The Charismatic Movement is the international trend of historically mainstream congregations
adopting beliefs and practices similar to Pentecostals. Fundamental to the movement
is the use of spiritual gifts. Among Protestants, the movement began around 1960. Among Roman
Catholics, it originated around 1967.
History Pentecostalism began in the early twentieth
century. Its doctrinal distinctive was a dramatic encounter with God termed baptism with the
Holy Spirit. This experience was one of empowerment for Christian life and service, and the evidence
for having received this experience was speaking in other tongues. Before 1955, Pentecostal
doctrinal distinctives were not embraced by the religious mainstream. If a church member
or clergyman openly expressed such views, they would separate from their older denomination.
The charismatic movement was a reversal of this previous pattern as those influenced
by Pentecostal spirituality chose to remain in their original denominations.
The high church wing of the American Episcopal Church was the first to feel the impact of
the new movement. The beginning of the charismatic movement is usually dated to Easter 1960,
when Dennis Bennett, rector of St Mark's Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California, recounted
his Pentecostal experience to his parish. The resulting controversy and press coverage
created an awareness of the emerging charismatic movement. The movement spread to other mainline
churches, where clergy began receiving and publicly announcing their Pentecostal experience.
These clergy began holding meetings for seekers and healing services where the sick were prayed
for and anointed. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal began in 1967 at Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The term "charismatic" was coined by American Lutheran minister Harald
Bredesen in 1962 to describe what was happening in mainline Protestant denominations. Confronted
with the term "neo-Pentecostal", he preferred to call it "the charismatic renewal in the
historic churches". Despite the fact that Pentecostals shared
more in common with evangelicals than either Roman Catholics or mainline Protestants, 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 separate churches and denomination-like organizations. These groups are referred to
as "neo-charismatic". The Vineyard Movement and the British New Church Movement are examples
of Third Wave or neo-charismatic organizations. Beliefs
Charismatic Christians believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in the New
Testament are available to contemporary Christians through the infilling or baptism of the Holy
Spirit, with-or-without the laying on of hands. These spiritual gifts are believed to be manifest
in the form of signs, miracles, and wonders, including, but not limited to, speaking in
tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, healing, and discernment of spirits.
While Pentecostals and charismatics share these beliefs, there are differences. Many
in the charismatic movement deliberately distanced themselves from Pentecostalism for cultural
and theological reasons. Foremost among theological reasons is the tendency of many Pentecostals
to insist that speaking in tongues is always the initial physical sign of receiving Spirit
baptism. Although specific teachings will vary from group to group, charismatics generally
believe that the baptism with the Holy Spirit occurs at the new birth and prefer to call
subsequent encounters with the Holy Spirit by other names, such as "being filled". In
contrast to Pentecostals, charismatics tend to accept a range of supernatural experiences
as evidence of having been baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit.
Pentecostals are also distinguished from the charismatic movement on the basis of style.
Also, Pentecostals have traditionally placed a high value on evangelization and missionary
work. Charismatics, on the other hand, have tended to see their movement as a force for
revitalization and renewal within their own church traditions.
Detractors argue these sign and revelatory gifts were manifested in the New Testament
for a specific purpose, upon which once accomplished these signs were withdrawn and no longer function.
This position is called Cessationism,and is claimed by its proponents to be the almost
universal position of Christians until the Charismatic movement started.
Denominations affected Anglican Communion
In America, the Episcopalian Dennis Bennett is sometimes cited as one of the charismatic
movement's seminal influence. Bennett was the Rector at St Mark's Episcopal Church in
Van Nuys, California when he announced to the congregation in 1960 that he had received
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Soon after this he ministered in Seattle, where he ran
many workshops and seminars about the work of the Holy Spirit. This influenced tens of
thousands of Anglicans worldwide and also began a renewal movement within the Roman
Catholic and Orthodox churches. In the United Kingdom, Colin Urquhart, Michael
Harper, David Watson and others were in the vanguard of similar developments.
The Massey conference in New Zealand, 1964 was attended by several Anglicans, including
the Rev. Ray Muller, who went on to invite Bennett to New Zealand in 1966, and played
a leading role in developing and promoting the Life in the Spirit seminars. Other Charismatic
movement leaders in New Zealand include Bill Subritzky.
Lutherans Larry Christenson, a Lutheran theologian based
in San Pedro, California, did much in the 1960s and 1970s to interpret the charismatic
movement for Lutherans. A very large annual conference was held in Minneapolis during
those years. Charismatic Lutheran congregations in Minnesota became especially large and influential;
especially "Hosanna!" in Lakeville, and North Heights in St. Paul. The next generation of
Lutheran charismatics cluster around the Alliance of Renewal Churches. There is currently considerable
charismatic activity among young Lutheran leaders in California centered around an annual
gathering at Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach. Richard A. Jensen's Touched by the
Spirit published in 1974, played a major role of the lutheran understanding to the charismatic
movement. Eastern Orthodox
The charismatic movement in the Eastern Orthodox Church never exerted the influence that it
did in other mainstream churches. Individual priests, such as Fr. James Tavralides, Fr.
Constantine Monios and Fr. David Buss, Fr. Athanasius Emmert of the Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese, Fr. Eusebius Stephanou of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North
America, founder of the Brotherhood of St. Symeon the New Theologian and editor of "The
Logos", and Fr. Boris Zabrodsky of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, founder of the
Service Committee for Orthodox Spiritual Renewal which published "Theosis" Newsletter, were
some of the more prominent leaders of the charismatic renewal in Orthodoxy.
