SarahM777,
Historical writings like this need to be interpreted in light of scripture. According to the Bible, the Spirit gives various gifts to the church. Now, if someone who lived 110 years ago or so happened to know someone who was a megolomaniac, or happened to know someone who knew someone who was a megolomaniac, does that mean that God wouldn't answer his prayers?
Let's suppose someone in your church or your family turned out to be a terrible fornicator or adulterer. You had hung out with this person, gone to church with this person, gone to religious conferences and activities with this person-- does that mean that you are a false Christian, that the Holy Spirit will have nothing to do with you, and that God won't answer your prayers?
From what I've read, Parham knew Sandford and visited his ministry, but stopped spending time with him after joining him on an evangelistic crusade in Canada and seeing some things he did not approve of. Back during that time, there was a great interest in healing, and it is not surprising if people with similar ministry interests should go to the same conferences. If you were Reformed and went to a conference where Mark Driscoll showed up, would you consider yourself a false person, a false believer, or something like that? (Btw, you are the one who accused him of being a false pastor, and I'm not endorsing your view, just making a point.) Luther hung out with Carlstad. Does that make him an Anabaptist? Calvin had a conversation with Servetus when he was younger. Does that mean he shared his view on the Trinity?
Some of these historical writings are pretty drab and depressing. I appreciate Vinson Synan's research, but it's pretty drab reading in some ways. It talks about conflicts but not the good stuff. When I read about Seymour, I'd rather read about him ministering to a man with an arm taking off in a mill accident and it growing back, than his getting locked out of a church that disagreed with him. Synan was writing a history dissertation, so he wrote boring stuff. Even if you look at Acts, it's also a historical record, but if all it had was stuff about Paul's dispute with Barnabas and Paul rebuking Peter, the figures in the Bible could be perceived as rather unspiritual.
Historical writings like this need to be interpreted in light of scripture. According to the Bible, the Spirit gives various gifts to the church. Now, if someone who lived 110 years ago or so happened to know someone who was a megolomaniac, or happened to know someone who knew someone who was a megolomaniac, does that mean that God wouldn't answer his prayers?
Let's suppose someone in your church or your family turned out to be a terrible fornicator or adulterer. You had hung out with this person, gone to church with this person, gone to religious conferences and activities with this person-- does that mean that you are a false Christian, that the Holy Spirit will have nothing to do with you, and that God won't answer your prayers?
From what I've read, Parham knew Sandford and visited his ministry, but stopped spending time with him after joining him on an evangelistic crusade in Canada and seeing some things he did not approve of. Back during that time, there was a great interest in healing, and it is not surprising if people with similar ministry interests should go to the same conferences. If you were Reformed and went to a conference where Mark Driscoll showed up, would you consider yourself a false person, a false believer, or something like that? (Btw, you are the one who accused him of being a false pastor, and I'm not endorsing your view, just making a point.) Luther hung out with Carlstad. Does that make him an Anabaptist? Calvin had a conversation with Servetus when he was younger. Does that mean he shared his view on the Trinity?
Some of these historical writings are pretty drab and depressing. I appreciate Vinson Synan's research, but it's pretty drab reading in some ways. It talks about conflicts but not the good stuff. When I read about Seymour, I'd rather read about him ministering to a man with an arm taking off in a mill accident and it growing back, than his getting locked out of a church that disagreed with him. Synan was writing a history dissertation, so he wrote boring stuff. Even if you look at Acts, it's also a historical record, but if all it had was stuff about Paul's dispute with Barnabas and Paul rebuking Peter, the figures in the Bible could be perceived as rather unspiritual.