The Hidden Impact of Charismatic Piety
The issue of Liturgy entitled “Pentecostalism and Historic Churches,” guest-edited by Matthew Sigler, a professor of worship and historical theology at Seattle Pacific University and Seminary, offers a number of essays from scholars dealing with what he calls the “crosspollination between Pentecostal/Charismatic streams and what might be called ‘mainline’ or ‘historic’ denominations.” Here is an excerpt from Deborah A. Wong’s essay on charismatic piety and how it manifests itself in some historic/mainline churches. –– Melinda Quivik
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From July 20-24, 1977, about 50,000 Christians from the United States and beyond gathered for what one observer described as the “Super Bowl of the burgeoning new Charismatic movement.” Kevin Ranaghan, the chairman of the planning committee, billed it as “the largest grass-roots ecumenical event in modern history.”
As the largest ecumenical gathering of Charismatic Christians, perhaps still to this day, that Conference offers us a unique case study of Charismatic worship. Organized by leaders from different denominations, it brought together ten denominational meetings. Rather than gathering as if they were a new tradition. . . each of the ten denominations (or traditions) held their own sessions in the mornings before gathering together for evening events. In the afternoons, a variety of workshops were offered by notable Charismatic speakers from different denominations, with each workshop open to all. Despite their denominational differences, they shared an identification with the Charismatic Renewal and an experience of being baptized in the Spirit.
The Conference points us to at least three settings in which Charismatic Christians might be found worshiping: first, in an ecumenical gathering such as this, alongside other Charismatic Christians; second, in a denominationally specific gathering such as the individual denominational conferences, alongside other Charismatic Christians within their denomination; and third, in a denominationally specific gathering on Sunday mornings, alongside non-Charismatic Christians within their denomination. The most attention has been paid to the first setting, and some to the second, but the third has largely been ignored.
One might argue that the worship that takes place in this third setting would be more appropriately considered to fall under the worship tradition of that denomination, since the form of that tradition dominates. However, if we take seriously [James] White’s assertion that people are the primary liturgical documents, we have to wonder how these Charismatic mainliners approach worship in these vastly different contexts. If there is something about being Charismatic that carries over into their participation as worshipers in a different worship tradition, the Kansas City Conference gives us the opportunity to see this Charismatic essence (which I am calling piety) in action. What did these Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Messianic Jews, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Pentecostals and non-denominational worshipers share in common that allowed them to worship so comfortably together? What is the Charismatic DNA. . . that ran through each of them, regardless of denominational affiliation?
To begin our search for an answer, let us briefly consider the theme of the conference: “Jesus is Lord.” This statement is what the conference organizers, hailing from different worship traditions, determined to be a shared belief around which they could gather. Of course, non-Charismatic Christians of all denominations would likely assent to this. What we must attend to here is how Charismatics might uniquely interpret this statement. A note in the program booklet says, “That Jesus is Lord is for us [Charismatics] a daily experience touching our relationships, work, family and church life, our witnessing, our ministry.” I suggest that it is the felt experience of this truth that seems to define the Charismatic experience.
The rest of this essay is available in the full digital and print editions of Liturgy. All of the essays in Liturgy 37, no. 3 are available by personal subscription and through many libraries.
Deborah A. Wong is a ThD student in liturgical studies and Christian formation at Duke University Divinity School, Durham, NC. You can find her at deborahannwong.com.
Deborah A. Wong, “Charismatic Piety: Uncovering the Hidden Impact of the Charismatic Movement,” Liturgy 37, no. 3 (2022): 3–10.