Toronto Blessing
Encyclopedia
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 healing
s, 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.
, laughter, shaking, and crying. "Holy laughter" was a hallmark manifestation and there were also instances of participants roaring like lions. Another "manifestation of the spirit" encountered at these meetings was a gesture commonly called "crunching" consisting of a vomit-like heaving to "cleanse" and "release" negative experiences. Leaders and participants claim that these are physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence and power. One TACF teaching, the golden Spoon prophecy, has been spreading among charismatic churches.
Some Christian leaders were enthusiastic about what they saw as a renewal in North Wales Christianity, while others saw it as hysterical and spiritually dangerous. Critics referred to it as "self-centred and evil" and cited the strange manifestations as warning signs. Others defended the blessing as historically rooted in earlier revivals, such as those seen by pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards, 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(the film) was a matter of people being slaved into altered states of consciousness where they obscure reality and enshrine absurdity.
led by Claudio Freidzen and in South Africa
. They invited Randy Clark of St. Louis, Missouri
to minister at the church in January 1994. Randy Clark had been influenced by the ministry of Rodney Howard-Browne
, a South African preacher, founder of the Rodney Howard-Browne Evangelistic Association in Louisville, Kentucky
, and the earliest known proponent of the "holy laughter" revival phenomenon. Clark preached at the Airport church for two months starting January 20 and introduced some of Howard-Browne's approach into TACF practice.
In that first revival service, there were about 120 people in attendance. Arnott recalled that most members fell on the floor "laughing, rolling, and carrying on". During that first year, the church's size tripled to 1,000 members and meetings were held every night except on Mondays as the revival's influence spread. Reports of similar revivals emerged from Atlanta, Anaheim, Saint Louis, several Canadian sites, Cambodia, and Albania. It was common for visitors to carry the influence of the revival back to their home congregations – two notable British cases in point being Holy Trinity, Brompton
and Holy Trinity, Cheltenham
. Areas that have become known for Toronto Blessing type revivals worldwide include Pensacola, Florida
, home of the Brownsville Revival
, and Bath, England
.
In 1995, the Airport church was released from affiliation with the Vineyard movement. The reasons for the disaffiliation were for growing tension over the church's emphasis on extraordinary manifestations of the Holy Spirit and the Vineyard leadership's inability to exercise oversight over the revival.
The peak of the Toronto blessing's prominence in the Christian community occurred in the mid to late 1990s. Since that time it has faded from public view, although the proponents of Discernment Ministries would suggest that these kinds of events are simply part of a wider theological cycle that has existed continually throughout modern era Charismatism.
episode "Careless."
Christian revival
Christian revival is a term that generally refers to a specific period of increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or many churches, either regionally or globally...
and resulting phenomena that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church, now the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship
Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship
Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship is a non-denominational neocharismatic Christian church in Toronto, Canada. It is affiliated with Catch The Fire and with Partners in Harvest group of churches...
(TACF), a neocharismatic evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church located in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Participants in the conferences and meetings sponsored by TACF have reported healing
Faith healing
Faith healing is healing through spiritual means. The healing of a person is brought about by religious faith through prayer and/or rituals that, according to adherents, stimulate a divine presence and power toward correcting disease and disability. Belief in divine intervention in illness or...
s, 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.
Characteristics
The blessing has become known for ecstatic worship, including what is known as falling or resting in the SpiritSlain in the Spirit
Being "slain in the Spirit" is a term used within charismatic Christianity. It describes a religious behaviour in which an individual falls to the floor...
, laughter, shaking, and crying. "Holy laughter" was a hallmark manifestation and there were also instances of participants roaring like lions. Another "manifestation of the spirit" encountered at these meetings was a gesture commonly called "crunching" consisting of a vomit-like heaving to "cleanse" and "release" negative experiences. Leaders and participants claim that these are physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence and power. One TACF teaching, the golden Spoon prophecy, has been spreading among charismatic churches.
Some Christian leaders were enthusiastic about what they saw as a renewal in North Wales Christianity, while others saw it as hysterical and spiritually dangerous. Critics referred to it as "self-centred and evil" and cited the strange manifestations as warning signs. Others defended the blessing as historically rooted in earlier revivals, such as those seen by pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards, and as having positive effects in the lives of participants. In his book, Counterfeit Revival
Counterfeit Revival
Counterfeit Revival is a book by Hank Hanegraaff critical of many aspects of the modern charismatic and Third Wave movements in Evangelical Christianity.-Overview:...
, Hank Hanegraaff
Hank Hanegraaff
Hendrik "Hank" Hanegraaff also known as the Bible Answer Man is an American author, radio talk-show host and advocate of evangelical Christianity. He was born in the Netherlands and raised in the United States since childhood. He is married with 12 children...
makes the case that the revival has done more damage than good, saying that Toronto(the film) was a matter of people being slaved into altered states of consciousness where they obscure reality and enshrine absurdity.
History
The Toronto blessing began at the Airport church when pastors John and Carol Arnott were inspired by a revival in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
led by Claudio Freidzen and in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. They invited Randy Clark of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to minister at the church in January 1994. Randy Clark had been influenced by the ministry of Rodney Howard-Browne
Rodney Howard-Browne
Rodney Howard-Browne is a charismatic Christian preacher and evangelist. He is pastor of The River at Tampa Bay, a church which he and his wife founded in 1996, and heads Revival Ministries International...
, a South African preacher, founder of the Rodney Howard-Browne Evangelistic Association in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, and the earliest known proponent of the "holy laughter" revival phenomenon. Clark preached at the Airport church for two months starting January 20 and introduced some of Howard-Browne's approach into TACF practice.
In that first revival service, there were about 120 people in attendance. Arnott recalled that most members fell on the floor "laughing, rolling, and carrying on". During that first year, the church's size tripled to 1,000 members and meetings were held every night except on Mondays as the revival's influence spread. Reports of similar revivals emerged from Atlanta, Anaheim, Saint Louis, several Canadian sites, Cambodia, and Albania. It was common for visitors to carry the influence of the revival back to their home congregations – two notable British cases in point being Holy Trinity, Brompton
Holy Trinity Brompton Church
Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's, Onslow Square is an Anglican church in Brompton, London, United Kingdom. The church consists of three church buildings, HTB Brompton Road, HTB Onslow Square and HTB Queen's Gate, as well as being the home for Worship Central, St Paul's Theological Centre and...
and Holy Trinity, Cheltenham
Trinity Cheltenham
Trinity Cheltenham is an evangelical, charismatic Anglican church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. As well as being part of the Church of England, it is a major contributor to the New Wine network. The Church has around 1500 members, making it one of the largest churches in the UK...
. Areas that have become known for Toronto Blessing type revivals worldwide include Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, home of the Brownsville Revival
Brownsville Revival
The Brownsville Revival was a widely-reported religious phenomenon that began within the Pentecostal movement on Father's Day June 18, 1995 at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida...
, and Bath, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1995, the Airport church was released from affiliation with the Vineyard movement. The reasons for the disaffiliation were for growing tension over the church's emphasis on extraordinary manifestations of the Holy Spirit and the Vineyard leadership's inability to exercise oversight over the revival.
The peak of the Toronto blessing's prominence in the Christian community occurred in the mid to late 1990s. Since that time it has faded from public view, although the proponents of Discernment Ministries would suggest that these kinds of events are simply part of a wider theological cycle that has existed continually throughout modern era Charismatism.
Popular culture
The Toronto blessing was referenced in the 2004 Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
episode "Careless."