Sadly, some charismatics are dangerous

The Pentecostal-charismatic movement has its ugly side, as a case in Punjab illustrates

Bajinder Singh, now-disgraced evangelist from Punjab, India.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” —Acts 8:18–19

Richard Howell’s guest post of April 7, which described the transformative impact of Christian ministry among members of the lower classes in India, highlighted the powerful grassroots leadership provided by Pentecostal village pastors in Punjab, northern India.

The vast majority of Pentecostal pastors are selfless, pure in heart, and deserving of celebration. Unfortunately, Pentecostal-charismatic activity in Punjab also has an ugly side. In an article published last Friday, Surinder Kaur of Christianity Today reported on the fall of Punjab charismatic megapastor Bajinder Singh, who was convicted of rape and sentenced to life in prison last month.

Kaur also mentions rape allegations against two other charismatic pastors in Punjab. She states, “The scandals point to concerns over the recent growth of megachurches in Punjab that are built around charismatic leaders and promote spectacle—often healings or other miracles—over discipleship.”

I do not know the details of Singh’s case, but it sounds familiar. Like too many others, I have experienced the ugly side of certain charismatic ministries.

My first book examined authoritarian practices in a US charismatic Christian community. Years later, I learned that the leader had lost his professional counseling license due to his sexual abuse of single female women in the community.

During my Ph.D. research, I spent four days visiting and conducting interviews at a large charismatic church in Atlanta, USA. The head pastor, Bishop Earl Paulk, granted me extensive access and even invited me to speak at a staff meeting. He also gave me a “touch not God’s anointed” warning before I departed. A few years later, the staff member who accompanied me for much of those four days called to confess an extramarital affair with Bishop Paulk. Subsequently, the megachurch unraveled over what one news source called a “sex scandal of biblical dimensions.”

The Pentecostal-charismatic movement has renewed millions of lives, but like every revival movement, it has its wolves in sheep’s clothing. When the devil cannot stop a revival, he gets behind it and gives it an extra push into some form of extremism.

I do not dispute the existence of modern miracles. But just as Simon the sorcerer tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit with money—after he had believed in Christ and been baptized (Acts 8:13)—many today are marketing seemingly miraculous powers as if they were the pastor’s personal possession.

You can see it happen every time an evangelist calls people forward for prayer, lays a hand on their forehead, gives a gentle push with two people standing behind to catch them, and declares them “slain in the Spirit.” When flashy evangelists try to mass-produce the appearance of miraculous power on cue, be skeptical.

Happily, Kaur, in her thorough journalistic style, goes beyond the ugliness to describe what grassroots Pentecostal leaders of integrity—the people Richard Howell had in mind—are doing. She explains, “Some leaders within the megachurch movement have begun to acknowledge the need for more accountability and structure. In 2021, pastor Harpreet Deol formed the Pentecostal Christian Parbandhak Committee (PCPC) to bring independent pastors under a common framework and encourage self-regulation.” Kaur notes that more than 1,000 pastors have registered with the PCPC.

As I wrote after the posthumous exposure of Ravi Zacharias’s secret life as a sex predator, ugly scandals involving believers are nothing new. Just consider David and Bathsheba. All of us are potentially vulnerable. The Bible teaches us to seek God’s help to resist sin, to confront it lovingly when we see it in others, to forgive those who repent, and to expose those who do not, so as to distinguish the true, saving gospel of Christ from fakers pursuing personal gain.

So I urge the Christians of Punjab and everywhere else to embrace the energizing inspiration of God-fearing Pentecostals, but not to sweep the ugliness under the rug. Such concealment will come back to haunt us sooner or later.

Reader response: On making the church safe for women in Africa

Joshua Barron (no relation), managing editor of African Christian Theology, alerted me to an article that appeared in that journal last month, on how African churches should confront abuse. His wife, Ruth, is a coauthor.

I also received a wonderful story from writer Surendra Bajracharya on the impact of a fearless female leader in Nepal, which merits its own post. Look for it soon.