"Where are the Charismatics?'"
Pastor James Barker

"Around the turn of the last century a new movement developed in Christendom called 'Pentecostalism'. One reference book defines Pentecostalism as: 'An evangelical charismatic reformation movement which usually traces its roots to an outbreak of tongues-speaking in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901 under the leadership of Charles Fox Parham, a former methodist preacher. It was Parham who formulated the basic Pentecostal doctrine of 'initial evidence' after a student in his Bethel Bible School, Agnes Ozman, experienced glossolalia in January, 1901" (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Walter A. Elwell, editor).
Note that this strange new movement originated with a 'tongues-speaking' young lady. In fact, many of the modern cults have been started by women (e.g. Christian Science, Spiritism, Seventh Day Adventism) . Another major Pentecostal pioneer was Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), a 'lady evangelist' who was married and divorced at least three times. The New Testament clearly forbids divorce and it also prohibits lady preachers.

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church," (I Cor. 14:34,35). "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." (I Timothy 2:12.
Pentecostalism has always been marked by false doctrine, emotionalism, and unsavory, unscrupulous preachers. In fact, some of the worst rascals (William Branham, A.A. Alien, Oral Roberts, et al) have been Pentecostal "faith healers". H.A. Ironside and a friend visited some Pentecostal meetings and wrote that:
"We could scarcely believe such scenes were possible outside a lunatic asylum; and even there the keepers would not permit such goings-on" (Miscellaneous Papers, Vol.1) .

In the 1960's a new movement began within the mainline churches called 'neo-Pentecostalism' or 'the charismatic movement'.. Most charismatics trace their history back to St. Mark's episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California. The rector, Dennis Bennett, began 'speaking in tongues' and soon this nonsense spread into many of the dead, liberal mainline churches and even into the Roman Catholic Church. Soon many new charismatic churches, featuring 'tongues and healing', started opening up and a new breed of heretical preachers emerged, spreading their false teachings all over the radio, television, and printed page.

Some of the most notorious of the charlatans are Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Pat Robertson, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Freddie Price, Benny Hinn, and Robert Tilton.
Soon the term 'charismatic' became synonymous with 'phony' or 'crooked'. So the charismatics came up with a different approach. They would continue to 'peep and mutter' but they were now ' non-denominational' . If any one were to ask about their doctrine, they would simply reply: 'oh, we are a non-denominational church!' This is a very deceptive and dishonest. Many people are attending charismatic churches and do not even realize it! Reader, if you are in a tongues-speaking church, you are in a charismatic church whether they admit it or not. Get out and get into a Bible-believing, fundamental church that stands on the Bible as their only authority, not the weird delusions and visions of 'tongues-speaking' occultists."
 

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone
out into the world." I John 4:1

-Pastor James Barker