Global Pentecostal Studies

The University of Heidelberg is hosting a workshop on the dynamics of global Pentecostalism , April 3-5, 2014. The workshop is sponsored by a Junior Research Group on Pentecostalism of the Asia and Europe in a Global Context research cluster.  I will be attending and presenting at the workshop and posting here later. Workshop Description Pentecostalism, one of the many faces of contemporary Christianity, is frequently referred to as a “global phenomenon.” Shaped by globalization processes, but also a major contributor to and integral part of broader global transformations, Pentecostal forms of Christianity have shown a remarkable ability to transgress boundaries and adapt to any new cultural contexts. As such, Pentecostalism acts both, as a homogenizing force that transcends locality and as a transformative power of indigenous appropriation and differentiation. The fundamental heterogeneity of the transnational Pentecostal network is conducive for its flexibility to r...

The Society for Pentecostal Studies will hold its annual meeting at Southeastern University , Lakeland Florida March 12-14, 2015. Plenary speakers will include: Allan Anderson (University of Birmingham), Candy Gunther Brown (Indiana University), Ivan Satyavrata (Buntain Theological College) and a panel discussion on the future of Latino/a Pentecostalism with   Gastón Espinosa , Néstor Medina, and Arlene Sánchez Walsh. The conference theme is " Global Spirit: Pentecostals and the World." Globalization is now one of the most widely used theories across all disciplines. As a process of social change, it captures a range of ideas including the worldwide spread of economic, political, and cultural patterns. And yet, while these patterns suggest sameness, there is also much difference throughout the world. Often this difference is expressed in social, cultural, and religious forms highlighting competing views of the world. In some cases, conflict characterizes the relationsh...

In 2009 the John Templeton Foundation awarded $6.9 million to Donald Miller , Executive Director, University of Southern California Center for Religion and Civic Culture, for a four-year study of global Pentecostalism. The project, “Spirit in the World: A Global Pentecostal Research Initiative”, was described as follows on the John Templeton website. “The Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative (PCRI) uses a competitive process to provide funding to those scholars and institutes around the world best able to contribute to understanding the dynamics of the worldwide growth of Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, with a particular focus on worship, prayer, spirit, creativity and entrepreneurial activity. It also studies Pentecostal and Charismatic religion in Los Angeles, where Pentecostalism began. Finally, the PCRI establishes a Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Archive, which is creating a global inventory of published resources on Pentecostals and Charismatic su...