Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity - Essay Example

Comparison and Contrast of the development of the Evangelical /Pentecostal Christianity In my essay, I am going to do a comparison and contrast essay which is based on evangelical and pentecostal Christianity and how these are mainly focused in a specific region. In dealing with evangelical and pentecostal Christianity, it is important to examine their similarities especially where they come together in their ideologies. They come together especially in their universality of their teachings and the timelessness ( Wolffe, 2002). They tend to agree with each other in their teachings and philosophies which are inherently tied to each other and are especially predominant when they are dealing with conflict or tension situations where they actually see eye to eye. It is also important to take into account that because we are dealing with these religions, I am using the Wolffe's perspective on a lot of these issues. He suggests that it is predominantly in the developing world that Evangelism and Pentecostal Christianity have their strongest foothold with particular emphasis being placed on Latin America (2002). In examining the criteria for their comparison, it is noteworthy to mention that Pentecostal religion and Evangelism have similarities in that they are especially geared towards migrants and people from a similar ethnic background-a sort of common background that brings about ethnic groups with similar ideologies together (Wolffe, 2002). Another obvious identifying feature of Pentecostal and Evangelicals is that they both believe that the Bible is divinely inspired and believe that the Holy Spirit is involved in the evangelical process. Here we see this to be true especially in the Western world with the rise of evangelicals who speak under the authority of the Holy Spirit and therefore have the ability to prophesy and speak in tongues (Wolffe, 2002). Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity have been a trend of the late centuries and are actually a breakaway from Protestanism which split from Catholicism in the 16th century. But it was not until the 18th century, that we see visibly the Evangelical movement that rose from the Protestant reformation (Wolffe,2002). Since they are ethnically geared so to speak towards people from similar ethnic backgrounds, they formed the backbone for a lot of the revivals of the movement in regions such as Northern Ireland where "it gained from being an important focus for Protestant identity in the face of ongoing struggles over the constitutional status of the province (Wolffe, 2002, p.20)." There was in Ireland, considerable turmoil and conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants and due to their common interests and struggles, the Evangelicals formed a common bond to come together. Whereas by contrast where Pentecostal and Evangelical Christianity differed, was in "its teachings of the need for Christians to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, as a second intense spiritual experience subsequent to conversion. Pentecostalism was particularly successful among the black and Hispanic communities in the USA, and from the 1950s onwards gained significant ground in the UK as a result of West Indian immigration (Wolffe, 2002,p.21)." Again we see the trend where the minorities form the backbone for the rise of the Evangelical and Pentecostal movement in the Americas and the United Kingdom. Although our focus in this essay, will be the rise in these two movements, I will focus more on the developments in the United kingdom, the USA, and Latin America. The former two countries are more industrialized but the last Latin America is more on the less advantageous side economically speaking. In the United Kingdom, for instance, we see statistically speaking an increase in numbers among the Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians. This is denoted by the rising numbers who are church attendants. The famous evangelist Billy Graham from the United States on making his visit to the United Kingdom drew very large audiences (Wolffe, 2002). In the early 1960s, the Evangelicals offered " a clear message and a youthful vigor that equipped them effectively to respond to this mood and strengthen their own position (Wolffe, 2002, p.24)." What is again especially noteworthy to mention is the rise in Pentecostalism but in another aspect of it in the Charismatic movement. "A significant recognition of the importance of the black contribution to British Evangelism came in the late 1990s with the appointment of Joel Edwards.....a considerable cultural and social gap remains between largely middle-class white Evangelicals and the more working-class black Pentecostal churches (Wolffe, 2002, p.33)." Here we see the contrast in the two groups in the same region. The Whites in England are the Evangelicals who come from middle class families whereas the blacks in the Pentecostal movement come from working class families. In England, we see the rise in the need for social justice particularly with emphasis to civil rights. The Evangelicals were particularly influential in the abolition of colonial slavery (Wolffe, 2002). Again, in the 1980s further efforts were made to secure the limits of the sex industry especially in limiting sexually explicit material in the media (2002). "The reality is that in the UK, in contrast to the USA, the great majority of Evangelicals cannot insulate themselves from the cultural and social forces experienced by the remainder of the population. This development is better understood as assimilation with the surrounding culture rather than as resistance to it (Wolffe, 2002, p.44)." Another mainstream indication of contrasts among the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity is that there were more employed present in the Evangelicals whereas only the unemployed were the more visible majority at the black Pentecostal movement (Wolffe, 2002). This shows us again the visible trend and the disparities between the two groups. So in the United Kingdom, the Evangelical movement has more or less put emphasis on individual conversion and encounter with the