JOHN WESLEY AND WATCHMAN NEE: FINAL EVALUATIONS

I have studiously avoided making conclusions for you about any 'renewal' power demonstrations you may have encountered, experienced, or heard about. This is to allow you the reader the dignity of knowing in Christ that you are able to discern. You can do this by spiritual gift and by using your Biblical 'anchor' or workable standard. This 'anchor' is not a ball and chain. It is there for your spiritual success!

Anti-renewalists use various methodologies to tell by outward indications what is of God and what is not. When they simply consign just about everything they deem 'disorderly' to a false wonder, they certainly leave the impression that they are like the critics of the Great Awakening. Some, in their zeal to discount anything not immediately acceptable to their own doctrinal prejudices, may indeed seek to quench the Spirit and by doing so, are potential stumbling blocks to anything outside of their personal pet peeves. They are challenged correctly in the spirit of Jonathan Edwards, regarding less focus on outward specifics and more on changed hearts for God and changed lives.

Militant or deceived 'pro-renewalists,' however, prove themselves to be stumbling blocks of another kind. They are unable to answer valid concerns constructively like Jonathan Edwards, even though they may want to be esteemed to be like him. By refusing Biblical accountability, by holding to the 'positive-only' declaration as a matter of ego, by unfairly counter-attacking, and by engaging in many 'leavens,' they prove themselves to be no revivalists and unworthy of any such esteem as that. Indeed, any 'leaders' who bring in or hold to 'leavens' should not be counted upon as true leaders in any sense of the word, because of their spiritual immaturity and falsehood. They spread foolishness rather than wisdom, and are often found to be hypocrites besides. By this, they distinguish themselves as the blind leading the blind.

Overall though, I have observed that many on both sides of this issue have desired uncomplicated answers. Perhaps their prejudices or desires have caused them to practice the sort of spiritual lazyness that leads to instant, yet acceptable (to them) conclusions. May the Lord be with us all, because human nature dictates that this is not the first or the last time this will ever occur!

A quest for instant answers often leads to haphazard misrepresentations, because it is just easier to take simplified data and use them to produce simplified answers. As examples of how easy this can be, we could easily look to the two American revivals mentioned already in this text. As I have already pointed out, Jonathan Edwards has been misrepresented by both sides. Yet this is not unusual throughout our short American history. The depth of his character and work lends itself easily to either sloppy human error or intentionally slanted reports. Conceivably, the Kentucky Camp Revivals could also be easily misrepresented. After all, what if we read McNamer's, Kentucky Revival without knowing he had criticized it, had long departed from it, and had joined the Shakers and therefore, he was really reporting on the Shaker 'revival,' hymns, doctrine, etc., and not the original Kentucky revival? If we did, we might erroneously conclude that McNamer's Shaker revival was one in the same as the Kentucky revival!

Misrepresentations are a tragic consequence of simple human error, prejudices, or purposeful distortions. Rather than become the victims of misrepresentations as well as perpetrators of it, I hope that we can rise above that. We need to do this for the sake of the intellectual honesty and spiritual integrity that would leave us open to God's truth in the matter.

Instead of naming all true or all false, I wish to close by outlining for the reader three examples of past revivals or psuedo-revivals from which we can learn. I have labored to summarize these examples without prejudice and only after honest and in-depth research, some of which you have already read. They should help us consider the gamut of false revivals or renewals as well as true ones, and everything 'in between'. By 'in between', I mean what may have started out as true as the Galatian church, and yet became diseased and useless before our God, since it nullified the work of the Cross. If diseased or sick, make a difference if you can, or rebuke. As I've already exhorted, getting out before you are 'bewitched' too, is scriptural wisdom for the matter!

I have already thoroughly presented Example Number One, which has been the obvious false revival(s) of the Shakers. Jesus said there would be many false Christs, to the very end. This is the way it will be until His return. False prophets and teachers would either have us ignore that fact, be powerless against it, or somehow convince us that something is of the Lord when it is not, or vise versa. If we are looking for a 'heaven on earth' like the Shakers did, I'm afraid we have forgotten that the devil's works are still alive and well on planet Earth, and are chasing promises that are based on false hopes more than reality.

