...Contemporary Issues in Western Religions University of Phoenix World Religious Traditions II REL /134 January 24, 2011 Contemporary Issues in Western Religions This paper will describe the historical connections and theological similarities with Pentecostal versus Roman Catholicism including what ways the two religions are the same, how the two religions differ from its ‘parent’ faith, describe the leadership structure, discuss its identity (practices, clothing, dietary, etc.), how the members view themselves, how outsiders view the group, and identify any contemporary struggles within the Pentecostal religion. The historical connections and theological similarities of Pentecostal and Roman Catholicism have ancient roots. Although the Pentecostal movement emphasizes the fullest extent of emotional Christian worship, Roman Catholicism emphasizes traditional teachings and practices (Molloy, 2010). Other similarities include the belief in the Holy Trinity, the authority of the Holy Bible, the Importance of good works, the value of tradition, guided interpretation of the Bible, Hierarchical authority, and sacraments (Molloy, 2010). Other examples of the similarities between Roman Catholicism and Pentecostal are that Jesus is the only begotten son of God and died for the sins of the entire world; the Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; by faith in Jesus Christ, believers are given eternal life. The Pentecostal movement believes...
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...all over the country. She was the first woman in history to preach over the radio. She died in 1944 of an accidental drug overdose (This Is My Task) During this time in the United States, women did not have a lot of rights and were still treated as second class citizens. Women did not receive suffrage until 1920. Women were expected to just stay at home and obey their husbands. The United States was also in World War I at this time, where women were only allowed to participate by serving as nurses or preparing food for the soldiers. The 19th amendment of the Constitution gave Women the right to vote after the war. In most cases women were not allowed to preach the gospel (Anonymous, 62). Aimee Semple McPhearson became the first women to challenge this. She began to preach her religious beliefs throughout the country until she became a household name. She inspired many other women to preach. In one 150-day period she toured the country, traveled more than...
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...Reflection Paper #2 Introduction On this reflection paper, the topics I choose were the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit” and the “Rapture”. I choose these topics because they both bring topics of debate with them. There are many different views on these two topics and I will try to shed some light on them. Through Biblical research and theological definitions, we will try to discover the purpose and meanings of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Rapture. The first topic of discussion is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This topic stirs up much debate in the denominational realms of the church. There are many different views and standpoints on this topic. John 1:33 states that when John the Baptist, after witnessing the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove at the baptism of Jesus, recorded these words: “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost”. Later Jesus promised His disciples, “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:5). On the day of Pentecost, the disciples had a number of experiences involving the Holy Spirit, including the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The disciples spoke in tongues to address the gospel of Christ to many different nations in attendance of Pentecost. This event was the start of the church and its spread of the gospel of Christ to all nations. Many Christians today have confused...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY The Working of the Holy Spirit: Charismatic Theology Submitted to Dr. Lee Mitchell in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of THEO 510 Survey of Christian Doctrine by Teri Washington July 4, 2015 Table of Contents Thesis Statement 1 The Need for the Study 1 The Procedure for the Study 1 Introduction 1 Defining Charismatic Theology 1 History of Charismatic Theology 2 Declarations 2 Baptism of the Holy Spirit 2 Speaking in Tongues 3 Gift of Healing 4 Gift of Prophecy 5 Slain in the Spirit 7 Personal Views 7 Opposing Views 9 Conclusion 10 Selected Bibliography 11 Thesis Statement Charismatic Theology gives contemporary Christians faith that they may experience declarations of the Holy Spirit in the same manner as first century Christians. The Need for the Study There is controversy surrounding the declarations of Charismatic Theology. This research will provide ways in which Scripture is manipulated to meet ones individual needs. Biblical exegesis will be utilized to provide clarification between Scripture and its alterations. The Procedure for the Study Introduction Charismatic Theology takes an in-depth look at the supernatural experiences explained in the Bible. These experiences are considered gifts that Christians...
