Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide

This is a fascinating account of one of the fastest-growing segments of contemporary Christianity, a movement that has in this century had a profound impact on the practice of Christianity worldwide. In this volume, Hollenweger, Professor Emeritus of Theology at the University of Birmingham in England, combines oral history and traditional historical scholarship to tell the story of Pentecostalism. He traces the Pentecostal movement to five historical roots, which he identifies as ""Black oral,"" ""Catholic,"" ""evangelical,"" ""critical"" and ""ecumenical."" Hollenweger's account is more expansive than other accounts of Pentecostalism, which tend to identify the Great Awakenings of colonial America as the roots of the Pentecostal movement. Hollenweger contends that the ecumenical nature of Pentecostalism has its earliest roots in the theology of John Wesley. Also, shattering the stereotype of Pentecostals in America as an overwhelmingly white and politically conservative group (Pat Robertson being the most visible example), Hollenweger portrays Pentecostalism as a multiracial movement whose progressive social-political dimensions are reflected in such examples as South African pastor Frank Chikane and urban Chicago pastor Arthur Brazier. While Hollenweger's book retains an academic tone, his breezy language is accessible to a general audience. (Dec.)