Christianity: Details about 'Latter Rain Movement'
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The Latter Rain was a movement within Pentecostal Christianity which grew out of revival events in North Battleford, Saskatchewan between 1946 and 1948. The movement itself should be distinguished from those whom it ultimately influenced. Many branches of the movement ultimately led to cultlike groups, however many of the less extreme elements ultimately had postive effects on the Charismatic and Pentecostal renewal. The Latter Rain expressed brought in a new focus on the spiritual elements of Christianity including personal prophecy and typological interpretation of Scripture. The term "Latter Rain" stems from Bible passages as Jeremiah 3:3 and 5:2, Joel 2:23, Hosea 6:3, Zechariah 10:1, and James 5:7. The idea of a "Latter Rain" was not new to the movement, but in fact was present from the earliest days of Pentecostalism, who believed at the time that return of speaking in tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit marked the "Latter Rain" of God's Spirit, near the end of history.
Origin and InfluencesThe Latter Rain Movement had its beginnings in the years following World War II. It was contemporary with the evangelical awakening which was starting with Billy Graham at the forefront, as well as the Healing Revival with Oral Roberts, Jack Coe, and William Branham at the forefront. In this revival context, the Latter Rain swept across Canada and the United States rapidly, influencing many Pentecostal believers. Because of its grassroots and unstructured nature, history may never know the breadth of its influence. A few key figures are identifiable, however. George Warnock, wrote "The Feast of Tabernacles" which became very influential not only for its view of the feasts but for its approach to the Scriptures. One identifiable mark of those influenced by the Latter Rain is their spiritual hermeneutic. Kevin Conner is a very influential Bible teacher who came out of the Latter Rain and who has taken the best of these new ideas and blended them with the more traditional hermenuetics. His approach has influenced such leading ministers as T.D. Jakes. On the more extreme end is Bill Britton who was known for his teaching about Jesus as a "sample" or "example" son. John Robert Stevens and his movement "The Walk" are an example of a ministry which emerged from the Latter Rain. Others include Robert Ewing from Waco, Texas and Bishop Bill Hamon from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Hamon has been very influential in the Charismatic movement, including being featured on the cover of Charisma Magazine. When its proponents tried to mainline this new doctrine into the Pentecostal Churches and in particular the Assemblies of God it nearly split the church. Many felt that this was a false movement insinuating its way into the church which glorified men. Some pointed to the "ye are gods" as evidence of severe theological error. They were also concerned that the movement espoused a post-millennial rather than pre-millennial scenario of the "End Times." In 1959 the Assemblies of God condemned the doctrine of the 'Latter Rain Movement' as heresy. Some of the most ardent critics of the Manifest Sons of God and Latter Rain movements have come from within the Pentecostal movement itself. However, the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements, while rejecting the the more extreme elements of the theology, have with time been greatly influenced by other aspects such as the "fivefold" ministry and the laying on of hands. Beliefs
See also
BooksPentecostal scholar Richard Riss wrote a master's Thesis on the Latter Rain, which was repackaged as a book entitled "The Latter Rain" and is available from Honeycomb Visual Productions in Canada. This book is supportive of the movement. It is one of the only scholarly works available on the topic. |
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