Willem Ouweneel’s 1977–1978 Critique of the Charismatic Movement

Below is a fragment from a Bible lecture by Ouweneel in Amsterdam (1977/1978)

Another question relates somewhat more closely to what we have discussed this evening, since I briefly referred to it. The question reads as follows:

“I would appreciate hearing a little more about the charismatic renewal. I personally feel very much at home in it.”

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same, nor can I affirm that for you.

The charismatic renewal arose at the end of the 1960s, in distinction from the Pentecostal movement, as a movement within the churches: within the Protestant churches and later, through David Wilkerson, within the Roman Catholic churches as well.

There was a great revival movement that did not primarily mean a return to the cross and a return to the gospel, but rather a reaching out for the second blessing, a second blessing in addition to what people already had.

When the charismatic movement also began to gain ground within the Roman Catholic Church, various leaders of the charismatic movement came to belong to the Roman Church. One need only think of Cardinal Suenens in Belgium.

These people then also used the charismatic movement primarily to encourage greater loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church. They said that the person who speaks in tongues is the person who prays more faithfully to Mary, adheres more faithfully to the Roman Catholic Church, and submits more faithfully to the authority of the pope.

And that was—and still is—characteristic. They are often the most faithful and most “orthodox”—in quotation marks—Catholics.

Another striking aspect of the charismatic movement is that, unlike the Pentecostal movement, it does not form separate congregations outside the existing churches, but is instead a movement within the Christian churches.

As I said, the movement is not primarily characterized by conversion and regeneration. Today there are many monks, priests, and pastors, even among the Jesuits—the greatest enemies the Reformation has ever had—who have all yielded to this charismatic movement and who, after the laying on of hands, began to speak in tongues.

That is entirely unrelated to the question of whether they had received the Lord Jesus through the gospel at all. In fact, that is not considered important either.

What happens during the laying on of hands becomes clear, first, to those who examine Scripture closely and, second, from actual cases in practice. What happens through this laying on of hands—which, in this context, is completely unscriptural—is that demonic powers are transmitted and that many people have come under occult oppression through this laying on of hands.

And this is evident as well. The person receiving the laying on of hands does not have to be converted or regenerated at all. Whoever receives the laying on of hands begins to speak in tongues, particularly when he truly surrenders himself to the person doing it—that is, when he becomes passive and surrenders himself without any will of his own.

And, if necessary, when speaking in tongues does not follow immediately, people begin to practice passivity. For passivity is the devil’s great weapon for diminishing people’s mental faculties.

They will switch off their minds and cease learning to think for themselves, so that they become instruments without a will of their own, their defenses are opened, and demonic powers can enter them.

In many cases, these people who have received the laying on of hands within the charismatic movement are also genuine believers. That makes it all the more tragic. For it also means that genuine believers can have spirits of tongues.

I mean that exactly as I say it. For we are not dealing here with gifts of the Spirit, but with gifts of spirits, if you understand what I mean.

And this is very difficult now. I do not know you. You are sitting anonymously in this hall. Perhaps that is a good thing, because it means that I can speak about this only in general terms. I would much rather speak with you about it privately.

For my experience—and even more so the experience of pastoral counselors who have dealt with these matters—is that people come under occult oppression through the laying on of hands within the charismatic movement and that, by speaking in tongues, they become instruments of the devil without wills of their own and do not know what they are saying.

For the gift of tongues they receive is not a gift of tongues from God. God no longer gives that gift at all in this dispensation. God gave the gift of tongues as one of the signs of the apostolic ministry.

If you study and know Scripture—if you want the references: the end of Mark 16 and its confirmation in Hebrews 2—and if you see how the signs confirmed the apostolic ministry, as Paul lists them in connection with himself, you will see that all these things were a special revelation from God at the beginning of the Christian dispensation, confirming the new revelation of the Christian faith.

Signs occur at the beginning of an era, not at the end. John the Baptist lived at the end of an era. That is why John performed no signs.

When today we see just anyone laying hands on people… There are women in the charismatic movement today who quite literally go around looking for a victim on whom they can lay their hands. They stand ready with their hands as soon as someone says that he has not yet received that blessing. They are always eager to do it.

And wherever women are active on such a scale, you always know that you are dealing with false movements. Women always play a major role in false movements. It was Satan who turned to Eve and not to Adam. He knew that he would find a willing victim in her.

And today there are women walking around here, looking for someone on whom they might lay their hands. I truly mean that. That in itself is already a sign that it is wrong.

