I
watched the video again. It was entitled "Signs and Wonders
Campmeeting 1994". Pastors of huge charismatic churches
were stumbling around the stage "drunk" with "holy" laughter.
Wanting to testify to the fact the "holy" laughter had
transformed their ministries and their lives, many of
them were unable to speak when called on to do so. But
their "drunken" condition became their testimony. Their
halting speech was seen as "proof" of the "power of the
spirit" that had come over them. The congregation roared
in approval as pastor after pastor laughed uncontrollably
and then fell to the floor. Standing alongside the "drunken"
pastors was evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, the self-described
"Holy Ghost bartender" who was serving up this "new wine"
of "holy" laughter. Many Christian today believe that
Howard-Browne is God's appointed channel for imparting
joy and revival to the endtimes church. Other Christians
see Howard-Browne as a false prophet who is inflicting
great damage to the body of Christ.
Early
last spring 'The Spiritual Counterfeits Project' received
a fax from someone expressing concern about a new phenomenon
called "holy" laughter. He said that a San Francisco Bay
Area Vineyard Church was experiencing what was being described
as "revival" and that the manifestation of "holy" laughter
was being cited as one of the sings of this "revival".
Church members and visitors were reportedly breaking into
fits of spontaneous and uncontrollable laughter during
their nightly services.
Later
when I talked with several members of the San Francisco
Vineyard congregation I was told how hundreds of people
were getting "hit" with "revival" - how some people were
getting so "soaked in the spirit" they would lose consciousness
for up to several hours after falling to the ground with
"holy" laughter. The Vineyard members described "holy"
laughter unqualified as "awesome" and definitely "the
work of the Lord."
I
learned that their Vineyard pastors had recently flown
to a Vineyard church in Toronto where god had reportedly
"touched down" and where "revival" had "broken out." The
San Francisco pastors participating in the Toronto "revival"
had then "brought it back" to San Francisco. It seemed
that one of the characteristics of "holy" laughter is
that it can be easily transferred from one person to another
through the laying on of hands. Thus the Toronto "revival"
had now "spread" to San Francisco. Nightly meetings were
now being held at the San Francisco Vineyard to accommodate
the streams of people wanting to get "touched" by this
"move of God."
Within
weeks of my visit to vineyard I happened to catch a program
on "holy" laughter on a local Christian TV station. The
panel of guests were enthusiastically discussing "holy:"
laughter and endorsing it unquestioningly as a latter
days "outpouring" of God's Holy Spirit. Comparing "holy"
laughter to the "work" of the Spirit at Pentecost, they
were convinced that "holy" laughter was completely authentic.
They equated "holy" laughter with the biblical notion
of joy. As far as they were concerned "holy" laughter
was the "joy of the Lord." Scriptural references to joy
were cited; testimonies were given; songs were sung; and
by the end of the program I felt like I had just watched
a one-hour info-mercial on "holy" laughter.
Then,
several weeks later, there was a program about "holy"
laughter on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. While preached
Rodney Howard-Browne was giving what appeared to be a
serious message, people in the audience were laughing
wildly for no apparent reason. But Howard-Browne seemed
oblivious to the disruption and kept on preaching. Then
when the laughter was at its height he began incorporating
all that was happening into his sermon. He said that the
"holy" laughter they were experiencing was a last days
expression of God's "Holy Spirit." He too compared the
"Spirit" that was manifesting to the Spirit at Pentecost.
He reminded his audience how those gathered in the upper
room had been viewed by others as being "drunk" on alcohol
when in fact they were "drunk" in the Spirit.
Howard-Browne's
audience continued to laugh hilariously as he spoke of
a present day "revival" and how "holy" laughter was ushering
in this "revival," At the end of the service Howard-Browned
shuffled around the huge assembly hall, now breaking into
long fits of laughter himself. As he walked around, talking
and laughing and speaking in tongues, he began to lay
hands on people. After he said "be filled" and repeated
the phrase "from the top of your head to the tips of your
toes" people fell to the ground in hysterical laughter.
As the program ended, the evangelist continued to weave
his way amongst the fallen bodies, many of them still
convulsed in laughter.
Also
during this time I was sent a copy of a flyer that Charles
and Frances Hunter, the authors of a new book entitled
"Holy Laughter", were coming to Portland, Maine. The flyer
said, "God is filling the church with holy laughter! Come
and receive a baptism of joy! Don't miss the unforgettable
move of the Holy Spirit!" Another book on "holy" laughter
entitled "Fresh Anointing: Another Great Awakening", was
also brought to my attention at this time. In it, author
Mona Johnian describes the "holy" laughter "revival" that
erupted in her Boston church after she and her husband
attended a meeting led by Rodney Howard-Browne.
