spiritual gifts as an everyday part of a believer's life.[1] It has a global presence in the Christian community.[2] Practitioners are often called Charismatic Christians or Renewalists. Although there is considerable overlap, Charismatic Christianity is often categorized into three separate groups: Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement (which is spread across historical Christian denominations), and the Neo-charismatic movement
.
Charismatic Christianity grew out of Protestantism[3] and is distinguished from Pentecostalism by making the act of speaking in tongues no longer necessary as evidence of baptism with the Holy Spirit, and giving prominence to a diversity of spiritual gifts. According to the Pew Research Center, Pentecostals and Charismatic Christians number over 584 million worldwide as of 2011[update].[4]
Etymology
The term charismatic derives from the Greek word χάρισμαcharisma ('gift', itself derived from χάρις, 'grace, favor').[5] The 17th century form charism specifically refers to divine gifts. Middle English also adopted the word as karisme to refer to gifts of healing and teaching.[6]
History
With traditions of
Van Nuys, California. Dennis Bennett, the church's rector, announced to the congregation that he had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.[8]
Methodists became involved in the charismatic movement in the 1970s.[11]
Some nondenominational evangelical churches decided to follow this movement and take distance from their Pentecostal conventions.
Third Wave, a term coined by C. Peter Wagner, has also spread widely since 1970; these churches often reject the charismatic or Pentecostal label but accept the general practice of accepting gifts of the Spirit.[7]
Some scholars attribute the quick and successful spread of charismatic Christianity to its successful use of mass media platforms, but also to the physical experience of religion that it provides, which creates a personal connection to spiritual mediation for believers.[17]
Distinguishing beliefs
Charismatic Christianity is an overarching grouping of connected beliefs and practices, and is not itself strictly defined within specific practices. Denominations within the grouping share a spirituality characterized by a worldview where miracles, signs and wonders, and other supernatural occurrences are expected to be present in the lives of believers. This includes the presence of spiritual gifts, such as prophecy and healing. While similar in many respects, some sub-groups do differ in important ways. These differences have led to Charismatic Christianity being categorized into three main groups: Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and Neo-charismatic Movement.[18]
The Charismatic movement has sometimes been related to the
non-trinitarian Oneness Pentecostals, who share such beliefs on the validity of the spiritual gifts in the modern church, but who differ on varying views on the Godhead and teachings on outward holiness.[24] Pentecostalism has several core doctrines around which their beliefs are centered; these include salvation through Jesus, healing through Jesus, baptism through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and finally that Jesus is coming again. Pentecostalism is also characterized by moralism, and often forbids followers to drink alcohol or wear jewelry.[7]
A.A. Allen and others, led to increased awareness and acceptance.[26]
The charismatic movement within the historic Christian churches holds that
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the "sovereign action of God, which usually occurs when someone with a disposition of surrender and docility, prays for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in his or her life."[27][28] Adherents of the Charismatic Movement teach the belief that "baptism in the Holy Spirit unleashes the Holy Spirit that is already present within us, by revitalizing the graces we received in the sacrament of Baptism" and that it "equips and inspires the individual for service, for mission, for discipleship and for life."[27][29][28] Rev. Brenton Cordeiro summarizes that he sees those who received Baptism with the Holy Spirit "testify that the experience brought them to a new awareness of the reality and presence of Jesus Christ in their lives [as well as] a new hunger for the Word of God, the Sacraments and were filled with a renewed desire for holiness."[28]
The fervor seen in the spread of Charismatic Christianity led to the creation of independent evangelical charismatic churches more in tune with this revival of the Holy Spirit.
Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, California is one of the first evangelical charismatic churches in 1965.[30] In United Kingdom, Jesus Army, founded in 1969, is an example of the impact outside the US.[14] Many other congregations were established in the rest of the world.[15]
New churches and denominations emerged alongside the Charismatic Movement of the historic Christian churches since 1970 that are termed
neo-charismatic. Accepting neither the label of Pentecostal nor charismatic, they share with these groups a common emphasis on the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, miracles, and Pentecostal experiences.[7][31] These groups are often called "The Third Wave", to separate them from the original Pentecostals (the "First Wave") and from the wider charismatic movement of the 1970s (the "Second Wave"). Neo-charismatic churches often consider themselves non-denominational or would not accept the neo-charismatic label, instead drawing from the charismatic practices of spiritual gifts or identifying with wider movements and groups such as the U.S. Strategic Prayer Network, the New Apostolic Reformation, or other large religious movements.[32]
Statistics
In 2011, there were 279 million Pentecostal Christians worldwide, making up 4 percent of the world's population and 12.8 percent of the wider Christian population. Charismatic Christians numbered 305 million, or about 4.4 percent of the world's population and 14 percent of the Christian population. Together, these groups make up 26.8 percent of the world's Christian population and over 8 percent of the world. Regionally, the highest concentration of Charismatic Christians live in the Americas, which houses 48.5 percent of the group. The next highest concentration is in the Asia-Pacific region, with another 29.6 percent of Charismatic Christians residing there.[4]
^Burgess, Stanley M.; van der Mass, Eduard M., eds. (2003). "Introduction". The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Kindle edition) (Revised ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
. The charismatic movement has affected almost every historic church and has spread to many churches and countries beyond the United States. ... Particular emphases are reflected variously in the charismatic movement. Baptism with the Holy Spirit. There is common recognition of baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinctive Christian experience. It is viewed as an event wherein the believer is "filled with" the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism with the Holy Spirit is understood to result from "the gift of the Holy Spirit," wherein the Spirit is freely "poured out," "falls upon," "comes on," "anoints," "endues" the believer with "power from on high." ... Baptism with the Holy Spirit, accordingly, is not identified with conversion. It is viewed as an experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit that brings about powerful witness to Jesus Christ. Through this Spirit baptism the exalted Christ carries forward his ministry in the church and world.
