Pentecostal Research Articles

Pentecostalisation in the Devhula Lebowa Circuit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa: towards church growth and ecumenism

The growth of the Pentecostal movement is not only marked by the proliferation of the Pentecostal churches in Africa and the diaspora but also by the adaptation to the Pentecostalist practices particularly pneumatic experiences by mainline Christianity known as Pentecostalisation. Instead of completely joining the Pentecostal movement, some mainline churches adjust their practices to suit their congregants who are more pentecostalist and charismatically inclined. This article uses the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, the Devhula Lebowa Circuit, Limpopo province in South Africa as a case study to illustrate that the adaptation to Pentecostalist practices in the church is the source of church growth and ecumenism. This kind of adaptation has some implications in demonstrating that different Christian traditions can learn from one another to grow in terms of numbers. Secondly, it demonstrates that the Christian tradition can move towards unity by learning from one another instead of being divided along denominational lines. Through a participation observation method, this study shows that Pentecostalisation cannot be viewed negatively but should be revisited by scholars considering church growth and the notion of ecumenism.

Stage of establishment of Pentecostalism in Cuba

Studies on the diversity of existing religious groups are a recurring theme in current historiographical production. Among them, it is worth mentioning the Pentecostal movement as one of the most investigated from the different fields of knowledge, given its rapid expansion and impact within societies. The present work aims to explain the establishment of the Pentecostal movement in Cuba, taking into account the historical context of its arrival and its development until the forties of the 20th century. In order to achieve this goal, we begin by explaining how Pentecostalism arose, and in a second stage we will deal with how this religious denomination was introduced in the island, who were the main precursors of the movement in the country and where they came from

Christianity in India: From the Apostle Thomas to the Present

The first Christians appeared in southwestern India during Antiquity; they belonged to Nestorianism and were fully incorporated into Indian society. The descendants of the Christian settlers and the descendants of the converts formed different castes. In the mid-16th century a Catholic diocese was established in the Portuguese possession of Goa, and most of the local Christians were converted to Catholicism. Protestantism began to spread in the early 18th century in the Danish colony of Trakenbar on the southeast coast. The East India Company did not permit missionary activity on its lands. The evangelical revival movement in the late 18th century led to the establishment of missionary societies focused on the Christianization of new lands, and they sought permission to establish missions in British possessions. Subsequently, the British administration did not provide much support for missionaries, using the confessional controversy to consolidate the power of the empire. Preaching was most effective among tribal and Dalit peoples. Missionaryism among Dalits caused serious discontent in society and contributed to the emergence of reform movements in Hinduism. In independent India, several states enacted "anti-forced conversion" laws to limit conversions to Christianity and Islam. The rise of Hindu nationalism, which viewed Christianity as an alien religion, proved to be a deterrent to the spread of Christianity. In the second half of the 20th century new trends in Christianity developed most rapidly: Pentecostal and non-denominational Protestant churches, as well as Catholic charismatic movements. The share of Christians in India's population has not changed much in the last 70 years. Conversions to Christianity have been offset by lower birth rates in Christian families. Christians now constitute about 2.6% of the country's population; Christianity has spread most widely in the states of the Northeast, where Christian denominations have actually been able to replace tribal religions and in Kerala, where Christianity took hold almost two thousand years ago.

The ‘Spirit’ of Schooling: The relevance of the sense of a calling on the school experiences of secondary-school Roma/Ciganos students

In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (PE), Max Weber examines the ecological domination of instrumental rationality to the detriment of value-oriented action. The concept of the calling (Beruf in German) becomes a key one for interpreting the process of value rationalization. One can find Weberian value-rationality among the Portuguese Roma/Ciganos, who seek alternative livelihood strategies via schooling, although they are still characterized by a high rate of early school dropouts, with a very low number of students attending secondary education. The EDUCIG (School performance among Ciganos/Roma: action research and co-design) project was launched in 2019 to grasp the multiple factors involved in this social problem. The project interview-based analysis entailed the participation of 31 Roma/Ciganos students from the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto. Results suggest that despite the social, cultural and economic constraints affecting their school pathways, the academic success of young Roma/Ciganos is facilitated by the influence of religion, specifically the Pentecostal Evangelical Church and its respective values. Moreover, we can recognize the emergence of a new ‘spirit’ in these young Roma/Ciganos, a ‘spirit’ that does not aim at instant gratification but represents an investment in the future and, simultaneously, a desire for integration.