In
the midst of this same two-month period there was yet
another program on "holy" laughter. I was watching a locally
televised church service and the guest preacher was Richard
Roberts, the president of Oral Roberts University and
son of Oral Roberts. His whole sermon was on "holy" laughter
and how it had changed his life and ministry. He described
how "revival" had come to Oral Roberts University. Roberts
explained how he had canceled classes for two days so
that his four thousands students could personally experience
the "joy of the Lord" and received the "gift" of "holy"
laughter. I was not surprised to learn that the "revival"
Roberts was describing had come through the person of
Rodney Howard-Browne.
And
then to round out my summer crash course on the subject
of "holy" laughter, the August issue of Charisma magazine
had Rodney Howard-Browne on its cover. He was clearly
the man of the hour. The cover story on this by now wildly
popular "Holy Ghost bartender" was entitle "Praise the
Lord and Pass the New Wine." The article was yet one more
endorsement of Howard-Browne and "holy" laughter. And
what I was starting to realize was that all of the "holy"
laughter I had recently encountered - the TV programs,
the books, the various "anointings" and "revivals" could
all be traced back to him: Toronto Vineyard, San Francisco
Vineyard, the Hunters, Mona Johnian, Richard Roberts,
and all the rest.
The
Charisma article described Rodney Howard-Browne as the
"spiritual conduit" for "holy" laughter. But I wanted
to know how Rodney Howard-Browne got his "anointing?"
The Charisma article stated that in South Africa, in the
summer of 1979, Howard-Browne "spent hours praying for
a deeper experience with God." In the midst of his prayers
he is quoted as having told God, "either You come down
here and touch me, or I will come up there and touch You."
õCharismaû said that suddenly in the midst of that
prayer Howard-Browne's "whole body felt like it was on
fire. He began to laugh uncontrollably. Then he wept and
began to speak in tongues." In Howard Browne's book The
Touch of God, Charisma quotes him as saying, "I was plugged
into heaven's electric supply, and since then my desire
has been to go and plug other people in."
And
certainly one of the most outstanding characteristics
of Howard-Browne's "anointing" and the whole "laughing
revival" is that it is so immediately transferable from
person to person. Those "anointed" by Howard-Browne can
now "anoint" others. And that is what's happening. The
"Spirit" that visited Howard-Browne has exponentially
multiplied as it has been passed on from person to person
around the world. A video advertised in that same August
issue of Charisma documents the spread of Howard-Browne's
"holy" laughter. It is entitled "The Laugh that was Heard
'round the World."
The
"holy" laughter "revival" started by Howard-Browne is
spreading like wildfire around the world. A recent conference
sponsored by Toronto Vineyard drew 2300 pastors from countries
as far away as Cambodia. They had all come to observe
the "laughing revival" that was now being called "The
Toronto Blessing." Even skeptical pastors were getting
"hit" with the "Spirit" and then taking that "Spirit"
back to their churches and towns.
Howard-Browne's
"laughing revival" has now officially moved into the Christian
mainstream with a recent endorsement from Pat Robertson
on his popular 700 club. On October 27, 1994 Robertson
said this about "holy" laughter: "...what this says to
me is revival is taking place in the world in a mass wave...and
we look to the coming of the Lord I think this is a very
encouraging sign in the middle of all this trouble and
all these wars and all this confusion. God is saying I'm
on the throne and I'm going to touch multiplied millions.
It's wonderful. I applaud it."
But
what does the Bible say about laughter?
Last
summer, after watching Rodney Howard-Browne on TBN, I
consulted my concordance to see if there was any biblical
precedent for "holy" laughter. Surprisingly, I found only
40 references to laughter in the Bible; 34 of them were
in the Old Testament, while only 6 were in the New Testament.
Of those 40 references, 22 of them referred to scornful
laughter, as in Nehemiah 2:19 when Nehemiah said, "they
laughed us to scorn." Of the 18 remaining references to
laughter, seven of them referred exclusively to Abraham
and Sarah's initial disbelief and ultimate astonishment
that God would give them a child in their old age. Barely
into my study on laughter I was already down to my last
11 references.
In
Job 8:21 Bildad, one of Job's false comforters, wrongly
advised Job that if he were in right standing with God
he would be prosperous and full of laughter. The Psalmist
in Psalm 126:2 recorded that when the captivity of Zion
was over "then our mouth filled with laughter and our
tongue with singing.' Proverbs 29:9 says, "if a wise man
contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh,
there is no rest."