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...Liberty University Speaking in Tongues: an evaluation of the corporate use of tongues through the book of acts A research paper submitted to Dr. paul brewster In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements For BIBL364 Liberty University Online By Michael Douglas Lynchburg, Virginia August 16th, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction2 The Meaning of Speaking in Tongues in the Church Today--------------------------------------2 The Use of Tongues in Acts3 The Precedent and Purpose of Tongues as Established in Acts----------------------------6 Conclusion7 Bibliography-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 Introduction The debate over tongues is one that will not be settled in one session of writing or discussion; men will be having their say on the subject until the day we meet Christ face to face in heaven. In the modern sense, this spiritual phenomenon is closely associated with the Pentecostal movement which originated in the Azusa St. Revival of 1906 and has caused a severe split in the church. This division has been caused, primarily, by an incorrect interpretation of the gift of tongues in the New Testament through the exclusion of studying the gift through the Biblical precedent of the gift established by Luke in the book of Acts. In order to properly interpret and comprehend the references...
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...Pentecostalism and Islam ***** HUM/130 ***** ****** Pentecostalism and Islam Two of the fast rising religions in the United States since they were introduced into the society of American people, are Islam and the Christian Revival Movement Pentecostalism. Islam is not a Christian Religion, but started centuries ago in what is now Saudi Arabia. Pentecostalism started in the United Sates in the late Nineteenth Century. The reason these religions gained so much popularity in the United States is due to the very history of the Nation. While both of these religions do not share the same beginnings or backgrounds, they are both strong fundamentalist religions and share many of the same morals, however the very strength in the religion will more than likely cause continued growth. Islam is one of the least secular religions on the planet, the two more popular “denominations” of Islam do not usually accept outer sects, and some of the outer sects may be considered dangerous. Pentecostalism has many denominations within, and there are many titles to the churches, although most are tolerant of one another. To understand the spread of both Islam and Pentecostalism, it is important to understand the very beginnings and foundations of these religions. Islam, a religion with a belief in one God, teaches of prophets sent to tell people of God’s word. Muhammad is the last of a line of prophets that include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The Qur’an is the written word of the people...
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...Hannah Hatfield Mr. Newell English 101-066 12 November 2009 What Language Am I Speaking Now? After becoming a Christian every person is granted a spiritual gift through the Holy Spirit. It is in these gifts one’s talents and abilities inside and out of the church are magnified tenfold to be used for the glory of God. Although some would deny the actuality of the spiritual gifts all together most would agree the existence of such gifts as wisdom, teaching, leading or compassion. However it is with the more controversial gifts that most evangelical Christians have suspicions towards, such as prophecy, the discerning of spirits and the working of miracles. However it is the gift of tongues which is the cause for most arguments concerning the spiritual gifts. In more conservative churches, the gift of tongues is not practiced, however in Pentecostal, as well as other charismatic churches the gift of tongues is considered accomplished. By discrediting those who speak in tongues, establishing the language itself and by citing Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church shows the gift of tongues or formally known as glossolalia, is no longer existent in today’s world but rather an outlet for emotion. Being able to disprove the gift of tongues through a psychological stand point by finding information correlating to glossolalia may be difficult however it is Daniel S. Smith and J. Roland Fleck in “Personality Correlates of Conventional and Unconventional Glossolalia” who finds...
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...Speaking in Tongues: Real or Fake? Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is practiced by an estimated 100 million Christians in the world today and the number engaging in this practice is growing at a massive rate every year. That is approximately 20% of all Christians. What many people are wanting to know is if speaking in tongues as seen in the Church today is always from God or are there other explanations. Speaking in tongues has been practiced for many centuries, but despite its long history, differences of opinion accompany almost all questions regarding the phenomenon: is it sent from God? Is it of the Devil? Need it be a religious experience at all? Or is it a result of a mental disorder? People from all different walks of life have strong opinions on the subject. Throughout recorded history there have been many occasions where people have spoken in what was called ecstatic tongues. Note most of these accounts predate Pentecost and were of non-Christian origin. Christians therefore cannot say with confidence that every occurrence of glossolalia must be an expression of the will of God even though many do subscribe to this view. Those practicing speaking in tongues today portray Pentecost as the supreme example of supernatural tongues; however, the recorded cases of glossolalia go back as far as 1100 B.C. On that occasion a young Amen worshiper attracted historical infamy when he became possessed by a god and began to make sounds in a strange ecstatic tongue...