Spiritual Fathering in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in Southern and Western Africa: Toward an Inclusive Model

Spiritual Fathering in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in Southern and Western Africa: Toward an Inclusive Model

Pentecostalism and socio-political changes in Latin America

This article examines the impact of Pentecostalism on Latin American society, which has become very popular among the poor. The religious conversion improved the quality of life by eliminating bad habits and by turning to family values, but it did not have a significant macroeconomic effect. Recently, the Protestants have become a significant political factor in Latin American political life; in particular, the Pentecostals have been very active. The main focus has been on addressing Christian moral issues in politics. The largest Pentecostal churches in Brazil support individual right-wing parties.

Financial misappropriations, internal control, and Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria

The spate of financial misappropriations and reckless spending of funds belonging to religious organizations in Nigeria has attained worrisome heights. Fraud can occur in any organization, but Churches are extremely susceptible due to their trusting nature. This research seeks to find out the existence or otherwise of internal controls in sacred organizations. The research employs survey and literature review methodologies in evaluating the soundness or inadequacy of the internal control systems of Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria and at the global level. The research finds out that strong internal control systems were not in existence in these Churches. There was also no positive correlation between the trust reposed in Church officers and lower operating costs as officers could leverage on their trusted positions to exploit. The paper, therefore, suggests that good corporate governance should be extended to non-profit making organizations for more accountability, probity, and transparency.

Studying Digital Pentecostalism

Abstract One of the most important developments in recent history has been the invention of the internet and this has led to many academic disciplines developing digital research competence. However, there has been limited practical-theological research completed in the area of digitally mediated Pentecostalism. Therefore, this article addresses this important area, as conceived within the discipline of practical theology using empirical research methods. Even before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Pentecostals had embraced an online delivery of worship and ministry. Nevertheless, the capacity for the digital mediation of beliefs and practices has developed considerably in 2020 and 2021, and these recent developments invite further critical attention. To develop competence in the study of digital Pentecostalism, practical theologians will be required to acquire competence in “virtual ethnography,” sometimes referred to as “netnography,” that is, the academic study of online communities, including online churches. As part of this competence, there is a need to reframe virtual ethnography within an empirical-theological approach as a subset of practical theology, and this includes attending to hermeneutical issues as well as technical competence (that is, methods of gathering and evaluating online data). In this article, I shall explore some of these methodological concerns and suggest ways in which scholars can develop approaches to the research of digital pentecostal and charismatic Christianity.

“Rescued Women”

Abstract This article traces the history of early pentecostal responses to sex trafficking and the related issue of prostitution. It documents the stories of Pentecostal Rescue missions recorded in pentecostal papers such as The Bridegroom’s Messenger, Apostolic Faith, Weekly Evangel, and the Pentecostal Holiness Advocate. This study explores pentecostal views of society and culture as well as rhetoric about trafficked women, especially the concepts of victimhood, guilt, and culpability for “fallen women.” It demonstrates how ministry to trafficked women positively and negatively shaped pentecostal attitudes toward women and dress in the pentecostal tradition.

Swedish Christian Schools as a Case Study of How New Practices Relate to Theological Issues

Abstract Swedish Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal churches have, since the 1990s, started elementary schools. In this study, we examine theological issues that this new ‘practice’ brings about or makes visible. We have performed semi-structured interviews with church and school leaders, as well as focus group interviews with staff at three schools. In our analysis, we note that the aim of the schools is not to convert pupils but to create a certain culture and thereby to develop good people. These schools do not have other core values or different aims than public schools but describe these values and aims as Christian. However, the informants believe that they have better tools with which to accomplish these values and aims. We suggest that the informants assume an ethics that focus on values such as individual freedom, tolerance, and love, that conversion is not regarded as a requisite to a good life, and that explicit religious activities are placed in the private sector. These assumptions are not, we argue, seen as new, or caused by the engagement in elementary schools; rather they are regarded as ongoing ‘changes’ in the churches under consideration here that become visible in this praxis.

African-initiated churches and environmental care in Limpopo, South Africa: A missional enquiry

Climate change in South Africa is increasingly threatening the most vulnerable populations in rural areas of the country, such as the Limpopo province. Religious communities could be important actors in South Africa, and their role in sustainable development could be critical. Research on the capacities of religious communities for climate change adaptation is vital for reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14 and 15. This article drew on empirical research focusing on adaptive practices to climate change. It asked the following question: how do African Independent and Pentecostal churches located in the province of Limpopo relate to climate change in their communal and individual activities? To answer this question, qualitative semistructured individual interviews, group interviews and results from focus groups were used for data collection. The research learned that eco-theology is not the most prominent topic in the majority of the participants’ congregations and their communal activities. However, all the participants had noticed the effects of climate change in their immediate surroundings. As a consequence, these individuals took care of their surrounding environments. Focus groups were formed with the hope of consolidating individual efforts into a collective toolkit. This article concluded that the majority of the research participants are not knowledgeable about climate change as a concept. However, they are cognisant of the impact climate change has on them.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article was practical theology research. It was strengthened by research findings from agricultural sciences, ecology, development sciences, missiology and intercultural theology to propose an eco-theology from below based on individual adaptive measures to climate change.

