Rodney Howard-Browne And The Mockery Of The Holy Laughter Heresy

Rodney Howard-Browne’s watershed moment arrived in the spring of 1993 when Assemblies of God pastor Karl Strader asked him to preach at Carpenter’s Home Church in Lakeland, Florida.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatian 5:22,23 (KJV)

One of the more ridiculous and amazingly-creepy manifestations of the demonic spirit in Charismatic churches is what is called ‘holy laughter’. People who fall under the influence of the spirit that produces it are said to be seen as “being drunk”, being tipsy, and uncontrollably laughing like a mental patient. And believe me, after you watch these videos you will see that’s about the most charitable way to describe it.

This is what the Pentecostals call the “mighty anointing”:

If this is what Pentecostals say is the “anointing” then count me out. I wouldn’t take 30 seconds of this Laodicean nightmare for a million dollars. Make it ten million.

This demonic cackling is proudly taught by Kenneth Copeland, the late Kenneth Hagin, Rodney Howard-Browne and in places like the Toronto Blessing. New Age “christian” Philip Chan says it this way:

The point of being drunk is connected with experiencing God. Yes, I am making a point that being drunk on the Spirit should yield great results. But I think the important thing, which I think most people who oppose it don’t quite get is that, encountering God is an ends in itself. When we’re drunk in the Spirit, we are literally filled with God’s presence, for all his joy, his mystery, his power, and it is an amazing feeling and experience. source

Rodney Howard Brown’s “holy laughter” HERESY:

Rodney Howard-Browne’s watershed moment arrived in the spring of 1993 when Assemblies of God pastor Karl Strader asked him to preach at Carpenter’s Home Church in Lakeland, Florida. Although he was only supposed to preach for one week, Howard-Browne stayed for four, because of the vast crowds that filled the 10,000-seat sanctuary to hear the “laughing evangelist” and maybe get struck dumb with laughter themselves. When the services were broadcast on radio, hundreds more showed up. The attraction of it all lies in what Roberts terms “Holy Ghost joy,” whereby depressed, defeated Christians are transformed into happy people.

Howard-Browne scoffed at criticism that he’s merely using the power of suggestion to get people to roll on the floor. “I tell them never to preach salvation, because they’re suggesting people get saved,” he said. “I’ll guarantee anybody, I’ll give them a congregation of 1,000 people and tell them to get up and suggest all they want and see what will happen.”

One of the other pastors cut in on the interview to say he read the story of Ananias and Sapphira to his church the other night and everyone ended up on the floor laughing.

“One night I was preaching on hell,” Howard-Browne said, continuing, “and it just hit the whole place. The more I told people what hell was like, the more they laughed, and when I gave an altar call, they came forward by the hundreds to get saved.”

“Then,” I replied, “as to what you’re preaching on, it’s almost irrelevant what you’re saying.”

He nodded.

Now isn’t that an amazing thing? Rodney Howard-Browne said he was “preaching on Hell” and people just started “laughing uncontrollably”. This is  in stark contrast to when Jesus preached on Hell, saying this:

“And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 9:47,48 (KJV)

Sure ain’t nothing funny about that.

Speaking of holy laughter, the Bible does show God laughing and it is always in judgement:

“But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.” Psalm 59:8 (KJV)

and we see it again here:

“I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.” Proverbs 1:26,27 (KJV)

Those are the only two places in the entire Bible where God is seen as laughing for any reason. Further, the Bible records no where either Jesus or any of the apostles laughing or even telling a joke. We will leave Rodney Howard Browne and his deluded followers with this closing statement from the Bible:

“…Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.” Luke 6:25 (KJV)

EPILOGUE: The Carpenter’s Home Church where Rodney Howard-Browne held his “laughing revival” lies in ruins today after being abandoned by both man and God. The Carpenter’s Home Church building, which cost $9 million to erect, is being torn down and the property will be converted into a retirement facility.

Coming forward at an altar while in the fits of hysterical laugher is not biblical salvation. If your salvation took place in any other way than the preaching or reading of the gospel, if the conviction you felt came from anywhere other than the Bible, then it is highly likely that while you had an “emotional experience” you did not become born again. Having some phony preacher smacking you in the head and giving you “carpet time” is an end times mockery of New Testament salvation.

What is “carpet time” you ask? Are you sure you want to know?

Carpet Time: In a practice said to have been introduced by Kathryn Kuhlman, people who receive what they consider to be a “touch of the Holy Spirit” pass out on the floor, where they are said to “rest in the Spirit.” Many people do not pass out completely, but rather “yield” – i.e., they voluntarily fall to the floor.

It is taught that the Holy Spirit is ”wine,” and worshippers are to imbibe Him to become ”drunk in the spirit.” Participants are “urged to let go of self-control” and give themselves over to emotional experience, without questioning or trying to understand it with the mind. The church becomes a chaos of revelers without inhibition, carousing in their spiritual drunkenness- reeling, falling, and slurring their words just exactly as if they were drunk with alcohol. Worshippers jump and dance themselves into a frenzy to their worship music, just like pagans do.

Losing their ability to control their behavior, they fall to the floor (”slain in the spirit”), and roll around or become paralyzed and unable to get up (”carpet time”), laugh uncontrollably (”holy laughter”), impersonate barnyard animals, roar like lions, shriek, shake, twitch violently, go through lewd motions of having sex or giving birth (symbolic of ”having a love affair with God” or ”birthing a new ministry”). Some are overcome by desperate agony, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. This is the ”Toronto blessing” which has since spread from the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, which made it famous, to countless other churches, across the world. Some churches try to practice it within limits, others allow complete abandon – and a frightening ”violent edge” is described by witnesses.

Sadly, this is what Pentecostals and Charismatics call the “latter rain”, or the “promised outpouring of God”. What do you call it?

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 (KJV)

The post Rodney Howard-Browne And The Mockery Of The Holy Laughter Heresy appeared first on Now The End Begins.