Reformed Churches In congregational and Presbyterian churches
which profess a traditionally Calvinist or Reformed theology there are differing views
regarding present-day continuation or cessation of the gifts of the Spirit. Generally, however,
Reformed charismatics distance themselves from renewal movements with tendencies which
could be perceived as overemotional, such as Word of Faith, Toronto Blessing, Brownsville
Revival and Lakeland Revival. Prominent Reformed charismatic denominations
are the Sovereign Grace Ministries and the Every Nation Churches in the USA, in Great
Britain there is the Newfrontiers churches and movement, which leading figure is Terry
Virgo. Roman Catholicism
Since 1967 the charismatic movement has been active within the Roman Catholic Church. In
the USA the Catholic Charismatic Renewal was focused in individuals like Kevin Ranaghan
and others at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, which was founded by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, a Catholic religious community,
began hosting charismatic revivals in 1977. In a foreword to a 1983 book by Léon Joseph
Cardinal Suenens, at that time the Pope's delegate to the Charismatic Renewal, the Prefect
comments on the Post-Conciliar period stating,
At the heart of a world imbued with a rationalistic skepticism, a new experience of the Holy Spirit
suddenly burst forth. And, since then, that experience has assumed a breadth of a worldwide
Renewal movement. What the New Testament tells us about the Charisms — which were seen
as visible signs of the coming of the Spirit — is not just ancient history, over and
done with, for it is once again becoming extremely topical.
and
to those responsible for the ecclesiastical ministry — from parish priests to bishops
— not to let the Renewal pass them by but to welcome it fully; and on the other ... to
the members of the Renewal to cherish and maintain their link with the whole Church
and with the Charisms of their pastors.
In the Roman Catholic church, the movement became particularly popular in the Filipino,
Korean, and Hispanic communities of the United States, in the Philippines, and in Latin America,
mainly Brazil. Travelling priests and lay people associated with the movement often
visit parishes and sing what are known as charismatic masses. It is thought to be the
second largest distinct sub-movement within global Catholicism, along with Traditional
Catholicism. A further difficulty is the tendency for many
charismatic Catholics to take on what others in their church might consider sacramental
language and assertions of the necessity of "Baptism in the Holy Spirit," as a universal
act. This causes difficulty as there is little to distinguish the "Baptism" from the sacrament
of confirmation. In this regard, a Study seminar organized jointly in São Paulo by the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Bishops Conference of Brazil raised these
issues. Technically, among Catholics, the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is neither the
highest nor fullest manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Thus "Baptism of the Spirit" is one experience among many within Christianity, and thus less
dogmatically held by Catholic charismatics. Possibly, Padre Pio provides a modern-day
Catholic example of this experience. Describing his confirmation, when he as 12 year old,
Padre Pio said that he "wept with consolation" whenever he thought of that day because "I
remember what the Most Holy Spirit caused me to feel that day, a day unique and unforgettable
in all my life! What sweet raptures the Comforter made me feel that day! At the thought of that
day, I feel aflame from head to toe with a brilliant flame that burns, consumes, but
gives no pain." In this experience, Padre Pio said he was made to feel God's "fullness
and perfection." Thus a case can be made that he was "baptized by the Spirit" on his confirmation
day in 1899. It was one spiritual experience among many that he would have.
The Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
160. What are Charisms? 799–801. Charisms are special gifts of the Holy Spirit which
are bestowed on individuals for the good of others, the needs of the world, and in particular
for the building up of the Church. The discernment of charisms is the responsibility of the Magisterium.
Seventh-day Adventist
A minority of Seventh-day Adventists today are charismatic. They are strongly associated
with those holding more "progressive" Adventist beliefs. In the early decades of the church
charismatic or ecstatic phenomena were commonplace. Theologians and scholars
Wayne Grudem Kevin Ranaghan
J. Rodman Williams Paul Fiddes
See also
Cessationism Cessationism versus Continuationism
Charismatic Christianity Continuationism
Direct revelation Glossolalia
Prayer meeting References
Bibliography Menzies, William W; Menzies, Robert P, Spirit
and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experience, Zondervan, ISBN 978-0-310-86415-8 .
Further reading Clement, Arthur J. Pentecost or Pretense?:
an Examination of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Publishing
House, 1981. 255, [1] p. ISBN 0-8100-0118-7 Fiddes, Paul, Charismatic renewal: a Baptist
view: a report received by the Baptist Union Council with commentary, London: Baptist Publications .
Fiddes, Paul, Martin, David; Mullen, Peter, eds., The theology of the charismatic movement,
Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 19–40 . Parry, David. "Not Mad, Most Noble Festus":
Essays on the Renewal Movement. London: Dartman, Longman & Todd. 103 p. N.B.: Approaches the
Charismatic Movement from a Roman Catholic perspective.
External links Renewal Theology : Charismatic Pentecostal
Theology. "Charismatic Renewal", By denomination, Big
church directory . What can we learn from the Charismatic Movement?,
Forward in Christ, October 1996 : Confessional Lutheran perspective.
Pentecostalism and The Charismatic Movement : Perspective of Institute for the Study of
American Evangelicals.