Quench not the Spirit but test all things, even if these "things" be in the name of 'revival,' 'renewal', or the Lord Jesus Himself. Keep your eyes wide open and discern, discern, discern. There is no justification for suspending our discernment. Ann Lee did because her vision fulfilled her psychological need to resolve her fears, grief, and guilt by any means necessary, even if they were punitive to godly family structure. John Meacham did because he was impressed by (presumably false) revivalist 'manifestations,' which he assumed meant God's favor, which he thought meant he should accept Ann Lee's doctrine. McNamer did because the Shakers agreed with him as a 'critic' of the 'excesses' and disorder of the Kentucky revival, and thus he could return to a controllable stability—run and directed by himself. Whatever their reasons or rationalizations, each person departed from the Word of God as the 'workable standard' in order to chase after personal agenda(s).

Example Number Two is the Great Awakening, which is recognized by most critics of the present-day renewal as being a 'true revival.' Regarding this revival, we have already taken some time to note how Jonathan Edwards specifically addressed the errors within the revival of his time. It is said that the even-handed Jonathan Edwards wrote that a work of God will always have "stumbling blocks." Similarly, we would do well to consider John Wesley who was also from the Great Awakening, whom Frank Bartleman quoted in his book, Azusa Street, when he wrote: "John Wesley himself once prayed, after the revival had died out for the time: "Oh Lord, send us the old revival, without the defects; but if this cannot be, send it---with all its defects. We must have revival." "92

These even-hand revivalists understood the stumbling blocks and dealt with them for their time, while also not rejecting God's work. I am convinced that their eye toward conversions and real, bonafide, life changes influenced their viewpoint, as well as brought them to their final evaluation of the Revival of their day.

They personified the fact that the so-called "Word vs. Spirit" polarization is completely unnecessary and essentially an oxymoron. Anything truly of the Spirit does not battle the Word, and anything truly of the Word does not battle the Spirit. The truth is, we can support both the Word and the Spirit. If we couldn't, verse 19 and 20 of 1 Thess. Chapt. 5 would not be right beside verses 21-22:

"Quench not the Spirit.
Despise not prophesyings.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thess. 5:21-22, KJV)

Indeed, after reading and speaking to those who are so conservative as to be slow to accept even the Great Awakening as a 'true' revival, I suspect that there is only one reason they eventually do concede it as 'okay'. That is, if the 'disorder' of the Great Awakening is distant and historical enough to be easily downplayed. Once downplayed, these ultra-conservatives can become more magnanimous with their reluctant approvals. But it is not an entirely honest or well-informed approval, if they skirt the fact that 'disorder' was present during the Great Awakening, too.

I have observed that hyper-criticism of 'revivals' or revival-like instances, centers on objecting to the unpredictable work of the Spirit. In other words, instead of recognizing and rejoicing over someone being healed or saved, these hyper-critics have lost perspective. Although it would a great insult to them to equate them with the 'rivals' they oppose, I find them to have no more grasp on the 'majors' of Biblical truth than the Gnostics of Ann Lee's sect. Indeed, I have personally found these critics to be just as extra-Biblical, formula-oriented, sectarian, and offensive as the most extra-Biblical and deceived of the militant 'pro-renewals'. As a result, I anticipate that these groups will always find a bloody war with one another in a 'Word vs. Spirit' Civil War, as predicted by the gnostic prophecy of our day.

The Third Example regards a revival that I was alerted to before I began writing this text, which I can only credit to the Providence of God. Just as I was completing the rough draft of this text, this particular revival was suddenly thrust to the forefront by the renewalist movement. Indeed, Thanks to the work of these pro-renewalists, I can now give a more complete report on this historical revival/renewal as my third example.

The April 2000 edition of the Charisma magazine, mentions the Toronto Blessing which, since 1994, "has attracted 3 million visitors to its auditorium. But it has also drawn criticism from some, particularly Hank Hanegraaff of the California-based Christian Research Institute. He has condemned the Toronto revival for encouraging "esoteric experiences."

The article reports that Randy Clark, senior pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in St. Louis with a ministry called, "Global Awakening" became enthusiastic about some historical information he has recovered regarding a particular 1933 Chinese revival. He is further quoted here from CHARISMA:

"the best argument to Hanegraaff's criticism came from Clark's former evangelism professor, Lewis Drummond of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Drummond once stated that the greatest revival in the history of Southern Baptists was the Shantung Revival, which occurred in northern China in 1933.

"I was shocked to find that almost all the phenomena that occurred in the Shantung Revival had happened in my meetings in Toronto in early 1994," Clark says.

