REG NO: 2020/1483S

1.0 INTRODUCTION

“The Pentecostals have reawakened and re-kindled the church”. It is noteworthy that the
Pentecostals vibrancy in worship has led to a change of attitude towards liturgical celebrations in
the mainline churches, especially the Catholic Church. The spirituality of the Pentecostals has
awakened and re-kindled in some Christians in Africa, in general and Nigeria in particular, the
eagerness for sound spirituality and vibrant prayer life.1

2.0 UNDERSTANDING PENTECOSTALISM

The term “Pentecostalism” can be traced back to the “Pentecost” event in Jerusalem. This term
Pentecost (in New Testament Greek) refers to “fiftieth” and corresponds to the Hebrew feast of
weeks popularly referred to as the Shabuoth. This feast usually occurs fifty days after the Jewish
Passover. This was however transformed in the New Testament to the experience in the life of
Christians during the Pentecost event when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles (Act. 2:1-
4). It is from this Pentecost event in the New Testament that the movement called Pentecostalism
derives its origin. Those in this movement are referred to as Pentecostals. The movement could
be described as one of the most important religious experiences of the last century. Its impact has
been largely felt within the religious ambience of Catholicism as well as in various Protestant
families and the Christian world as a whole.2

3.0 ITS BASIC TENETS

Pentecostal movements have some peculiar practices and beliefs that make them unique in their
own way. John Jackie David holds that their worldview is experientially God-centered - all
things relate to God and God relates to all things. Their worldview is holistic and systematic - for
the spirit-filled person, God is not only present in all events; He holds all things together and
causes all things to work together. Their worldview is transnational - knowledge is relational and
is not limited to the realm of reason and sensory experience. In relation to their holiness heritage,
they are concerned with truth, but not just proportional truth. Notably, they were historically
1
Jake Otonko, Unpublished Note on Pentecostalism, St. Joseph Major Seminary Ikot Ekpene Akwa Ibom State,
2023.
2
Jake Otonko, Is God in Troubled Waters? The Church, Society and Pentecostal currents: (Kaduna: Pyla-mak
publishers, 2018), 2.

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anti-creedal. But their epistemology of encounter with God is closely aligned with the biblical
understanding of how one comes to know. Finally, the Scriptures hold a special place and
function within the Pentecostal worldview. For them, the Bible is a living book in which the
Holy Spirit is always active.3 Thus, they believe that the Holy Spirit is personally active, living in
and directing His servants in the world. This is why they brand the biblical mandate to be a
personal call and this has touched thousands who have taken off to foreign lands within the past
century as missionaries. In the view of John David, other beliefs and practices of Pentecostals
include:

3.1 ALIEN TONGUES

Pentecostals believe strongly in speaking in tongues (glossolalia). This religious experience is

for them a sure way of perfectly expressing their way of spiritual/mundane encounter. An
encounter of the divine or spiritual by the mundane is what formed its right expression in the
tongue of ecstasy. This ecstatic but religious experience often begins with a self-graduation of
piety into a state of emotional exaggeration of God-touch and vision. Often, this orchestration of
religious experience is not devoid of sycophancy of self-righteousness. As such, the material
implication is heuristic to zealotism, deception and marketization or commercialization of
miracles and the gospel. The uttering of sounds that are foreign to the native tongue when in a
state of ecstasy is believed to be sent by the Holy Spirit. It occurs frequently as their joyful state
of religious ecstasy. Frank Macchina sees this as a paradigm shift from an exclusive focus on
holiness to an outward thrust that involves a dynamic filling and empowering for global witness,
an empowerment that comes with speaking in tongues' 4. They believe that tongues symbolize the
need for justice within the body of Christ; it allows the poor, uneducated and illiterate among the
people of God to have an equal voice with the educated and literate. Furthering this argument,
Harvey Cox holds that tongues protest the tyranny of words in worship allowing other forms of
self-expression to have equal importance". 5 Also lending his voice, Walter Hollenweger opines
that tongues provide a sacred place for those who cannot afford to build expensive church
building," since for him wherever you are, you can commune with God and speak in tongues. 6

3
Ibid, Pg. 23
4
Ibid, Pg. 23
5
Ibid, Pg. 24
6
Ibid, Pg. 24

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They equally believe in the idea of "being filled with the spirit" or "being in the spirit", which
means to be under the influence of a powerful religious emotional desire to express joy brought
about by a large religious gathering with music of a loud tempo, led by a leader who being
equally filled with the spirit, preaches the word to them in that ecstatic loud noise and heavy
shouting.

