Age of the Spirit: Charismatic Renewal, the Anglo-World, and Global Christianity, 1945-1980 John Maiden
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‘JohnMaiden’ s AgeoftheSpirit isbyfarthebeststudyofAnglophonecharismatic renewalinglobalcontext.Notonlyisthisbeautifullywrittenbookabundantwith meticulousnewresearchfromdiversearchivalsources,itisalsotheoretically sophisticated,offeringnewinterpretiveparadigmsforunderstandingtheglobal impactofthiscrucialmovement.Maiden’sbookisinstantlyessentialreadingfor anyoneseekingtounderstandcontemporarymanifestationsofcharismatic-style Christianity,fromHillsongtoPopeFrancisandallpointsbetween.’
RevDrCalebMaskell,AssociateNationalDirector,VineyardUSA
‘JohnMaiden’smagisterial AgeoftheSpirit isessentialreadingforthoseseeking tounderstandtheconnectionsbetweentheCatholiccharismaticrenewaland theevolvingChristianlandscapeintheyearsaftertheSecondVaticanCouncil (1962–65).Everypageyieldssurprisingdetails,unappreciatedpersonalconnectionsandrichtheologicaldebatesacrossseeminglydistinctiveformsofdenominationalidentityandecclesialexpression.Inchartingthetheologicalintricaciesof thesedynamicandvibrant ‘Spiritscapes’ ofrenewal,weencounterglobalnetworks andtransnationalcurrentslinkingsuburbanchurchesinBrisbaneandGuildford tocharismaticandpentecostalhubsinSouthBendandToronto.Itpowerfully intervenes,withcloselysketchedcasestudies,intolongstandingdebatesabout secularisationandpost-Sixtiesecclesiologicalexperimentationwhilealsooffering newframingsofcontemporaryexpressivespiritualityandpracticalecumenical exchanges.Itwillbecomeastapleonallmodernreligioushistoryreadinglists.’
DrAlanaHarris,DirectorofLiberalArtsandReaderinModernBritishSocial, Cultural,andGenderHistory,King’sCollegeLondon
‘Thecharismaticrenewalchangedeverything,includingifthisbookisanyguide, howhistorymightbewritten.Spiritscapecallsforaspiritedaccount,adisciplined focusonoftenunrestrainedphenomena[...]Theresultingmapisrichlycomplex:theSpiritisclearlybrilliantatmulti-tasking,harvestingseekersfroman astonishingarrayofmysticalesotericaaswellasthestrugglingorthodoxinneed ofrevivingandmarginalisedpoorandmigrantsinneedofsurvivalrations.Local developmentsbecomeglobalmovements;AnglophoneChristianity flowsintothe spiritualitiesofAsia,Africa,Europe,andSouthAmerica;theapparentlyhaphazardmorphsintotheorganicwhilemaintaininguniqueness;thethematicand chronologicalarehappilymarried;sympathetictreatmentofthenoveltiesof renewalincreasesthecredibilityofcriticaldiscernment;theweightofmassive scholarshipiswornlightlyinsparklingprose.Thisbookisamiracleand,assuch, aworthyaccountofprobablythemostsignificantmovementintwentieth-century Christianity.’
AssociateProfessorStuartPiggin,Director,CentrefortheHistoryof ChristianThoughtandExperience,MacquarieUniversity,NSW,Australia
FRONTMATTER
AgeoftheSpirit:CharismaticRenewal,theAnglo-World,andGlobalChristianity,1945-1980
JohnMaiden
https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198847496.001.0001
Published:2022 OnlineISBN:9780191882173
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Preface
TheHolySpiritisthepower – God’satomicpower,thepowerthat canchangealotofthings.¹
InthesphereofNorthAmerica,theBritishIsles,SouthAfrica,andAustralasia, the1950stothe1970sweremarkedbysocial,cultural,economic,technological, andpoliticaltransformations.Againstthisbackdroptherewasaneffortto renew toreanimate Christianity.Inanageofrapidscienti ficadvancement, someofwhichpresentedanawfulandexistentialthreat,manyChristians imaginedan ageoftheSpirit
‘Thosewholiketheirreligionstraightfromthefridgewouldbethoroughlyput off ’,saidoneobserverofacharismaticconferencein1971.²Itwouldappearsome historiansofreligionhavehadsomeaversiontothestudyofcharismatic Christianity.Thereissomescholarshiponthedrifttowardscharismatic ChristianitywithintheAnglo-worldduringthesedecades,buttheliteratureis notextensive.Giventhedegreetowhichcharismaticshavechangedthefaceof contemporaryChristianity,andinsomecases(ifthereaderwillforgivethecliché) appearedto ‘buckthetrend’ ofsecularisation,thisissurprising.Itisworthpausing toaskwhythishasbeenso.DoesitsaysomethingabouttheAcademy,some avoidanceof ‘irrational’ formsofcontemporaryWesternculture?Ordoesitsay somethingaboutthe fieldofreligioushistory?Hastherebeenaninclinationto avoidcharismaticChristianityandpreferthestudyofcerebralformsofreligion withproperideasorstructurestoconsider?WhenIsetoutonadoctoratein religioushistoryin2003,itneveroccurredtomeImighteventuallyresearch charismatics,eventhoughIattendedacharismaticcongregationatthetime.
