Biblical, Charismata, Deliverance ministry, Parousia, Dispensationalism

Word Meaning and Definitions

ver.: 23 February 2008

What is : biblical, charismata, deliverance, parousia,
dispensationalism, an index for those long churchy words.

What is meant by 'Biblical' ?

biblical (also 'Bible-based') : 'according to the Scriptures'. The phrase has had its meaning watered down so much that it describes anything from snake-handlers to end-time cultists to the seminary teachers that boost the 'new morality'. For most Christians, it means that the substance and the shape of Christian faith and life is drawn from the main course of what the Bible says.

You can also check the dictionary.

What are Charismata ?

charismata (pl.), charisma (sg.): [Greek, = 'things given']. Or put another way, 'stuff from grace'. A charisma is given, not earned or bought. It is given by the Spirit, not by a leader or a church body. (It can sometimes come from the Spirit through a church body or a leader; it can also come against the wishes of church bodies, leaders, or even the body of believers as a whole.) There are many kinds of gifts the Spirit gives -- ultimately, life itself is a free gift from God. But when Christians speak of 'charismata', they are talking of a specific kind of gift : a gift that is given specifically to build up the community of believers, those within it, and those it serves. These gifts are given not to save, but to empower the saved.

What Is A Deliverance Ministry?

Deliverance:
Rescue. It's not quite the same thing Christians mean by 'salvation' (the work of Christ on the cross did that), but it is a related idea. In a Pentecostalist 'deliverance ministry', the power of Christ frees someone from the grip of a specific trouble, lie, addiction, obsession, or demonic action. This is done through the Holy Spirit working through Christ's servants in that congregation or cell. (There may be group deliverance, too, but that is rarely meant by the term, and works differently.) Some who come for deliverance are non-Christian, and others are believers of varied intensity.

Some Pentecostalists believe in using exorcism rites over all sorts of matters that torment people, not just the hard-set, destructive evil of classic "possession" or demonization. Disease, mental illness, anger, confusion, conflictive relationships -- all are treated as the creation of some sort of demon sent to pester (or 'afflict') that person. To them, "deliverance" means to roust out the pesterer. These Pentecostalists have developed a complex set of beliefs and practices around the effort to cast these demons. To wit :

• they are to be cast out by name.
• a demon can get a 'legal right' to be inside someone.
• a demon may come into someone just because they hang out at an 'occultically-occupied' location, or through a close relationship with someone involved in the occult.
• there are demonic hierarchies, with each demon assigned to specific tasks.
• objects (such as ancient works of art and imported jewelry) can also bear the demon. (Because of this, some consider museums to be dens of the occult.)
• there are curses that can be passed along from one's forebears.
• there are elaborate and wearying rituals or courses of action which supposedly can force a demon to tell the truth and obey orders.

Some of them even expect to see spinning heads and levitations and glowing eyes and such, as if this was a horror movie. They believe the real work of "deliverance ministry" should be left to a 'gifted', 'trained' specialist in casting out demons. Mainstream Christians do not believe in 'deliverance ministries', and do not support them in their congregations. Some even call them a false hope that stops people from getting proper mental health care or from learning to just let go of an inner conflict. Pentecostalists and Charismatics see 'deliverance ministry' as one of the core tasks of the church, in that the Lord's authority is in effect, not only in the by-and-by, but in the here-and-now, in a way that really matters in someone's life. Many of these do not support the more extreme interpretations of what 'deliverance' means.

It's strange how the Bible does not support the beliefs and practices most often backed by 'deliverance ministries', if they were so important in the struggle against Satan. It's strange how the worldview one gets from all this resembles that of the occultic follower or of an animist, the exact folks they say they oppose. Honestly, the kind of things some call "demonic affliction" are more like strong forms of "temptation". Demons will ply their lying craft, but it is our sinful selves that pay heed. The responsibility is ours, not theirs. The Bible usually deals with temptation not through exorcism but by way of self-examination, confession, repentance, character-building, determination to resist, love for others, and trust in God. Rescue from temptation is done by Christ, the power to resist is from the Spirit -- not from a "deliverance minister".

You can also check the dictionary.

What Is the Parousia ?

parousia : Greek, a "coming" or "arrival". For Christians, the term means the return ("second coming") of Christ during the end times. When? Who knows... Christians have debated the second coming since the start. The mainstream of Christian thought see the parousia as the End itself, with His arrival marking the start of the New Earth and the completion of the Kingdom of God. Others, called 'chiliasts' (from a Greek word for 'thousand'), believe Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years before a final confrontation brings in the Kingdom. Many modern fundamentalists, many evangelicals, and a surprisingly large portion of those in the more established churches, are chiliasts, and they've been there almost from the start. The ancient creeds don't mention timing. They simply assert that "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end" (Nicene Creed). Between then and now, Christ is with us through the work of the Holy Spirit.

What Is Dispensationalism ?

dispensationalism : a way of viewing the history of divine action and interaction with humans recorded in the Bible. The best-known version of it is that made popular by the Scofield Reference Bible (orig. 1909) and developed by John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). It divides history into eras or 'dispensations' : the eras of innocence, conscience, civil government, promise, law, grace, and the Kingdom. In each, God puts human obedience to the test in a different way, revealed by God. In each, of course, we fail the test. Eventually, the last 'dispensation' will end, and the Lord will dispense judgement in His thousand-year earthly reign. A dispensationalist approach creates 'eras' out of nowhere, then overplays the importance of each era and exaggerates main 'themes' for each era. It only faintly touches on how much alike each 'era' really is. It has all the difficulties of other millenialist/chiliastic/b> teachings (based on thousand-year time frames), plus those of having a rigid and fixed view of history. It is found almost entirely among North American fundamentalist churches.