With
only 8 remaining references I had seen nothing in the
Bible up to this point that suggested anything even resembling
"holy" laughter. In Ecclesiastes 2:2 Solomon says, "I
said of laughter, it is mad." Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, there
is "a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn
and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 says, "sorrow
is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance
the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in
the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the
house of mirth." Ecclesiastes 7:6 says, "for as the crackling
of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool: this
also is vanity." Ecclesiastes 10:19 says that "a feast
is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry."
Interestingly
the Bible's last three references to authentic laughter
in the New Testament - warn against laughter. These three
references actually seemed to underline Samuel's contention
in Ecclesiastes that "sorrow is better than laughter"
and that now is a time to weep and not to laugh. In Luke
6:21 Jesus says "blessed are ye that weep now: for ye
shall laugh." In Luke 6:25 Jesus says, "woe unto you that
laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep." James 4:9 tells
us not to laugh but to "be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy
to heaviness."
I
had searched the scriptures to find any biblical precedent
for "holy" laughter and there was none. To my amazement,
I had discovered that there were surprisingly few references
in the Bible to any kind of laughter. Did this mean that
god doesn't have a sense of humor or that people in the
Bible never laughed? No. It just meant that laughter apparently
was not something that god chose to emphasize very much.
And certainly Jesus' last words on laughter - "woe unto
you that laugh now!" were not ones that would seem to
give any encouragement to a "laughing revival."
The
Lord says, "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isaiah
1:18). Here are some of my concerns about "holy" laughter
and the "laughing revival."
(1)
There is no biblical precedent for "holy" laughter.
Laughter
is rarely mentioned in the Bible. Yet, when it is, the
Bible seem to make more of a case for holy sorrow than
for "holy" laughter. Scripture supports Solomon's contention
that "sorrow is better than laughter." It does not support
the present "laughing revival."
(2)
Substituting the word joy for laughter is a non sequitur.
It is inaccurate and misleading.
There
is no scriptural authority for equating biblical references
to joy with the involuntary manifestations of "holy" laughter.
Just because there are insufficient Bible texts to make
the case for "holy" laughter, it does not follow that
you can simply redefine the word laughter by substituting
the word joy.
(3)
"Holy" laughter advocates rarely, if ever, discuss the
need to "test the spirits."
The
Bible warns us that not every supernatural manifestation
is necessarily from God. 1 John 4:1 says, "Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
of god: because many false prophets are gone out into
the world." Charles and Francis Hunter write in their
book Holy Laughter, "Once you begin to walk in the supernatural
you really have to be ready for anything and everything
and never question the way God does it!" (p. 65).
(4)
"Holy" laughter advocates rarely, if ever, talk about
the Spirit's express warning that in the latter times
some people will be supernaturally seduced by deceptive
evil spirits into following them and not the one true
God.
1
Timothy 4:1 warns, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."
(5)
"Holy" laughter advocates rarely, if ever, talk about
the Bible's warnings of false prophets who come in the
name of Jesus but bring with them "another spirit."
2
Corinthians 11:4 says, "For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive
another spirit, which ye have not received, or another
gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear
with him."
(6)
Many laughter advocates condescendingly discourage and
even openly intimidate sincere Christians who question
the "laughing revival."
According
to the August Charisma article, Rodney Howard-Browne "disparages"
people who "try to apply theological tests" to what he
does. The Hunters' book "Holy Laughter" refers to skeptics
as God's "frozen chosen." Mona Johnian writes, "skeptics,
hesitaters and procrastinators do not get anointed." She
warn "that any person or church that wavered could be
eliminated."
(7)
(Rodney Howard-Browne's prayer to God just prior to his
"anointing" ("Either You come down here and touch me,
or I'll come up there and touch you") was unscriptural.
Howard-Browne's
prayer was in essence "my will be done." It was not "thy
will be done," as taught by Jesus in scripture. Why should
we automatically assume that it was God who answered his
prayer?
(8)
"Holy" laughter advocates, in talking about "signs and
wonders," rarely, if ever, mention the Bible's many warnings
about deceptive signs and wonders.
In
Matthew 16:4 Jesus warns, "a wicked and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign." In Matthew 24:24 Jesus says, "For
there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and
shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if
it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9 the apostle Paul warns of the coming
Antichrist, "even him, whose coming is after the working
of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders."
(9)
"Holy" laughter advocates seem to lay hands on almost
everybody. The Bible specifically warns against this.
The
eight chapter of Acts describes how the disciples would
not lay hands on Simon, a baptized believer, even though
he desperately wanted the gift of the Holy Ghost, because
his heart was "not right in the sight of God."