Even John the Baptist performed no signs. Even Philip, the man who alone in the New Testament is called an evangelist, could not lay hands on the believers in Samaria.

The only ones in the New Testament who laid hands on people so that the Holy Spirit was given were apostles. Even the great evangelist Philip did not do so. Through his preaching, people came to faith, but he did not lay his hands on them.

For that purpose, the apostles Peter and John came from Jerusalem to lay their hands on them.

What happens today through the laying on of hands is evident from pastoral counseling and from the victims of this laying on of hands: massive occult oppression and the indwelling of spirits of tongues.

And it sometimes takes days or weeks of work to deliver from these demons people who have sometimes spoken in tongues for ten or even twenty years.

Perhaps I am putting this rather bluntly. That may be in keeping with the example of what Paul did in the Epistle to the Galatians. Paul pronounced a severe judgment.

I am not pronouncing a severe judgment on you. I am pronouncing a severe judgment on the leaders of the charismatic movement.

When you see how the earliest figures in the charismatic movement operated—Bennett, who received revelations and visions; that, too, is always a sign of demonic activity—when people begin receiving visions and revelations after the revelation of the New Testament has been completed, you always know what is going on.

And that is how it began. It began with spiritualistic revelations, powers, and forces. And that is precisely what we would expect in this time.

Just consider how we, who are such radical opponents of the charismatic movement, expected this movement to arise on the basis of Scripture.

At the beginning of Christian history, we read that God confirmed the word of the apostles through powers, signs, and wonders. That is what happens at the beginning of a new dispensation.

That is how it happened at the beginning of Israel’s history, with Moses, and at the beginning of the great revival under Elijah. That is also how it happened at the beginning of the Christian dispensation.

God does not give signs in every age. God gives them at special new beginnings.

But at the end of the Christian dispensation, we read the very same expression: powers, signs, and wonders. We read this in 2 Thessalonians 2, within that same Christendom.

But where do they come from then? That passage concerns the coming of the Antichrist, whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with powers, signs, and wonders.

That is literally the same expression used in Hebrews 2, where God confirms the words of the apostles: in Hebrews 2:3 and in 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

When you compare those passages, you see that the same expression is used. This means that today we expect something similar to what occurred at the beginning of Christian history, with a great similarity and one great difference.

The similarity is that today we expect precisely the same powers, signs, and wonders. We expect that many people among Christians will once again begin speaking in tongues. We expect that many people will once again exercise gifts of healing.

But the difference is this: at the beginning of Christendom, it came from God. At the end of Christendom, at the end of Christian history, it comes from Satan.

And you must understand clearly that you must not allow yourself to be deceived by the fact that they are such dear believers. Of course, the devil has always preferred to make use of dear believers. That goes without saying. He prefers to use them, because that is the most effective way to deceive people.

At the end of Christian history, we are not to expect a great revival. There is no scriptural basis for that whatsoever.

What we expect at the end is mass deception. Read Matthew 24 again: “Behold, here is the Christ,” or, “There is the Christ.” Do not believe it.

Second Thessalonians 2: mass deception.

In the opening verses of 1 Timothy 4, it says that in later times people will depart from the faith and devote themselves to teachings of evil spirits and deceiving spirits. That is what we are waiting for. That is what is happening today.

In 2 Timothy 3, you find the same characteristics of paganism in the heart of Christendom, among those who have a form of godliness but deny its power.

And there you find the signs of occultism, the activity of false magicians. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted the signs of Moses in the days of Moses, so you find the same thing today in the wave of occultism.

The charismatic movement is nothing other than the Christian version of the entire spiritualist movement.

The great leaders within the charismatic and Pentecostal movements, such as William Branham, Tommy Hicks, Hermann Zaiss, Oral Roberts, and Kathryn Kuhlman, are spiritualistic mediums. I will put it to you as bluntly as that.

If you want that information, I can give it to you. But I do not have much time now to give a lengthy explanation of why this is so.

But they are spiritualistic mediums, and they are the great false deceivers of the time in which we live.

Several of them have already perished. It is characteristic of occultists that they often meet a horrific end. You can see that in the cases of William Branham and Hermann Zaiss. But several others are still very active, such as Kathryn Kuhlman.

I hope—and I truly mean this—that you will no longer feel so at home there. And I will pray for you, that you may be delivered from it.

For you are held captive in this movement, in a demonic movement that contains many believers. That is why it is so successful. Many believers find in it a joy and enthusiasm that they do not find in their own churches.

That is the bill we have left unpaid. That is our own fault.

But there you are under the spell of evil powers and great deceptions.