HowshouldwegoaboutwritingthehistoryofcharismaticChristianity?For manyofitspractitioners,understandably,charismaticrenewalisunderstood largelyorsolelywithreferencetoGod’sinbreakingworkintheworld.This assumptionhasalsobeenevidentinsomescholarship.Oneoftheinfluential chroniclersofcharismaticrenewal,theCatholichistorianPeterHocken,offersa superbaccountoflineagesbehindBritishcharismaticoriginsin Streamsof Renewal (1986).However,healsoputsforwardtheprophecygivenbySmith Wigglesworth,theBritishpentecostalevangelist,toDavidduPlessisin1936
¹DavidduPlessis, ‘Acts29:WhereweareNOWinthecontinuingActsoftheHolySpirit’ , EpiscopalianCharismaticFellowshipNewsletter,November1973,20–21. ²DGC,FountainTrust,photoalbum, ‘ThefellowshipoftheHolySpirit’,conferenceprogramme.
(‘Thereisarevivalcomingthatatpresenttheworldknowsnothingabout.Itwill comethroughthechurches’)as ‘apossibleframeworkwithinwhichtointerpret themovementnotonlyinBritainbutthroughouttheworld’.³Theissuehereisnot whetherthecharismaticrenewalwastheworkoftheHolySpirit.Thatquestionis abovemypaygradeasahistorian.Rathermypointisthatsingularlyreligious explanationshavesometimesresultedinacursoryengagementwithhistorical context.Thisapproachtohistoryistheologicallyunsatisfactoryanyway,given thatthecentraldramaoftheChristianstoryistheincarnationofGod in history. Whetherfromasecularorreligiousperspective,thehistoryofcharismatic Christianitydeservestobetakenseriously.Itshouldbewrittenusingallthe toolsofcriticalscholarshipwhichareavailabletothehistorian.
AdistinctivefeatureofthisbookisthattheprimaryarenaofstudyistheAngloworldnationsoftheUnitedStates,Canada,theUnitedKingdom,theRepublicof Ireland,SouthAfrica,Australia,andNewZealand.However,ateverystepthis English-speakingsphereisplacedinawiderglobalframetoincludesub-Saharan Africa,LatinAmerica,continentalWesternEurope,South-EastAsiaandeventhe Sovietbloc.Iaminterestedininterconnections.Theveryideaof ‘Pentecost’ has globalisingimplications.Iwillarguethateschatology,mediatedbytext,audio,and audio-visual,fosteredanimaginedcommunity,or ‘imaginary’,ofcharismatic renewal.Ialsoassumetheimportanceof translocality.Thisreferstothemultidirectional flowsofpeople,media,prayerletters,prayers,airmail,practices,and moneyetc.,butalsopinpointsonthemapofthecharismaticgeographyofthe Spiritthelocalities includinginnercities,suburbs,smalltowns,andremoterural locations whichcontributedtothewidernexus.
Acolleagueoncesharedsomethingaboutthewritingofglobalreligioushistory whichhehadbeentoldbyanotherscholar: ‘youcanonlydoyourbestwithan impossiblejob’.Perhapsnevertruerwordswerespokenonthetopic.Iwillgetmy excusesinearly,therefore,andreadilyadmitthatthisbookhaslimitations.There willbeabsencesofplaces,persons,oreventstoirritatealmosteveryreader.For theselimitationsandomissions,Iapologiseinadvance,butItrustthisendeavour willstillhavebeenworthwhile.IhavealsoreferredtotheSpiritinthefeminine,in linewiththeHebrew,Aramaic,andSyriaclanguages.Irealisethiswillbe controversialtosomeandacceptthereisnoconsensusamongstbiblicalscholars onthispoint.Theoutdatedterm “ThirdWorld ” isusedinthestudyonlytoreflect itscontemporaryusageintheperiodcoveredbythebook.
Aprivilegeinwritingthisbookhasbeenvisitingsomanylibrariesandarchives andmeetingfascinatingandgenerouspeopleinvariouspartsoftheworld.In
³PeterHocken, Streamsofrenewal:theoriginsandearlydevelopmentofthecharismaticmovement inGreatBritain (Carlisle:PaternosterPress,1986),19,20.ConnieHoYanAu,inasimilarvein,has explicitlyaffirmedtheviewthatfromthe1950stothe1970s ‘theSpiritrenewedtheChurchworldwide’ See Grassrootsunityinthecharismaticrenewal (Eugene:Wipf&Stock,2011),1.
orderofdistancefrommyhomeinManchester,England,Iwouldliketothankthe staffoftheNazareneTheologicalCollege,Didsbury;theDonaldGeeLibrary, Mattersey;theBritishLibrary,London;LambethPalaceLibrary,London;Chicago PublicLibrary;BillyGrahamCentreArchives,WheatonCollege,Chicago; UniversityofNotreDameArchive,SouthBend;LibraryofCongress,Washington DC;RegentUniversityLibraryandSpecialCollections,VirginiaBeach;DavidAllan HubbardLibrary,Pasadena;JamesWallaceMemorialLibrary,AlphacrucisCollege, Sydney;VeechLibrary,CatholicInstituteofSydney;andJohnKinderTheological Library,Auckland.Imagesarereproducedwithpermission.Iamparticularly gratefultothetrusteesoftheDonaldGeeLibraryandArchive(andsubsequently theInstituteforPentecostalTheologyatRegentsTheologicalCollege,Malvern, wheretheFountainTrustarchivemoved),fortheirgenerosityinallowingthe reproductionofimages,andtotheFacultyofArtsandSocialScienceattheOpen Universityforprovidingfundsforthesamepurpose.
