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...

Catch the Fire: Soaking Prayer and Charismatic Renewal by Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse, published by Northern Illinois University Press, 2014. "Although there has been an increase in the number of social scientists researching and writing about prayer, few attempt to journey into what might be called 'the heart of prayer.' Wilkinson (a sociologist) and Althouse (a theologian) have skillfully worked as a team to present one form of prayer (soaking prayer) within a particular historical context (a contemporary revival) and to explore its rituals, affective experiences, and psycho-social effects. In drawing from social science as well as theology they have captured the heart of soaking prayer." - Margaret M. Poloma, University of Akron "The practice of prayer—in contrast to the theory—is notoriously understudied. Wilkinson and Althouse interpret their field-based interviews through the lenses of sociological and theological methodology to give a nuanced...

My review of The Theology of Amos Yong and the New Face of Pentecostal Scholarship ( Brill, 2013) edited by Wolfgang Vondey and Martin Mittelstadt can be found on Renewal Dynamics . Michael Wilkinson

Sponsored by the Center on Religion and Chinese Society Purdue University - October 30-31, 2013 A Report from David Reed, Professor Emeritus Wycliffe College, University of Toronto Purdue University's Professor Fenggang Yang and its Center on Religion and Chinese Society sponsored a first: a symposium on Pentecostal-charismatic movements in China and the Global East. Sixteen papers introduced participants to a diversity and complexity that has already earned global Pentecostalism its reputation for cultural adaptability. The presenters were a mix of seasoned and emerging doctoral and post-doctoral scholars. Their disciplines included anthropology, history, intercultural studies, political science, and sociology. Papers, soon to be published, ranged from broad historical and social themes to case studies. While most attention was devoted to China, presenters examined churches, ministries or movements in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, in some instance...

José Casanova, professor of sociology at Georgetown University and head of the Program on Globalization, Religion and the Secular at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, recently spoke at Duke University on globalization and Christianity. An interview with Casanova can be found here . Casanova makes excellent observations about globalization and Christianity that highlight the importance of seeing that globalization is not just about the spread of Christianity around the world. Globalization is also about a new social context and an awareness of the world as a single place that has implications for new social arrangements. This argument reflects what Roland Robertson has argued for decades. The one implication for Pentecostal studies is to move away from simply seeing Pentecostalism "everywhere" and to recognize that a new global context also means a new type of Pentecostalism, one that is transforming. Scholars of Pentecostalism need to refle...