Posted on 03/30/2010 7:14:27 AM PDT by Between the Lines
A quarter of American Christians identify as charismatic or Pentecostal, a new survey shows.
Those aged 26 to 44 are most likely to claim the Holy Spirit-filled identity (29 percent) compared to other age groups, the Barna Group found.
Meanwhile, the Baby Boomers (aged 45 to 63) – the generation that introduced America to "Jesus freaks" – are least likely to take up the Pentecostal or charismatic identity (20 percent).
The Ventura, Calif.-based research group, which conducted the study among 1,005 adults last month, defines charismatic and Pentecostal as those who consider themselves to "have been filled with the Holy Spirit and that God has given [them] at least one of the charismatic gifts, such as tongues, prophecy or healing."
According to the Barna Group, the number of Pentecostal/charismatics is triple the number of evangelicals in the U.S and equivalent to the number of adults who attend Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal or non-denominational churches.
A little over a quarter (26 percent) of Protestants and 20 percent of Catholics identify as part of the charismatic or Pentecostal segment.
While spiritual gifts and whether they exist today are debated among many Christian leaders today, the new survey found that 56 percent of younger Christians, aged 18 to 25, believe that the gifts, including speaking in tongues and healing, are active and valid today. The older the believer, the less likely they are to hold the same belief.
David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, points out in the report that "for millions of the youngest Christians, the charismatic, Pentecostal and Spirit-filled labels are not as divisive as they were to their parents' generation."
"The Mosaic generation in particular is removed from many of the long-standing debates about the validity of spiritual gifts, the role of expressive forms of worship, and about the need for receiving personal direction from the Holy Spirit," he said.
Though young adult Christians embrace spiritual gifts, they are least likely among other age groups to say that they "consistently allow their lives to be guided by the Holy Spirit."
The younger group is also least likely to say they had ever spoken in tongues (7 percent).
Moreover, the youngest believers offer a more existentialist view of the Holy Spirit with 68 percent saying they believe that the third person of the trinity is just "a symbol of God’s power or presence, but is not a living entity." Fifty-nine percent of Christians aged 26 to 44 and 55 percent of Boomers agree.
Kinnaman notes that the next generation of charismatic and Pentecostal Christians may be spending less time defending their views to others, but they also seem to be much less certain with what they believe or how to put their faith into action.
"It raises the question of what will define the next generation of young charismatics and Pentecostal believers in the U.S.," he said. "Facing less criticism from within the ranks of Christians, they must focus on being grounded theologically and finding a way to live faithfully within the broader culture of arts, media, technology, science, and business."
Young charismatics, he added, are less likely to adopt their beliefs and practices based on deep, considered theological reflection.
"The future vitality of this portion of the Christian community will depend in part on connecting young charismatic and Pentecostal believers to better training on theology and doctrine," he stressed.
Findings were based on telephone interviews conducted on adults, age 18 and older, from Feb. 7 through 10.
That is about twice as many at least as I would have guessed. I guess I need to get out more.
It's not that the Pentecostals are inhospitable ('though many are) but many people outside that milieu are intolerant and don't try to understand them.
Eventually the Pentecostals will control a large sector of American political life. People like Obama and his running dog lackeys will be very uncomfortable.
“...the youngest believers offer a more existentialist view of the Holy Spirit with 68 percent saying they believe that the third person of the trinity is just “a symbol of God’s power or presence, but is not a living entity.” Fifty-nine percent of Christians aged 26 to 44 and 55 percent of Boomers agree.”
“Young charismatics, he added, are less likely to adopt their beliefs and practices based on deep, considered theological reflection.”
Those are serious problems, and where heresy can find a foothold. When the Holy Trinity is minimized, denied, or ignored, you end up with something that is only a shadow of the Christian faith, if Christian at all. I am not Pentecostal or charismatic, but have attended many such churches, and my take-away was that the people were very much “on fire” for Jesus, but the theology was paper thin and the people couldn’t defend their faith beyond the usual cliches such as “is Jesus your personal savior?”. Even St. Paul said you need to deepen your understanding and not just remain babies in your faith. Many are able to deepen their theological foundations, but many can’t. It seems to depend on the training of the particular pastor/preacher, and many don’t have any at all.
Christ sure spoke of the Holy Spirit as a separate entity though in communion with himself and the father. The “Spirit is like the wind, blowing where it wills” and “Blaspemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven”.
What are these young pentecostals being taught? I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, though they come as God will direct(like the wind blowing where it wills). There needs to be discernment, and translations of tongues when tongues are used, otherwise those with tongues need to keep silent lest ‘confusion’ results. It’s all very Biblical and correct, Paul and apostles laid it all out.
Yet I’ve found out the hard way that gifts can lead to pride and arrogance and I made my share of mistakes. A deeper focus on the word can help correct the missteps not just the flash of joy and the unknown flow of syllables and sighs during a charismatic service.
I once had a charismatic type preacher speak on the “dangers of introspection” though classical Christianity teaches that deep spiritual introspection, meditation, and prayer are the meat and substance of personal faith. (I think he thought of “introspection” in the same way one thinks of ‘fellowship’ or “non-intellectual Christian sociability”, ie,”Isn’t God good, brother”... yeah well maybe but I’m not feeling too good about the spat I had with a co-worker today and I’m gonna have to ask forgiveness cause God just told me it was my fault, he showed me why, and I have to admit that yes it was my fault but my fleshy pride wants to buck and just forget the whole thing, and speaking a few tongues aren’t enough to correct the fault, repentance is called for instead!)
