Recently I wrote an article for a prestigious article-posting company. It was about “Mystery Babylon.” The censors at the posting place tried to stop me and tell me that my grammar was wrong. You can’t say “Mystery Babylon,” I was wisely told. It must be “mysterious Babylon.” I had to explain that “Mystery Babylon” was a Scriptural term and that it was OK as is.

Oh well. The world is the world. But how solid is Biblical knowledge in Christendom? Those who stress experience as the main event are among the worst when it comes to Bible knowledge. They somehow believe that experience trumps Bible knowledge. Of course, their very experience, if genuine, is Biblically based. What a joy to be able to turn to the pages of Scripture and say, “That’s me! I know all about that!” And how better to pass the experience on authoritatively than to say, “This says the Lord,” and quote a Bible verse.

But wait Fundamentalists, those of you who do know the Book, not so fast in your run to judgment! Many Bible believers have a glaring ignorance at times also. In fact, often their lack of experiential knowledge is far more serious. They remind one often of the Pharisees who searched the Scriptures constantly, memorized them, enforced them on others, but would not come to the living God when He showed up in front of them. Bible lovers often rule out the miraculous for today, saying it was all for a reason and for a season. Reason and season being passed, they eloquently opine, miracles must be passed too.

When a miracle does happen, and miracles there are aplenty for those looking, they must be explained away. Shamefully many of their arguments sound like those who deny the resurrection of Jesus, and all the rest. “It was group hypnosis.” “It was from the Devil.”

You’ve heard it all too, I guess.

I generalize of course, but in the main, fundamentalists are ignorant of experiences. Experientialists are ignorant of Scriptures. Neither is excusable. The Book is simply a written expression of someone’s experience in revelation. To come against it or ignore it is to come against the Spirit. And to come against the miracles of the Spirit in our day is to come against the promises of such in the Word.