Iamsincerelygratefultomyinterviewees:theRevd.DonBrewin,PastorBob Bidwell,BishopGrahamCray,ProfessorAlanGuile,JeanneHarper,Ken Harrison,RichardHines,BishopDavidPytches,KevinandDorothyRanaghan. Iamthankfulalsoforthecollegiality(andverygoodhumour)oftheReligious StudiesdepartmentattheOpenUniversity,andthe ‘regulars’ attheModern ReligiousHistoryseminarattheInstituteofHistoricalResearch,London,which Ihavethepleasureofco-convening.MyeditoratOxfordUniversityPress,Tom Perridgeandhisteam KarenRaithandKatieBishop hasbeenunfailinghelpful andprofessional.Thebookwouldneverhavebeencompletedwithouttheintellectualinput,encouragement,andoccasionalrebukeofvariousscholarsand archivists:AndrewAtherstone,UtaBalbier,DavidBebbington,DavidBundy, ValentinaCiciliot,DaveEmmett,LarryEskridge,SallyGibbs,Geordan Hammond,MarkHutchinson,BillJacob,TimLarsen,PeterLineham,Caleb Maskell,MelanieMcAllister,MarkNoll,KendrickOliver,TomSchwanda, StefanieSinclair,BrianStanley,StevenSutcliffe,VinsonSynan,AmberReynolds Thomas,andJohnWolffe.Closertohome,thankstoRonandSueStoutfortheir boundlessgenerosityandtoChrisBullivant,TomandCathyCox,SimonandSue Cook,theRevd.JamieandAmyKidd,LoisandClarenceLindblom,GillMaiden, RichardandJenniferMcCormick,RachelWelsby,AliWelsby,Chris,Esther, AndrewandNatalieLane,andPaulSheriffsfortakinganinterestin ‘thisbook I’mwriting’.Iamthankful,morethanIcaneversay,tomyparentsfortheirlove andencouragement.
ThebookiswritteninlovingmemoryofPeterMaiden –‘theremustbemore thanthis’ .
ListofAbbreviations
Archives
APCSAAlanPatonCentreandStruggleArchives,Durban(online)
DAHLDavidAllanHubbardLibrary,Pasadena
DGCDonaldGeeCentre,Mattersey
JKTLJohnKinderTheologicalLibrary,Auckland
LPLLambethPalaceLibrary,London
RUSCARegentUniversitySpecialCollectionsandArchives,VirginiaBeach
SiSSwordintheSpiritarchive(online)
UNDAUniversityofNotreDameArchive,SouthBend
Biographicalcollections
ADPCM AustralasianDictionaryofPentecostalandCharismaticMovements (online)
Serviceagencies
BTSBlessedTrinitySociety(UnitedStates)
CAMChristianActionMinistries(NewZealand)
CCRSCCatholicCharismaticRenewalServiceCommittee(UnitedStates)
CFOCampsFarthestOut
CGMChristianGrowthMinistries(UnitedStates)
CIFChristianInterdenominationalFellowship(SouthAfrica)
FTFountainTrust(UnitedKingdom)
AllScripturereferencesaretakenfromthe NewInternationalVersion (NIV)
Nowtheearthwasformlessandempty, darknesswasoverthesurfaceofthedeep, andtheSpiritofGodwashovering overthewaters
Genesis1:2
Introduction
...waitforthegiftmyFatherpromised Acts1:4
‘Veni,Creator,Spiritus’ isaprayerfoundthroughoutGuildford’sCathedralofthe HolySpirit.Consecratedin1961,itwasthe firstAnglicancathedralbuiltonanew siteinsouthEnglandsincetheReformation.ThedesignofthearchitectEdward Maufedisplayedasubtlyneo-gothicfabricwithaprogressiveedge,becoming knownas ‘themotorist’scathedral’ becauseofthedistinctiveroadapproach.The designimpliedbothcontinuitywiththepastandaChristianityforthepresent.¹ Tenyearslater,thevenuecarriedapowerfulsymbolismforthe firstinternational conferenceoftheFountainTrust(Fig.1.1),aserviceagencyforagrowing translocalChristiansubculturewhichcoalescedaroundthelabelof ‘charismatic renewal’.ThechoiceofGuildford,justbeyondtheLondoncommuterbelt,asthe locationreflectedthesuburbanmiddle-classdemographicofmanyparticipants, 650ofwhomassembledfor fivedaysoflecturesattheUniversityofSurreyand nightlymeetingsintheAnglicansanctuary.²Apanoplyofcharismaticmanifestationsweresaidtohavebeeninevidence:singingintheSpirit,tongueswith interpretation,prophecy,wordsofwisdomorknowledge,healings,conversions and ‘gloriousbaptismsintheSpirit’.³Photographsshowedacathedral filledwith worshippers,manyraisingoneorbothhands.⁴ Apentecostalspeaker,theSouth African-bornecumenistDavidduPlessis,claimed ‘Thereweresomanycharismaticmanifestationsthatonesometimesfeltlikesayingthatitwasreallya Pentecostalconference.’⁵
Itwasacosmopolitanaffair.Thepressreleasespokeofdrawingtogether ‘Christiansfromvariouschurchtraditionsandcountriestolearnmoreabout theHolySpiritandenjoyfellowshipandworshiptogetherinHim’ . ⁶ Theecumenicaldiversitywasstriking.Theconferencetheme ‘thefellowshipoftheHolySpirit’ hadbeensuggestedbyaRomanCatholicmemberoftheorganisingcommittee, andtherewasMassforCatholicdelegateseachafternoon.⁷ Alongsidespeakers
¹SeeDavidPepin, CathedralsofBritain (London:Bloomsbury,2016),122–23. ²DGC,FountainTrust,photoalbum, ‘ThefellowshipoftheHolySpirit’,conferenceprogramme. ³DavidduPlessis, ‘Unitybreaksdownbarriers’ , Renewal,34(1971),4–6,quoteat6.
