Here's a movie review from Unam Sanctam Catholicam, one of my "Recommended Catholic blogs."
I like the review, and these days I'm thankful for anything that brings up vivid memories of my youth. I also agree that anything good about this film is obscured by the "spirit of '72" coming through loud and clear.
But, that's not the point of this post--whether or not I agree with the review. Rather, I'd like to offer a written slice of my early involvement with charismatic protestant groups, something I generally try not to think about, but something of which the charismatic "renewal" in the Catholic Church, and this review, have reminded me.
Today, reading the USC review took me back...way back...
Movies like this in combination with youthful charismatic speakers and enthralling singer/guitarists gave us '70's adolescents who were inclined towards religion the sense that we were involved in a new approach to Jesus, unique to our generation. We embraced a certain sense of knowing something that no one else had ever really understood...well, except for maybe the apostles.
For me, it took a few years to realize the "1, 2 punch" that the charismatic approach to God represented and to which I had succumbed.
The music, words, and presentation created the emotional high (1 punch) and then the facilitators would convince us that the "high" was an authentic encounter with God, the Holy Spirit (2 punch). No matter what happened after that, we were directed to believe that the Holy Spirit made us do it!
Eventually, I realized that it was taking more and more "theater" to bring me to the desired level of emotional exuberance that would allow for the "holy singing," "holy weeping," "holy dancing," and most of all, the "holy hugging and kissing." I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the absolute faith that all of this was directly guided by the Holy Spirit was, dare I say, a bit arrogant.
I began to fixate on "free will" and consequences, which takes me even further back....
As Methodists, we had been presented with our first Bibles, the Revised Standard Edition (from the '50's, I think) when we were in 2nd grade. I, for one, started reading then and sort of grew into it. By the time I was in 6th grade, the page edges of my Bible were massively wrinkled, with the red coloring worn off, in three places: Creation, the story of Samson, and the Gospels.
Without realizing it, I had grown into an understanding of the importance of free will and consequences. Adam and Eve's bio included being created without sin, immortal, full of grace, and they talked to God on a regular basis. Yet, they made a choice which they thought would make them like unto God, and then, of course, we were all bound to the consequences.
Samson was frequently granted great strength by being filled with the spirit of God, and yet, had a tendency to fall for bad women.
And then, Jesus, God the son, the Word made Flesh, came to earth to save us from the consequences of free will by building a ladder (of Sacraments) to get us back into Heaven.
When left to my own personal interests, this had been my (young boy's) approach to the Bible.
So, years later, the charismatic idea of designating one moment in the midst of what seemed more like a 3-ring rock concert than God worship, as the moment when the emotional high we were all on was no longer a mere emotional high, but was the finger of God ready to grant us charismatic gifts if only we'd help Him out a bit, began to develop cracks.
I became indignant at what I considered to be the great lie of this charismatic voodoo. Having broken with the religious "establishment" to embrace the charismatic youth movement, and then having broken with the charismatic movement because it had stopped making (theological) sense, I went my own way. I wrote songs, played in bands, and if it came up between sets or after a gig, I'd tell 'em the truth, "It's only the music and the beer making you feel this way. You'll be back to normal by morning."
