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.
"I know I am speaking for myself, but I certainly don't think this country is going to legislate moral laws as you say, in fact, we are going the other direction entirely !"
I'm sure you're being facetious.
I agree, shield. This IS a new day. The Lord is on His way back and He's pouring out His Spirit on all nations before that awesome day of His return. We're going to see more and more of His favor upon christians and churches that follow Him. We ain't seen nuttin' yet!!!
The problem with the Christian Church is that we spend so much time downing each other's doctrine or method of worship and not enough time focusing on what we have in common...our love of G-d. We need to kick that attitude to the curb and really begin to worship the true and living G-d in spirit and in truth. ...no matter if you pray in tongues, bow your head in silence, dance and shout at the top of your lungs. He is the True and Living G-d.
Amen!
Hitler was an occultist, a satan worshipper, who deceived millions, for sure, but to compare this to pentecostals in the US is ludicrous. If you are spirit-filled, you should have discernment of spirits and wouldn't get caught up in this type of movement. God will NOT lead us into error. We may do it ourselves but if we follow God and read His word, we should be fine.
God has given you a maternal heart and I'm sure many gifts are intertwined in your care for your child. Bless you.
You are right on. The infighting is just a sign of spiritual and emotional immaturity. As Paul said in I Cor 3:
And so, brothers and sisters,* I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? 4For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. 9For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
There are none so blind who cannot see.
I went to different churches throughout my life in search of my niche in them and call myself an episca-metha-bapta-costal. It's quite a mouthful but fun to say.
The issue is a bit more complex than that. But I take your larger point.
I would put the word DECEIVED in place of charismatic. satan put a web of deception over all of Germany at this time because of the occultic practices of Hitler and the SS. It had nothing to do with Christ, Christianity or Charismatics.
My son's base is Fort Drum - Home of the 10th. He is stationed in Iraq and located as per my tagline. Thanks for asking.
Oh, brother.
OH, what YOU SAID! (smile)
You sound pretty anti-Christian to me. Too bad.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
PTL!
we'll have plenty of time to work it out in the gloryland. I'm sure there's much more for both of us to learn along the way. We'll both be able to look back and see how foolish and ignorant we were along the journey to truth. What's really important is that we both know that Jesus is "the Way, the Life, and the Truth." In the end, that's what will count for eternity!
= = = =
AMEN! AND PTL FOR THAT. THX.
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