⁴ Seefrontcover, Renewal,34(1971). ⁵ DuPlessis, ‘Unity’,6.
⁶ DGC,FountainTrust,box2,Pressrelease,Internationalconference2.
⁷ BobBalkam, ‘Charismandinstitution:1968–1978’,unpublished.
AgeoftheSpirit:CharismaticRenewal,theAnglo-World,andGlobalChristianity,1945–1980. JohnMaiden, OxfordUniversityPress.©JohnMaiden2023.DOI:10.1093/oso/9780198847496.003.0001
on 10 September 2023
The1971internationalFountainTrustconferenceatGuildfordCathedral.
frommainlinechurcheslikethedistinguishedMethodistDrLeslieDavisonwere independentevangelicalssuchasArthurWallisoftheinchoatehousechurch movement. ‘Protestants,CatholicsandPentecostalsenjoyedeachother’ scompany ’,remarkedduPlessis(omittingtomentionagroupofpentecostalswhohad protestedoutsidebecauseofCatholicinvolvement).⁸ Aglobaldimensionwas evident,withvisitorsfromaroundtwentycountries,includingtheRepublicof Ireland,UnitedStatesandCanada,SouthAfrica,AustraliaandNewZealand,and northernEurope(France,Norway,Denmark,Sweden,WestGermany,and Holland).⁹ Theworshiphadaninternational flavour,withToronto’sguitarduo MervandMerlaWatsonandachoirfromAnaheim,California,participating;and speakersincludedAmericannon-denominationalleadersRobertFrostandRalph
⁸ DuPlessis, ‘Unity’,4–5.Onthepublicprotest,seeMichaelHarper, ‘Thecoming-of-age’ , Renewal, 34(1971),2–4,at3.Inadvanceitwasestimatedrepresentativesof14denominationshadbooked, includingover100Anglicans,45Methodists,35RomanCatholics,and26Baptists see:Pressrelease, Internationalconference2.
⁹ Internationalconference2;DGC,FountainTrust,box2,Guestlist.
Fig.1.1
Wilkerson,andJ.RodmanWilliams,ProfessorofSystematicTheologyand PhilosophyatAustinPresbyterianTheologicalSeminary,Texas.Theconference obtainedmediacoverageacrossthewiderChristiancommunity.Oneobserverfor theBritishevangelical Crusade magazinecommented: ‘Whateverviewoneholds ofit,thisisnowunquestionablythemostimportantsingledevelopmentinBritish churchlifesincetheWar;possiblythiscentury.Itspotentialforgoodorillis incalculable.’¹⁰
Thisbookconcernscharismaticrenewalduringtheperiodc.1945toc.1980.The ‘renewal’ sawChristianityinvariousofitsexistingmainline,independent, andpentecostalformsundergoaprocessofreanimationthroughawarenessof thepresenceandpoweroftheSpirit,therediscoveryof charisms,therestoration of ‘primitive’ patternsofministry,authority,andcommunity,andthereenchantmentofeverydaypietythroughthelensofthesupernaturalworldofthe Bible,inparticulartheActsoftheApostles.Thefocuswillbeadistinctivereligious subcultureandpatternsofexchangewhichmappedlargelyontotheAnglo-world settingsofNorthAmerica,theBritishIsles,SouthAfrica,andAustralasia,but whichwereintheiremergenceanddevelopmentconnectedwithaglobalnexusof charismatic,pentecostal,andholinessmovements.Acentralargumentisthat duringtheseyears,participantsincharismaticrenewalintheAnglo-world imaginedthemselvestobelivinginaparticulareschatologicalmoment a ‘ new Pentecost’—thecontextsofwhichwerethecrisesofthe ‘long1960s’.Formany whobecameinvolved,itseemedtheywerelivinginanageoftheSpirit.