The apostle that said “I die daily!” sure-ly didn’t mean it in a glib “praise Jesus alleluia” sort way, but rather in a deeply personal self acknowledgement of our utter need for daily grace and a most certain knowledge of the flesh’s dark potentials!
Yet I’m not going to give up, God is there and all the clouds of witnesses there praying and urging me on!
That’s what these young pentecostals need to understand. The great testing is coming, God grant us all strength to withstand it!
What you’re describing is humility before God.....something hard to find in American Christianity today. People think they’ve got it all figured out and can be very judgemental, as if they were speaking for God. St. Paul talks clearly of not being a clanging cymbal, but salt and light, tempered with humility.
According to the Barna Group, the number of Pentecostal/charismatics is triple the number of evangelicals in the U.S and equivalent to the number of adults who attend Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal or non-denominational churches.
"Evangelical" is a sloppy enough term as to be useless.
Moreover, the youngest believers offer a more existentialist view of the Holy Spirit with 68 percent saying they believe that the third person of the trinity is just "a symbol of God’s power or presence, but is not a living entity." Fifty-nine percent of Christians aged 26 to 44 and 55 percent of Boomers agree.
Sixty Eight Percent of these people don't have an orthodox conception of the Trinity? Numbers only getting slightly better with age.
Oh-key then. I guess we know what they've been learning in Sunday School and Yout Group. (nothing).
Weep, people, weep. This is not a healthy church.
END TIMES PING LIST PING:
BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.
BLESSED BE THE WORD OF THE LORD.
BLESSED BE THE WAYS OF THE LORD.
My guesstimates are . . .
1. As long as Pentecostals/Charismatics are left on earth (and not ‘caught up’ to meet Christ in the air),
They will likely by Holy Spirit’s doing:
A) become an INCREASING percentage and INCREASINGLY POTENT portion of all authentic Christians. Their percentages in South America are already much greater than here. Ditto in many overseas locations.
B) be treated with more hostility and efforts at marginilizations by the globalists/communists/socialists running the planet politically . . . to the point of being . . .
C) first in line to be hunted down and exterminated.
D) Certain Marxist locations already have done what they reasonably could to outlaw all those who believe in modern miracles and the literal 2nd Coming of Christ. Such efforts at marginalization will increase and intensify.
E) HOWEVER, GOD HAS HIS OWN AGENDA; HIS OWN PRIORITIES AND HIS OWN WAYS. The Spirit Filled Folks 2000 years ago turned the world right side up amidst Roman persecution. The forces of darkness will be surprised much more by God than they will surprise God’s troops.
2. MOST Churches—on the whole—which do NOT acknowledge Holy Spirit’s full scale operations and/or do not permit such operations in their structures—in this era will increasingly become dry husks, hollow shells, if they exist at all. Many will become subsumed under the globalist charade of a Christian church kowtowing to the evil world ruler’s declarations etc.
3. It won’t really matter what the church or organizational label is. Either Holy Spirit WILL HAVE HIS WAY with the group, or the group will increasingly find it is on the OTHER SIDE from GOD’S SIDE.
Jedediah, do you disagree with any of my assertions above?
I’ve known of a few such congregations. The vast majority of those I’ve been most familiar with have been deep and intense in Biblical doctrinal understanding—very strong on extensive solid teaching and application of such teaching.
PARTICULARLY ORIENTED TOWARD BEING DOERS OF THE WORD AND NOT HEARERS ONLY.
I’ve known of a few such congregations. The vast majority of those I’ve been most familiar with have been deep and intense in Biblical doctrinal understanding—very strong on extensive solid teaching and application of such teaching.
Those I’ve heard say something negative about introspection were speaking of a kind of
narcissistic self-absorption
vs a
focusing on God in Christ and getting on with the GREAT COMMISSION.
. . . particularly about a constant, endless compulsive self-absorption.
On average, in my observation and by the fruit so widely displayed . . .
MOST SUCH GROUPS are MUCH healthier on average
AND MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE FOR THE KINGDOM ON A LIST OF MEASURES
than the
frozen chosen varieties of Christian conregations
by a wide margin.
There was a time for discussion, and maybe it ran out.
Recall, God can create believers from the rocks on the ground. Could be the short-cuts are in fashion.
There's still an awful lot of the world to which Christians are called to evangelize, and somebody told me it's going on in China at incredible speed ~ but nobody knows because "they" aren't supposed to be doing that anyway.
Did you notice that the Russian church reappeared?
I don't quite understand what you are saying here. Do you think that some real, born-again Christians will be left behind when the rapture happens? From what I read in Scripture, we will be caught up together with Christ in the air and will be with him forever after that. Those left on earth will be the unsaved unbelievers. Now, during the tribulation there will be many, many people who come to faith in Jesus Christ and are saved, they will be cruelly persecuted but will continue, in spite of the persecution, to preach the Gospel to others.
I am curious why you think some Christians will not be taken up with the rest.
Thanks for the ping!
I’m NOT, per se, disagreeing with you.
I just don’t pretend to have all that figured out.
I’d like to believe that you are 100% correct. That’s my Scriptural bias, too.
Somehow, there will be mortals coming out the end of Tribulation who will inherit the earth as mortals. There won’t be ANY evil doers surviving the Tribulation.
There will be folks who will become martyrs and believers in the process during Tribulation.
I don’t know that I know anything beyond that on that score.
THX for your kind reply.
Well, that’s the trick isn’t it...to get beyond the looking glass stage to actually having something done about the pimples you see on your face, or sometimes even the wolf’s fangs!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.