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...Do you have power? Subtopic: Is it In you? (Acts 1:3-8) Acts (2 1-4) LUKE 24:45-49; 51-53 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.48 You are witnesses of these things.49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. ACTS 1: 3-8 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on...
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...Aimee Book Report Percentage of reading: 100% Aimee Semple McPherson is the founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and also known as the Foursquare Denomination. She was born in Canada on a small farm and had an encounter with the Lord that changed her life forever. She was born and raised in a Christian family, but at a young age had an encounter with the Lord that had her desiring to be as intimate as possible in a relationship with Him. From that moment forward her adventure with God began. As a young woman, she married an Evangelist name Robert Semple. After marrying her husband, they eventually left for the mission field of China. While in the mission field, her husband had died of an illness and she was widowed while also having her first child. After some time, the Lord brought her back to the United States and she was patiently seeking the Lord to see what she would do. She had then met a man named Harold McPherson, whom she had met after coming back from China, that she ended up marrying because he said he wanted to take care of her and her kids. After getting married to Harold, she had another encounter with the Lord. She had a call from the Lord and she was ignoring it, so eventually she got really sick and was about to die. While on her deathbed, the Lord met her and asked her if she was going to obey her call to go and preach the Word of God and when she had responded yes, she was made well and left the...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY The Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements and Speaking in Tongues Submitted to Dr. Timothy McAlhaney in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course CHHI 525-D08 Spring 2015 LUO History of Christianity II By Fred Martin May 13, 2015 Contents I. Introduction…………………………………………………….................................1 II. The History and Theologies of Pentecostals and Charismatics…….……….………2 a. Brief History of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements……..……….2-3 b. The Beliefs of the Pentecostals and Charismatics…………………..............3-5 III. The Bible and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit……………………..……….…….....5 IV. The Bible and Gifts of the Holy Spirit…………………………………….………..6 V. Scholarly Perspectives on Speaking in Tongues ………………………….………..7 a. Speaking in Tongues: A Reversal of the Babel Event at Pentecost….……..7-8 b. Psychiatric Views of Speaking in Tongues……………………….…......….8-9 c. Speaking in Tongues as Spiritual Warfare…………………………….…....9 VI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….…....10 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………......…11 I. Introduction Author Paul Enns presents his perspectives on the supernatural gift of speaking in tongues and the Holy Spirit in his book The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded. However, Enns believes that gift ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age. This view is flawed because it does not take...
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...Pentecostal Worship Assessment I affiliate myself with an ancient style of worship, mostly because is what I grew up around, but I do not currently attend a church. I decided to go to a Pentecostal church service, I was intrigued with the idea of attending a church service where the prominent form of worshipping God is through singing. On Sunday April 9, I attended the church, The Pentecostals of Katy. I decided to go there because in their website they describe their service as a “Sunday night revival service”. Arriving, it was not hard to miss the building, the services take place in a traditional looking church. Walking inside, I felt welcomed by the congregation. The chairs in the church ara arranged in rows with space in between for people to walk around. The official start of the service was at 6:00 in the evening, even though they had a pre-service prayer session. On the inside, the first thing I noticed in the altar was the band and a projector screen that projected Hebrews 11:6 on one side of the altar and Acts 2:3 on the other. Service, was opened by worship songs, the subject matter of most of the songs, were related to God’s divinity. The title of the band’s first worship son was “Your Presence is Heaven”. About, twenty minutes, after the opening songs, the pastor, asked member of the congregation that if they had a prayer to walk to the front to pray for them. Maybe, it was because it was a Sunday, but the pastor was really welcoming guests and even mentioned some...
