Ask the Author: Samuel C. Williamson
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Samuel C. Williamson
Hi Dawn,
Great question. Thanks for asking. (And I'd love to hear what you think of my upcoming book!) To answer you question, I'll give a bit of biography.
My grandfather was raised Presbyterian in Watford, Ontario, Canada. At age 18, he abandoned Christianity and worked as a longshoreman on the Great Lakes. He was invited to a Pentecostal tent prayer meeting where he met the Lord. Eventually he felt called to be a missionary in China where he lived for 20 years and started five inland churches. He left there due to communist pressure.
My dad was born in China as a Pentecostal. He went to a Pentecost college (Vanguard, then called Southern California Bible College) where he met my mom. But some of the teaching there said the you needed to speak in tongues to be a believer. While he DID speak in tongues, he didn't believe it was a requirement to be a believer, so he left Vanguard and finished college at Wheaton. (He was classmates and friends with Jim and Elisabeth Elliot.)
Then, ironically, he became a Presbyterian (the very church my grandfather left, much to his chagrin). But, he remained a believer in being Spirit-filled. So he was actually more of a charismatic (Spirit-filled while not Pentecostal) before the term charismatic was widely used. He was a "hidden" Pentecostal back in 1950.
My parents trained us kids how to hear God in Scripture, and in Scripture we come to recognize God's voice. So they were very biblically minded. But once we learn to recognize God's voice in Scripture, they also taught us to recognize God's voice in all avenues (and alleys) of life.
They believed (and I believe) that Christianity is about a relationship with God; and the key foundation to every relationship is communication. God wants to hear us, yes, but he also wants us to hear him.
That's why I call my new book (out four weeks from today): Hearing God IN CONVERSATION. I believe God wants us to have a natural, conversational with him.
I definitely grew up charismatic, and I believe in the gifts for today; but I also believe the focus of the gifts is primarily: a) to know God personally, and b) to express God in the world around us.
Does that help?
Sam
Great question. Thanks for asking. (And I'd love to hear what you think of my upcoming book!) To answer you question, I'll give a bit of biography.
My grandfather was raised Presbyterian in Watford, Ontario, Canada. At age 18, he abandoned Christianity and worked as a longshoreman on the Great Lakes. He was invited to a Pentecostal tent prayer meeting where he met the Lord. Eventually he felt called to be a missionary in China where he lived for 20 years and started five inland churches. He left there due to communist pressure.
My dad was born in China as a Pentecostal. He went to a Pentecost college (Vanguard, then called Southern California Bible College) where he met my mom. But some of the teaching there said the you needed to speak in tongues to be a believer. While he DID speak in tongues, he didn't believe it was a requirement to be a believer, so he left Vanguard and finished college at Wheaton. (He was classmates and friends with Jim and Elisabeth Elliot.)
Then, ironically, he became a Presbyterian (the very church my grandfather left, much to his chagrin). But, he remained a believer in being Spirit-filled. So he was actually more of a charismatic (Spirit-filled while not Pentecostal) before the term charismatic was widely used. He was a "hidden" Pentecostal back in 1950.
My parents trained us kids how to hear God in Scripture, and in Scripture we come to recognize God's voice. So they were very biblically minded. But once we learn to recognize God's voice in Scripture, they also taught us to recognize God's voice in all avenues (and alleys) of life.
They believed (and I believe) that Christianity is about a relationship with God; and the key foundation to every relationship is communication. God wants to hear us, yes, but he also wants us to hear him.
That's why I call my new book (out four weeks from today): Hearing God IN CONVERSATION. I believe God wants us to have a natural, conversational with him.
I definitely grew up charismatic, and I believe in the gifts for today; but I also believe the focus of the gifts is primarily: a) to know God personally, and b) to express God in the world around us.
Does that help?
Sam
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