The Last Gasp of the Charismatic Movement

Stephen Strang, editor-in-chief of Charisma magazine, has recently published a candid piece titled “The Silent Drift Inside the Charismatic Church,” addressing a profound compromise that is quietly eroding the charismatic and Pentecostal movement. Strang rightly points to a decline in the preaching of sin and holiness, an over-professionalization of worship that stifles the Spirit’s spontaneity, and a widespread political cowardice in the pulpit that avoids confronting cultural moral rebellion.

This is an essential conversation that must be had, but in diagnosing the spiritual decline, one critical factor was not given its due weight, and perhaps it is the engine of the drift itself: the widespread politicization of the Evangelical movement, and specifically the charismatic community.

While Strang focuses on what we are neglecting to preach, we must also address where our energy is being misdirected. In many corners of the charismatic world today, there is far more energy being put into political initiatives, rallies, and campaigns than into the prayer closet, the altar, and genuine spiritual revival.

Movements Rarely Recover

Historically, it is rare for a movement that loses its foundational truths to successfully recover them. The history of God’s work shows that when a vibrant move of the Spirit begins to fade, what usually emerges is not a complete restoration of the original, but an entirely new movement. This new expression often rises from unexpected backgrounds, is consequently rejected by the prevailing community, and becomes something wholly separate.

It is possible that the charismatic movement, as we have known it, is on its last gasp. While we may not yet see what is emerging on the horizon to take its place, God is sovereign and fully capable of raising up a new people to establish new life and fire.

The Problem of King Herod Figures

The obsession with political power has led to a profound compromise in leadership. In our circles, we often back leaders who, while they may ascribe to conservative values that align superficially with the Christian community, are nonetheless King Herod-type figures of ambiguous moral stature.

This strategy didn’t work for the first-century Jews, who sought a political Messiah and ultimately backed power-brokers like Herod to achieve their nationalistic aspirations. It is incredibly unlikely that the long-term outcomes for the church today are going to be beneficial if we continue to put our trust and spiritual capital behind figures who prioritize power over purity.

We have a history of this failed courtship. Ronald Reagan was the first in modern times of these populist leaders who openly courted the Christian conservative demographic, but historical evidence confirms that behind closed doors, he had explicitly stated that he had no intention of making good on their political platform mandates, and in fact did not deliver on one line item of the core Christian Conservative political agenda.

The Call to the Altar

This is a stark warning for the Church today. Politics is not the answer. We must abandon the idolatry of populist political leaders. They will do nothing but disappoint us in the end, and their failure will open the door for a backlash progressive movement that plows under the political aspirations of the church in the next generation. 

There is coming in the Future a Collapse of the aspirations of the Christian Conservative Movement that will Be Known as “The Great Dissillusionment.”

If we want to address the “silent drift,” the answer is not a better political strategy, but a decisive spiritual pivot. We must return to the altar and look only to God. Our power is not in the ballot box, but in the prayer closet; not in the halls of government, but in the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. Let us repent of our political preoccupation and rediscover the conviction, holiness, and fire that were the true marks of the Spirit-filled life.