Clark also discovered that the Southern Baptists reprinted the book in 1970, but they omitted all reports of the revival phenomena. He has reprinted the book in its original form, adding only an introduction. The

unedited version of THE SHANTUNG REVIVAL is available through Global Awakening at (314) 416-9239."

First of all, I'd like to say that I appreciate Randy Clark and Global Awakening for reprinting the original edition of this revival. Since the Shantung revival in northern China (Shantung province), occurred not long before the Chinese communistic revolution, we can assume that few documents survived the Communistic take-over and subsequent martyrdom and imprisonment of the vast majority of the Christians in China at the time.

Here in the U.S.A.., we live in a free country and the original records of our revivals such as the Great Awakening are probably pretty much intact. For instance, we have access to David Brainard's diary. In another country or another time, such documents would not have been preserved. They would have been destroyed by either the hostile (toward Christianity) government or the religiously biased yet powerful arm of a Church/State government at the time (i.e. – many original documents of named 'heretics' were destroyed by their persecutors to protect the guilty).94

Although our religious freedom here has left us with a more honest and complete religious history, it has also allowed us to be quite divisive in our individuality. Our prolific numbers of denominations and sects, some of which are quite hostile toward one another, lead us to the necessity of watching out for doctrinal or denominational slants in commentaries or publishings.

Unedited originals like "The Shantung Revival," published by Global Awakening, can give us an unbiased or nondenominational description of the Shantung Revival. This is all the more true since the reprint, excepting the brief introduction by Randy Clark, is a collection of Mary K. Crawford's work, who in 1933, compiled a collection of testimonies and letters written during the Revival from missionary to missionary or friend to friend. Surely the actual Baptist missionaries in China who experienced this revival can give us a more honest account of it than any historical 'revisionists' after the fact.

Because of these old testimonies, we find that the Shantung Revival began with a gentle, quietly spoken, yet noncompromising emphasis on sin and repentence. One woman preacher began by asking the question of whether one was truly 'born again,' not just amongst the heathen but also amongst the missionaries themselves. By being truly 'born again,' she meant something other than nominal salvation without a changed, righteous, life. The Holy Spirit supported this preaching, by surprisingly powerful and unexpected workings. The most consistent of which is that throughout the revival, both believers and then unbelievers experienced heavy conviction to openly confess their sins and to make specifics acts of restitution for them, and by this obtain a right standing before God and be wholly assured of salvation.

Open confession was not ordinarily practiced by these nonCatholics who had not been taught any value in 'confession'. Indeed, it was not the preachers of the revival who preached an emphasis on open confession at all. 95 Instead, it was the Holy Spirit who performed a supernatural conviction, complete with personal instruction to certain believers to take the 'radical' steps of confessions and restitution. It is also interesting to note that the idea of open confession completely countered the Chinese culture of the times, which placed a high emphasis on 'saving face' (avoiding embarrassment or dishonor).

The powerful workings of the Holy Spirit, led the believers to search through the Scriptures about the work of the Holy Spirit. Because of that, many of these Baptist missionaries and other believers found scriptural support for a 'filling' or refilling of the Holy Spirit. This caused them to fervently lay hold of God to be more filled with the Holy Spirit than ever before, in order to live more righteously and to preach with more power. (An example of one such testimony is found on pages 77-79 of the book). Perhaps these believers discovered that the apostles themselves asked for more boldness in the Lord, with the results of being "filled with the Holy Spirit," (Acts 4:29-31) in spite of the fact that they already had the "gift" of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Sometimes, Christian missionaries who were discouraged because of the spiritual "deadness" of their churches, their work (resulting in little success in salvations), and their personal lives, hungered for more of God. So, they searched the Scriptures and prayed. They found evidence of a "baptism" or "filling" of the Holy Spirit in spite of their fears of "Pentecostalism."96 Perhaps this was what was doctrinally incorrect to later Baptists, who Randy Clark reports had published edited versions of the text.

Whether begun by seeking first or experiencing spontaneously, there are numerous testimonies from the Shantung Revival of not only being saved but being "filled" with the Holy Spirit. The result of this fervor for more of God, was bold street preaching (even by children), miraculous healings, and prophecy (always used to expose sins and in conjunction with conviction), which resulted in many salvations amongst the tough, idolatrous, Chinese culture of the day.

Now to the controversy of today, which is of course the 'manifestations.'

