An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity

Abstract

Pentecostal churches constitute the fastest growing group of churches in Christianity today, representing already a quarter of all Christians worldwide (1). Depending on the de?nition, the global number of Pentecostal adherents may range from about 250 million to over 500 million (11?12). De?ning Pente- costalism, however, is not an easy task. Theologian and historian Allan Anderson (13) opts for a very broad de?nition: `I think that the term ?Pentecostal? is ap- propriate for describing globally all churches and movements that emphasize the workings of the Spirit, both on phenomenological and on theological grounds.' Anderson (103?104) follows acknowledged experts on Pentecostalism, like the Swiss Walter Hollenweger and American Pentecostal Harvey Cox, who included African Initiated Churches (AICs) in the Pentecostal family. Including these `In- dependent' churches in Africa, Latin America, and Asia increases the supposed worldwide number of Pentecostal adherents to over 500 million. But I do wonder whether the classical Pentecostal churches, like the Assemblies ofGod, would feel comfortable being in the same category as the AICs (and vice versa!).