1
Timothy 5:22 warns us to "lay hands suddenly on no man."
Yet, "holy" laughter is passed from person to person without
so much as a second thought.
(10)
"Holy" laughter advocates blatantly disregard the biblical
admonition that things be done decently and in order.
1
Corinthians 14:40 says, "Let all things be done decently
and in order." Mona Johnian in her book Fresh Anointing
says, "decently and in order! We must do things decently
and in order. The Bible itself commands it, cry those
who are frightened by that which is beyond traditional
order" (p.35). She advises her readers to "break with
tradition" (p.45).
(11)
The chaos and confusion that usually characterizes the
"laughing revival" contradicts the Bible's description
of the Person of God.
1
Corinthians 14:33 states, "For God is not the author of
confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."
(12)
Laughter advocates rarely, if ever, discuss the well documented
demonic deceptions that have manifested in past revivals.
To
combat the deception that arose during the Welsh revival
at the turn of this century authors Jessie Penn-Lewis
and Evan Roberts wrote "War on the Saints: a disclosure
of the deceptive strategies used by evil spirits against
God's people." Both were very involved with the revival
and were extremely concerned about the demonic manifestations
that began to dominate their meetings. The foreword to
"War on the Saints" warns of the "grave dangers that beset
the path of uninformed enthousiasm."
(13)
A number of Christians have experienced the equivalent
of "holy" laughter when they were in the New Age.
Indian
Guru Bhagwhan Shree Rajneesh was affectionately known
by his followers as the "divine drunkard" because he was
reputed to have drunk so deeply from the well of the "Divine."
As a former follower of Rajneesh I met hundreds of Sannyasins
who had flown to India "to drink" from "Bhagwan's wine."
When followers were physically touched by Rajneesh, or
even if they were merely in his presence, they would often
experience feelings of great exhilaration and joy. Disciples
of Swami Baba Muktananda would often manifest uncontrollable
laughter after receiving Shaktipat (physical contact)
from the guru.
(14)
The "laughing revival" could one day merge with what the
New Age calls the coming of "planetary Pentecost."
Barbara
Marx Hubbard, (revered New Age leaders and a 1984 Democratic
nominee for Vice Presidency of the United States), writes
in her book, "Teachings from the Inner Christ", how the
human race will soon experience a day of "Planetary Pentecost."
Hubbard, claiming to be in contact with "Christ," writes:
"the Planetary smile is another name for the Planetary
Pentecost. When enough of us share a common thought of
our oneness with God, Spirit will be poured out on all
flesh paying attention" (p.79). In her book, "The Revelation",
Hubbard says "Christ," in describing the planetary smile,
said: "an uncontrollable joy will ripple through the thinking
layer of the earth. The co-creative systems, which are
lying psychologically dormant in humanity will be activated.
From within, all sensitive persons will feel the joy of
the force, flooding their systems with love and attraction...as
this joy flashes through the nervous systems of the most
sensitive people on earth, it will create a psychomagnetic
field of empathy, which will align the next wave of people
in synchrony, everywhere on Earth. This massive, sudden
empathic alignment will cause a shift in the consciousness
of Earth" (p.234-235). Writing in õHappy Birth
Day Planet Earthû, Hubbard repeats what she heard from
"Christ." He said, "as the planetary smile ripples through
the nervous systems of earth, and the instant of co-operation
begins, and empathy floods the feelings of the whole body
of Earth, separation is overcome, and I appear to all
of you at once (p.10-11).
The
controversy over "holy" laughter is already splitting
congregations and causing deep divisions in the body of
Christ. And while many people have already taken sides,
there are many more who are still trying to figure out
just what is going on. Is this really a move of God, or
is this the kind of deception the Bible warns about in
Matthew 24, 1 Timothy 4:1, and in the second chapter of
Thessalonians?
Unity
is indeed the heartfelt desire of every sincere Christian
(Psalm 133:1). But the Bible warns of massive deception
that will come at the end and in Christ's name. Before
the Church - in the name of unity - freefalls into a worldwide
"laughing revival," we had better be sure what it is we
are uniting with.
In
reflecting on "holy" laughter during these very troubled
times, I recalled a music special I had seen on television
a number of years ago. In the midst of an otherwise polite
Hollywood type crowd, a male vocalist sang straightfaced
and sober into the teeth of their celebration. His words
were electric and piercing, and they seemed to hang in
the air. He sang, "you're laughing now, but you should
be praying. You're in the midnight hour of your life."
