Chapter 10

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On June 19 1994, a charismatic revival sprung up in Toronto, Canada. Airport Vineyard
Church was the ground zero for this new revival.
1
Members at this once small church were
heard to have these powerful experiences with the Holy Spirit. People who visited the
church found some people laughing uncontrollably, some resting in the Spirit, and still
others seemed to be speaking in tongues.
2
Some stories told how great miracles were being
done inferred that the Spirit was moving powerfully. For some leaders like Che Ahn, this
was the revival that they had been praying for and expecting. Other leaders were more
suspicious of what they found in Toronto and pointed to many examples of where people
seemed to be making animal noises.
3
This lead to a greater sensitivity to the Spirits work in
both the nation and at Covenant Life.
For members in CLC this was seen through prolonged ministry meetings and an
encouragement to experience both the baptism of the Spirit and physical manifestations of
the Spirits work. On a typical Sunday morning after the service, members would be down at
the front praying for one another and possibly effected members might be seen filled with a
spirit of laughter, tears of joy or grief over sin, or even slain in the spirit. It was easy
Within PDI, the other churches varied in their response to what was happening in Toronto.
At the Celebration Conferences, Sunday evening was dedicated to the Spirit and at the 1993
celebration, the leadership invited Mahesh Chavda, who was a noted minister of the word
but was also used by the Spirit in radical ways.
4
Celebration 94, focused on the moving of the
Spirit as evidenced by the theme, A Passion for His Name.
Eventually CLC would move away from this thinking and theology that was found in many
Toronto based churches and ministries. While they continued their charismatic theology (as
they had been beforehand), they sought to push against, what they perceived to be, a cult of
personality that had surrounded some of the leaders of the Toronto based ministries that

1
James A. Beverly, Holy Laughter and The Toronto Blessing (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995),
11.
2
John D. Hannah, Jonathan Edwards, The Toronto Blessing, and the Spiritual Gifts, Trinity Journal, 17, 167.
3
Verify
4
Celebration 1993 information brochure, People of Destiney, May 1993, pg. 1.
sprang up.
5
For certain leaders such as Che Ahn, they didnt understand why the pastors at
CLC and thus throughout PDI were pushing against this charismatic outpouring and soon
Ahn decided to separate himself from PDI. Since CJ was both leader of PDI and CLC at
this time, the change of thinking at CLC effected the rest of PDI. PDI would move towards
a more Reformed view of the Spirit, which also helped to precipitate Larrys eventual
departure from PDI in 1997.
6

$20 Million Dollar Lawsuit
Larry was speaking at Northern California conference in 1979 when he made mention of a
certain individual who had recently committed suicide. The individual, not named in the
sermon but widely known, was psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Harris who had recently written a
book titled, Im O.K. Youre O.K. That book, sought to help individuals interact with one-
another through a multi-step process. The book was a major success and one reviewer
mentioned how even churches believe the title is basically Christs message.
7
Many pastors
held the opposite view and felt that the Bible had better means by to help those suffering.
Larry said that he was suspect of psychology that left out the work of Christ in a patients
life.
Years ago, there was a book on the market called Im OK Youre OK, People said,
Thats a wonderful new book new psychology, new things to follow. Most people
today dont know that the author of that book committed suicide about two years
ago, and yet people are still practicing some of his philosophies.
8

The only problem was that this individual had not committed suicide and was very much
alive. When Larry made the statement, he was at the aforementioned Christian conference,
but that message was then repeated on a Sacramento, California radio station. In February of
1980, Dr. Harris and his wife (who had co-written the book) decided to press charges for
defamation.
9

Larry recounts his experience in his book Divine Appointments and describes how he tried to
reach out and seek forgiveness from Dr. Harris.
10
Alas, to no avail, the trail was heading to
court. It should be noted that Larry was not the only defendant in this case and that the
radio station which had replayed the message was included along with several other

5
(Robin Boisvert Interview)
6
See page 126.
77
Webster Schott, How to be happy though adult, Life Magazine, August 11, 1972, accessed via
http://books.google.com/books?id=EVUEAAAAMBAJ&pg
8
Joseph W. Williams, Spirit Cure: A History of Pentecostal Healing (), 109.
9
Nancy Faber, Dr. Thomas Harris, a Reported Suicide, Spikes Rumormohgers: 'i'm Okyou're in Trouble', People
Magazine, April 21, 1980, accessed via http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20076291,00.html
10
See pages 111-116
influential individuals who had repeated the comment.
11
As the trial pressed forward, there
came a point where the case hinged upon a motion that Larrys lawyers made. Because the
judge sided with Larry, the prosecution was willing to bargain and settled the case for
$150,000.
12

Paying off the Mortgage
On April 2, 1995, the members wandered into the service believing that it would be just
another typical Sunday morning service. As worship ended, CJ Mahaney came up to the
podium to update the members about the Mission Offering - when he announced that the
church had actually gone over and above the needed amount for that year. In fact, the prior
Friday he had signed the last check and they owe anybody anything at all.
13
The
congregation began celebrating this joyful news but CJ told them that they would celebrate
more formally at the end of the service.
Once the sermon was done, CJ asked that the chairs be stacked and moved to the sides. The
parents were asked to pick up their children from the childrens ministry.
14

At that point, the members were given a paper which represented the mortgage, and under
the direction of CJ, were told to then tear that into little pieces of paper. The congregation
then tossed them into the air and hundreds of balloons, which had be secretly stashed in
ceiling, were dropped.


11
Jamie Buckingham, Here comes the Judge, Charisma, 1981, p. 13.
12
AP, Author Wins Judgment for Slander, New York Times, September 10, 1983, accessed via
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/10/arts/author-wins-judgment-for-slander.html.
13
(V.B.1995.4.2.1 00:40)
14
My own remembrance of this event almost did not happen since I, along with my brother, were at home with my
mom who was not feeling well that day until my dad called us and told us to come to the service since he suspected
something big was going to happen.