Ignited in the Lakeland Outpouring

Ignited in the Lakeland Outpouring
Title Ignited in the Lakeland Outpouring PDF eBook
Author Stephen R. Strader
Publisher
Pages 158
Release 2009-06-01
Genre Evangelists
ISBN 9780982045824

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The Assemblies of God

The Assemblies of God
Title The Assemblies of God PDF eBook
Author Margaret M. Poloma
Publisher NYU Press
Pages 271
Release 2010-11-23
Genre Religion
ISBN 0814767842

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The Assemblies of God (AG) is the ninth largest American and the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination, with over 50 million followers worldwide. The AG embraces a worldview of miracles and mystery that makes“supernatural” experiences, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, normal for Christian believers. Ever since it first organized in 1916, however, the “charismata” or “gifts of the Holy Spirit” have felt tension from institutional forces. Over the decades, vital charismatic experiences have been increasingly tamed by rituals, doctrine, and denominational structure. Yet the path towards institutionalization has not been clear-cut. New revivals and direct personal experience of God—the hallmarks of Pentecostalism—continue as an important part of the AG tradition, particularly in the growing number of ethnic congregations in the United States. The Assemblies of God draws on fresh, up-to-date research including quantitative surveys and interviews from twenty-two diverse Assemblies of God congregations to offer a new sociological portrait of the AG for the new millennium. The authors suggest that there is indeed a potential revitalization of the movement in the works within the context of the larger global Pentecostal upswing, and that this revitalization may be spurred by what the authors call “godly love:” the dynamic interaction between divine and human love that enlivens and expands benevolence. The volume provides a wealth of data about how the second-largest American Pentecostal denomination sees itself today, and suggests trends to illuminate where it is headed in the future.

Catch the Fire

Catch the Fire
Title Catch the Fire PDF eBook
Author Michael Wilkinson
Publisher Cornell University Press
Pages 192
Release 2014-03-15
Genre Religion
ISBN 1609091566

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A recent phenomenon of charismatic renewal took place in Toronto in the mid-1990s. Commonly known as the "Toronto Blessing" and operated by the former Vineyard Church leaders John and Carol Arnott, the renewal was defined by reports of uncontrollable laughter, weeping, speaking in tongues, animal noises, and falling on the floor during worship. Sympathetic Christians embraced these practices while others who believed that this form of worship boarded on spectacle rejected them. By the end of the 1990s most people thought that the renewal was over. Yet, in the first decade of the twenty-first century, the authors—a sociologist and a theologian—heard rumors that the Toronto church, now known as "Catch the Fire," was still holding mass meetings with upwards of 2,000 people in attendance. They also learned of an emerging practice of "soaking prayer," an adaption of Pentecostal-charismatic prayer that, participants and leaders claim, facilitates and expands the reception of divine love in order to give it away in acts of forgiveness, reconciliation, compassion, and benevolence. Soaking, the authors reveal, is a metaphor for practices like resting in the Spirit, prayer for spiritual gifts, healing, prophecy, impartation, and supports overall charismatic spirituality. Attending "Catch the Fire" conferences, churches, and house meetings in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, Wilkinson and Althouse observed first-hand how people soak, what it means to soak, and why soaking is considered an important practice among charismatics.

Testing Prayer

Testing Prayer
Title Testing Prayer PDF eBook
Author Candy Gunther Brown
Publisher Harvard University Press
Pages 308
Release 2012-04-30
Genre Religion
ISBN 0674069714

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When sickness strikes, people around the world pray for healing. Many of the faithful claim that prayer has cured them of blindness, deafness, and metastasized cancers, and some believe they have been resurrected from the dead. Can, and should, science test such claims? A number of scientists say no, concerned that empirical studies of prayer will be misused to advance religious agendas. And some religious practitioners agree with this restraint, worrying that scientific testing could undermine faith. In Candy Gunther Brown’s view, science cannot prove prayer’s healing power, but what scientists can and should do is study prayer’s measurable effects on health. If prayer produces benefits, even indirectly (and findings suggest that it does), then more careful attention to prayer practices could impact global health, particularly in places without access to conventional medicine. Drawing on data from Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians, Brown reverses a number of stereotypes about believers in faith-healing. Among them is the idea that poorer, less educated people are more likely to believe in the healing power of prayer and therefore less likely to see doctors. Brown finds instead that people across socioeconomic backgrounds use prayer alongside conventional medicine rather than as a substitute. Dissecting medical records from before and after prayer, surveys of prayer recipients, prospective clinical trials, and multiyear follow-up observations and interviews, she shows that the widespread perception of prayer’s healing power has demonstrable social effects, and that in some cases those effects produce improvements in health that can be scientifically verified.

Handbook of Megachurches

Handbook of Megachurches
Title Handbook of Megachurches PDF eBook
Author Stephen J. Hunt
Publisher BRILL
Pages 362
Release 2019-11-26
Genre Religion
ISBN 9004412921

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The megachurch is an exceptional recent religious trend, certainly within Christian spheres. Spreading from the USA, megachurches now reached reach different global contexts. The edited volume Handbook of Megachurches offers a comprehensive account of the subject from various academic perspectives.

The Blueprints of Heaven

The Blueprints of Heaven
Title The Blueprints of Heaven PDF eBook
Author Trevor Baker
Publisher Destiny Image Publishers
Pages 87
Release 2014-06-17
Genre Religion
ISBN 0768403944

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In this current season God is opening up a fresh awareness of the supernatural in the lives of believers. His desire is for us to be increasingly sensitive to the Holy Spirit and tuned into how he wants to cause Heaven to “spill out” on Earth. “The Blueprints of Heaven is sure to draw the reader into the same quest that Trevor has been on for his entire life in Christ: the quest for the heart of God. To read the pages of this book is to read the hunger written on the heart of a man passionate for more, and equally passionate to impart and equip.” -Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, Redding CA, USA. “Trevor Baker will whet your appetite for more of Jesus and an even greater move of the ‘Holy Spirit input generation’. There needs to be a warning label on this book: When read, believed and acted upon, the contents of this book will radically change your life!” -James W. Goll, Director, Prayer Storm, USA. “A dynamic read that gives every believer a road map into maturity in this season.” -Shawn Bolz, Senior Pastor of Expression58, USA. “Filled with truths and revelations to arm and equip you.” -Che Ahn, Senior Pastor, HRock Church, USA.

Counterfeit Kingdom

Counterfeit Kingdom
Title Counterfeit Kingdom PDF eBook
Author Holly Pivec
Publisher B&H Publishing Group
Pages 191
Release 2022-11-15
Genre Religion
ISBN 1087757509

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Is there a new reformation happening in the church? It depends on who you ask. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders, and teach that God is giving new revelation through new apostles and prophets. But is this biblical Christianity? In Counterfeit Kingdom, apologists and NAR experts Holly Pivec and Douglas Geivett show how the NAR’s key tenets distort the gospel, twist the Scriptures, are influenced by New Age practices, and lead faithful Christians to shipwreck their faith. They also offer practical suggestions for readers who are already influenced by the NAR, curious about it, or concerned about loved ones who have been swept up in the movement. What used to be on the fringes of the church is now mainstream, and many are being influenced by it unaware. This book is a wake-up call.