Playing with Holy Fire

A Wake-Up Call to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church

By: Michael L. Brown Ph.D.

Narrated by: George W. Sarris

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Over the last 100-plus years the Pentecostal-Charismatic church has witnessed miraculous conversions.

From the Azusa Street Revival, which began in 1906, a movement has grown to bring more people to Jesus than any other movement in history. While secularism continues to be on the rise in today's society, many areas of the world still experience church growth, thanks to Pentecostal-Charismatic Christians.

But the Pentecostal-Charismatic church is also plagued with sexual immorality, financial corruption, doctrinal error, personal flakiness, spiritual gullibility, prophetic abuse, and more. In many ways the state of the church today is not too different from how it was long ago in Corinth. To make matters worse, the church hides these acts under the cloak of liberty in the Holy Spirit.

Michael Brown sounds a wake-up call to the church and addresses some of the most glaring problems, from inaccurate prophetic words that obscure true ones to ministries using scripturally armed marketing techniques in order to manipulate believers into giving.

Brown shows us why we must clean up house so the church can grow, flourish, and fulfill God's kingdom purposes.

©2018 eChristian (P)2018 eChristian

Amazing outlook

Loved the book and read or rather listened to it multiple times. Answered a lot of the ugliness that kept me in the Cessationism camp for a very long time. This book, along with Dr Brown's debates on Cessationism, brought me out of it. Now I believe in Continuationism.

Yes, I have to agree that a lot of people choose to believe Cessationism is due to bad experiences, and then you have the extremist Continuationism that goes over board with little to no oversight.

Don’t play with Fire!!!

Loved this one! as it marks out many ways that we ( pentecostal) hurt our witness and
Reproach the name of Jesus. But how we need to carry ourselves to a dying world. So our words will have power as to reflect the master.

Biblical Support for Truth while Exposing The False

If you, like me, agree that the gifts of the Spirit are still for Believers today, or maybe you aren’t sure, but you are confused why there seems to be so much fraud and manipulation in some of the Charismatic leadership, this book is for you. Dr. Brown does a fantastic job of holding accountable that which doesn’t honor The Lord, while speaking to the truth available to those who will trust the scripture’s teaching for the gifts available to us still today. This is a must “read” for all in the Christian world, regardless of what you believe about the current availability of the spiritual gifts for Jesus’ followers today.

AN EVEN HANDED ANALYSIS

Dr Brown seems to have struck a balance between an open eyed critique of abuses in the contemporary Charismatic Church, and a scriptural defense of the normative nature of the Holy Spirit and His Gifts.

Needed corrective for charismatic children

Jesus died for us humans and there's nothing more human than to be tempted by things supernatural as well as natural. I think it's axiomatic that the greater the gifts (resources, sex, fame,... charismata, etc.) the greater is the possibilities of its perversions.Most people would agree that sex is a gift from God, yet who among us can count the ways it has been perverted? I haven't seen anyone make an argument for its cessation. Not even virgins... though they haven't experienced it yet. And there's no mandate it says you have to and there are ways around sex to have children.

I agree with Dr Brown and see the same kind of silliness in the arguments of the cessionists who do seem to argue more from experience than Scripture. Matter of fact, there are those who were virgins who have had bad experiences of sex or have been abused by it and want nothing to do with it... is that a good argument against it? They could live the rest of their life without it. But, how many of us would intuitively know that they would be missing the potential for something rich and healthy? I feel there are those among us who would agree that it is unnecessary and that Scripture makes certain prohibitions of it and form an argument that it should have ceased with Adam rather than deal with the real problems and help them to live a fulfilled and productive life.

True and convicting

Listen with an open heart! He speaks the truth on both sides of the issue.

Please pastors read it!

This book will bring comfort to those who has been burnt by "charismatic" abuse. It will also help pastors staying on track themselves; knowing how to install healthy bounderies as well as modeling a healthy charismatic life. One day we will all individually stand at judgment seat of Christ to be judged. This book can surely help us all to be more ready for that day.

ouch....in a good way

addressed so many personal questions. it was almost like it was written just for me.

An eye opener!

It'll make you more hungry for true authentic Fire! Come Holy Spirit with your Fire!

Based on the word of God

The author has done an excellent job. I've learned a whole lot. I recommend this book to all leaders. I cant say enough about this book. The author has a heart for God and he truly cares about seeing believers mature and operate according to the word of God.