Some
Examples of Holy Laughter in Other Religions
1)
Kundalini Energy is typically described as a powerful
energy source lying dormant in the form of a coiled serpent
at the base of the human spine. When freed it reputedly
has the capacity to effect great physical and spiritual
healings.
Christian
and Stanislav Grof, New Age authors of the book "The Stormy
Search for The Self", describe how the awakening of the
Kundalini energy can be triggered by an advanced spiritual
teacher or guru. And how the awakening can bring up memories
of past psychological and physical traumas. The Grofs
state that "individuals involved in this process might
find it difficult to control their behavior; during powerful
rushes on Kundalini energy, they often emit various involuntary
sounds, and their bodies move in strange and unexpected
patterns. Among the most common manifestations...are unmotivated
and unnatural laughter or crying, talking tongues...and
imitating a variety of animal sounds and movements" (p.78-79).
The Grofs state that "careful study of the manifestations
of Kundalini awakening confirm that this process, although
sometimes very intense and shattering, is essentially
healing."
Bhagwhan
Shree Rajneesh, the former Oregon guru tells one of his
followers in his book, "Dance Your Way To God," "just
be joyful...God is not serious...this world cannot fit
with a theological god...so let this be your constant
reminder - that you have to dance your way to God, to
laugh your way to God" (p.229). Often referred to as being
"drunk on the divine," Rajneesh encouraged his followers
to come and "drink" from him. Bhagwhan's spiritual "wine"
was often passed along with a single touch to the head.
Many of his Sannyasins would fall to the floor in ecstasy
after their encounter with Rajneesh.
Ramakrishna,
an Indian saint, "daily went into samadhi, a trance in
which one voluntarily falls down unconscious and enters
a rapturous state of super-consious bless (ananda), complete
with beautiful visions and often involving astral projection.
These states could last anywhere from a few minutes to
several days and were often accompanied by uncontrollable
laughter or weeping. He could send others into this state
with a single touch to the head or chest" (unpublished
article by John Rice on file at SCP).
Swami
Baba Muktananda would transfer what was called "guru's
grace" to his followers through Shaktipat (physical touch).
This "grace" triggered the gradual awakening of the Kundalini
which in turn produced various physical and emotional
manifestations. Manifestations included uncontrollable
laughing, roaring, barking, hissing, crying, shaking,
etc. Some devotees became mute or unconscious. Many felt
themselves being infused with feelings of great joy and
peace and love. At other times, the "fire" of Kundalini
was so overpowering they would find themselves involuntarily
hyperventilating to cool themselves down (Per former Muktananda
follower Joy Smith).
2)
African Kung Bushmen of the Kalahari. The Grofs, in their
book "The Stormy Search For The Self", also cite an interesting
parallel between the Kundalini awakening and the trance
dance of the African Kung Bushmen. During rituals the
bushmen "enter a profound altered state of consciousness
associated with the release of powerful emotions such
as anger, anxiety, and fear. They are often unable to
maintain an upright position and are overcome by violent
shaking. Following these dramatic experiences, they typically
enter a state of ecstatic rapture. According to the bushmen
tradition, the dance releases from the base of the spine
a cosmic healing force called õntumû or õmedicine.û
This is then passed by direct physical contact from one
person to another."
3)
Qigong (ancient Chinese practice). Yan xin, a Chinese
Qigong master known to most of the over one billion people
in China, gave a talk in San Francisco in 1991. Seventeen
hundred devotees, most of them Chinese, showed up at the
Masonic auditorium to listen to Yan. The San Francisco
Chronicle on 5/16/91 reported that "minutes into his talk,
several began experiencing what Yan Xin calls spontaneous
movements. The Chronicle reporter said that "before long,
the scene began to resemble a Pentecostal prayer meeting
with many people waving their arms and making unintelligible
sounds." Yan told his audience, "Those who are sensitive
might start having some strong physical sensations - or
start laughing or crying. Don't worry. This is quite normal."
The article said that "since 1985, when a Qigong revival
started sweeping China, 50 to 60 million Chinese have
gone to see Yan."
4)
Subud. According to "The Encyclopedia of American Religions"
by J. Gordon Melton, the central element of the subud
faith is the practice of "latihan." Latihan is the way
one surrenders to the power to God. It is a group process.
The
Encyclopedia says, "the latihan proper is a time of moving
the consciousness beyond mind and desire and allowing
the power to enter and do its work...often accompanying
the spontaneous period are various body movements and
vocal manifestation - cries, moans, laughter and singing.
These occur in the voluntary surrender of the self to
the power. During this time, people report sensations
of love and freedom and often, healings. All reach a higher
level of consciousness."
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