Charismatic Polling Pew conducts a 10-country survey of Pentecostals.

The Weekly Standard ^ | 10/16/06 | Mark Tooley

[Valin]

http://pewforum.org/surveys/pentecostal/

Executive Summary
October 5, 2006

By all accounts, pentecostalism and related charismatic movements represent one of the fastest-growing segments of global Christianity. According to the World Christian Database, at least a quarter of the world's 2 billion Christians are thought to be members of these lively, highly personal faiths, which emphasize such spiritually renewing "gifts of the Holy Spirit" as speaking in tongues, divine healing and prophesying. Even more than other Christians, pentecostals and other renewalists believe that God, acting through the Holy Spirit, continues to play a direct, active role in everyday life.
(snip)

[rovenstinez]

Which might be misleading. Just cause people put on a Christian Bumper sticker, put a fish sign on their car, or carry a crucifix, may NOT necessarily mean that their values have changed. Latin America still has corruption issues, kidnapping that the Pentecostals have not done much to confront, as many of them are more HEAVENLY minded, trying to get the WORLD into their church, instead of the Jesus Doctrine into the world. They CAME OUT from 'among them', and have no power as Salt, Light or the effect of YEAST. There is another Silent Revolution emerging that the MSM hasn't uncovered yet.

[carton253]

Please tell me what is the silent revolution?

[Skooz]

Cool.

[rovenstinez]

http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-George-Barna/dp/1414307586/sr=8-1/qid=1161015178/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-8633800-1236913?ie=UTF8
The pollster George Barna says that church attendance will be down 50% as people find more significance and spirtuality in home circles, smaller groups that will have more of a relational impact on society

[Always Right]

For someone who does not seem all that thrilled with the Pentecostals, you certainly speak in strange tongues.

[carton253]

So have you read Gene Edwards and Frank Viola at all?

[Valin]

Gene Edwards and Frank Viola

?

[My2Cents]

My wife an I currently attend a nominally Pentecostal church, but do not consider ourselves "Pentecostal." We believe that all the gifts of the Spirit are active today, but neither of us speak in tongues. We both came out of a conservative Baptist church. But the reason we attend an independent Pentecostal congregation is that they preach about Christ, and have an expectation that the presence of God will actually show up...things that were missing in the Baptist church, where the focus wasn't on Christ, but was on how to do our best FOR Christ (i.e., a low-grade of legalism).

What people across the globe are starving for is a real encounter with God, and the Pentecostals and Charismatics are the only ones who seem to believe that such an encounter is possible. The Pew research seems to focus on the social and political views of Pentecostals and Charismatics, but the real impact of these movements is the spiritual tenor these movements bring to Christianity.

[100-Fold_Return]

"There is another Silent Revolution emerging that the MSM hasn't uncovered yet.

Amen!!! They sure know about us and are scared witless, because their vivacious onslaught upon Joel Osteen and Rick Warren only drove droves to Amazon to buy their books and from there it was "Katy bar the door" into the so-called mega-churches!!

[carton253]

Here is the web address to Gene Edwards autobiograpy.

http://www.geneedwards.com/autobiography.htm#author

I'm sorry I don't need to do links.

Here is the web address to Gene's publishing house.

http://www.seedsowers.com/catalog/index.php

Frank Viola's books can be found at Seedsowers.

Here is the web address to Frank's ministry:

http://www.ptmin.org/

[carton253]

Not need to do links...should be do not know how to do links. That typo makes me appear down right rude. Sorry about that.

[Valin]

But the reason we attend an independent Pentecostal congregation is that they preach about Christ, and have an expectation that the presence of God will actually show up

Wow! What a radical idea. :-)

[Valin]

Thank you.

[carton253]

I think you will like the books find there.

Check out T. Austin Sparks as well.

web address: http://www.austin-sparks.net/

For one the of the best reads in Christendom, download Spark's THE SCHOOL OF CHRIST. This is one revolutionary book. Mr. Sparks says more about Jesus in one sentence than most preachers do in a 50 minute sermon.

I'm sorry I don't know how to do links to make it easier for you.

[My2Cents]

yeah, it is a radical idea! :) But, sadly, many mainline evangelical churches have gotten their eye off of what really makes a person a Christian, that is, the actual presence of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the ability to know and experience his presence in their daily life.

Take a look at this essay on Christless preaching that affects much of American Christianity today.

[carton253]

Check out the T. Austin Sparks website that I mentioned to Valin. I think you will enjoy Mr. Sparks very much. I would direct you also to THE SCHOOL OF CHRIST.

[My2Cents]

I've read a couple of books by Sparks, and he's great. Wasn't aware of the website. Thanks.

[carton253]

Isn't he though. It's like eating a huge banquet. The Seedsower website (also in my post to Valin) has many Sparks books at a reasonable price.