Randy Clark's brief introduction at the front of the book emphasizes the fact that salvation of souls will occur in conjunction with the Holy Spirit's work, which may include "phenomena" He states: "What do I mean by the term "phenomena?" I am referring to such things as moaning, groaning, crying, falling, shouting, shaking, being "struck" prostated on the ground for long periods of time, intense often emotional times of intercession, prophecy, healing, sometimes even raising from the dead, and sometimes tongues and interpretation."97

It is fair to say that all of these were in the Shantung Revival, and that these "phenomena" were supportive of evangelism, which resulted in significant numbers of salvations, just as Randy suggests. However, Randy Clark also makes statements in his introduction that seeks to compare the Shantung Revival with the Toronto Blessing, and this cannot be substantiated at all. The Revival did not contain, "most of the phenomena found within the "Toronto Blessing,"98 as Clark states, but is largely absent of the main reports and character of the Toronto Blessing, even as reported by their own leaders and attendees.

There is no 'drunkeness' mentioned in these unedited accounts. There are no 'animal noises,' or phenomena or visions that are used for anything other than conviction and holiness. There are no testimonies that did not concern salvation or the lost. While this concern for the lost can be expected since these are missionaries reporting from the mission field to each other or their connections, the letters still do not at all reflect the same focuses for which Toronto is known for. In fact, they are so unlike the type of testimonies that have dominated Toronto Blessing, even those on the renewal "New Wine" e-mail list for instance, that there is really no comparison to this revival and the Toronto Blessing renewal.

The only basis for any comparison at all, and this would be very incomplete and therefore misleading, is that there was on occasion some falling down, shaking, crying, and laughing (see pp. 58, 64, 73, 81 of the book). Of a slightly stronger comparison to the renewal controversy, would be the mockery of these spiritual phenomena by outsiders who claimed it was all mesmerism. One of these was a Mr. Li, who claimed to be an expert on the subject of mesmerism and enjoyed "imitating some of the outward manifestations of the Spirit's work in the audience" after the meetings were over. Later, his equally cynical missionary friend, Mr. Chiang, observed Mr. Li exhibiting what seemed to be more of the humorous imitations yet was not, because Mr. Li confessed to Mr. Chiang that he was experiencing "the real thing." Afterwards, Mr. Li spent the rest of his time at the revival meetings in "Bible reading and prayer," instead of in mockery.

As the story further unfolds, Mr. Chiang was so impressed by the change in Mr. Li that he decided it was not mesmerism. He eventually owned up to the fact that, in spite of his missionary training and status, he had never been a true believer of the Christian faith. Mr. Chiang then became a Christian and accepted the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

All in all, written accounts by the Christians of the Shantung revival do not focus on phenomenom as many renewalists do in their testimonies, and as Randy Clark himself objects to by saying such a focus is inappropriate.100 Yet, even at that, these 'manifestations' as listed above were always interpreted and presented as being for the sake of conviction and salvation, which is different than reports by most Toronto Blessing attendees and by especially their leaders. This is indeed an important and unavoidable distinction between the two.

In summary, the reprinted reports from the Shantung Revival cannot really be compared to the main focus of Toronto Blessing, nor its controversial components, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, in my opinion, this Revival compares more accurately to the U.S. Great Awakening, which most critics of Toronto Blessing already count as a true revival. However, although the account of the Shantung Revival cannot really be used as a defense against the 'critics' of Toronto as Randy Clark has suggested, it can still be used to defend the 'disorderly' and unexpected workings of the Holy Spirit. It can also serve as a testimony to the value of accepting or seeking a filling, or more infilling, of the Holy Spirit, as the occasion warrents it. (Acts 4:23-31)

So if I would categorize this revival as being more like the Great Awakening, what is its usefulness as our Third Example? The key is in 'the rest of the story' of this Revival:

The Shantung Revival began at about 1931 in the northern province of China now called Shandong. From there, it spread to Hwanghsien, Tsingtao (now called Qingdao), Tsinan and Tsining (possibly now called Qinau or Qining), Harbin (Heilongiiang), Laichow (Laiyang), and Chefoo (now called Yantai) At Chefoo (Yantai), the revival intersected with a very well-known and highly esteemed Chinese evangelist, teacher, and prophet, Watchman Nee.

Like Revivalists David Brainard and Jonathan Edwards, Watchman Nee had an eye toward conversion. He spent most of his life as an itinerant 'indigenous' missionary and evangelist in his homeland of China. This was in addition to his better-known 'theological' work, which focused on the Christian walk and Spirit-led expressions of the local church or 'ecclesia'. But even lesser known than that, he too participated in at least a spin-off of the Shantung Revival.