divine, personal faith, and the right of everyone to supposedly interpret the Bible for themselves (Wolffe, 2002). In the United States, there is a different perspective in that region as far as the Evangelicals and Pentecostal Christianity goes. In the United States, on the other hand, we have women who make up the Evangelicals more than the men whereas as this is not the case in the region of the United Kingdom (Wolffe, 2002 ). But then again, we see the similarity of the United Kingdom as well to the United States in that the minority is in the forefront. In the United States, Billy Graham "showed himself very adaptable to cultural and technological change, espousing both contemporary Christian music and the internet as media for his message, but his essential approach to repentance and decision remained what it had been half a century before. It still brought impressive results with many thousands of conversions claimed at his crusade in Tampa, Florida. If, as I have argued, Kaleidoscopic diversity characterizes contemporary British Evangelicalism, this quality is found in greatly magnified and multidimensional form on the other side of the Atlantic (Wolfe, 2002, p.62-63)." So we have the United States as a region on the side of the Atlantic that is heralded in numbers as far as the multitude of followers are concerned. But again we find comparisons between the United Kingdom and the United States where the battle for social justice is again fought hard under the banner of Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity. In the United States, the similarity lies in the statistics where we find various ministries at work among the underpriveleged black people of the Mississippi (Wolffe, 2002). Here they are at work promoting community development (2002). Another more interesting contrasting difference between the United States and England, is the use of the media such as television and radio to broadcast the evangelical messages. Although in the United Kingdom, we have the BBC, it is not as prominent to broadcast evangelical preaching as in the USA (Wolffe, 2002). "Such broadcasting serves both to reinforce the commitment of the faithful and to facilitate outreach to wider audiences: on the basis of one survey, it appears that approximately 34 million American households watched at least one religious program during February 1985. Religious broadcasting also serves as a prominent and significant illustration of the ambivalent relationship of Evangelicals to modernity. So the United States succeeded in getting its message across through the medium of television whereas the United Kingdom begged to differ in that aspect. And why again has contemporary Evangelism succeeded in the United States as opposed to the United Kingdom has got more to do with how the United States has in essence practically adopted the free market capitalism ideology in it evangelism (Wolffe, 2002). On the other hand, in the United Kingdom because of the interference of the government in religious life and church has sort of hindered the Evangelical movement there (2002). Another more dominant feature of the Evangelicals, according to Smith is "their strong sense of distinctiveness, both from the contemporary secular world and from other forms of Christianity. They believe themselves to be possessed of the ultimate truth, practical moral superiority, and distinctive lifestyle. At the same time, they do not turn their backs on the rest of society, but engage with it in pursuing evangelistic and social mission (Wolffe, 2002, p.67)." I would now like to focus on Latin America where the Evangelical movement has its strong hold. In examining the development of the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in the United States and the United Kingdom, the "American and British cases are both located within the framework of advanced industrialized societies that have historically been predominantly Protestant. In both countries, as we have seen, to varieties of confrontation, resistance or accomodation between Evangelism, modernity and secularity. The Latin American perspective immediately raises a radically different set of questions. This expansion in Latin America has occurred primarily in lower class social groups, a noticeable difference of emphasis from American Evangelicalism and an almost complete contrast with the more socially elite character of British Evangelicalism. A further striking contrast is that in Latin America, unlike the UK or the USA, Pentecostalism is the overwhelmingly predominant manifestation of Evangelicalism, rather than being merely a prominent strand within a diverse whole (Wolffe, 2002, p.69)." Here Wolffe takes us directly to the heart of the matter in these regions. In the former, he explains quite clearly why we see a trend towards increasing numbers in their following but in Latin America, this trend is quite the opposite to what is going on in the UK and the USA which were predominantly Protestant to begin with whereas in Latin America, its roots and culture were intertwined with Roman Catholicism, so how do we account for the increase in this side of the world for the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in this area of the world The reason why we see the surge of the Evangelical and Pentecostal movement in Latin America can be explained in terms of more spiritual factors. This movement serves the poor with renewed vigor and comfort in an otherwise poor existence (Wolffe, 2002). And then because this movement is among the poor, we can have a lot of the illiterate population of Latin America where the senses are stimulated by witnessing of others conversion and baptism of the Spirit (2002). We see an almost guaranteed church attendance of the Pentecostal churches, in that members of the church usually arrive because of their troubles and in need usually of physical healing (Wolffe, 2002). Also, in Latin America, Pentecostalism offers many material rewards to its followers (Wolffe, 2002). It aids in bettering the situation of women and also helps in attaining employment (2002). We also see a trend where social morality comes into play just as in the United States and United Kingdom. When we deal with sexual