ForthehistorianofglobalChristianity,thelong-terminfluenceofcharismatic renewalisremarkable.WithinAnglicanism,forexample,HolyTrinityBrompton, thewestLondonbirthplaceofthe Alpha evangelisticcourse(andformerstomping groundofArchbishopofCanterburyJustinWelby),becameadrivingforcein Englandandthenglobally.Furtherafield,thecharacterofentireAnglican Provinces,forexampleSingaporeandNigeria,hasbeenreshapedbycharismatic influences,withJesseZinkobservingthe ‘Anglocostalism’ ofthelatter.¹¹ CharismaticrenewalisnowintegratedwiththeinstitutionallifeoftheRoman CatholicChurch.Ithascontributedtotheemergenceofcountlessindependent congregationsandnetworks,variouslylabelledthe ‘newparadigmchurches’,the ‘NewApostolicReformation’,and ‘IndependentNetworkChristianity’.¹²Some
¹⁰ DavidWinter, Crusade,September1971.
¹¹JesseZink, ‘“Anglocostalism” inNigeria:neo-PentecostalsandobstaclestoAnglicanunity’ , JournalofAnglicanStudies,10/2(2013),231–50.
¹²DonaldE.Miller, ReinventingAmericanProtestantism:Christianityinanewmillennium (Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1997);JohnWeaver, TheNewApostolicReformation: historyofamoderncharismaticmovement (Jefferson:McFarlandandCo,2016);BradChristerson andRichardFlory, TheriseofnetworkChristianity:howindependentleadersarechangingthereligious landscape (NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2017).
withintheexistingpentecostaldenominations,too,havebeencharismaticised, notablyintheirapproachestoworshipandapostolicauthority.Charismatics dominatereligioustelevisionandarethedrivingforcebehindcontemporary Christianmusic.Theirsoundsandpracticeshavealsopenetratednon-charismatic circles as,forexample,Sundayvisitorstomanyconservativeevangelicalcongregationswouldnowobserve.YetifcharismaticChristianityisnowpartofthe ‘mainstream’,itwasnotalwaysthus.Thisbookexplainshowitbecameso.
CharismaticRenewal:Spiritscape(s)andImaginary
OnepersonnotintheSouthAfricancontingentatGuildford,butwhobecamea prominentparticipantinFountainTrusteventsinfutureyears,wastheRight Revd.BillBurnett,theBishopofGrahamstown.Burnetthadbeenvaguelyaware ofcharismaticdevelopmentsinSouthAfricaandelsewhere,buton13March1972 hadanexperienceoftheSpirit,quiteindependently,whileprayingbeforelunchin hisprivatechapel.HefelttheLordwassaying: ‘Iwantyoutoofferyourbodyto Me’.Thebishopbegantolistpartsofhisbodyinresponse.Ashedidso,he recalled, ‘theHolySpiritsimplyfellonme’.HeexplainedintheFountainTrust magazine Renewal:
Icanonlyspeakofitintermsofamightyrushingwind.Ididnotreallyknow whatwashappeningthenbecauseIwasn’texpectinganythingverymuch.But therewasawonderfultinglingandasenseoftheloveofGod,andanoverpoweringsenseofHispresence.PresentlyIfoundmyselfbeingpressedtothe ground,andsimplysubmittingtoHiminjoy,sayingtheoneword “ yes ” andnot abletosayanyotherword,andnotwantingtosayanyotherword,but “ yes,yes andyesagain,andyesagainyes” .
Burnettthenlookedathiswatchandsawitwaslunchtime—‘youseehowBritish Iam!’,hetoldreaders.¹³Hisstoryprovidesahelpfulpointofdeparturefor considerationofthecategorycharismaticrenewal.Whatcanitmean?Inthe Christiantradition, ‘charismatic’ experiencesandpracticeshavebeenreported amongstindividualsandgroupsfromthebeginning.Burnettin1972therefore foundhimselfinthecompanyofmanyothersinchurchhistory(ifIwantedto underlinethepoint,Iwouldcallthisexperience ‘smallc’ charismatic).Itwasonly laterafterthisexperiencethatBurnettfoundhimselfenterintowhatKarlaPoewe describesasa ‘globalculture’ ofcharismaticChristianity,andmorespecifically
¹³BillBurnett, ‘TheHolySpiritsimplyfellonme’ , Renewal,48(December1973–January1974), 2–4,quoteat3.
still,cametoidentifywithcharismaticrenewal(capital ‘CR’,ifyoulike).¹⁴ Soon afterhisexperience,whenBurnettpreachedatthelocalCommunityofthe ResurrectionherealisedoneoftheReveredMothers,JoannaMary,wasinfact thedaughterofAlexanderBoddy,theAnglicanvicarwholedearlytwentiethcenturyEnglishpentecostalism. ‘Shehadbeencharismaticallherlife’,Burnett realised,surprisedto findanantecedentinhisowndenominationforthecharismaticrenewalofwhichhenowfoundhimselfapart.¹⁵
Howmightwebegintomakesenseofthisdiverse,translocalsubculture? Somethingofthisscoperequiresatheoreticalframeworkonwhichtobuild. Iwilldrawonaclusteroftheoreticalapproacheswhichtraceintellectuallineages toBenedictAnderson’snotionof ‘imaginedcommunities’.¹⁶ Tounderstandthe productionoftheimaginedcommunityor ‘imaginary’ ofcharismaticrenewalitis helpfultoturntoArjunAppadurai’stheoryofchanging homogenisingand heterogenising cultural ‘landscapes’.Hedescribestheseethnoscapes,technoscapes, financescapes,mediascapes,andideoscapesasthe ‘buildingblocksof[...] imaginedworlds’.Theproductsoftransnationalcultural ‘flows ’ (e.g.people, machinery,money,images,andideas),theselandscapes ‘arenotobjectively givenrelationsthatlookthesamefromeveryangleofvisionbut,rather,they aredeeplyperspectivalconstructs,inflectedbythehistorical,linguistic,and politicalsituatednessofdifferentsortsofactors’.¹⁷ FollowingAppadurai,other scholarshaveproposedaddingtohislist ‘sacriscapes’ or ‘religioscapes’.¹⁸ This bookmapsouttherelationsandexchangeswhichconstituteda Spiritscapeof charismaticrenewal. TheopeningvignetteoftheGuildfordconferenceisone ‘sighting’ ofthis butcountlessotherscouldhavebeenselected.
