Charismatic renewal
Worldwide renewal and revival movement, also known as neo-Pentecostalism, emphasizing the charismata, or the gifts of the Holy Spirit, demonstrative worship, theological Fundamentalism, and evocative music. Among the Protestants, it has found a natural home among independent churches with Pentecostal antecedents, but the classical Pentecostals have often been cautious. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is a lay movement recognized by the Vatican. The term was coined by H. Bredesen and J. Stone in 1963 to describe a growing trend that later developed in three separate sectors: mainline Protestant churches from 1950, Roman Catholic Church from 1967 and independent churches from the late 1960s.
Key people and institutions in the movement were Nights of Prayer for Worldwide Revival and London Healing Mission in the United Kingdom; The Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International; and the ministries of Dennis Bennett, T. L. Osborn, and Michael Harper. The movement resembled in many respects the earlier Pentecostal movement because both had a strong lay character with an emphasis on every-member ministry. Their assemblies were characterized by vocal praise, long prayers, and personal testimonies.
The Charismatic Roman Catholic movement has given rise to intentional or covenant communities such as the People of Praise, Servants of the Lord and Word of God (now Sword of the Spirit), and centers for ministry and healing. There are Charismatic Catholic television personalities, such as Mother Angelica and John Bertolucci, and specialized ministries, such as FIRE, SHARE, LAMP, Calix, Centurions, and Families in Christ. The Charismatic renewal has had strongest impact among the Mennonites and the Episcopalians but has significantly and widely influenced all major denominations except Orthodoxy. Independent and nondenominational Charismatic groups came into prominence in the early 1970s with the impact of Christian Growth Ministries led by Derek Prince, Bob Mumford, Charles Simpson, Ern Baxter, and Don Basham, who introduced discipleship into Charismatic circles.
Soon there were large networks, including the International Convention of Faith Ministries, Liberty Fellowship, People of Destiny, Vineyard churches, and the Abbot Loop Fellowship in the United States; Pioneer, New Frontiers, Salt and Light, and Ichthus in the United Kingdom; Emmanuel, Chemin Neuf, Lion de Juda (now Beatitudes), and Pain de Vie in France. The movement has produced several megachurches, including Charles Green’s Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans; Lester Sumrall’s Cathedral of Praise in South Bend, Indiana; Wally and Marilyn Hickey’s Happy Church in Denver, Colorado; Billy Joe and Sharon Daugherty’s Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Ron Tucker’s Grace World Outreach Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri; and John and Anne Jimenez’s Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Among the more prominent individual ministries are those of Kenneth Hagin in Tulsa and Kenneth Copeland in Fort Worth, Texas. A number of groups have become quasi denominations. These include Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapels, Bob Weiner’s Maranatha Christian churches, Larry Lea’s Churches on the Rock, and John Wimber’s Vineyard Christian Fellowships. Since 1994 the Charismatic renewal has been boosted by the so-called Toronto Blessing, which has introduced holy laughter into the Christian lexicon. Since the 1990s the movement has had to face some points of tension, particularly over the role of apostles and prophets, signs and wonders, healing and prosperity, the “positive confession” teaching of certain televangelists and the question whether Christians can be troubled or possessed by demons.
George Thomas Kurian, Nelson’s New Christian Dictionary: The Authoritative Resource on the Christian World (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001).
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