Lausanne World Pulse – Research Articles – Pentecostals: Missions Movement or Voting Bloc?

By Justin Evans

From humble beginnings in rural Midwestern America, the Pentecostal movement has grown to represent at least a quarter of all Christians globally, second only to Roman Catholics (who themselves are a major segment of Renewalists in the form of Catholic Charismatics). Pentecostals were ostracized from the rest of Christianity while the movement was in its infancy. Nevertheless, the movement was founded upon an evangelistic logos, as the baptism in the Holy Spirit is understood to be an empowerment for ministry. Due to remarkably rapid church growth, Pentecostals have shot through adolescence to adulthood, claiming a seat at the Christian roundtable.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published Spirit and Power: A 10-Country Survey of Pentecostals in October 2006. The report seeks to understand how Pentecostals have become a major political force in Christendom, and will play a prominent role in politics in the years to come. It specifically seeks to challenge the perception that Pentecostals are “largely apolitical in their outlook.” The ten countries surveyed in the report are: Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea and the United States.

Due to remarkably rapid church growth, Pentecostals have shot through adolescence to adulthood, claiming a seat at the Christian roundtable.

The report classifies Pentecostals as “closely resembling evangelical Protestants in many of their doctrinal beliefs,” but distinguished in their affirmation of miraculous signs of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, prophesying and divine healing. Diversity within the theological tradition has given way to two generally accepted groups of classification. First, the term “Pentecostal” is used to refer to those belonging to intrinsically Pentecostal denominations (such as the Assemblies of God or an independent indigenous church). The second group, “Charismatics,” refers to those who share many of the distinctively Pentecostal experiences, but still remain within mainstream Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox denominations. Both Pentecostals and Charismatics are referred to under the blanket term “Renewalist.”

Distinguishing Characteristics
There are experiences and other aspects of their faith that distinguish Renewalists from other Christians. There are three characteristically Pentecostal religious experiences:

  1. Divine healings. In all ten countries surveyed, over half of Pentecostals claim to have experienced or witnessed a divine healing. In seven of the countries the number is over seventy percent.
  2. Divine revelations. In eight of the countries, over half of Pentecostals claim to have received a direct revelation from God.
  3. Exorcisms. Over half of Pentecostals in seven of the countries claim to have experienced or witnessed an exorcism.

The Bible and Evangelism
Renewalists (particularly Pentecostals) are also distinguished by biblical literalism. A high percentage of Pentecostals believe that the Bible is the actual word of God and to be taken literally. For example, ninety-four percent of Renewalists in Nigeria believe this. The Philippines is the only country where the number does not exceed seventy percent, and in seven of the countries it is over eighty percent. This is contrasted with other Christians, where it ranges from thirty-seven percent in the United States and Chile to eighty-two percent in Nigeria. In seven of the countries, fewer than seventy percent of non-Renewalists are biblical literalists; and in four of the countries the number is fewer that sixty percent.