Carl posted a testimony about the Toronto Outpouring (also known as the Toronto Blessing) in Revival Blog. Good stuff there. Honest stuff there.
One line (that incidentally is not connected to what was going on @ Toronto, but at another church) really captured my attention:
Eventually the God I knew conflicted with the church I was attending and it was time to go (can you say deliverance?).
Been there. :(Â As Carl realized, sometimes you’ve just GOT to go. God is God and we cannot change Him; if the church is making Him into something He’s not, and that cannot be changed, sometimes absenting oneself is the only resolution.
I feel like Carl’s words should come with a caveat, though. I know that Ken and I did this, and (having read his blog for a while) I’m absolutely sure Carl did, too. The caveat is this:
Any time we feel that “the God we know” is in conflict with “the church” … we must, must, must, must look to the Word of God. We’re fallible creatures and it’s entirely possible that “the God we know” isn’t the God of the Bible! If the issues are crystal clear (if the church is preaching outright heresy, for example) - then leave. Don’t leave because you’re “dissatisfied” - but do leave if there are genuine unresolvable problems.