“And they shall make you eat grass like oxen” (Daniel 4:24): Reflections on Recent Practices in some New Charismatic Churches

Abstract

The narrative of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4 is metaphorically applied to impress the understanding of dangerous practices recently observed in some New Charismatic Churches in South Africa. “And they shall make you eat grass like oxen” is a premise used to show the danger of these practices, not only to theological fundamentals, but also to human health and dignity. It is pointed out that the practices of people eating grass, snakes and rats, and drinking petrol, together with some other manifestations, all evolved out of the phenomenon known as The Toronto Blessing. This was a term created by the press in Britain, and describes the Christian revival and associated phenomena that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church (TAV), which was renamed in 1995 as the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) and then later in 2010, renamed to Catch the Fire Toronto. The impact of this phenomenon in South Africa, especially to the stabilising Classical Pentecostalism is highlighted. The article discusses celebrity cult as is compared and contrasted in characters of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. The rationale behind these practices is the centre of this discussion. This includes anti-institutionalism, antiintellectualism, antinomianism, and anti-sacramentalism. The government intervention through its CRL Commission is justified as a way of protecting its citizens from ensuing harmful effects of these practices.

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