The role of ecumenical bodies in curbing abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa

The proliferation of New Prophetic Churches within the broader Pentecostal movement in South Africa has come with the challenge of the abuse of religion and people’s beliefs. These abuses have attracted the attention of the government through the Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities (CRL) commission with calls for the regulation of religion to deal with the abuses. This article worked within the context of Christian ecumenism and explored the role of ecumenical bodies in curbing the abuses in New Prophetic Churches as opposed to the regulation by the government. In this article the ecclesiastical freedom theory is used to argue that ecumenical bodies are better positioned to deal with these challenges facing churches than the government and its commissions. It is suggested that, for New Prophetic Churches to be active in national ecumenical bodies such as the South African Council of Churches, they should be allowed to establish their own bodies to assure accountability. This will be achieved by defining the theory of ecclesiastical freedom, a discussion of the ecumenical bodies in South Africa and their relationship with New Prophetic Churches. In the last section the role of ecumenical bodies in dealing with abuses in New Prophetic Churches will be explored and recommendations made.Contribution: This article makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourses on the regulation of religion in South Africa through an ecclesiastical freedom theory. It is argued that churches can self-regulate and therefore suggests that instead of regulating churches, the government should rather rely on ecumenical bodies in dealing with abuses in New Prophetic Churches in South Africa. In addition, New Prophetic Churches should be allowed to establish their bodies that will ultimately become part of national ecumenical bodies to assure accountability.

On Dankwa's Gift

On Dankwa's Gift

Rethinking the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement: an African ecclesiological approach

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement accepts and practices the beliefs in the gifts of the Holy Spirit without leaving the fundamental teachings of a mainline tradition. Similarly, in the Catholic Church, this is a movement that has embraced the gifts of the Holy Spirit without leaving Catholicism. The movement has been influenced largely by the protestant tradition, particularly the Pentecostal movement, hence some resemblances with Pentecostal ecclesiological practices such as charismatic worship, prophecy, divine healing, and speaking in tongues. Previous studies on this movement have only looked at the various challenges or attacks on the movement such as shifting their focus away from the church ordinances and sacraments. What is new in this article, is a reflection on the practices of the charismatic renewal in offering a relevant African ecclesiology. This will be done by locating this article within an African ecclesiological approach which when applied to the charismatic renewal makes the movement relevant to an African context.

Roma Christians in Times of Crises: Social Impact of Faith During a Pandemic and War

Abstract Roma communities in Eastern Europe have long experienced socio-political and religious marginalization, a current phenomenon resulting from complex factors spanning over centuries. The rise of evangelical and Pentecostal movements among the Roma over the last decades have contributed to social uplift and more integration in certain contexts. However, societies in crisis are often an unexpected gauge to assess realities and tensions–in this case, the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 revealed the deep suspicion and prejudice still existing toward the Roma. Nonetheless, a number of Roma Pentecostals and Baptists became actively involved in responding to both crises. First placing the relationship between religion, society, and the Roma in historical context, this paper will explore how Christian Roma reacted to the dual crises and the implications for their relationship to the wider church and society,

‘The memory of persecution is in our blood’: documenting loyalties, identities and motivations to political action in the Ugandan Pentecostal Movement

AbstractMuch attention has been paid to the growth of Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity in Uganda and the way it has shifted over the past decades from being a minority religion to influencing and shaping the Ugandan public and political spheres. Most of the literature, however, associates the Pentecostal-charismatic dynamic public action with its motivation to promote conservative Christian values, especially around issues of sexuality, HIV/AIDS, reproduction and family values. This article extends this literature by providing a fuller explanation for the reasons behind its public transformation and its relation to power, in particular its loyalty to and support for President Museveni. Drawing on participant observation and interviews conducted over several years, this article argues that along with theological and moral explanations, it is important to understand how local and contextual dynamics interplay. Indeed, the uncertainties and memories of the difficult origins of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement and the lack of legal recognition as fully registered churches, still impact on the present and motivate them to be catalytic socio-political actors in need of forging strong connections with centres of power in Museveni's Uganda.

