Posted on 10/07/2006 6:40:10 AM PDT by NYer
NEW YORK - A new 10-nation survey of Pentecostal and charismatic Christians, considered the fastest-growing stream of Christianity worldwide, shows they are deeply influencing the Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestant churches and are poised to make a big impact on global affairs. p>The poll released Thursday by the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that "spirit-filled" Christians, who speak in tongues and believe in healing through prayer, comprise at least 10 percent of the population in nine of the 10 surveyed countries.
The study also found that followers are more willing than previously thought to bring their traditional values into public debates, potentially shaping government policies in the years ahead.
The surveys were conducted over the spring and summer in Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, India, the Philippines, South Korea" /> Researchers polled both Pentecostals, who form their own denominations such as the Assemblies of God, and charismatics, who have adopted some Pentecostal beliefs but remain members of traditional Protestant and Catholic churches.
The survey estimated that Pentecostals and charismatics together comprise at least half the population of Brazil, Guatemala and Kenya, and 44 percent of the Philippines.
They make up about one-third of the population of South Africa and Chile and nearly one-quarter of Nigerians and U.S. residents. The figure for South Korea is smaller, at 11 percent. In India, the poll was limited to three states with large Christian populations, so a national estimate could not be made.
The study found Pentecostal beliefs have a strong hold in major churches in many countries.
In the traditionally Catholic nations of Brazil, Guatemala and the Philippines, charismatics are a larger share of the population than Pentecostals.
In six of the 10 countries, Pentecostals and charismatics together make up the majority of the overall Protestant population, according to the survey.
The Pentecostal movement, which began a century ago in Los Angeles, spread quickly overseas because of its adaptability to local cultures, whose indigenous beliefs often include healings and casting out of evil spirits, and because of the exuberance of its worship.
While Pentecostals and charismatics are known for speaking in tongues, the survey found respondents were more likely to say that they had personally witnessed or experienced other signs of the Holy Spirit, such as a healing through prayer or a direct revelation from God.
The majority of Pentecostals in every nation surveyed except South Korea and India believed religious groups should express their views on social and political issues. In seven of the 10 countries, 70 percent of charismatics agreed.
"These are folks for whom the world of spirit is remarkably alive ... but that in no way diminishes their commitment to social justice for the poor, for instance, or a role for government in meeting those needs," said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum.
The polls were conducted by phone in the U.S., and in person overseas, with margins of error ranging from plus or minus 4 percentage points to 9 percentage points for some subgroups.
The polls in Brazil, South Africa and South Korea focused on urban areas.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
You're in bad need of an education. Start small, read a short study The Twisted Cross by Lutzer. While Hitler was willing to use and abuse christian symbols (like Stalin's sudden temporary christianity in 1942 when he was worried he couldn't survive on the support of his fellow atheists alone), Hitler's religion was a mix of Germanic paganism, "Aryan" racism, and fascination with Hindu avatars. The Nazis even developed their own ritual replacements for the common practices of the christian backround.
Like all politicians, malevolent and benign, Hitler had no compunctions about using religion ( like how John Kerry has a sudden spiritual renewal that drives him, uncharacteristically, to church, and just happens to cycle every election year).
I don't remotely buy into placing God in such a tidy little box. He has Never FIT SUCH.
1. I see no need for EnScripturating modern inputs from The Lord as Canon. The Canon itself took 300 or so years of discussion, prayer, discernment before being settled on. And, it seems rather complete, to me.
2. That's not the purpose of such in the church era. Holy Spirit leads into all truth--including which spouse to marry and a thousand other decisions.
3. The New Testament is full of examples of Holy Spirit's comforting, teaching, leading, guiding function to individual believers. Believers have not changed essentially and neither has Holy Spirit's service and function in their lives. Scripture is clear on this. Experience affirms Scripture and vice versa.
4. You will probably live to see hospitals emptied. There are mysteries aplenty. However, the fact remains, that folks who teach and practice laying hands on the sick see many healings. I expect to live to see the day when it will be 100% and children younger than 8 are such agents of healing. I actually expect many examples of the shadows of children being the agent of healing by Holy Spirit.
5. Christ HIMSELF said GREATER THINGS THAN THESE SHALL HIS FOLLOWERS DO.
Christ said it. I believe it. I've found it abundantly true.
Of course it needs to be Biblically monitored by very discerning, experienced, matured, HUMBLE, LOVING leadership.
I have had it explained to me that some will not yield to the Spirit. God may be speaking to several in the congregation, but some just will not respond, especially publicly. I have had people tell me that they knew they were supposed to either give a message in tongues or interpret it, but were too afraid. Hope that helps.
Well put.
It's wonderful having a history major set the record straight! BTW, 58 is still a spring chicken. I'll be 60 shortly after the New Year.
I can think of only two...The Amish and the Mennonites.
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Christ's criteria seems to be different . . .
Those who confess with their mouths, believe in their hearts . . .
Those who believe Christ came in the flesh, died for our sins, rose from the dead . . .
Amish and Mennonites aren't the only ones fitting those criteria.
Yeah, they do some things far better than most other groups. They do some things worse.
We are all human. All groups have human flaws, excesses on both ends of many balance points.
"LMAO! It was a revival of Christianity in Europe! It was "Family Values". It was "Law and Order". The Jews of Berlin voted for Hitler...He was a "Good Christian" who was going to restore "Family Values". It boggles my mind that anyone from this present era could follow in the goosesteps of that era! ."
You're in bad need of an education. Start small, read a short study The Twisted Cross by Lutzer. While Hitler was willing to use and abuse christian symbols (like Stalin's sudden temporary christianity in 1942 when he was worried he couldn't survive on the support of his fellow atheists alone), Hitler's religion was a mix of Germanic paganism, "Aryan" racism, and fascination with Hindu avatars. The Nazis even developed their own ritual replacements for the common practices of the christian backround.
Like all politicians, malevolent and benign, Hitler had no compunctions about using religion ( like how John Kerry has a sudden spiritual renewal that drives him, uncharacteristically, to church, and just happens to cycle every election year).
A movement calling itself "Christian" does not make it Christian. The german theologians and church leaders had drifted further from respect for the Bible than anyone else in Europe and prided themselves on their secular phenomenological "rationalism". To suggest that group bears theological resemblance to the charismatics is more than a little crazy.
I love Dr Stanley, too.
I love WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS, TOO.
Nevertheless, it CAN be a bit of a depressives' self-pity song in some respects--as it was for me during many long depressed years.
put my original reply back in context
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A number of us replied to the context as posted. It stunk.
It still stinks.
It's an off the wall allegation.
It didn't fit authentic Christianity then and certainly doesn't now.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
I heard about how anointed pentecostal and charismatice preachers were -- you could sense the anointing on them. I also heard many preach who were not pentecostal nor charismatic who I sensed had an anointing as well and led many to Christ. Discernment is greatly needed in today's Christian movements.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Yes, that would make sense. In college courses on public speaking, or where presentations were required, many students seemed to be really stressed with the prospect of getting in front of others and putting themselves out there.
I thought such facts were well known!
Curious someone wants to mangle them all out of whack and then attack Pentecostals with such nonsense as to suggest a similarity!
Someone seems to need a new dictionary and a new history book.
Yup. I've been guilty of such timidity. Not so much in recent decades, though.
Not per se my major gifting, though.
To suggest that group bears theological resemblance to the charismatics is more than a little crazy.
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I'd say . . . quite a number of galactic cluster distances well BEYOND crazy.
Plenty truth in your post. Agreed.
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