Pentecostals
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.
Key words
- Adherent: a person who strongly supports a particular person, principle, or set of ideas
She has long been an adherent of the Communist Party.
- Megachurch: a church with a very large number of members
Myungsung Megachurch in Seoul, South Korea, is the largest Presbyterian church in the world, with weekly attendance of around 100,000.
- Incomprehensible: impossible or extremely difficult to understand
The writing ability of some of the students was so poor that their essays were almost incomprehensible.
- Prominent: very well known and important
She plays a prominent role in the organization.
- Ardent: showing strong feelings
He is an ardent supporter of Manchester United.
Read the article to find the answers
- What was speaking in tongues according to the second chapter of Acts?
- What do Pentacostals believe happened during the Azusa Street meeting?
- Where did Charismatic Christianity come from?
- Who is Kenneth Copeland?
Pentecostalism
Pentecost was the day when the Holy Spirit baptised Christ's disciples, as described in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and is regarded as the day when the Christian Church was born. Jews from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of Shavuot (Pentecost in Greek), and although they spoke different languages, everyone could understand what the Apostles were saying without an interpreter. This is known as speaking in tongues.
Pentecostalism is one of the largest and fastest growing movements within Christianity, with some 280 million adherents worldwide. The modern Pentecostal movement began in 1906 in Los Angeles. They claim that the Holy Spirit reappeared during a meeting on Azusa Street in LA, baptising the people there and giving them the same spiritual gifts of miraculous healing, prophecy and speaking in tongues that the Apostles received in Jerusalem at Pentecost nearly 2,000 years earlier.
Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity is a modern movement that grew out of Pentecostalism within mainstream Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches in the 1960s and 1970s. It has a history of making wildly inaccurate 'prophecies' and exploiting vulnerable people in megachurches, where church leaders claim to speak in tongues but in fact make incomprehensible utterances rather than using real languages.
Many Pentecostals and Charismatics, especially in the United States, are Christian Zionists and support Israel politically and financially. They teach that the creation of the State of Israel was a prophetic sign of the imminent return of Christ and the end of the world.
The Prosperity Gospel & The Word of Faith Movement
The Prosperity Gospel and the Word of Faith Movement are closely associated with Pentecostals and Charismatics. They teach that believers can speak physical healing and financial gain into existence.
One of their practices is sowing financial seeds, which refers to making donations with the expectation of receiving blessings from God in return. Many Charismatic leaders encourage this practice, promising a miraculous return on investment for those who give generously.
Kenneth Copeland, one of the most prominent figures in the movement, has been praised by Michael Brown, an ardent supporter of the State of Israel, for raising millions of dollars and training Todd White, who is well known for his fake healings.
Discussion questions
- Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
- Have you ever witnessed someone speaking in tongues?
- Are there any megachurches where you live?
- What do you think of the State of Israel?
- Has anyone ever promised you blessings in return for donations?
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