‘Prosperity theology’: Poverty and implications for socio-economic development in Africa

Poverty is a complex subject in traditional African cultures. It is the lack of provision to satisfy the basic human needs of the population. The prosperity gospel as part of Pentecostal Christianity, with origins in the United States of America, presents itself as a new model for poverty eradication. Pentecostal Christianity and the proliferation of Pentecostal churches in Africa, many of whom are adherents of prosperity theology over a period of more than three decades, have not translated to a more prosperous continent, and sub-Saharan Africa is still notably one of the poorest regions of the world. Poverty is a concept with many dimensions that attempts to ascertain the varying degrees of deprivation experienced by populations, individually or collectively. However, certain subjective and sometimes arbitrary interpretations of biblical texts on prosperity as the basis for prosperity theology have encouraged capitalist impulses that often supplant the pursuit of spiritual advantages, leading instead to an increase in crimes including robbery, financial fraud, kidnapping, ritual killings and many other social vices. This article examines the different perspectives of the prosperity gospel, the biblical sources and interpretations used as well as its interpretation of poverty. It shows how prosperity theology, with its own interpretation of poverty, erodes the valuable indigenous resources available to fight poverty within African religious communities, which emphasise community, positive family attachments, social support networks, moral values and accountability, and it examines the implications this has for socio-economic development in Africa.Contribution: This article challenges the theology of prosperity that characterises Pentecostal Christianity and is pervasive in Africa. It contributes to the discourse on how the challenges of poverty require the more community-centred approaches that traditional African values offer as against the self-centredness and greed promoted by the prosperity theology.

Profile of a Spirit-Empowered Leader: Opoku Onyinah, the “African Paul”

Spirit-empowered leadership takes its shape from both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. God raised up, transformed with the Holy Spirit, and set aside some men and women to impact their generations and influence the trajectory of the church. Most operated within the apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral, and teacher/scholar paradigms to execute God’s plan for their lives. In contemporary times, however, questions arise as to whether other individuals qualify as effective modern-day Spirit-empowered leaders who operate within the boundaries of these paradigms through the Holy Spirit’s enablement. Consequently, this research sought to examine the spiritual and theological infrastructure behind the life and ministry of Ghanaian and African Pentecostal theologian and Christian leader Opoku Onyinah and ascertain what defines and qualifies him as an effective Spirit-empowered leader. The study concludes that Onyinah’s mentoring style of leadership, apostolic and teacher/scholar paradigms, socialized charismatic orientation, and tremendous influence at national, continental, and global levels position him as an effective modern-day Spirit-empowered leader.

Churches and Urban Regeneration in Postindustrial Amsterdam

The central focus of this article is the interaction between religious actors and urban regeneration in the former industrial area of Amsterdam North. While there is extensive literature on the structural, sociocultural, and economic impact of urban regeneration and related processes of gentrification, the role of religious groups in these processes of neighborhood change has largely been ignored. Based on ethnographic research, I examine how different Christian movements interact with their changing neighborhood in varied forms. The redevelopment of industrial buildings and the gentrification of working-class neighborhoods in Amsterdam North enable different but particular forms of Christian place-making. I focus on two forms of engagement with urban spaces: (a) the reuse of industrial buildings by Pentecostal movements and (b) the transformation of traditional Protestant church buildings into socially mixed neighborhood centers. These two different forms of urban place-making highlight how Christian organizations bring the active agency to urban regeneration and cocreate urban neighborhoods materially and socially.

Purity rules in Pentecostal Uganda

Rules concerning romantic relationships and sex—what we term ‘purity rules’—are central to Pentecostalism in Uganda. In public church arenas, the born-again variant of the rules laid down during Uganda’s ‘ABC’ response to HIV/AIDS — ‘abstain till marriage and be faithful once you marry’—are presented as clear and non-negotiable. Yet in church members’ lives, and in their conversations with each other or in small church groups, space is often created for interpretation and deliberation about the officially strict rules. In this article, we use ethnographic material from fieldwork in urban Pentecostal churches in Uganda to describe how rules work on people, and people work on rules. We describe this process of relational ‘rulework’ as taking place at the nexus of an individual’s relationship to the church, to small groups at the church, and to God. The dynamics of rulework become particularly evident at occasions where rules are transgressed, or where the nature of the rules—and thus of possible transgression—is questioned. Three central axes of rulework can be identified: first, the (claimed) transgressor’s position in church hierarchy; second, the level of publicity at which their transgression is made known to others; and third, their relationship to God. Approaching rules as objects of anthropological analysis foregrounds how what Morgan Clarke (2015) has called the ‘ruliness’ of religious traditions, and what we describe as the messiness of religious adherents’ lives, exist in parallel with each other. Where ‘ruliness’ and ‘messiness’ interact is where rulework takes place and where it can most productively be ethnographically observed. Keywords: Morality, ethics, religion, sex, transgression