Neo-charismatic churches

"Neo-Pentecostalism" redirects here. "Neo-Pentecostalism" refers to both the Charismatic Movement and neocharismatic churches.

Neo-charismatic churches are a category of churches in the Christian Renewal movement. The Christian Renewal movement incorporates Pentecostal, Charismatic, and neo-charismatic churches. Neo-charismatics include the "Third Wave" but are broader—now more numerous than Pentecostals (first wave) and charismatics (second wave) combined, owing to the remarkable growth of postdenominational and independent charismatic groups.[1]

Defining characteristics

Neo-charismatics, like Apostolics, Pentecostals and charismatics, believe in and stress the post-Biblical availability of gifts of the Holy Spirit, including glossolalia (speaking in tongues), healing, and prophecy. They practice laying on of hands and seek the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit. However, a specific experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit may not be requisite for experiencing such gifts. No single form, governmental structure, or style of church service characterizes all neo-charismatic services and churches. The general definition is somewhat negative in calling them "Christian bodies with pentecostal-like experiences that have no traditional pentecostal or charismatic denominational connections, (and sometimes only very slender—if any—historical connections)".[1]

Adherents and denominations

Some 19,000 denominations or groups, with approximately 295 million individual adherents, are identified as neo-charismatic.[2] Neo-charismatic tenets and practices are found in many independent, nondenominational or post-denominational congregations, with strength of numbers centered in the African independent churches, among the Han Chinese house-church movement, and in Latin American (especially Brazilian) churches.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Burgess, Stanley M; van der Maas, Eduard M, eds. (2002), "Neocharismatics", The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
  2. ↑ Burgess, Stanley M; van der Maas, Eduard M, eds. (2002), The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, pp. 286–87.