Pentacostalism

## Features

Pentecost is a feast commemorating the
descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other
followers of Jesus Christ (120
in all), sometimes described as ”Birthday of the Church". It’s celebrated
every seventh Sunday after Easter.

Pentecostalism is derived from pentecost
as a renewal movement within Christianity that emphasis on a direct personal
experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. As described in
Bible about the day of Pentecost in Book of Acts, "On the day of
Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection, the disciples were all
together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the
rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each
of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." (Acts 2:1-11).

Those who experience the baptism of the
Holy Spirit may receive one or more spiritual gifts, including the abilities to
prophesy or utter messages from God, practice physical healing, speak in
tongues or spiritual languages (glossolalia), and interpret tongues.

## Membership

Pentecost churches are congregational in
governance (several have coordinating national and national bodies). The World
Pentecostal Council provide a global network of fellowship, but it doesn’t
arbitrate on matters of doctrine or church administration.

Churches are led by pastors who are seen
as teachers, motivators and coordinators.

Membership estimation varies widely. The
magazine Christianity Today reported that approximated 25 percent of the
world's Christians are Pentecostal or charismatic. Lower estimates is near to
22 million, while the highest estimates is between 400 and 600 million.
According to a Spring 1998 article in Christian History, there are about 11,000
different Pentecostal or charismatic denominations worldwide.

According to a Pew Forum analysis of
estimates from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are about 279 million pentecostal
Christians and 305 million charismatic Christians in the world.  pentecostal and charismatic Christians
together make up about 27% of all Christians and more than 8% of the world’s total population. The Pew Forum’s analysis of CSGC data
estimates that about eight-in-ten of the world’s pentecostals reside either in
sub-Saharan Africa (44%) or in the Americas (37%).

Examples of some of the largest
Pentecostal denominations in the United States: the Assemblies of God, the
Church of God in Christ, New Testament Church, Church of God (Cleveland) etc.

## Leadership

Leadership used to be very simple: those who
exhibited a "call" to the ministry and were led by the Holy Spirit
were declared fit for leadership. Early Pentecostalism was more democratic in
terms of leadership, women were regularly called to the ministry.

As they follows Biblical mandates
which forbade women to have authority over man, Pentecostalist women had
particular roles to play but never been seen as exercising power over man.

Beliefs:

Pentecostalism is an evangelical
faith, emphasizing the reliability of the Bible and need for the transformation
of an individual's life through faith in Jesus. The central belief of
Pentecostalism is that through the death, burial, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ, sins can be forgiven and humanity reconciled with
God.

“Speaking in tongues” is practiced
and seen as one of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, referring to an
endless variety of languages. Such languages can be unlearned human language or
heavenly originated.

Snake handlers used snakes to show
non-Christians the God protects them from harm. In church services, when they
feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit come upon them, these Christians reach into
boxes, pick up venomous snakes and hold them up as they pray, sing, and dance.

Pentecostalists believe that
sickness is a consequence of the Fall of Man which salvation will ultimately
restore the fallen world. They prey with faith, trusting God cares for them and
the provision he made in Christ for healing is sufficient. Even if it doesn’t
heal, they will continue to trust God.

## Significant events

The Azusa Street Revival:

It was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting in Los Angeles,
California and is the
origin of the Pentecostal movement, led by William J. Seymour, an African
American preacher.

It began with a meeting
on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. The revival was
characterized by ecstatic spiritual experiences accompanied by miracles,
dramatic worship services, speaking in tongues, and inter-racial mingling.
Los Angeles Times described: meetings are held in a
tumble-down shack on Azusa Street, and the devotees of the weird doctrine
practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories and work
themselves into a state of mad excitement in their peculiar zeal. Night is made
hideous in the neighborhood by the howling of the worshippers, who spend hours
swaying forth and back in a nerve racking attitude of prayer and supplication.
They claim to have the "gift of tongues" and be able to understand
the bible.

## Sociologists

Jeffrey K. Hadden collected statistics
from the various large Pentecostal organizations demonstrating that the
Pentecostals are experiencing very rapid growth. In Myanmar, the Assemblies of
God of Myanmar is one of the largest Christian denominations. The Pentecostal
churches Igreja do Evangelho, Completo de Deus, are examples of the largest denominations of Mozambique.

## Editors

* Boaz
* Hermione

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