Charismatic Gifts Research Articles

Spirituality in Pentecostalism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A missiological reflection on constitutive elements

This article analysed the constituent elements of Pentecostal spirituality from a missiological perspective. It specifically examined the current elements of spirituality in Pentecostalism in the Democratic Republic of Congo and assessed their consequences for doctrine and church growth. To achieve this goal, the study uses the analytical method. It argued that the fundamental components of Pentecostal spirituality are the supernatural encounter with God, the practice of charismatic gifts and missionary passion. These elements interact and overlap, making Pentecostal theology distinctive. The first Pentecostals saw themselves as the prototype of a restored community in this sense. The gestures, including dances, applause and other practices, are a way of expressing faith and demonstrating that the charismatic phenomena experienced are a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, confirming his empowerment. This also confirms that, like the branches of the vine, the Church is the Body of Christ.Contribution: This article focusses on the present constitutive elements of spirituality in Pentecostalism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It urges Christians to pursue the divine initiative, which is the action of the Holy Spirit in the churches. Understanding the constitutive elements of spirituality will restore the basic characteristics of the early church in present Pentecostalism.

‘A man’s gift will make room for him’: sources of wealth and legitimacy in charismatic Christianity in Ghana

ABSTRACT The moral practices and principles of accumulating and (re)distributing wealth in charismatic Christianity in Africa are controversial and contested. In Ghana, rich charismatic pastors are perceived as dubious figures and the legitimacy of their wealth is questionable. At the same time, a pastor’s wealth is a sign of his or her spiritual and charismatic gifts. In this article, I discuss the ways in which Ghanaian charismatic pastors, church members and the broader public understand different forms and shifting principles of wealth acquisition and (re)distribution within the religious field. The article highlights the dynamic and fluid nature of distinctions such as legitimate and illegitimate and argues that a moral economy approach is apt for capturing these tensions. Moreover, it is important to include religion and sources of spiritual power in the analysis of moral economies as these are crucial parts of social life and moral values in many African societies.

The sensus fidei and Synodality: Theological Epistemology and the munus propheticum

The sensus fidei and Synodality: Theological Epistemology and the munus propheticum Bernhard Blankenhorn O.P. IN THE YEARS before and after the Second Vatican Council, Yves Congar famously called for a renewed ecclesiology that integrated both Christological and pneumatological approaches to the Church. The French Dominican sought a synthetic vision in which the themes of the Church’s apostolicity and the hierarchical powers transmitted by Christ would be framed within a rich understanding of the Church as a communion of grace, in which the Church’s perennity would not exclude her historicity or the Spirit’s work today.1 One can approach the overall program of advancing synodality as a way better to accentuate the pneumatological element of ecclesial life. Congar’s vast corpus of ecclesiological writings remains a treasure for the Church today, partly because of his astounding grasp of the theological tradition, and partly because his systematics remained animated by the properly theological task of faith seeking understanding. In this way, from his early writings on the theology of the laity forward, Congar exemplified a way of thinking about synodality and its pneumatological potential: to draw widely from the Church’s long [End Page 311] tradition, to acknowledge the historicity of the Church’s structures while refusing to give strictly sociological or political categories the last word, and to avoid one-sided theological solutions (such as a return to early modern Christo-monist ecclesiologies that reduce the laity to passive listeners of a teaching Church, or Pneuma-monist approaches that evacuate the apostolic tradition or ecclesial hierarchy altogether). The present article adopts a Congarian approach to believers’ supernatural sense of the faith (sensus fidei), specifically, by a modest proposal as to how we can best articulate the way in which this supernatural mode of cognition comes about. This article proposes the outline of a subchapter of theological epistemology in view of today’s ecclesial and theological debate on the true meaning of synodality. The theological payoff for seeking such an epistemology is manifold. Much confusion reigns around the question of how exactly the sensus fidei can be identified. Should we especially consult practicing Catholics, such as the laity most engaged in parochial life and evangelization, or faithful members of religious orders? What about fallen-away or barely practicing Catholics? What are we to make of voices on the margins, among so-called progressives or traditionalists? Do charismatic gifts inform the sensus fidei? And more broadly, how are we to interpret the sensus fidei in light of Scripture, Tradition, and magisterial teaching? The questions surrounding the role of the sensus fidei and its noetic character touch on numerous core ecclesiological issues. I. Preliminary Considerations The link between the sensus fidei and synodality has emerged with some frequency in recent magisterial documents and theological literature. Pope Francis’s apostolic constitution on the Synod of Bishops, Episcopalis Communio (2018) makes this connection explicit, and we find it several times in the International Theological Commission’s document Synodality in [End Page 312] the Life and Mission of the Church (2018).2 The same commission’s other recent text, Sensus fidei in the Life of the Church (2014) offers the most extensive teaching to date on the sensus fidei by a body of the Roman curia.3 Several recent collections of theological essays and monographs also take up this link, directly or indirectly.4 Still, much work remains to be done on the sensus fidei in general, and on its noetic aspects in particular.5 An epistemological lacuna remains in the theology of the sensus fidei, though part of its foundation has been laid. The work of John Henry Newman on the need to consult the lay faithful and Yves Congar’s preconciliar writings on the place of the laity in the Church helped to inspire the fathers of Vatican II to overcome the premodern dichotomy between the teaching and the listening Church.6 Newman’s theology on this question arose from his historical studies of the Arian crisis, while his [End Page 313] conviction about the importance of consulting the laity is linked to his theology of faith as a work of grace in man’s conscience and the...

