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Charismatic movement

Religious trend

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The movement is deemed to have begun in 1960 in Anglicanism (through the Episcopal Church USA) and spread to other mainstream Protestant denominations, including other American Protestants by both Lutherans and Presbyterians by 1962, and to Catholicism by 1967. Methodists became involved in the charismatic movement in the 1970s.

The movement was not initially influential in evangelical churches. Although this changed in the 1980s in the so-called Third Wave, the movement was often expressed in the formation of separate evangelical churches such as Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard Movement—neo-charismatic organisations that mirrored the establishment of Pentecostal churches. Many traditional evangelical churches remain opposed to the movement and teach a cessationist theology.

History

The classic Pentecostalism movement usually traces its origin to the early twentieth century, with the ministry of Charles F. Parham and the subsequent ministry of William Joseph Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival. Its unique doctrine involved a dramatic encounter with God, termed baptism with the Holy Spirit. Some believed that speaking in tongues was evidence for having had this experience.

Before 1955, the Christian mainstream did not embrace Pentecostal doctrines. If a church member or clergyman openly expressed such views, they would (either voluntarily or involuntarily) separate from their existing denomination. However, by the 1960s, many of the characteristic teachings were gaining acceptance among Christians within mainline Protestant denominations.

The movement represented a reversal of the previous pattern, as those influenced by Pentecostal spirituality chose to remain in their original denominations. The popularization and broader acceptance of charismatic teachings and ideas are linked to the Healing Revival that occurred from 1946 to 1958. The revivalists of the time, including William Branham, Oral Roberts, and A. A. Allen, held large interdenominational meetings which emphasized the gifts of the spirit. This global revival led to greater awareness and acceptance of Pentecostal teachings and practices.

The high church wing of the American Episcopal Church became the first traditional ecclesiastical organization to be affected internally by the new movement. The beginning of this charismatic movement is usually dated to Sunday, April 3, 1960, when Dennis J. Bennett, rector of St Mark's Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California recounted his Pentecostal experience to his parish; he repeated it on the next two Sundays, including Easter (April 17), during which many of his congregation also shared the experience of spirit. He was forced to resign.

The resulting controversy and press coverage spread an awareness of the emerging charismatic movement. The movement grew to embrace other mainline churches, where clergy began receiving and publicly announcing their Pentecostal experiences. These clergy began holding meetings for seekers and healing services, which included praying over and anointing of the sick. The movement reached Lutherans and Presbyterians in 1962.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal began in 1967 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Methodists became involved in the 1970s.

The movement led to the founding of many covenant communities, such as Sword of the Spirit and Word of God. They are a force of ecumenism in that they have members from many major Christian denominations, such as Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Reformed, and Methodists, who live and pray together.

Even though Pentecostals tend to share more in common with evangelicals than with either Catholics or non-evangelical wings of the church, the charismatic movement was not initially influential among evangelical churches. C. Peter Wagner traces the spread of the charismatic movement within evangelicalism to around 1985. He termed this movement the Third Wave of the Holy Spirit. The Third Wave has expressed itself through the formation of churches and denomination-like organizations. These groups are referred to as "neo-charismatic" and are distinct from the charismatic movement of the historic Christian churches. The Vineyard Movement and the British New Church Movement exemplify Third Wave or neo-charismatic organizations.

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