steven-nemes
Puritan Board Sophomore
I watched the documentary film Jesus Camp earlier today. It is basically following a woman Pentecostal pastor and her mission on training kids to be good Christian citizens of the U.S. They pray for a cardboard cut-out of president Bush, they speak in tongues, they cry and tremble in their prayer, they put 12-year-olds to preach sermons, and pray for the abortions going on these days before they eat their dinner.
I should think these people are in sin. They have (absurdly) disorderly church services; they have a woman teaching and preaching; they affirm lies about God; etc. But the question came to me: are any of these people actually saved? I should think perhaps at least a few are, although I suppose I wouldn't know for sure. But what of the kids? These are vast numbers of little kids from the midwest who are being brought up in heretical, legalistic households, and it will be difficult to break them of their bad theological traditions when they are older, mostly because they aren't trained to think and wrestle over passages in scripture, but they were given assertions and taken them as true (as children generally do).
Ought we, who do have the true truth regarding God's nature, plan, and sovereignty, to preach to these people? Ought there to be Calvinists and Reformed folks who regularly dialog with charismatic folk, and attend charismatic services and seek to discuss and debate with the charismatic folks outside or afterward? I don't doubt that some, perhaps many, charismatics are not saved; they believe they have some sort of saving faith because they experienced some sort emotional thrill at some point in time, and uttered a certain phrase or mixture of sounds at another, and because they affirm certain political positions. There is no sound theological teaching; there is no sound preaching; there are heresies being taught and practiced left and right. So, should there be cross-denominational "mission" work? And how ought it to be done?
I should think these people are in sin. They have (absurdly) disorderly church services; they have a woman teaching and preaching; they affirm lies about God; etc. But the question came to me: are any of these people actually saved? I should think perhaps at least a few are, although I suppose I wouldn't know for sure. But what of the kids? These are vast numbers of little kids from the midwest who are being brought up in heretical, legalistic households, and it will be difficult to break them of their bad theological traditions when they are older, mostly because they aren't trained to think and wrestle over passages in scripture, but they were given assertions and taken them as true (as children generally do).
Ought we, who do have the true truth regarding God's nature, plan, and sovereignty, to preach to these people? Ought there to be Calvinists and Reformed folks who regularly dialog with charismatic folk, and attend charismatic services and seek to discuss and debate with the charismatic folks outside or afterward? I don't doubt that some, perhaps many, charismatics are not saved; they believe they have some sort of saving faith because they experienced some sort emotional thrill at some point in time, and uttered a certain phrase or mixture of sounds at another, and because they affirm certain political positions. There is no sound theological teaching; there is no sound preaching; there are heresies being taught and practiced left and right. So, should there be cross-denominational "mission" work? And how ought it to be done?
How would one start a conversation (DH and I watched this movie in fascination and horror but would NEVER EVER watch it with non Christian friends). 
