesia. This letter rereads Lumen Gentium in light of post-conciliar developments, that is, the flourishing of these new movements in these last fifty years. The letter clearly sets a new balance between the episcopate and these para-church movements for it tells them to respect the hierarchy, stresses “the decisive task of discernment that appertains to the ecclesial authorities” in assessing the authenticity of charisms, and cautions against cases in which there is a “disordered exercise” of those charisms. It also specifically states (in §6) that healing and tongues are “exceptional gifts” (the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in §2003, uses the word “extraordinary”); and Lumen Gentium states (in §12), that far from being ordinary expectations of the faithful, such gifts “are not to be sought after rashly [temere]”1 by the faithful.
Given the documented origins of the Catholic charismatic Movement in anti-Catholic Protestant Pentecostalism; given its checkered past of alleged abuses and ecclesiastical investigations; given its rapid proliferation and acceptance throughout many quarters within the Catholic community; and given its attestations of welcoming honest and charitable examinations of its claims and practices, it seems not only appropriate but imperative that we take a careful look at some of the serious reservations raised about this movement by some of our most trusted pastors and revered Catholic theologians and other Catholic writers, as well as by a number of Protestant pastors and theologians.2
This is the purpose of this website and the posts offered here by various individuals from various institutions: to honestly, fraternally, and charitably examine the relationship between The Charismatic Movement and Catholic Tradition for the sake of truth and the good of the Church.
Ad Maioriem Dei Gloriam,
The Editors
Notes
- The English translation on the Vatican website leaves untranslated the Latin adverb temere, although it is translated in other European language editions. In the 2012 Latin-English edition of Denzinger, temere is translated as “rashly.” [back]
- Reader advisory: Readers are advised that opinions expressed in linked articles are solely those of their authors and not necessarily those of the editors or site managers of this website. All linked articles have been selected for positive insights they contain. The editors realize, however, that some of the cited Protestant authors are anti-Catholic and some of the Catholic authors hold controversial positions on various matters. The inclusion of perspectives of these authors on the charismatic movement should not be construed as support for all their views on other matters. Some articles, thus, will inevitably contain material that certain audiences may find offensive. Some authors are traditional Catholics whose perspective on certain issues may offend mainstream Catholics. Others are Protestants whose erroneous characterizations of Catholic practices may offend many Catholics, and whose ‘Cessationist’ belief that miraculous gifts ceased after the apostolic age will be found objectionable by most. Still others are non-academic authors whose focus on personal experiences, impressions, and speculations may be off-putting to certain individuals, just as others are academic writers whose detached, clinical approaches may be off-putting to others. Yet all contain insights worthy of thoughtful consideration. Please read with due discretion. [back]
Charismatic Movement and Catholic Tradition 