» 2005 » July

The Church must be forever building,
and always decaying,
and always being restored.
T. S. Eliot
The Rock, 1934I was corrupted in my denominational theological college through the study of church history. I discovered denominations and church structures that appeared permanent, were “accidents” of history constructed in response to a particular situation.

No one form of the church is relevant [...]

“Breathing strange utterances and mouthing a creed which it would seem no same mortal could understand, the newest religious sect has started in Los Angeles. 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 [...]

At the heart of the renewal of any movement is the ability to make an “innovative return to tradition”.

Ponder the Beetle and you’ll get an idea of what that means.

I’m in the Gospel of John at the moment basking in the glory and mystery of the Word made flesh who died and rose again. I can get so caught up in examining the great movements and movement leaders of Christianity. But all that is worthless unless the life of Christ is being formed in [...]

Pentecostals, Charismatics and associated movements have grown from a handful at the turn of the 20th century to at least several hundred million at the turn of the 21st century. According to Philip Jenkins, if current trends continue their numbers could reach one billion by 2050.

“It has shown itself both flexible and resilient enough to [...]

Today was my day to do some more thinking and writing about the rise of Pentecostalism. But life happens and other needs were more pressing.

But I can’t resist throwing up a case study of a charismatic/pentecostal leader wresting with how to minister in the postmodern world. An example of how Pentecostalism is constantly changing with [...]

Most people would rather I read the books and distill the key principles and stories. I’m ok with that. But if there are any others out there who enjoy digging here’s my suggestions for books on Pentecostalism:

Margaret Poloma, The Assemblies of God at the Crossroads: Charisma and Institutional Dilemmas

Pentecostalism

Let me suggest five characteristics that help explain the rise of Pentecostal/Charismatic movements throughout the world.

1. White-hot faith. 
Pentecostalism is a faith that is experienced intensely. God, the Holy Spirit is powerfully in our midst and accessible to everyone. That experience of God creates the energy and drive that launched and fuels [...]

Sydney’s Hillsong conference is over for another year with almost 30,000 attending. Delegates came from around Australia and from over 80 nations. Hillsong church is Australia’s largest. Founded in 1983 average attendance on a weekend is now 18,000.

In a context where most churches are in decline, Australian Pentecostalism grew by 30% in the last decade. [...]

Unfortunately, the amazing rise of the early Church ended with the “failure of success”. A common pattern in church history.

By one estimate, Christianity grew from around 1,000 followers in AD 40 to over six million by AD 300. What began as an obscure Jewish sect, became within three centuries, the strongest and most widely spread [...]