fidelity for instance, it definitely betters the married partner's engagement with each other (2002). What has served to further enhance and spread the movement in this region has to do with also the presence of the Evangelical Billy Graham who made his appearance there in the 1970s addressing audiences well into half a million in Rio de Janeiro for instance (Wolffe, 2002). Although Latin America enjoys and benefits from the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity movement and renewal, it is nevertheless just significant among the poor of Latin America (Wolffe, 2002). Also the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity has enjoyed its share of the harvest, it has also served to attract the indigenous peoples (Indians) in the manner of preventing drug abuse in these regions and also a turn away from alcoholism (Wolffe, 2002). Another underlying feature which has been emphasized earlier in the paper is the sense of common identity amongst the different groups in Latin America. "There has been a growing consciousness of a common identity and interest among Evangelicals, both within particular countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, and Peru and an on continent wide basis (Wolffe, 2002, p.81)." People from similar backgrounds serve to come together to unite under similar ideologies and thinking. We see this particular shift also in the United States and in the United Kingdom too where the peoples come together who have similar interests and ideologies. "The spectacular growth of Pentecostalism in Latin America in recent decades can only be explained on the basis of its effective indigenization. Links with the USA certainly exist, but these do not mean control from the USA, churches are primarily financed locally and their pastors and ministers are predominantly Latin American nationals...As one sociologist observes, to the extent that Pentecostalism has been exported from the USA to Latin America, this has been primarily not a consequence of manipulation by powerful missionary elites, but rather a movement of the underside (Wolffe, 2002, p.85)." It is definitely rooted in the fact that its peoples come from similar ethnic backgrounds and has been a movement that has evolved to suit the downtrodden so to speak. It also helps us again by giving us a broader comparison to make of the United States, the United Kingdom and Latin America. While these movements and the spread of the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity is seen as thriving in the industrialized countries, they do so only and are seen as mainly another step in the direction of its history intrinsically moving forward, in Latin America, it is visibly different in that it is actually shaping the outlook of a culture that was predominantly Roman Catholic (Wolffe, 2002). "The modest but significant resurgence of Evangelicalism in the UK, its continuing presence in the USA, its extensive of utilization of globalized media resources, and its symbiotic relationship with processes of social change and economic development in Latin America are all indicative of an altogether more contructive and complex interaction with modernity (Wolffe, 2002, p.96)." From my research, I can deduce that ultimately, the development of the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity can be traced to in the United Kingdom, United States and Latin America, to groups that come together with similar ideologies and interests. They are especially appealing to the indigenous groups and are a response to changes in the modern life. We find again here a revival where people are despondent with their lives and look to these movements as an escape from the drudgery of their lives. It must be mentioned that the Evangelicals concentrated heavily on the Bible and just heading on in the direction of straightforward evangelicalism (Barclay, 1997). These people did not essentially know how to relate to the culture of the day and were to anti intellectual and at the same time were not especially theological (1997). But they adapted to the culture of their times which made them appealing to the masses. The Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity was rooted quite clearly in these regions amongst the poor although that was not the case for the UK. But they come together in their fights for social justice, oppression of the minority such as championing the cause of women who are at a risk of being abused. These movements actually bring about social justice for these oppressed groups and also serve to hinder social inequality. They beg to differ in that the UK and the USA are predominantly industrialized nations and their cultures had broken away from Roman Catholicism and were in essence Protestant nations. In Latin America, on the other hand, we have a culture that is currently today still predominantly Roman Catholic, and the only reason we see a rising trend of the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity in this regions is due to the plight of the peoples who are overwhelmingly at a social disadvantage, who are disillusioned with their lives and are looking for spiritual answers to their plight and pain. More evidently, we see a shift in the face of the culture in the reversal of its trend. So though the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity is more shifted towards the indigenous groups, we see them also more evidently in the middle class Whites of the United Kingdom. Amongst the Pentecostals, we see on the other hand, more clearly the plight of the unemployed and the minority races such as the blacks and the Latin Americans. In concluding my comparison and contrast issues on the Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity, I would like to say that although I find they come together in their similarities, there are also many diversities that make the difference in the regions studied. Reference List Barclay, O. (1997). Looking back, Reaching Forward : From Evangelicalism in Britain 1935-1995, Inter Varsity Press, pp. 133-42. Wolffe,J. (2002). Religion today:tradition, modernity and change. Global Religious Movements in Regional Context, United Kingdom: The Open University. Read More