Watchman was no stranger to both the work and power of the Holy Spirit and concern over what was spiritually false or 'soulish.' After all, prior to this time he had already written the "Latent Power of The Soul," a work that would probably compliment Hank Hanagraff's alarm over the subconscious manipulation. Indeed, the assemblies he started and associated with "had been governed by an intellectual approach which never allowed Christians to forget the Bible in favor of mere subjectivism."

Nevertheless, he and they were swept into a two-year period of spiritual excitement and apparent revival.

In fact, Watchman Nee himself was refreshed by the revival, as it gave him a personal renewal. This was probably because His encounter with the Revival was right after a particular painful encounter with what could be called graceless religion. His fellowship of churches had just suffered a painful 1935 excommunication by the London based Brethren group.

Watchman Nee was the focus of this action by the Brethren, who called for like rejection of all of his Shanghai Chinese associates. He was charged with the sin of "bad association." He had "compromised the fellowship" by breaking bread with other Christians outside the Brethren group. Since the Chinese believers were also breaking bread with other Christians, the "sincerity of the Chinese brethren's love for Christ" was charged as being lacking by the Brethren. For this, they excommunicated them from any association or fellowship with other Brethren around the world.

Perhaps because of his association with the Brethren and the resulting "spiritual barrenness" he found himself in, Watchman Nee was jarred out of the Brethren's mindset against women preachers. As often happened throughout his life, he turned for counsel from a wise elder sister in Christ. Just prior to the excommunication, He and his wife had befriended a Miss Elizabeth Fischbacher of Chefoo (Yantai). Miss Fischbacher was one of the lesser-known woman preachers of the Shantung Revival (the revival was 'started' by a different woman preacher, according to our other source by Mary K. Crawford). Soon afterwards, it is recorded that the new "divine blessing" of this Revival accompanied his preaching at a ten day conference in Tsin-kiang. There were "extremes of excitement, with jumping, clapping, laughter, unknown tongues that conveyed no message to hearers or even speaker, and a flood of dramatic healings, some undoubtedly real, but not a few mistaken."

Watchman never backed away from his concern over what was "faked" or not of God (stumbling blocks), although he himself told tales of what was real. He was no stranger to demonic possession. The end of it, however, was a mixed bag for him. He noted that some revival methods "worked like spiritual opium," requiring an "ever-increasing dosage." In addition, his new revivalist friend, Elizabeth Fischbacher, "felt herself to blame for the loss of restraint that followed in the wake of these events and abandoned public preaching altogether." (she later continued in a ministry of writing) After the episode had run its course, Watchman is quoted as saying, "we find on looking back over this period that the gain has been rather trivial, the loss quite large."103

I do not know if Watchman decided the whole thing was 'false'—It is possible he did of course, yet unlikely, especially since he did defend the real spiritual gifts and told of true miracles as well as false. But the point is that although the Shantung Revival seemed nearly flawless of anything that detracted from holiness and repentence in Mary Crawford's 1933 compilation of testimonies, somewhere along the way it must have changed. It was enough of a work of God for Watchman Nee to participate in it and even defend it. Yet, for him, it also eventually became very unsatisfactory. Eventually he and his fellowships returned to the basics of what they had before.

So while both Watchman Nee and the other Chinese missionaries, indigenous or not, had an eye toward conversion and the common goal of real Christianity, these fellow-workers in different places gave opposite 'final grades' to the Shantung Revival. Whereas even to this day some could only give the Shantung Revival an A+, with or without their 'edited' versions of it, Watchman Nee who resided in a different province in China and who came upon the Revival later in it's history, gave it a 'D-'.

What are we to make of this Third Example? Could it be that a true Revival can quickly disintegrate into a 'bless me' club, get off the trail for relating to a Holy God, and thus disintegrate into a D-? I believe so, and I believe that Bible supports the fact of disintegration. Indeed, whatever we have started out with, that which favors the false and protects the false will be taken over and infiltrated by the false, and so end up so adulterated that it becomes well known or remembered only for the false. We can expect nothing else!

In the end, it matters not whether it could be called 'false' or 'true' from the beginning—the final evaluations still come. In the end, both John Wesley and Watchman Nee gave different evaluations for their time, and both of these Christian ministers were aware of the stumbling blocks. In the end, we will all stand before the Judgment, explaining why we winked at leaven and sin, starting first and foremost with our own lives, and then in our Christian communities.

