Toronto blessing
Site of Toronto Blessing
|
|
| Duration | Continuous |
|---|---|
| Date | January 20, 1994 |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Website | www.catchthefire.com |
The Toronto Blessing, a term coined by British newspapers, describes the Christian revival and associated phenomena that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church (TAV), which was renamed in 1995 to Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) and then later in 2010, renamed to Catch the Fire Toronto. It is categorized as a neo-charismatic evangelical Christian church and is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The events that occurred at the Toronto Blessing yielded both positive and negative criticism about charismatic doctrine, the latter rain movement, and the types of physical responses that should be expected within a charismatic service. The Toronto Blessing also may have influenced other revivals, such as the Brownsville Revival and the Lakeland Revival where similar manifestations occurred.
The Toronto Blessing has become known for an increased awareness of the God as Father's love, religious ecstasy, external observances of ecstatic worship, what is termed as being slain in the Spirit, laughter, emotional and/or physical euphoria, crying, healing from emotional wounds, healing of damaged relationships, and electric waves of the spirit. "Holy laughter" as a result of overwhelming joy was a hallmark manifestation, and there were also minor instances of participants roaring like lions. Leaders and participants claim that these are physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence and power, while a few Pentecostal leaders believe these were the counterfeits of the Spirit mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
This was also not the first time in history these types events occurred; some were evident in the Azusa Street revival of the early 1900s. The Bible also records supernatural events when people encountered God such as lightning coming from the top of Mount Sinai when the 10 Commandments were given, Roman soldiers falling down in the Garden of Gethsemane when encountering Jesus, Moses' face shining when coming off Mount Sinai, and the cloud of glory that appeared over the tent of meeting. Proponents of the Toronto Blessing point to these Biblical examples as evidence of these activities being legitimate.
...
Wikipedia