"The Toronto blessing, a term coined by British churches, describes the revival and resulting phenomena that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church, now the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF), a neocharismatic evangelical Christian church located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Participants in the conferences and meetings sponsored by TACF have reported healings, incidents of personal transformation and a greater awareness of God's love. It has also been referred to as the Father's blessing, the Anointing, the Awakening, the River and the Fire.
CharacteristicsThe blessing has become known for ecstatic worship, including what is known as falling or resting in the Spirit, laughter, shaking, and crying. "Holy laughter" was a hallmark manifestation and there were also instances of participants roaring like lions and making other animal noises. Leaders and participants claim that these are physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence and power. One TACF teaching, the golden sword prophecy, has been spreading among charismatic churches.How should you and I view the Toronto Blessing? Everyone is responsible to come to one's own conclusions. However, I would recommend a book by Tyndale Seminary professor Dr. James Beverley called, "Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing" (Zondervan, 1995). It is, in my opinion, one of the most balanced, well-researched, and Biblically-filtered investigations into this movement.
Some Christian leaders were enthusiastic about what they saw as a renewal in North American Christianity, while others saw it as hysterical and spiritually dangerous. Critics referred to it as "self-centered and evil" and cited the strange manifestations as warning signs. Others defended the blessing as historically rooted in earlier revivals and as having positive effects in the lives of participants. In his book, Counterfeit Revival, Hank Hanegraaff makes the case that the revival has done more damage than good, saying that Toronto was a matter of people being worked into altered states of consciousness where they obscure reality and enshrine absurdity."
Below I've summarized Dr. Beverley's conclusions about the Toronto Blessing (5 Positive, and 5 Negative):
Positive Biblical Patterns (pgs. 150 - 153):
1. Repeated exaltation of God's Power
2. Picks up on the rich teaching of Scripture that the Christian church is in constant need of renewal.
3. Is about evangelism and revival, central themes of Scripture (Matt. 28:18-20)
4. Leaders have been exemplary in their lack of focus on money (Matt. 6:19-34)
5. Nonlegalistic in its ethos and style (Matt. 23:1-36)
Critical Biblical Concerns (pgs. 153 - 160):
1. Weak preaching typifies their nightly meetings.
2. A reductionistic and rather shallow view of the Holy Spirit.
3. Contrary to the Bible, the Toronto Blessing has an anti-intellectual spirit.
4. The Toronto Blessing represents a faulty understanding of signs and wonders.
5. Lack of emphasis on the person of Christ.
Since this book was written over 15 years ago, a lot has happened. For one thing, the frequency and fervency of the nightly meetings has stopped. Currently, their focus is on regular revival conferences.
For the sake of critical integrity, I spoke to Dr. Beverley (July 9, 2010) and asked him of his opinion of the current situation.
To summarize his response: In retrospect, if he was to write an update to "Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing", Dr. Beverley would not include the final Biblical concern (5. Lack of emphasis on the person of Christ.). He felt that this was too strong a concern. Subsequent to publishing the book, he has visited the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship and has found that they do give significant emphasis on the person of Christ, and therefore such criticism is not deserved.
In conclusion, one must carefully, critically, and Biblically consider all aspects of the Toronto Blessing. Though there are several admirable qualities of this movement, there are also some significantly disturbing aspects. I do not doubt that there are many sincere and genuine Christians in this group and many more that have been blessed deeply by their ministry. Superficially, one muses that they bring a measure of balance to the stale version of Christianity present in many of our evangelical churches in the GTA.
However, unbalanced diets can lead to malnutrition or sickness ... and the long-term effects of weak teaching and over-emphasis on manifestations can certainly lead to an unhealthy spiritual community. Therefore, one's endorsement must be made cautiously, if at all!"
[answered by Pastor Fred Tham, English Congregation]