3.2 SLAYING IN THE SPIRIT

This is different from being in the spirit. Here, it means to lightly touch the forehead of an
individual with the hand (normally the right hand and it is often done by the pastor, evangelist or
the leader) and cause the individual to fall to the floor unharmed with the intent that she or he
will receive a jolt of Holy spirit energy" or receive a baptism of fire". Usually performed in the
gathering of Pentecostals, it is designed to stir members as individuals fall backward in prone
position instantaneously after the touch. Workers help to ease the slain individual to the floor as
they are touched one after another and lie on the floor until normal consciousness returns. The
purpose of this is to receive physical healing or a change in attitude; but unfortunately, not all
who fall backwards are healed or experience this change in attitude.

3.3 BIOELECTRIC PHENOMENA

This practice has to do with the flow of the Holy Spirit from the minister (a pastor or leader).
Here, the Holy Spirit is equated to the flow of an electricity current of a high voltage wire into
any person who touches him or her. Unfortunately, this experience is not shared by all people at
all times.

3.4 CHARISMATIC HYMNS

These are songs composed in special vibrational frequency so that their tone and rhythm stir the
emotion of each member of the gathering. Music is played extremely loud and the words are
repetitious and these hymns or songs put the congregation in a state of consciousness and
encourages one to speak in tongues and rise up and prophesy, either rightly or wrongly.

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3.5 ONENESS OF GODHEAD

The first major tenet among Pentecostals is the "Oneness of Godhead, and that all other
appellations to the Father and Holy Spirit are simply to Jesus. To prove this stand, they use these
texts:

a. John 10:30. In this verse, Jesus says He is one with the Father and therefore, they affirm that
Jesus is the Father.

b. John 14:8-9. Here, Jesus' reply to Philip's request to show them (the apostles) the Father is the
case in point. Jesus replied, “have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me? He that
has seen me has seen the Father". This verse is used to prove that Jesus is asserting that He is the
Father.

c. Colossians 2:9. "For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead”. This text is often cited to
prove that there is only one person in the Godhead - Christ.

3.6 BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is borne out of the incidence of January 1, 1900, while praying for a great outpouring of the
Holy Spirit which to their joyful Surprise came upon them. Thus, scholars like Mircea Elead
assert that their “only distinctive doctrine is that of baptism in the spirit". One definite flaw that
is evident in the above statement is that they may not have their prayers answered by the God of
heaven because they were not Tcea Fliade praying according to His will or asking in faith (Jn
1:5-7, Mk 11:24, 1Tim 2:8). For the Pentecostals, "the Christian life is a matter of the
experienced presence of the power of the Holy Spirit". Thus, they cite Acts 1:15ff and Acts 2: 1ff
to narrate how the disciples were all in one place and received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Pentecostals always speak of the event of Pentecost as Baptism in the Holy Spirit and in the early
Pentecostal experience. They stress Spirit Baptism as a distinct experience that ushers one to
speak in tongues and prophesy.

3.7 DIVINE HEALING

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 Divine healing is a fundamental tenet of the movement. This is evident in the striking verses of
Isaiah 53:4-6, where it is clearly expressed that "surely he took up our pain and bore our sins".
Pentecostals and some Baptists and Methodists believe that when Jesus died on the cross, He did
not only die for the sins of humanity, but also for physical healings. Pentecostals see this as faith
healing, which is "the ability to bring physical and spiritual relief to believers through prayers.
They believe that they possess the gift of healing through which certain spiritual barriers are
broken and certain burdens are loosened in a person's life". They argue that Jesus paid for both
our sins and our healing. With their belief in faith healing, they position themselves not only to
attract but also to receive many physically and spiritually sick people with open arms and to seek
solution for their problems through prayers. "Faith healing as a christian doctrine is rooted in the
miraculous healing worked by Jesus in the New Testament".7

4.0 THE POSITIVE EFFECT/MERITS OF PENTECOSTALISM ON THE CHURCH

4.1 ANSWER TO A FELT NEED

Many commentators see the Pentecostal upsurge as the answer to the prayer of Pope John XXIII
for a new Pentecost in the Church. Giving reasons for this upsurge, Mathias Odigbo indicated
that, the Spirit was given on the first occasion that the Church might set sail (that is Pentecost),
on the

second, that the Church might not sink; in the one, that the Church could face the ancient world;
in the other, that the Church could face the modern world. In the early Christian world, that the
Church might overcome unbelief, in the modern world, that the Church, might subdue anti-
belief. Indeed, mainliners are united in the view that Pentecostal resurgence is an answer to a
deeply felt need and aspiration of a Church that had shifted the influence and presence of the
Holy Spirit through rigorous formalism and institutionalism. Very many church men buy this
view too.

