Quote:
Originally Posted by awareness
It's been a long time, but I remember that the concern about Penn-Lewis and The Spiritual Man was demon possession.
I wasn't told back then, but have since learned, that JP-L thought that at least some of the Welsh revival had become demon possessed. Jessie taught that Christians could become demon possessed. Thus "War on the Saints." And thus, she stifled Evan Roberts and the revival. She's called the Jezebel of the Welsh revival ... or mockingly, Jezzie. Just goggle " Jezebel of the Welsh revival." |
I am not a champion for Jessie Penn-Lewis but Evan Roberts co-authored "War on the Saints". It was exactly the matter of whether Christians can become demon-possessed that had many people disagreeing with especially Penn-Lewis. Witness Lee spoke of that on more than one occasion.
Evan Roberts was very independent and spiritually immature. Initially, the main thing that drew people to his meetings, was his habit of "calling out" people. For example, "In the third row on the balcony is a man who hates his neighbor", or something like that. In the early stages of the revival a "guilty one" would stand up and confess, leading to "oohs" and "aahs" and "amens". Some "guilty ones" were regularly openly shamed by Roberts. Later, it often happened that there was no response to his "calling out". This caused him to despair and to become more and more erratic in his conduct. His behavior increasingly certainly did not endear him to many of his followers.
Evan Roberts' style was similar to that of the Benny Hinns of today.
Jessie Penn-Lewis wrote a well-documented book on the Welsh Revival. She was very positive and credible about the awakening of 1904–1905.
I my opinion the main destroyer of the Welsh Revival was Evan Roberts himself, not "Jezzie".