(OPINION) What happens with Pentecostalism today affects nearly everybody on Earth, not only spiritually but politically. Scholars and journalists usually point to the landmark 1906 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles as the birth of Pentecostalism. That revival introduced long-dormant gifts of the Holy Spirit written about in the New Testament — including prophecy, healing and speaking in tongues — to contemporary Christianity.
Read More(OPINION) While political pollsters and the national media tend to lump under one banner those dreaded right-leaning “White evangelical or born-again” Christians, that banner actually includes an anomalous set of people with different belief systems and often competing goals.
Read More(OPINION) As odd as all this might seem, spontaneous revivals in Christianity aren’t terribly unusual. On Feb. 3, 1970, a revival erupted at what was then Asbury College. That one, too, began at a morning chapel service. It lasted 185 hours nonstop. Intermittently, it continued for weeks. Ultimately it spread across the United States and to other countries.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Though Pentecostals are diverse, all share an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, or God’s presence in their lives. Yet this also leads to disagreement within the movement about what they believe the Holy Spirit empowers them to do in the real world, especially in activism and politics.
Read More(OPINION) Naomi Judd had battled through waves of anxiety attacks to address some dark realities — such as rape, crisis pregnancy and her battle with hepatitis C that retired the Judds. What she hadn’t discussed was the sexual abuse in her childhood that led to treatment-resistant depression.
Read MorePentecostals belong to an evangelical sub-group that believes that the supernatural “gifts of the Holy Spirit” are operative today. Of those who are active in politics, the best-known is televangelist Paula White, who says she led President Donald Trump to the Lord before his 2016 presidential run and is now an advisor to the White House. One prominent group, Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice (PCPJ), is fueling a movement of charismatic scholars, religious professionals and activists who are passionate about social justice and defeating Trump in the 2020 election.
Read MoreA popular Pentecostal pastor was arrested after he led a service that resulted in 20 deaths. The incident is part of a dangerous trend in some African countries, where services create deadly conditions for desperate people.
Read MoreThe anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center is always a busy time for Stanley Praimnath. He has found purpose in talking about his experience that day, and he wants to share it with anyone willing to listen.
Read More(COMMENTARY) While it's common to believe that religion evolves slowly over time, in a linear manner, the evidence suggests that history lurches through periods of "extreme, rapid, revolutionary change, when everything is shaken and thrown up into the air," said historian Philip Jenkins. Ever 50 years or so, new patterns and cultural norms seem to appear that never could have been predicted.
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