Spirit and Power: The Growth and Global Impact of Pentecostalism
Donald E. Miller, Kimon H. Sargeant, and Richard Flory
Abstract
Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religious movement in the world, currently estimated to have at least 500 million adherents if one also includes charismatic Catholics and Protestants who are part of the renewal movement. Initially, Pentecostal converts were from the lower strata of society and many theorists viewed this form of religion as a compensation for their poverty. The social ecology of Pentecostal Christians is rapidly shifting, including many individuals who are middle class as well as young adults who are attracted by the music and vibrant worship of these churches. In additio ... More
Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religious movement in the world, currently estimated to have at least 500 million adherents if one also includes charismatic Catholics and Protestants who are part of the renewal movement. Initially, Pentecostal converts were from the lower strata of society and many theorists viewed this form of religion as a compensation for their poverty. The social ecology of Pentecostal Christians is rapidly shifting, including many individuals who are middle class as well as young adults who are attracted by the music and vibrant worship of these churches. In addition, the stereotype about Pentecostals being “other-worldly” and disengaged from politics and social ministry is also being challenged, especially as Pentecostals constitute significant minorities in many countries. This edited volume addresses the questions of where Pentecostalism is growing globally, why it is growing, and what is its social and political impact. In seeking to answer these questions, chapter authors employ a variety of methodologies and theoretical interpretations, to bring order to the seeming chaos of this rapidly expanding religious movement. The empirical chapters are book ended by an introduction that sets the context for the many different expressions of Pentecostalism around the world, and a conclusion that draws out important theoretical implications for understanding Pentecostalism as a global phenomenon in the twenty-first century.
Keywords:
Pentecostalism (and): demographics,
politics,
globalization,
gender,
experience,
growth,
politics,
spirit
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2013 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199920570 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: September 2013 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199920570.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Donald E. Miller, editor
University of Southern California
Kimon H. Sargeant, editor
John Templeton Foundation
Richard Flory, editor
University of Southern California
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