The Charism of Infallibility: Re-Receiving Pastor Aeternus’ Teaching on Papal Infallibility in Light of Iuvenescit Ecclesia’s Teaching on Charismatic Gifts

Abstract More than 150 years since Vatican I, the definition of papal infallibility continues to be a major obstacle in the work for Christian unity. In response to ecumenical and historical objections, Roman Catholic scholars have tended to downplay claims of a priori certainty by stressing the epistemological role of ecclesial reception. The present essay argues that this approach can be greatly strengthened through re-examining the decision of Pastor Aeternus to describe infallibility as a charism, particularly in light of the understanding of charisms found in Lumen Gentium and, more recently, Iuvenescit Ecclesia.

Susa Young Gates: Daughter of Mormonism

Susa Young Gates: Daughter of Mormonism

Charismatic experiences in the Congo Evangelistic Mission Churches: A review of some practices

Deliverance and divine healing, as well as the crucial historical aspect of the mission’s early proselytising and development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), constitute the major characteristics of Pentecostalism. As they form a historical aspect of the mission’s development, it is not surprising that its preservation has not only remained at the core of the church’s ethos, but also continues to increase exponentially. This article investigated some praxis, specifically in the churches founded by the Congo Evangelistic Mission (CEM): the ransom and the fire, the laying of hands and anointing oil, successively as deliverance and divine healing practices. The purpose was to establish the extent to which these churches founded by CEM can move away from these practices and find in Christ the better life they seek. It is to critically reflect on the deliverance and divine healing practices in the church and how the applicability of these practices affects people’s lives, including members and non-members. The qualitative method was utilised for the study. Data was collected through in-depth (semi-structured) interviews and direct observation in the churches founded by the CEM. The findings of this study show that the emergence of these traditionalist practices in the churches founded by the CEM would inadvertently lead to a disregard for in-depth biblical and theological knowledge and eventually result in the further diminishment of the essence of the Christian faith. This study has two implications: (1) the spread of doctrinal abuses is largely due to ignorance and neglect of the church’s doctrines, particularly pneumatology (Pentecostal doctrine), even though the teaching of this doctrine has provided the Pentecostal theological context for the mission’s foundation since its inception. (2) The divisions within the CEM churches have become more frequent and thereby making it difficult for many pastors to lead their members, especially those with charismatic gifts (prophets, Balombi).Contribution: Focusing specifically on charismatic gifts, this article establishes theological guidelines that would revive the Church’s missiological impulse. The guidelines for dealing with these practices will better equip Pentecostal church members to practice the charismatic gifts in light of the New Testament perspectives.

Post-Conciliar Developments in the Catholic Doctrine of Charisms: Lumen Gentium and Iuvenescit Ecclesia Compared

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s letter Iuvenescit Ecclesia represents a considerable, and largely unnoticed, development in the Catholic doctrine of the charisms. Despite being widely overlooked, this document contains a sophisticated, and quasi-systematic, theological presentation of the charismatic gifts. The present essay compares the teaching on the charisms in Iuvenescit Ecclesia with the earlier teaching in Lumen Gentium in three areas: (1) the wider theological grounding of the charisms; (2) the meaning of the term charism; (3) the value assigned to the charisms. Through this, the postconciliar developments in the area of the charisms are brought sharply into focus, demonstrating the significance of Iuvenescit Ecclesia for the future of Catholic ecclesiology.

