Pentecostals/Charismatics: An Excerpt from "Christianity in North America"
Many Americans may not know too much about Pentecostalism. I was honored to be a keynote speaker at the Study of Pentecostal Studies a few years ago. It was a fantastic event, and my keynote was Reimagining Spirit as wind, breath and vibration.
I met many fantastic professors and researchers in the area of Pentecostalism and learned so much from them. One of them was Dr. Daniel Isgrigg, who is one of the many contributors to Christianity in North America co-edited with Drs. Todd M. Johnson and Kenneth Ross.
Below is a short excerpt from Dr. Isgrigg’s chapter on “Pentecostals/Charismatics”.
Unique North American Characteristics and Challenges
From its early years as a marginalised, radical religious movement, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity has certainly made a remarkable impact on North America’s religious landscape. As the rapid worldwide growth of the movement has captured the attention of scholars of world Christianity, there is a need to consider the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the North American context. While each of the major waves of renewal is unique and diverse, this section explores some of the major themes of growth, theological orientation, inclusivity and social engagement. Each of these areas offers insights into the overall landscape of conversations taking place within the movement.
Though the movement has experienced tremendous growth globally since the 1970s, North American Spirit-empowered Christianity has not kept pace with the rest of the world. Of the 644 million global Pentecostal and Charismatic believers, only 67 million are located in North America, fourth among the six continents. Overall, Pentecostals and Charismatics in the USA have increased from 13.8 million in 1970 to 65 million in 2020 but have failed to keep up with population growth. While Pentecostals and Charismatics increased by 14 million from 2000 to 2020, their total percentage of all Christians declined from 12.1% to 10.5%. In Canada, Pentecostals and Charismatics more than tripled, from 709,000 in 1970 to 2.3 million in 2000. But growth has stagnated since, the total reaching 2.75 million in 2020. In the North Atlantic, Greenland had only a minimal Pentecostal presence in the 1950s from the Inuunerup Nutaap Oqaluffia, an independent Pentecostal church among the Inuit people. But since the 1980s, the Assemblies of God has helped boost Greenland’s Spirit empowered believers to over 6,000 (11% of the Christian population). In Bermuda, where the New Testament Church of God is influential, Pentecostals and Charismatics have grew from 5% of the Christian population in 1970 to 28% in 2020. What these numbers tell us is that the Pentecostal/ Charismatic movement in North America is certainly growing, but it largely lags behind the global level of growth.
One sector that continues to see growth in North America is independent networks of Charismatic churches. Their innovative religious experiences and positive messages have attracted the middle and upper classes alike by appealing to North America’s ethos of neoliberalism and self- actualisation. In these circles, the prosperity gospel has certainly flourished, but churches today can range from neo-Reformed churches that revive ancient traditions to prayer centres that welcome all kinds of prophetic and esoteric experience. While mega-churches dominate the landscape, Charismatic spirituality continues to thrive in mid-sized to small churches because of the value placed on congregational participation. This vast variety offers worshippers the ability to choose a customized worship environment, a characteristic that appeals to North Americans’ individualistic culture.
A key factor driving the passing on of Spirit-empowered Christianity to the new generation is the emergence of the prayer movement in places like the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri (IHOPKC), and Bethel Church in Redding, California. These two prayer and worship movements have redefined Charismatic spirituality for a new generation through immersive worship experiences found in their 24-hour worship and prayer gatherings, healing rooms, prophecy rooms and ministry internship programmes. Places like IHOPKC and Bethel are less about expanding as franchise churches, the trend among mega-churches today.
Instead, they see themselves as revival centres where they can impact younger generations to go out and renew the Church as a whole. The worship music and song-writing of these centres have become extremely popular because of their Pentecostal motifs and references to God’s miraculous power to heal and deliver. Not only has the music of Jesus Culture and Bethel impacted Spirit-filled churches across North America, but its popularity has been mainstreamed through Contemporary Christian Music and is today also driving worship in many Evangelical churches.
**To read the rest of this chapter and all the other important chapters, please order Christianity in North America.
**The entire Edinburgh series is now available at a discount when you buy the complete set. To purchase a set, either buy online, contact the Edingburgh sales team.
***This past Pentecost Sunday, I taught the Adult Forum on When God Became White and preached at Duke University Chapel. Enjoy the worship here with fabulous music and choir:
Special Events:
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Free signed book, When God Became White winners: V. Helbert, B. Englebach, D. Jones, L. Kim, J. Williams.
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