ThetermSpiritscapeinthesingulardenotessomecoherencetothesubculture ofcharismaticrenewal.Itisnotmeant,however,toinferhomogeneity.Ina similarveintoVictorRoudometof(inhisworkonthe ‘Orthodoxreligioscape’), IuseSpiritscapeasanagileheuristicdevicetodescribeacomplex,changeable transnationalandtranslocalterrainandthemultidirectionalcultural flowswhich shapedit.¹⁹ Infact,itwasalwaysa ‘SpiritscapeofSpiritscapes’ withvarying understandingsofeschatology,ecclesiology,andpneumatology butwhichin mutualrecognitionandexchangewerepartofalargerwhole.Withcolleagues
¹
⁴ KarlaPoewe, ‘Preface’,inPoewe(ed.), CharismaticChristianityasaglobalculture (Columbia: UniversityofSouthCarolinaPress,1994),xi–xii.
¹
⁵ BillBurnett, ‘Evidenceonthefringe’ , Renewal,49(February–March1974),10–13,quoteat11.
¹⁶ BenedictAnderson, Imaginedcommunities:reflectionsontheoriginandspreadofnationalism (London:Verso,1983).
¹
⁷ ArjunAppadurai, Modernityatlarge:culturaldimensionsofglobalization (Minneapolis: UniversityofMinnesotaPress,1996),33,37.
¹
⁸ MalcolmWaters, Globalization (London:Routledge,1995);RachelDwyer, ‘TheSwaminarayan movement’,inKnutJacobsenandP.PatapKumar(eds.), SouthAsiansinthediaspora:historiesand religioustraditions (Leiden:Brill,2004),180–99.
¹
⁹ VictorRoudometof, ‘OrthodoxChristianityastransnationalreligion:theoretical,historicaland comparativeconsiderations’ , Religion,StateandSociety,43/3(2015),211–27,at212.
MarkHutchinsonandAndrewAtherstone,theauthorhaspreviouslydescribed therenewalasan ‘emergingglobalsacriscape’.²⁰ Theslightlydifferentterminology adoptedinthepresentstudy withtheemphasison Spirit attemptstohighlight evenfurtherdistinctivedynamicsoftherenewal.Therewasanunderpinning senseofeschatologicalcertaintythatGodwasdoingsomething ‘ new ’ inaparticularculturalmoment(orseriesofmoments),whichhelpedbindthistranslocal charismaticcommunity.Thescriptforthisimaginary,aswithmanyhistoric, primitivistChristianmovements,wastheLukanaccountoftheBookofActs. Charismaticsubculturetransposedthebiblical ‘Pentecost ’ toacontextofcontemporaryreligious,social,cultural,political,andgeo-politicalcrises.The new PentecostwastheunfoldingoftheOldTestamentprophecyofJoelwhichPeter hadreferredtoinJerusalem: ‘IwillpouroutMySpiritonallpeople.Yoursons anddaughterswillprophesy,youryoungmenwillseevisions,youroldmenwill dreamdreams’ (Acts2:17). ‘Spiritscape’ alsorecognisesthatspiritualpractices hadatranslocaldimension;andtheSpirit,too,wasunderstoodtobeinvolvedin andworkingthrough technologiesandmediawhichcharismaticsadopted.
Severalscholarshaveaddressedtheglobaldimensionsofcharismaticrenewal. ArecentcollectionofessayseditedbyAtherstone,Hutchinson,andMaiden lookedcloselyatthetransatlanticsphere.²¹Beforethis,Hutchinson,apre-eminent historianofglobalpentecostalism,exploredtheglobal flows multidirectional andreflexive whichshapedpost-1945pentecostalandcharismaticChristianity inAustraliaandNewZealand.²²Hisdecentredapproach,fromthepositionof Oceania,isasignalcontributionwhichprovidesavaluablesignpostforthisstudy. TheanthropologistThomasJ.Csordas’ workonCatholiccharismaticrenewalhas perhapsthewidestgeographicalscope,givingattentiontonumerousglobalNorth andSouthlocations.²³Ineachofthesestudies,thereisrecognitionofthelocalglobaldynamicinculturalprocesses.Csordasadoptstheterm ‘transnational transcendence’,referringtothebi-andmultidirectionalmobilitiesof ‘religious phenomena – symbols,ideas,practices,moods,motivations’.²⁴
²⁰ AndrewAtherstone,MarkHutchinson,andJohnMaiden, ‘Theevidenceofthingsunseen:the transatlanticCharismaticMovementinthepostwarperiod’,inAtherstoneetal.(eds.), Charismatic renewalinEuropeandtheUnitedStatessince1950 (Leiden:Brill,2020),1–18at22.