The Spirit in 1 and 2 Thessalonians

Abstract In the Thessalonian correspondence, Paul, through his occasional yet repeated references to the Spirit’s role in the life of a believer, individual and corporate, teaches that the Spirit is active in a person’s life from the time faith in the gospel is kindled in them. The Spirit regenerates a sinner through deep conviction and power and continues to sanctify a person to live in holiness according to the will of God. Paul reminds them that even their joy amid suffering is the work of the Spirit in them. It enables them not only to imitate Christ and the other believing communities in suffering but also to become a model for other persecuted communities. Paul firmly encourages them to embrace the charismatic gifts of the Spirit among them, but he warns them to be cautious so as to avoid their possible misuse.

“Freely you have received, freely give”: A Socio-Ethical Analysis of Charismatic Engagements and Pentecostalism in Nigeria

The manifestation and demonstration of spiritual gifts have always generated a lot of argument among Christians and non-Christians in Nigerian society. While some people deny the reality of the gifts thereby camping with the cessationists, other parties submit to the continuation of the spiritual gifts among the contemporary Christians. However, in scholarship the discourse has taken different dimensions which include the theological, effectual, biblical and philosophical perspectives with little attention paid to the socio-ethical aspect of the matter which is the major concern of this paper. The work is premised on Thomas Hobbes’ Theory of Psychological Egoism, which emphasises the benefit or reward as the motivating factor for every action performed by man, this article intends to investigate the alleged commercialization of prophetic gifts among the Nigerian pastors and to determine whether this is the major cause for the increase of the demonstration of charismatic gifts in the country. Interviews were conducted with Christians and ministers for data collection; which were complemented with relevant literature. The paper pays attention to charismatic display and Pentecostalism, current level of charismata in Nigerian Pentecostal churches, encouraging factors of charismatic activities and socio-ethical assessment of the display of spiritual gifts in Nigeria’s churches, while Christian morally pertinent ways of demonstrating spiritual gifts in an ethical manner is recommended

Pentecostalisation. A Catholic Voice in the Debate

Pentecostalisation is one of several contentious issues in the Catholic Church. While charismatic experience is welcome and refreshing, it is also connected with various spiritual and pastoral abuses, which is very concerning. When set in the context of the new evangelization and the charismatic reality, people become open to a new type of ecumenism, namely an ecumenism relying on forms of living the faith, on permeating pious practices, singing, and literature. Some people may ask if this features an exchange of gifts or rather indicates the rise of a new hybrid form of Christianity. An analysis of how Pentecostal spirituality has developed, particularly in the Catholic communities, does not lead to a conclusion that the new shape of spirituality poses a danger. Obviously, the theological and pastoral mistakes that do occur need to be corrected but a growth of the charismatic sphere that is integrated within a correct interpretation of faith and with the Tradition leads to a renewal of the Church and greater evangelization. The good outcomes of the catholic, i.e., universal, Charismatic Renewal cannot go unnoticed. In the increasingly secular world, it is only a return to the fundamental experience of apostolic evangelization and a testimony to a living faith of the baptized that may inspire non-believers to start looking for Jesus Christ. The Church cannot, therefore, be reduced to the hierarchical, sacramental, doctrinal, and moral reality only. It is necessary that the involvement of lay people increases and that they use charismatic gifts in a responsible and confident manner. For all this to happen, people must be open to new inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

Cross Mountain and Apparition Hill

This article examines and interprets the phenomenon of Medjugorje as a new religious phenomenon. The name of this Bosnian-Herzegovinian village not only refers to a long series of Marian apparitions, but it is also used as a metaphor for the religious and political developments that occur in relation to those visions. The argument is that in the context of interaction with nationalist agendas and church politics, Medjugorje must be seen as a contested apparitional site that has reinvented itself into a highly successful grassroots religious movement. Medjugorje devotees and the faithful, inspired by tradition, are creating an idiosyncratic devotional expression of Catholicism, in which the individual endures the hardships of pilgrimage for a personalized experience of charismatic gifts and the miraculous. The article contends that this distinguishes this devotional movement from mainstream Catholic pilgrimage culture.

