Spirit Freedom and Power: Changes in Pentecostal Spirituality

The Pentecostal movement emerged at the turn of the twentieth century emphasizing the need for Christians to have a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit. It advocated the return to a pristine early Spirituality in which empowerment by the Spirit was essential. Recently Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are playing down the classic expressions and moving towards more mainline approaches. As church movements develop they become more structured, less spontaneous and more routine. But is this always inevitable? The author explores a contemporary Pentecostal movement to discover whether a radical spirituality still can effectively interface with a complex twenty-first century world. This insightful research finds a Pentecostal spirituality that is flexible, adaptive and innovative and despite humble origins now is making inroads into the middle class. While tensions over charismatic freedom remain, the developing organizational structure is facilitating significant growth. Valuable lessons for Christians of all persuasions are found and some creative theological developments are suggested for church structure and for expanding traditional understandings of "baptism in the Holy Spirit."