²¹Atherstoneetal., Charismaticrenewal.
²²See,forexample,MarkHutchinson, ‘Australasiancharismaticmovementsandthe “New Reformation” ofthe20thcentury?’ , AustralasianPentecostalStudies,19(2017),24–53; ‘TheLatter Rainmovementandthephenomenonofglobalreturn’,inMichaelWilkinsonandPeterAlthouse (eds.), Windsfromthenorth:CanadiancontributionstothePentecostalmovement (Leiden:Brill,2010), 265–84.SeealsoAtherstoneetal., ‘Theevidence’
²³Seeforexample, Language,charismaticandcreativity:therituallifeofareligiousmovement (Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1997),39.
²
⁴ ThomasJ.Csordas, ‘Modalitiesoftransnationaltranscendence’,inCsordas(ed.), Transnational transcendence:essaysonreligionandglobalization (Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2009), 1–30,at3.
ThesociologistPeggyLevittwrites ‘Ratherthanassumingthatreligiouslifestays primarilywithincontainedspaces(betheyreligioustraditions,congregations,or nations),Istartfromtheassumptionofcirculationandlinkages.’²⁵ Theorientation ofwhatfollowsisthesame.Toorganiseourthinkingaboutthecharismatic Spiritscape,wewillconsider flowsandbothplacesandspaces.What flowsarewe addressing?Wewillseethatcharismaticrenewalwasaconvergenceofexisting pieties forexample,theLatterRain, CursillosdeCristiandad (Cursillo),and HigherLifeevangelicalism andtheirmobilitiesofpeople,includingmissionaries, clergy,andmigrants,travellingthroughdenominational,para-church,andapostolic channels.Asthenewcharismaticsubculturetookshapeinthe1960s,mobilities continuedtodefineit.Affordablejetairtravelallowedmiddle-classclergyandlaity tosee ‘whattheSpiritwasdoing’ elsewhere,perhapscombiningtheirjourneywitha stop-offpilgrimagetotheHolyLandortourism(Melodyland,a flagshipnondenominationalcharismaticministryinAnaheim,California,wasonlyastone’ s throwfromDisneyland).Theseconnectionsprovidedabasisforatranslocal communityofaffect:connectionsoffeeling(oftenmaintainedbyairmail)cultivated bysharedexperiencesoftheSpirit.Spiritualpracticeslikeprayer,intercession, fasting,discipleship,andprophecyalsoservedthisimaginary,maintainingata distancethebondsofthecharismaticcommunity.
Theimportanthubsforcharismatic flowswerelocalandnational ‘service agencies’.TheFountainTrustwasoneofthese.Thesefacilitatedtheproduction andmovementofmedia.CharismaticrenewalisapowerfulcasestudyforDavid Morgan’sassertionthatmediationis ‘adomainofreligiousactivity’ andthat ‘“medialogic”’ haspowerfulinfluence ‘overthesocialpractices,community formationandtheoperationofpowerandsocialorganisation’.²⁶ InChristianity thiswasnothingnew.Morgandiscusseshoweighteenth-andnineteenth-century evangelicalismmightbeseenasa ‘globalcommunicationnetwork’.²⁷ Wewill explorecharismatics’ relianceonthecirculationoftexts(magazines,books, pamphlets,newsletters,andprayerletters)andtheutilisationofrecenttechnologies,suchasradioandrecords,andthe ‘newmedia’ oftaperecordings(reeltoreel andcassette),videoandtelevision,intheformationofideas,practices,and sentiments.Theimpactofthenewmediaonthe ‘global’ longSixtiesiswidely recognisedinhistoricalscholarship.²⁸ Theimmediacywhichmediatechnologies
²⁵ PeggyLevitt, ‘Religiononthemove:mappingglobalculturalproductionandconsumption’,in CourtneyBender,WendyCadge,PeggyLevitt,andDavidSmilde(eds.), Religionontheedge: de-centeringandre-centeringthesociologyofreligion (NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2013), 159–78,at160.
²⁶ DavidMorgan, ‘Mediationormediatisation:thehistoryofmediainthestudyofreligion’ , Culture andReligion,12/2(2011),137–52,at140and151.
²⁷ Ibid.,142.
²⁸ See,forexample,AnneE.GorsuchandDianeP.Koenker, ‘Thesocialist1960singlobal perspective’,inKoenkerandGorsuch(eds.), ThesocialistSixties:crossingbordersintheSecond World (Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,2013),1–24,at7.
offeredproducedthe ‘sensationalforms’ (toborrowBirgitMeyer’sinsighton contemporarypentecostalism)ofthecharismaticrenewal.²⁹ Theheighteningof sensoryexperiencesofspiritualpoweroreventheextenttowhichsoundand imageconveyedorinvoked ‘anointings’ inteaching,healing,ormusicalworship, inmanywaysdefinedthecharismaticSpiritscape.