The Contribution of Francis A. Sullivan, SJ to a Deeper Understanding of Charisms in the Church

Francis A. Sullivan, SJ made a number of significant contributions to the Catholic theology of charism. Through an accepted emendation, he helped write Lumen Gentium 12; he investigated the new movement of “Catholic Pentecostals” for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; he later produced a number of related academic works exploring the nature of the charisms and their role in ecclesiology. This article argues that Sullivan’s reading of the division in Lumen Gentium 4 between charismatic and hierarchical gifts, and how he uses this division to argue that sacramental ordained ministry should presume prior charismatic gifts, has the capacity to support a re-conceptualization of ecclesial ministry.

For We All Share in One Spirit

Charismatic gifts are an understudied and divisive aspect of Christian worship. Yet, in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4, Paul links these phenomena with his famous metaphor for the unity of the church as the Body of Christ. This paper argues that one can better understand how the Holy Spirit unifies both the universal and local church by viewing charismatic gifts as liturgical group actions. After briefly introducing the category of charismatic gifts, I argue that charismatic gifts are a semi–scripted improvisational activity which immerse participants into the core Christian narrative of the universal and invisible church. I then argue that charismatic gifts are given to and enacted by communities, rather than individuals, and so are an example of group action actualising the corporate agency of the local church. When charismatic gifts are seen as liturgical group actions it becomes clear how the Spirit uses charismatic gifts to transform the gathered people of God into the unified Body of Christ.

Napięcie między subiektywnym a obiektywnym. Rozpoznanie działania Ducha Świętego w tradycji zachodniej i wschodniej

Tension between personal experience and community discernment, a prophesy and Church’s teaching, judgement of conscience and trueness of moral doctrine is still alive. Ultimately, it is all about what in the Church is subjective and what is objective. This reconciled opposition is inscribed in the identity of Christianity. Evangelical testimony of disciples going to Jerusalem after encountering Jesus in Emmaus and theirs confrontation with Peter’s experience demonstrates a model of appropriate route: subjective does not transgress objective, personal it is in tone with ecclesiastical. Despite an agreement among Christians in terms of general direction, a diff erence at level of details between particular traditions is noticed. Without depreciating individual and discerned, Catholic Church invariably supports the necessity to acknowledge The Teaching Office of the Church and the power of bishops within diocese. Of course all faithful take part in carrying and development of the legacy, especially through testimony and creative dialogue. Synods, councils and other bodies serve an example. However they do not cover doctrinal and disciplinary issues. Formation, obedience and spiritual guidance are important at personal level. Recognition of bishop’s authority, adherence to the Tradition and cannons and obedience to spiritual guide (the elder) are key elements of Orthodox tradition. Special attention is given to conciliarity (synodality) on various levels of Church. On the other side, for the post-reformation communities the fundamental and practically the only rule is Sola Scriptura. Bible does not give answer to each particular question and does not describe every form of Holy Spirit’s action therefore different conclusions and options arise in various denominations. Undertaking the process of discernment itself, historical Churches follow more codified path of Church’s discernment such as synods, councils, conferences while evangelical communities accept even more individual approach, recommending of course pastoral prudence and consultations with pastor or elders of the congregation. It is especially necessary among Pentecostal Christians accepting the presence of charismatic gifts, to include prophecy.

Synodality — Participation — Co-Responsibility. Remarks on the Determinants of the Aggiornamento of the Church Law

In the communio Ecclesiae reality, of a unitarian, charismatic, and institutiona structure, the crucial concepts of participation and co-responsibility are firmly anchored in the juridical and canonical discourse. This is the way in which the horizon of the subject matter reveals itself, the study of which — from the point of view of the title triad: synodality — participation — co-responsibility — will never lose its relevance. What is, at the same time, important is the idea of “synodality,” which is adequately recognized as the sacra potestas of a sacramental origin (ontological aspect), which gains the dynamism of libertas sacra (existential and dynamic aspect) through the charisms of the Holy Spirit, thus leading to the inseparability of its personal and synodal aspects. Therefore, in the attempt to illuminate the determinant of the aggiornamento of the Church law in this study, it was appropriate, on the one hand, to consistently refer to the essence of the idea of the communio hierarchica, according to which Christ makes selected servants participate in his authority by means of an office, the exercise of which always remains a diaconia in the community of faith. On the other hand, in reference to the contemporary understanding of communio fidelium, the axis of scientific reflection was to be the communion-creative phenomenon of charisms — gifts of the Holy Spirit that awaken in the People of God synodal co-responsibility for the good of the entire Church community. In both cases — without losing sight of the obvious truth that, in the sacramental structure of the Church (communio), both hierarchical and charismatic gifts converge in the service of the bishop, who updates — according to the logic of the Vaticanum II aggiormamento and the ecclesiological principles of the Council: collegiality, the title synodality and subsidiarity — the fullness of Christ’s service: as Prophet, Priest, and King.

