Pentecostalism explained...
The Future AG blog put up a link of an NBC Nightly News interview with Pastor Eugene Rivers of the Azuza Christian Community (Church) in Boston. It is a really well done presentation and while there may be some points of disagreement I think he hits on the core issue of what the Pentecostal movement is really about (and has been about since the Azuza Street Revival in 1906) - reaching the poor. Please understand too when he uses the terms poverty and prosperity he is most likely not referring to the "prosperity gospel" of WOF wing of the charismatic movement. More likely it was an alliteration and he is referring to what Donald McGavran coined, "redemption and lift." When people are filled with the Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit empowers and enables them to overcome seeming destitute situations and rise up out of it in the power of the Spirit. A simple fact of the matter is, is that a kind of "redemption lift" does accompany salvation and the filling of the Spirit. This may be why too Pentecostalism is exploding in the Southern Hemisphere (it is dying in Northern Hemisphere).
Let me know what y'all think.
posted by Brian @ 12:45 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Probably a fairly accurate comment.
I am curious, though, why you allege that Pentecostalism is dying in the Northern Hemisphere. Perhaps, yes, the traditional Pentecostals of the "First Wave" are shrinking due to the institutionalization and politicization of these denominations. But this is certainly not the case of the "Renewalists" and "Charismatics" (Second and Third Wavers, respectively). Independent churches are proliferating both in size and in number.
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