An Account for the Growth of Evangelical/Pentecostal Christianity in the Regions: UK, USA, Latin America - Essay Example

?An Account for the Growth of Evangelical/Pentecostal Christianity in the Regions: UK, USA, Latin America Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity refer to a revival movement within Christianity. This movement employs a radical or direct relationship with God. This relationship is made possible through the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Hutchinson and Wolffe, 2012: 127). The word “Pentecostal” comes fro the noun “Pentecost” representing a Greek name for the Feast of Weeks. According to biblical references, Christians commemorate the Pentecost in remembrance of the conning of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, Pentecostals associate themselves with the radical occurrences of the early church after it had been impacted by the Holy Spirit (Macchia, 2006: 38). Consequently, Pentecostals differ in their doctrinal approaches with regards to the following: Salvation Baptism with the Holy Spirit Divine Healing Eschatology Worship Ordinances Therefore, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity believe in transformation through faith in Christ (Wolffe, 2008: 97). Its belief is anchored on four principles. These principles include the following: Salvation thorough Jesus Baptism by the Holy Spirit Healing of the body through Jesus The second coming of Christ Pentecostalism first began in late 19th century. This was as a result of emergence of radical movements in the UK and USA. The practice initially received extreme opposition in its propagation. The perpetrators had to endure opposition fro the already established churches such as the Catholic Church. However, the practice has spread widely since its inception. The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement have estimated the number of Pentecostals in the world to be over 65 million. Consequently, this signifies an enormous increase in Pentecostalism. Therefore, this increase is attributed to various factors. One of the main factors that points towards the rapid growth of the Pentecostals is the ever-changing interpretations of doctrinal practices. This, in turn, necessitates the need for alternative doctrinal practices, thus, leading to the birth and propagation of more evangelical groups. Another possible reason for the rapid growth of the Pentecostals was the need for freedom from the ancient Catholic Church. Numerous Pentecostal groups desired the freedom to exercise worship in their own way. Therefore, this need for freedom coupled by the disparities in doctrinal beliefs and practices fueled the rapid expansion of the Pentecostals. Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the United Kingdom (UK) As mentioned earlier, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity was initiated in the late 19th century. The UK then referred to as the Great Britain, was one of the founding locations of this movement. In its inception, the movement proclaimed themes of healing by faith and increased focus on the workmanship of the Holy Ghost. These principles were based on the notion that the modern church was lacking in the fire and power of the early church. Amongst the earliest radical evangelical experiences in the UK was the Welsh Revival of 1904. It represented the larges revival in the region during the early 20th century. This Welsh evangelical revival had repercussions all over the UK and spread globaly world including Scandinavian countries, North America and other parts of Europe. Consequently, this resulted in thousands of people speaking in tongues after being filled by the Holy Spirit. From then on, the Pentecostal fire could not be quenched in the UK. It rapidly gained popularity and spread all over the nation. Today, 4.5 million of UK’s populations have religious inclinations and more than half of these populations are evangelicals and Protestants (West, 2008: 21). This implies that Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity are on the rise in the UK. This continued upward surge in the evangelical and Pentecostal inclinations in the UK is credited to the influx of immigrants from Africa and Latin America (West, 2008: 21). Consequently, it has had a significant impact on the English natives. As a result, most of them have resolved to embrace Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity. Therefore the rapid spread of evangelism in the UK can be attributed to the following factors: Energy Pentecost churches employ a sense of energy in their styles of worship. Their worship is often accompanied by vigorous clapping and dances. This environment is suitable for majority of UK’s church audience. Outspokenness Unlike the other churches, the Pentecostal church embraces a radical and outspoken approach to various atrocities within the society. This process includes the brave confrontation of Islamic groups. Consequently, the movement offers a platform for radicals to express their views under the umbrella of religion. Racial equality The evangelicals also provide a platform for the propagation of racial equality and alienation of racial discrimination. This is owed to the fact that Pentecostals peacefully coexist in mixed race settings. Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the United States of America (USA) USA is arguably the root of the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity. Although the revolution was initiated in both USA and UK, the reception and propagation of the movement was more widespread in USA as opposed to the UK. However, in both cases the movement was founded on the same basis. The key aim was to propagate salvation through believing in Christ and the person of the Holy Ghost. Its inception was initiated by Charles Parham, a radical who strongly embraced the principles of divine healing. Consequently, he set up a Bible School in Kansas where he initiated the propagation of his radical message in the early 20th century. However, the prolonged Azuza Street Revival in 1906 epitomized the birth of Pentecostal movement (Wolffe, 2008: 99). During this movement, the traditional church norms were broken by the radical groups. The traditional order of the service was altered and people preached and testified as directed by the Holy Ghost. Consequently, this formed the basis of the Pentecostal movement. It was based on a quest for freedom in the manner in which the activities of the church were conducted. The radicals longed for the opportunity to freely express themselves without being limited by institutionalized factors. In addition, there ministry gave preeminence to power of the Holy Ghost. During these meetings different racial crowds congregated together for worship. This was a violation of the racial segregation laws that that were operational during the early 20th century. Therefore, this highlighted the ability of the evangelicals and Pentecostals to prevent racial segregation within the society. Due to increased pressure to conform to the racial segregation laws, the early Pentecostal Church had to split into two branches: one for the whites and the other for the blacks. However, despite these hindrances the radicals did not give up and continued with the propagation of the Pentecostal movement in various parts of USA. This led to the establishment of numerous evangelical churches in USA. Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in Latin America Latin America was one of the beneficiaries of the out flux of the Welsh revival in the early 19th century. Like in North America, the reception and propagation of the Pentecostal movement in Latin America was also positive. Consequently, this led to the establishment of numerous churches in the region. However, it is of crucial importance to note that this region has been predominant linked to the monolithic Roman Catholic Church. However, about 15 percent of Latin America’s populations have converted to Pentecostal Christianity (Orozco, 2004: 121). Consequently, this implies that the Pentecostal church is the fastest growing church in this region. Research shows that 8,000 Latin Americans covert to Pentecostal Christianity on a daily basis. This growth is widely experienced in Brazil and Guatemala. Venezuela’s response to the Pentecostal gospel has been a bit slow. Therefore propagation in this area has been mainly hindered by religious chauvinisms. This is because some of the natives view the evangelical religion as being a religion for the poor. This is directed towards the evangelicals’ efforts to reach out to the poor in the society by attending to both their spiritual and material needs. Therefore, this implies that evangelical Christianity offers a platform for the transformation of numerous Latin America populations as they come to the realization of religious freedom and social justice. Conclusion Therefore, it is evident that Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity were founded on one basis: to promote salvation through believing in Jesus Christ and the empowerment of the person of the Holy Ghost. Although its propagation received immense opposition, the movement grew rapidly to all parts of the world. This growth continues to be experienced today. Consequently, the growth of the evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity has been influenced by various factors. For instance, in USA, its growth was championed by the need for freedom from segregation racism. In the UK, its growth has also been as a result of racial and expressional empowerment. However, although Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity experiences immense growth in Latin America, its growth in this regions experience enormous obstacles. Most of the natives are opposed Pentecostal religion based on chauvinistic grounds. However, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity offer the best platform for transformation and social justice in Latin America. This applies to nations like Venezuela where evangelism provides the poor with both spiritual and material nourishment. Nevertheless Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity continue to thrive on a shared global theology: that of spreading the gospel of salvation through believing in Christ and the empowerment of the person of the Holy Ghost. References Hutchinson, M., & Wolffe, J. (2012) Towards global trans-denominationalism, A short history of global evangelicalism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Macchia, F.D. (2006) Pentecostal theology, Baptized in the Spirit: a global Pentecostal theology. Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan. Orozco, J. (2004, December 8) Religioscope: Latin America: Evangelical Christianity moves the masses - A report from Venezuela, Religioscope: www.religion.info. Retrieved July 4, 2012, from . West, E. (2008) December 14) I'm not surprised Evangelical Christianity is on the rise, The Telegraph. Retrieved July 4, 2012, from . Wolffe, J. (2008) Contentious Christians Religion, conflict and coexistence since the Holocaust. Milton Keynes: Open University. Read More