Przepowiadanie jako charyzmat. Chrzest w Duchu Świętym a głoszenie słowa Bożego

Soborowa i posoborowa odnowa Kościoła ukazała, że w jego sercu wielkie znaczenie mają liczne dary charyzmatyczne. Wydarzenie pentekostalne w Duquesne (USA) w 1967 roku i związane z nim powstanie Katolickiej Odnowy Charyzmatycznej, zdynamizowało ruchy ewangelizacyjne w Kościele zakorzenione w doświadczeniu chrztu w Duchu Świętym. Ma ono do dziś wpływ na rozwój i recepcję posługi słowa Bożego w Kościele. Chrzest w Duchu Świętym mocno formuje profil duchowy kaznodziei, a co za tym idzie oddziałuje na jego duchowość. Duch Święty udziela też licznych charyzmatów słowa, np. proroctwa i nauczania, udziela kaznodziei nadprzyrodzonej mocy głoszenia, co ma niebagatelne znaczenie dla całokształtu przepowiadania słowa Bożego. Na pierwsze miejsce wysuwa się głoszenie kerygmatu i osobiste świadectwo kaznodziei.

South German Anabaptist Ecclesiology and Its Present-day Pentecostal Counterpart

Th is article accepts that twentieth-century classical Pentecostalism originally shared a similar ethos to that exemplified among the South German Anabaptists, and investigates some resonances in ecclesiology between the two. Scrutiny of a selection of early sixteenth-century documents relating to Anabaptism identifies the following: a radically consistent application of sola scriptura, a rejection of the state-church synthesis, a revisioning of sacramental belief and practice that subverts the clergy-laity divide, commitment to the teachings of Jesus as the primary and central guide to discipleship, a sacrifi cial pilgrim mentality of “just passing through this world,” individual choice and responsibility to follow Jesus, confi dent personal witness to the goodness and salvation of the Lord, and some level of demonstration of the charismatic gifts. Early Pentecostalism resonated with all these themes, although it developed a more detailed and sophisticated biblical and theological understanding of the charismatic aspects. However, present-day popular Pentecostalism, especially but not exclusively in the West, appears to demonstrate in its implied ecclesiology a number of dissonances from all of these elements, which may indicate a significant divergence from the original ethos of the movement and present major future challenges to its authentic and consistent continuation and self-propagation.

Towards Harmonious Relationship between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts

Towards Harmonious Relationship between Hierarchical and Charismatic Gifts

Modlitwa inspirowana i ożywiana darami Ducha Świętego

It was already in his Apostolic Letter that Pope John Paul II appealed to the faithful to discover the presence of the Holy Spirit both in the holy sacraments and through the various charismata, tasks and services to the faithful for the sake of the Church. This appeal was reminded about in the Letter of the Congregation for The Doctrine of the Faith Iuvenescit Ecclesia approved by Pope Francis. This article raises the issue of Christian prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit, its integrating role due to the power of the Holy Spirit and the relation between the prayer and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It should be noted that there is a growth in the awareness and recognition of multiple actions of the Holy Spirit in the Church and the charismatic gifts through which people of God can fulfil their mission. The Holy Spirit is the source of every gift that comes from God in the order of creation.

Dary hierarchiczne i charyzmatyczne w służbie komunii i w realizacji misji ewangelizacyjnej Kościoła

The article raises the issue of hierarchical and charismatic gifts in terms of their theological, ecclesiological, theological-spiritual and pastoral context. Its point of departure is the rediscovery of the charism during the Second Vatican Council and in subsequent parts it follows briefly the development of the charism after the Council, not only within consecrated life. Further on, the article recalls its position, including hierarchical gifts in the ecclesiology of communion. In the essential part of the article, the author considers the role of charisms in building up the community of the Church through monks, priests and laymen. He takes into account their relationship with love – the greatest gift of the Spirit - and with its communion function. After explaining the mutual relationship between communio and missio of the Church, he goes on to present the role of charisms in the attainment of the mission of evangelisation through the clergy, monks and laymen. He also presents orienting charisms towards a deeper participation of the faithful in the holy sacraments.