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 personally think it's silly and sad that too many believers miss out unnecessarily on the blessing of at least praying in tongues. I'd be up a creek without that.
However, I'm very thankful the one-upmanship and pride aspects and the coercive demanding aspects have waned in such congregations.
I just encourage folks to take the Scriptures on faith and step out in faith--out of the boat, so to speak, and when they've said all they can think to say in their known languages, to pray in whatever sequence of sounds would not be part of a known language to them that might come to their mouth and trust Holy Spirit to be conveying the meaning to Heaven. Works for me.
Agree. God have mercy.
I'm writing in tongues
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Then provide the interpretation or be rebuked by Almighty God in plain Scripture. I Cor 12-14.
If mocking was the goal . . . repentance is highly in order.
Our men and women are good looking as well because they have hearts filled with the Holy Spirit and it beams out of them. You don't have to have beautiful features or hairdos, etc., to be beautiful.
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That's greatly true. I think that was the couple's conclusion, too.
Praise God for that!
1. I'm exceedingly skeptical that the number of authentic Christians in Germany at that time was very powerful.
2. We have control of the 3 branches of government? Hogwash. Congress is still controlled by the satanic globalists. The courts are wholesale in control of the satanic globalists. The bureaucracy is largely in control of the satanic globalists.
It's a wonder The President gets anything lastingly good done.
3. The satanic globalists are marching forward inexorably toward their world domination and world government. The corridor super highway etc. is but one small bit of massive amounts of evidence.
4. Christians are increasingly persecuted and abused right and left. They will be hounded out of public life, imprisoned and put to death for their refusal to worship the world leader--highly probably in your lifetime, unless you are on your death bed.
5. The Biblical mark without which one will be unable to buy or sell is well along and already being injected in people's bodies.
6. Jihadi's are fiercely attacking Christians in a number of regions. Goth kids make sport of killing particularly Christians in schools. Universities flunk Christians for not paroting the party globalist line. Media mock Christians up one side and down the other. Government leaders mock Christians up one side and down the other and get away with it as never before in our history.
Yet, somehow, some folks feel chagrinned and want to scream far and wide about Christians being the wolf! What utter nonsense.
Yes, Christians will win. But not per se at their hand. God will be waging and winning the upcoming battles. He will grace believers with some roles to play, even some leadership roles to play. But on the whole, it will be BY HIS SPIRIT that evil is routed. Yes, evil will be cleansed from the world. There will be no choice about that. It will be a thorough cleansing. Even satan himself will be locked up. And all who cherish his values will join him. Evil should fear that. It IS coming. But first, evil will be largely having a heyday for about 3.5-7 years.
But eternal life with and in Christ Jesus is available.
Couldn't find any bold quote. Don't recall the question. Restate, I'll see if I want to bother.
The assertion that linked 1930's Germany with Pentecostals is an off the wall assertion. It's difficult to even imagine a remotely plausible connection.
Allergic-to-God-issues type paranoia doesn't qualify as plausible justification, to me.
Three popes have acknowledged the movement: Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul stated that the movement was integral to the renewal of the entire Catholic Church. Both Popes Paul and Benedict, while acknowledging the good aspects of the movement, at the same time urge caution to its members to maintain their link to the Catholic Church.
Google Catholic Charismatic Wikipedia and "Catholic Charismatic Renewal"
That's not a denomination issue, that's just a personality issue. Some people are just shy and that shyness keeps them away from more outgoing denominations.
those who have a "head" Christianity, those who don't get that you don't have to understand everything that happens, but that you have to trust that God is using it all to work in your lives....it is a very controlled and intellectualized version of living a life of freedom and power that I have come to know in a spirit filled church.
Obviously it's very possible to go to far in either direction.
I work with a couple of Apostolic Pentecostals. They are very much "speak in tongues or you are not saved".
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 !"
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No. I, at least, am deadly serious in that view. There will likely be a period or so of some relative respite and marvelous revival with God demonstrating His Power and Might to great effect calling millions of unbelievers to Himself.
But sooner or later, that will likely quiet, largely, and the globalist God haters will tighten their grip and mete out their horrors aplenty on the whole planet.
God will still have a remnant doing His bidding and He will orchestrate taking full control of the planet from the evil one(s) . . . and a lot of that plan is still secret. But it will be interesting . . . and very bloody.
But it will not be only the blood of the martyrs.
I knew a charistmatic Roman Catholic woman. My "anathema" reference was in regards to the Protestant traditions....
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.
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AMEN!
AMEN!
I don't know of any who really have ever taught that.
They may have implied that folks were not good enough Christians--without it--a very serious error on their part. Haughtiness and pride have no place in a beleiver's life.
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.
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I agree.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
"Fads run their course"
100 years is quite a course.
That is really a shame...based on my reading of the Word, it very clearly demonstrates that "being saved" and "being filled with the Spirit" are to distinctly separate events.
Something which is "anathema" is something which is formally and ritually repudiated by the Church. Paul used this term to refer to someone who has been completely rejected by God (Gal. 1:8,9; 1Cor. 12:3, 16:22).
I don't think the Castholic Church distinguishes between Pentecostals and any other non-Catholic Christians. They are regarded as "separated brethren."
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