Sunday, June 03, 2007

Pentecostals and Charismatics.

Found a great article by Earl Creps, who teaches back at The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Mo. (For the record, my ministerial credentials are with The Assemblies of God, and I attended the A/G's main liberal arts college back in Springfield.) The article's been out for a year, but I just came across it today:
    From small beginnings the charismatic/Pentecostal movement attained global status in the 20th century, becoming one of the few renewals of its kind to enjoy a lasting influence. Expanding geographically in an almost viral fashion, the movement spread from one continent to another, earning the label of "a religion made to travel" by constantly shaping itself to what sociologist David Martin calls the "cultural receptivity" of its host.
    Academic studies of this "tourist" religion, such as Philip Jenkins' The Next Christendom, have produced a consensus: rather than disappearing from the planet, the future of Christianity is looking more and more like Southern Hemisphere Pentecostalism.

    However, these broad-scale studies can obscure the fact that the American stream of the movement, particularly in its Anglo version, is experiencing significant challenges.

1 comment:

Rich Tatum said...

Earl Creps is a smart dude, and a great pastor. Wish I could have enjoyed him as a prof, too.

I've touched on the A/G and the Global South in a few posts on my blog, which you might be interested in.

Examining Assemblies of God statistics on growth

Diversity, the Global South, and the Assemblies of God

Mormons, Church Growth, and the Global South

Regards,

And congratulations on four years of ministry at your church!

Rich
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