From Spiritual Powers to Liberating Grace:
My personal story by Torbjorn Swartling
Tentmaker Publications. 170 pages.
ISBN 1 899003 22 8
'Zeal without discernment may lead to disaster' (p.5). That is Torbjorn Swartling's verdict on his own experiences with the Faith movement in Sweden in the mid-1980s.
As a keen young Christian longing for a deeper knowledge of Jesus, Swartling was attracted by the supernatural display of power he saw in the movement. Although he had reservations about aspects of the teaching, he suppressed his doubts and for three years was one of the most committed members of the group. It was only through the concerted efforts of family and friends that he came to realise that the power behind the manifestations 'could not possibly have been God' (p.48), and that much of the teaching was dangerously erroneous.
Swartling experienced many extraordinary phenomena. Initially, he regarded these signs as cast-iron proof that it was God who was at work. He devotes almost a third of the book to describing the experiences - some of them bizarre, some of them quite commonplace. Without falling into the danger of sensationalism, he describes journeys to heaven, out-of-body experiences, levitation, experiencing drunkenness without alcohol or drugs, 'falling in the Spirit', 'holy laughter', tongues, prophecy and healings. In each case, Swartling explains how he believes the practices and teaching of the Faith movement depart from biblical Christianity and, in some cases, get dangerously close to - or even cross the boundary into - occultism and shamanism. He does not set out to give an exhaustive overview of the subject - but rather to provide a biblical corrective to some of the more extreme practices.
Theology
Addressing the theology behind the movement, Swartling looks in some detail at the teaching of Kenneth Hagin as representative of and influential in the movement. He acknowledges that Hagin's theology contains both scriptural and unscriptural doctrine. However, having described Hagin's claims to have received direct revelations from Jesus himself, his overall conclusion is that 'it is not Jesus Christ who appeared to him, but it is another Jesus that delivers another message and another gospel' (p.114-115). This is a serious indictment.
Swartling came to realise that he had been subjected to brainwashing. As he describes the process, effects and treatment of mind control, we again get his thoughts and comments rather than a comprehensive overview. (An excellent book on this and other aspects of cult practice is When a church becomes a cult by Steve Wookey, published by Hodder & Stoughton). Only through rediscovering the truth of God's amazing and liberating grace did he start to 'learn to live again'.
The author is not on a witch-hunt. He takes no pleasure in naming names. His overriding concern is to warn Christians of the dangers of such movements. There is much at stake - in his view, they are promoting a different religion and a different Jesus. Their gospel is really no gospel at all.
Toronto
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the book to me was the appendix on the Toronto Blessing, with its associated experiences of shaking, trembling, laughter and drunkenness. He explains the links between the Faith movement and the Toronto Blessing and his very grave concerns about both. 'It appears to me that the Toronto Blessing is a large-scale initiation into a spiritual dimension that may lead to occult experiences' (p.115) is his verdict. By asserting that the Toronto movement is on the edge of occultism, he clearly believes that it is much more than a psychological deception. And of course, if he is right, it greatly intensifies concerns that many have about that movement.
It is not a particularly easy read - probably largely to do with the fact that it is translated from Swedish. But it is heartfelt, serious and informative. I would have welcomed more on the 'liberating grace' which Swartling rediscovered. It is mentioned on several occasions but never really explained in as much depth as the 'spiritual powers'.