Nothing of God will remain unchallenged by evil. This has begun since the beginning of Jesus' work here on earth. Jesus was met in the desert by the devil, and then crucified a few short years later as allowed by God the Father. Persecutions from without and insidious 'angels of light' from within immediately met the preaching of the gospel in the first century church. The Gnostics were adding superfluous stories to the Bible even before the canon was officially recognized.

Those who fall into apostasy must leave the Biblical standard behind in order to do so. Both the leaders and the followers end up with defense mechanisms that would have us ignore the leaven of their false teachings, spiritual pride, and other abominations that have nothing to do with Christ or the pure gospel. They may be 'bewitched' and need our prayers as well as gentle teachings, exhortations, or well-placed rebukes as the Lord leads, but they do not need our silent support into further error.

Therefore, I urge you to let us all avoid useless and unfruitful bickering, speculations, and immature avoidance and rejection of your fellow Christians or the Biblical standard to which they attempt to exhort you to. If you truly want Revival, get down on your knees and pray. Hear from the Lord, serve and speak His Word and not your own carnal minds. Sound the alarm appropriately and not according to denominational agendas and compromise. It is nigh past time to contend appropriately against the leaven in renewal, if you wish to rescue any good out of it that may yet be!

Let us focus on the majors and not the minors; the majors are conversion and changed lives for Christ. Since love and maturity includes speaking the truth, the majors are also an appropriate response to the 'stumbling blocks,' revealing them for what they are. The majors are not impressive or hyped up displays of 'power' for their own sake, or the amount of revenue generated by book sales and conferences. 'Power' means nothing when you do not put on the 'new self' of Christ, and stay grounded in the Bible, our workable standard!

So, if you are 'pro- renewal' like I have been and have believed you have enjoyed the free move of the Spirit, please consider this in all soberness: Any denomination, fellowship, group or individual who is not interested in genuine, deep repentance will only be left with the superficial, because that is all they will accept. Power? Anointing? Perhaps. But true, full, or maturely addressed, revival is not possible in such settings. Carried away in spiritual pride, entrenched in their beliefs, refusing or preventing those who speak the truth in love, they will have their false revival.

And if this is the case, get out while you still can before you too are leavened or 'bewitched' yourself. Pray for a true revival and follow Jesus as your Head, not man. Then, be sure to be humble enough to support any work of the Lord that holds to a viable standard of integrity and honesty. Finally, while still guarding against spiritual pride and religious sectarianism for yourself, do not shrink back from following the Lord's call should he call you yourself as a 'four-fold.'

Whether you began with the certainty that all was a false revival from the beginning, or whether the Lord told you that what you encountered was His working, my sincere hope and prayer is that that you have benefited from reading this research and discussion.

Amen

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Footnote #92  pp. 2 Frank Bartleman quote from his book, Azusa Street
Footnote #94  pp. 59 –60 The Pilgrim Church, by E.H. Broadbent. copyright 1931. This edition copyright 1999, published by Gospel Folio Press, P.O. Box 2041, Grand Rapids, MI. 49501-2041 ISBN: 1-882701-53-4 (hardcover)  The first instance of the execution of Christians by the 'Church' is told here. Priscillian and six others (including a distinguished widow) were beheaded in year 385 for "Manichaean and Gnostic heresy,…witchcraft and immorality." The executions were accomplished with the help of civil power and were instigated by some of the Spanish clergy of the time.
      It was thought that all of Pricillian's writings had been diligently hunted down and destroyed by his murderers. However in 1886,  writings and teachings were found that were written by Priscillian himself (this text is the oldest Latin MSS. known to exist). Priscillian's writings prove that the charges against him were wholly untrue.
Footnote #95  pp. 44, The Shantung Revival, by Mary Crawford, originally published by China Baptist Publication Society, Shanghai, China, 1933, and currently republished by Global Awakening
Footnote #96  pp. 71-72; 88-89, The Shantung Revival, by Mary Crawford, as above
Footnote #97  Ibid. pp. 8 (Randy Clark's forward)
Footnote #98  Ibid. pp.10
Footnote #100  Ibid. pp. 9
Footnote #103  Ibid. pp. 140-141 "Against The Tide" by Angus Kinnear, Copyright 1973, reprinted 1997 by Christian Literature Crusade

© Copyright 2000  by Teri Lee Earl All Rights Reserved

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