"The Spirits of the Prophets Are Subject to the Prophets"

Some additional commentary on Three Streams Anglicanism.

Here are two helpful articles, a "pro" piece from First Things written by Dale M. Coulter entitled A Charismatic Invasion of Anglicanism?, and a "con" argument from Stand Firm written by Fr. Matt Kennedy entitled Questioning Charismaticism.  Both articles have interesting combox discussions worth reading.

In Coulter's opinion,

. . . Pentecostalism is nothing less than a modern version of Christian mysticism. Its twin emphases of sanctification and the charismatic mirror the monastic movement from penance to ecstatic union. This is part of why it is both misunderstood by evangelicals, receives much traction in Catholicism and Anglicanism, and has been a doorway for many low-church believers to become Anglican, Orthodox, or Catholic. It is also why Pentecostalism as a movement constantly experiences the tension between its mystical and evangelical DNA. If evangelical revivalism is its father, Christian mysticism is its mother.

There's a nagging issue with Coulter's assessment here, however, which is that Pentecostalism looks nothing like traditional Christian mysticism, but rather more like the kind of ecstaticism we see in certain pagan religions.  I'm not saying that Pentecostals are pagans, but simply that the kinds of manifestations and behaviors we see in Pentecostalism look more like pagan ecstaticism than historic Christian mysticism. 

What's more, I find it intriguing that when at least some charismatics join either the Roman Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church, without necessarily abandoning the belief that their previous experiences as Pentecostals were valid, they nevertheless leave those experiences behind and move into the more historic form of Christian mysticism.

Exhibit A:  The sojourn of Alicia Chesser:  A Charismatic Christian Presses On to Catholic Maturity.

Exhibit B:  One of the comments at the Coulter article from Fr. Barnabas Powell, charismatic convert to Eastern Orthodoxy:

Wonderful article. As a former Pentecostal pastor, now Orthodox, I have always felt Pentecostalism was the Holy Spirit working to draw Western Christianity back to a more mystical intimacy with God that humbled the intellect.

Now, as an Orthodox, I find all my nascent Pentecostal longings matured and fulfilled in the timeless tradition. (Emphasis mine)

"I find all my nascent Pentecostal longings matured and fulfilled in the timeless tradition."

Hmmmm. 

In a couple of recent discussions I've had with a charismatic deacon who was ordained with me in 2014, I mentioned to him something that Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky said and that many Orthodox writers stress, which is that tradition is merely the "life of the Holy Spirit in the church."  As I argued to my fellow deacon, that is how I continue to view holy tradition, and in connection with that belief I see both the Church's worship and her historic mysticism as the work of the Holy Spirit, and not the "traditions of men."  The way we pray when gathered at the Eucharist, the vestments we wear, the music we chant, the ornaments we place in the church and the way we build edifices for worship, all this is due to the Holy Spirit selecting some things from the surrounding culture to freeze in time as it were, while not selecting other things.  

Likewise with our mysticism, we have a 2,000 year old mystical tradition that combines the best elements of Neoplatonism with biblical theology.  Fr. Powell wrote that he found his Pentecostal longings "matured" and "fulfilled" in this "timeless tradition."  The Orthodox Church has a highly developed theology of the Holy Spirit, and Anglican charismatics would do well to acquaint themselves with it

Coulter believes that Pentecostalism is a "modern version of Christian mysticism."  One could counter, however, that Pentecostalism looks more like an attempt - an immature attempt -- to reinvent the mystical wheel.  What's more, will the Holy Spirit make post-Eucharistic joy altar dancing and the Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey part of the Great Tradition?  My educated guess is no.

It is very encouraging to see fresh dialogue between the Orthodox and ACNA; it's reminiscent of previous constructive dialogues.  My contention is that if traditional Anglicanism is going to survive as a true branch of the Catholic Church, it will need to strike some sort of deal with the Orthodox churches down the road, with whom it has more in common than it does with the Church of Rome.  In short, Anglicanism will need to truly become the "Western Orthodoxy" that some of its spokesmen have termed it.  This will likely mean that we will have to jettison certain things.  Women's ordination, for starters.  It will also surely mean no more altar dancing, etc., for the Orthodox are likely to insist that Anglican charismatics find all their "nascent Pentecostal longings matured and fulfilled in the timeless tradition."

This shouldn't necessarily be a hard thing, for the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.