The Toronto Blessing: Charismatic Evangelical Global Warming

Abstract

It has been described as ‘like getting drunk without the hangover’, as ‘ecstasy without the need of drugs’. The ‘Toronto Blessing’ is a form of religious experience characterized by many unusual physical phenomena — such as bodily weakness and falling to the ground; shaking, trembling and convulsive bodily movements; uncontrollable laughter or wailing and inconsolable weeping; apparent drunkenness; animal sounds; and intense physical activity (Richter, 1995, pp.6–8, 16) — as well as being accompanied by such things as a heightened sense of the presence of God; ‘prophetic’ insights into the future; ‘prophetic’ announcements from God; visions; and ‘out of the body’ mystical experiences. Although centred outside the mainstream churches, especially within the ‘House Church’ or ‘New Church’ movement, Vineyard churches and the older Pentecostal churches, the Toronto Blessing has also, to a lesser extent, affected churches within mainstream denominations, especially, but not exclusively, those with previous Charismatic leanings. This chapter will concentrate on Charismatic evangelical churches. As the name implies, the Blessing has been popularly linked with the Airport Vineyard Church in Toronto at which it ‘broke out’ in January 1994. In fact similar phenomena were already sporadically seen during Charismatic Renewal in the 1970s and within John Wimber’s international ‘power ministry’ in the 1980s (Richter, 1995, p.11; Hunt, 1995, p.260).