Pentecostalism Rubs Off

It has often been said that we have a lot to thank Pentecostalism for. In many ways, Pentecostalism has rubbed off on the traditional Churches -- in my case, the Congregational Church -- but not merely in those areas one might imagine. In my own Churches, we shared many of the broader features of Pentecostalism: beliefs regarding justification, sanctification, and the last days; policy regarding the autonomy of the local Church, the priority of the Body, and the priesthood of believers; and praxis regarding the divine presence, an emphasis on lived experience, a flexible liturgy, maximum participation, and indigenous principles. Yet we contrasted with Pentecostalism in that we de-emphasised tongues, healing, the dramatic -- and dare I say volume. OBSERVATION: Most "Pentecostal" features were in fact Congregational Church features before Pentecostalism came along, but some were lost along the way.