All with One Accord (Donald Gee) - Deal Pentecostal Church

defined as "dexterous: not marred by bungling: carried
smoothly through." Now I hold no brief for that evangelist,
of whose identity I have not the faintest idea, but I suggest
that preaching that conforms to that definition of "slick" by
the O.E.D. has a lot to commend it. Perchance Mr. Forrest
had something different in his mind, for I gather that he
intends a mild criticism. We will agree that, with the best of
intentions, we preachers can at times be rather too clever. We
shall note this comment, to our profit. We want to know what
kind of impression our meetings and our ministry are making
upon the visitors that now are increasingly dropping into our
churches. Paul was quite concerned about the impression a
Pentecostal meeting in his day made upon the "outsider"
(Moffatt's kindlier translation of idiots - 1Corinthians14:23-
25) and we desire to show the same proper interest in what
others are saying about us.
Dr. Hahn's comments in The Christian on Pentecostalists in Chile
and Brazil are a little harsher. But they say nothing that has not
been said before without his frank appreciation of the virility
and impressive size of the Pentecostal contribution in the
strength of the evangelicals in South America. In Chile, says
Dr. Hahn, the members of our churches are "drawn from the
most ignorant classes, and their consequent inhibitions are
few. Their meetings are noisy, but the Lord is blessing them."
Now to have few inhibitions strikes me as being not at all a
bad thing. This habitual shrinking from quite healthy emotion
in religion is a prime reason why revival is hindered among
many excellent Christians, and why it is so easily repressed
once it begins. The command to believers to "quench not the
Spirit" is often disobeyed not so much because of wilful
rebellion but because of inhibitions against the slightest
demonstration of joy in salvation.
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