Pentecostalism and Historic Churches

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 the Introduction. –– Melinda Quivik

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“New Sect of Fanatics Is Breaking Loose,” read the front-page byline of the Los Angeles Daily Timeson April 18, 1906, in a report on the Azusa St. Revival. Pentecostalism was indeed about to “break loose” and impact the church across the globe. . .

For half a century after the Asuza St. Revival, the impact of Pentecostalism was most acutely felt outside of long-established denominations. In 1960, however, a young Episcopal priest announced to his congregation that he had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and had spoken in tongues. Over the next several years many in the historic churches would experience this phenomenon. Media outlets from CBS Evening News to Time Magazine would report on this growing movement. Initially, participants and observers described what was happening as “Pentecostal,” but eventually adopted the term “Charismatic”—a term first used by Lutheran minister, Harald Bredesen. Drawing form the Greek word “charismata,” meaning “gifts of grace,” those who were experiencing the “Charismatic Renewal” believed that God, by the Spirit, was renewing the spiritual gifts that were bestowed on the church at Pentecost.

This issue of Liturgy explores the crosspollination between Pentecostal/Charismatic streams and what might be called “mainline” or “historic” denominations. These terms are fraught with difficulties. “Mainline” often refers to Protestant congregations in the US who have benefited from their relationship within American society. However, we do not limit our exploration to Protestant traditions in this issue and have opted for the term “historic churches.” Yet, this is equally problematic. The Church of God in Christ—the main denomination launched from the Pentecostal revival—is certainly historic in its own right. In using the term “historic churches” we are referring to those congregations who were not influenced by first-wave Pentecostalism but were later impacted by Pentecostal piety.

The first essay explores what will become an important thread in this issue, the piety of Pentecostal/Charismatic worship. In her essay, Debbie Wong shows how Charismatics in mainline congregations embraced common values for encountering God in worship, while upholding a wide array of liturgical traditions. My essay unpacks this further by looking at worship in Fr. Dennis Bennet’s Episcopal congregation in Seattle, Washington, during the 1960s. Billy Kangas shows how the Charismatic Renewal took root within Roman Catholic congregations, especially through Covenant Communities. The fourth essay is an insider’s report on the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches (UCOC) from Bishop Emilio Alvarez. Emily Snider Andrews traces the history of music ministry training within the Southern Baptist Church to show how the Charismatic Renewal has impacted the denomination. Lastly, Adam Perez and Victoria Larson consider ways in which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America resisted the growing influence of Charismatic piety within its own liturgical practices.

The impact of the Charismatic Renewal is wide and varied; it is not always traced in clear lines, but scholars and practitioners of Christian worship should appreciate its continuing influence. All of the authors in this issue agree that additional work needs to be done to appreciate fully the crosspollination between Charismatic piety and the historic churches.

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.

Matthew Sigler holds a PhD in liturgical studies from Boston University and is associate professor of worship and historical theology at Seattle Pacific University and Seminary.

Matthew Sigler, “Introduction: Pentecostalism and Historic Churches,” Liturgy 37, no. 3 (2022): 1–2.