Pope Paul VI, known as "the Pope of the Holy Spirit", while addressing leaders of the
Charismatic from thirty-four countries who met at Grottaferata, near Rome, said the movement
was a source of joy to him and urged upon them a vigilant discernment of spirits.8

7
Ibid: Pg. 28
8
Ibid: Pg.

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Two months later (Dec. 21, 1973), addressing the college of cardinals, the Pope said; “The fresh
breath-giving influence of the Spirit has come to awaken latent forces within the Church, to stir
up forgotten charisms and to infuse that sense of devotion on the Church itself as youthful and
up-to-date, ready and happy again to proclaim its eternal message to modern age.”9

Again, in his address to the participants at the International Congress in Rome on Pentecost
1975, the Pope said that he saw in the movement "an opportunity for the Church,'9 but added that
a sustained effort at discernment was required.". In addition to numerous interviews on the
charismatic, Cardinal Suenens has published a pastoral letter as well as a book. These
testimonies go a long way to show the level of acceptability which Pentecostalism enjoys even in
the traditional mainline Churches.

4.2 THEOLOGICAL DEBATES

The Pentecostal explosion has also elicited theological debates and studies on the Pentecost
phenomenon in most theological institutes. Symposia, seminars and researches have given this
issue a pride of place as even books, treaties and many other documents of theological relevance
give it a central focus. Burgess, an eminent theologian has put it thus: “new Spirit-emphasis has
prompted theologians for various mainline Christian groups to re-evaluate place of the Third
Person of the Blessed Trinity Holy Spirit)".

4.3 REDISCOVERY AND APPRECIATION OF CHARISMS

On account of the Pentecostal's strong delight for Charismatic gifts, there is now a renewed
interest in the charisms of the Spirit among the mainline Churches. Re-echoing the Council
Fathers' statement on this issue, Donatus Udoette maintains that, “it is not only through the
sacraments and the ministrations of the Church that the Holy Spirit makes holy the people,
allotting his gifts according to his wills (Cor. 12: 11); he also distributes special graces among
the faithful of every rank."10

This goes to demonstrate the enormous influence of Pentecostalism on the Catholic, nay other
mainline Churches.

9
Jake Otonko, Pentecostalism and Us: A Dynamic Reality (Enugu: Snap Press Ltd, 2005), 98.
10
Ibid: Pg.100

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4.4 A JOLT TO CONSCIOUSNESS

It is a widespread opinion that Pentecostalism has jolted mainliners to a new consciousness and a
fresh realization of their loose ends. Ukeh Chibuike asserts that, "Pentecostalism is acting as a
welcome gadfly against any possible idolatrous tendencies that may be found among Christians
of mainline Christianity." He goes on to attest that with the emergence of this phenomenon,
increased attention is paid to the study of Scriptures in mainline Churches. Again, Christians of
the mainline Churches now pay serious attention to their spiritual lives and their pastoral
methods.

Mathias Odigbo also agrees that Pentecostalism has yielded a good number of positive fruits, the
most distinguishing being, "speaking in tongues, healing, conversion and repentance, renewed
interest in the Bible, deeper recognition and rejection of sin and the urge to pray, courage,
enthusiasm and other spectacular experiences."

4.5 CHALLENGE OF DOCTRINE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE

It has been noted that the Pentecostal movement has helped in the reawakening of the mainline
churches. This fact is vivid, especially with regards to evangelization. The Pastors of the
mainline Pentecostal Churches have made Churches sit up in the area of re-appraising their
doctrine and their knowledge of the Bible.

Following the challenges posed by modern Pentecostal movements to the mainline Churches, the
Catholic Church in this part of the world in particular has have been challenged to re-examine
their faith and the expressions of their faith, their pastoral structures and methodologies, and the
training of their ministers and other pastoral agents. They have also been challenged to embark
on serious catechetical formation of thier members both young and old.11

CONCLUSION

Against the backdrop of the facts contained in the above presentation, one can now boldly say
that “the Pentecostals have revived and reinvigorated the church”. Thus, the coming of the
Pentecostals has changed the thoughts, beliefs and practices of Christianity.12
11
Ibid: Pg. 102
12
Jake Otonko, Is God in Troubled Waters?: The Church, Society and Pentecostal currents: (Kaduna: Pyla-mak
publishers, 2018), 30

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