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...Research Paper Of “A Select Issue in Contemporary Theology: Charismatic Theology." THEO 510-C03 LUO (Fall 2012) Survey of Christian Doctrine Dr. Eunice Abogunrin, Professor Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Carol H. Montgomery (ID# 24993689) November 11, 2012 CONTENTS COVER PAGE 1 CONTENTS 2 THESIS 3 INTRODUCTION 3 CHARSMATIC GIFTS DEBATE 3-12 CONCLUSION 12 BIBLIOGRAPHY 13 INTRODUCTION This research paper will show that biblical referred to as glossolalia; the ability to “speak in tongues” is fiercely debated. While the Bible gives clear examples of genuine glossolalia, which will be examined later, the modern debate centers around the need or not, nature, importance, and usage of “tongues” today. Lastly, this paper will examine the biblical accounts of glossolalia along with more occurrences that are contemporary to determine whether modern episodes of “tongues” are needed or not needed. Out of all the gifts, the one that Paul speaks of the most controversial is the gift of tongues. "Glossolalia" is the most commonly accepted term for "speaking in tongues." It comes from the Greek words meaning "tongues" or "languages," and "to speak." Although not exclusively, "speaking in tongues" is primarily practiced by Pentecostal Christians. Glossolalia is the "prayer language" of Pentecostal churches. Some Christians who speak in tongues believe they are speaking in an existing language. Most believe they are uttering a heavenly...
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...Joshua Lytle THEO201_B24_201120 Short Essay #3 Short Essay on Pneumatology: Spiritual Gifts Spiritual gifts are capacities given to believers in Christ or “useful functions for God” in spiritual service. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is produced in believers by the Spirit to sanctify them through the production of His character. Spiritual gifts are abilities used in service to God while spiritual fruit involves the character of Christians. The Fruit of the Spirit, produced only by the indwelling of the Spirit, exhibits the spiritual maturity of believers. My personal definition of spiritual gifts is the following: Spiritual gifts are abilities given by God to every Christian for different types of service, each person receiving one or more gifts, with purposes including: to give God glory through service, to accomplish His will, and to edify believers. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and His indwelling is directly related to salvation. When a person accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, the Spirit indwells the new believer immediately, not in a subsequent experience. This indwelling places the believer in the Body of Christ. Salvation is not a two-step process, but is instead a change in a person’s relationship with God. Biblical definitions of speaking in tongues are: a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 that may have two functions: In the book of Acts, it is an “initiation” gift given to affirm entrance to the Church Body. It may also be a spiritual...
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...How to Receive Baptism in the Holy Spirit John 14:12, 16-17, 26 John 15:26 John 16:7, 12--15 Luke 24:49 Acts 1:4, 5, 8 Acts 2:1-4 Acts 2:38-39 Acts 8:14-17 Acts 9:17 & 1 Corinthians 14:18 Acts 10:44-48 Acts 19:1-6 Mark 16:17 Luke 11:13 Mark 11:24 1 Corinthians 14:14, 15 Jude 20 The new language of the Holy Spirit is not meant to be understood by the speaker (1 Corinthians 14:14). God understands everything which the Holy Spirit helps believers to pray this way. Prayers in the Holy Spirit's language are perfect prayers because the Holy Spirit knows exactly what the recipient needs (1 Corinthians 14:15-17). He is not limited by our vocabulary, understanding, or desire for privacy. There are some things about which you might not pray in your native tongue, but which the Holy Spirit might guide your tongue to pray. Examples might include prayer for the eradication of your pride through chastisement, or prayer for the healing of personal female or male problems, or prayer for the restoration of a so-called model-couple’s troubled marriage. You probably would not pray aloud for these things with understanding. But you could pray for these things aloud by the Holy Spirit in a language no one understands and there would be no embarrassment for you or the recipients. When a person receives a new language upon receiving the Holy Spirit, that is the SIGN of tongues, not the GIFT of tongues. The person with the sign of tongues has one language (Mark 16:17;...
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