Pentecostal
From RationalWiki
Pentecostal is a term used within Christianity to denote those Christians who place a primary emphasis on the so-called "gifts of the Holy Spirit". According to Pentecostals, "gifts" such as faith healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues occupy a primary place in the life of the church. Some Pentecostals also follow practices such as foot washing found which can be found in the Bible but are not practiced in other Christian denominations. The movement started circa 1900 at a revival meeting in Azusa, California.
Many non-Pentecostal Christians believe phenomena such as speaking in tongues and faith healing are no longer active or at least not widespread.
Pentecostal denominations include hundreds of groups, of which the most prominent include the Assemblies of God, the United Pentecostal Church, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), the Church of God In Christ, the Church of God of Prophecy, Calvary Chapel, and the Vineyard Fellowship.
The Charismatic Movement is a closely related movement which follows Pentecostal practices but tends to do so in a more subdued manner with a contemporary worship style, and exists as a subculture within many "mainline" denominations (Methodist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Baptist). Today, some old-school Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies of God, and the newer Calvary Chapel and Vineyard Fellowship, are more likely to self-identify as Charismatic rather than Pentecostal. Many independent megachurches and televangelism ministries are part of the Charismatic Movement.
Pentecostals and Charismatics are occasionally referred to as "holy rollers", after a particular group who used to roll around on the floor when possessed by the "Holy Spirit." This was somewhat more spectacular to watch than the Quakers and the Shakers, who just used to quiver a bit. Other manifestations of the Holy Spirit include prophecy, by which God tells his congregations stuff they already know, and speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues, which works the same as prophecy but shares the guilt between two.
The snake handling sects found in Appalachia are mostly off-shoots of , the Church of God denomination(Cleveland, Tennessee). The practice began under minister George W. Hensley. He and the other snake handlers were ultimately expelled from Church of God membership c. 1922.
Many of the prominent televangelists who made their names operating faith healing crusades come from Pentecostal or Charismatic backgrounds, including Oral Roberts, Peter Popoff, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Paul Crouch, and Morris Cerullo. Pat Robertson, although a Baptist, follows a Pentecostal belief system. "Name it and claim it" theology is notably rampant among Pentecostal and Charismatic televangelists these days.
A notable theological division among Pentecostals concerns the proper formula to recite during baptism. Most recite "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". The United Pentecostal Church, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, and the followers of William Branham, believe baptism should only be done with the words "In the name of Jesus", and go so far as to insist that those who were baptized the other way have to be re-baptized or they are in danger of losing their "salvation".