Aswefollowthese flows,wewillrecognise,too,thesignificanceofplacesand spaces sitesinvestedwithmeaningscreatedbyexperiences,andwherereligious phenomenaweretranslatedandnegotiated.OnespacetoconstitutethecharismaticSpiritscapewasthesuburbanlivingroom,wheremid-weekprayermeetings gatheredforteachingandsharinginthegiftsoftheSpirit.Wewillalsoencounter charismaticrenewalinmansesandvicarages, ‘community ’ housesandcommunes,churchesandchurchhalls,coffeeshops,concerthalls,andstadia some ofwhichobtainedakindof ‘flagship’ reputationalstatus.AclassicexampleisTeen ChallengeinBrooklyn,NewYorkCity,theministryassociatedwiththecharismaticbestseller TheCrossandtheSwitchblade (1963),whichdrewvisitorsfrom acrossAmericaandtheworldeagertolearnthesecretsofurbanevangelism. Placesandspaceswerethecharismaticmentalmapoftheworld.
Thisbook’sprimaryfocusontheUnitedStates,Canada,UnitedKingdom, RepublicofIreland,SouthAfrica,Australia,andNewZealandisjustifiedbythe distinctivenessofwhatLevittdescribesas ‘geographiesofcirculation ’:theease withwhichcharismaticChristianitymovedthroughthesocial fieldsofthis sphere.³⁰ ThesesevennationshadincommontheirEnglish-speakingculture,as wellassignificantmigrantdiasporas includingEnglish,Welsh,ScotsandUlster Scots,Irish,aswellasmainlandEuropeansuchasSwedish,Norwegian,and German.TheNorthAtlanticworldhadalonghistoryofEnglish-speakingcultural andreligiousinteractionandbecameanimportantzoneofcharismaticexchange. TheRevd.DennisBennett,anEpiscopalianpriestinCaliforniawhobecamea leading figureintheAmericancharismaticscenefrom1960,wasoriginallyfrom London,andspoketoEnglishcharismaticsofvisitingthe ‘oldcountry’.³¹Oneof the firstAmericancharismaticstovisitEngland,in1963,theRevd.Frank Maguire,anotherEpiscopalianfromtheLosAngelesarea,didsowhilevisiting familyinNorthernIreland.InthedecadesaftertheSecondWorldWar,the Anglo-worldspherewasrapidlybeingrecon figured.Wewillseethatcharismatic exchangesoverlaidtheUnitedStates’ growingeconomic,military,andcultural influence.Afterall,transnationalreligion,asRobertWuthnowandStephenOffutt remindus,doesnotmeanalevelplaying field,andtheUnitedStateshasbeena
²⁹ BirgitMeyer, ‘Mediationandimmediacy:sensationalforms,semioticideologiesandthequestion ofthemedium’ , SocialAnthropology,1/19(2011),23–39.
³⁰ Levitt, ‘Religiononthemove’,164.
³¹LPL,MichaelHarperpapers,1967/1,DennisBennetttoMichaelHarper,10January1967.
‘dominantplayer’.³²However,althoughthenetworksof ‘GreaterBritain’ were looseningduringthisperiod,aspectsoftheeconomicandculturaltiesof ‘Britonism’ wereresilientinCanada,Australia,andNewZealandintothe1960s (theUnitedKingdomjoiningtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityin1973was widelyfeltasadecisiveblow).³³Kinshipandreligionmovedthroughthese channels.Thiswasevident,forexample,inthecaseoftheScottishBrethren preacherCampbellMcAlpine,whoworkedinSouthAfricaforYouthforChrist, wherehewasbaptisedintheSpirit,beforein1959movingtoNewZealandwhere hebecameaproponentforthisexperience.TheUnitedKingdom,furthermore, sometimesplayedgatekeeperfortheentranceofAmericancharismaticinfluences intotheoldCommonwealthworld.
Thedirectionoftravelforcharismaticinfluences,however,wasnotonlynorth tothesouthoftheequator.NewZealand,forinstance,wastohavearemarkable globalimpactonsong-writing(asAustraliawouldlater).AmericanandBritish charismaticswereawareoftheintensityoftherenewalinthatcountry.A1973 editorialofthe EpiscopalCharismaticFellowshipNewsletter intheUnitedStates commented, ‘Percapita,NewZealandhasmoreSpirit filledpeoplethananyother countryandtheactivitiesandmanifestationsoftheHolySpirittherearethesame ashere,sowehaveaconfirmationoftheguidancetheLordisgivingusalloverthe world.’³⁴ SouthAfricanconnections,too,wouldproveextensive,astheywere previouslywithpentecostalandholinessmovements.Thecountryprovidedtwo ofthemostinfluentialinternationalleadersofcharismaticrenewal:Daviddu PlessisandBillBurnett.
However,intheAnglo-worldtherewerealsodiverseculturalidentificationsat play.InCanada,theprovincewhereCatholiccharismaticrenewalwasstrongest wasFrench-speakingQuebec.In1970sSouthAfrica,charismaticsubculture includedboththe ‘neo-British’ anddominantAfrikanergroupings;however,the politicalsituationwassuchthatdespitesomeeffortstobringapropheticchallenge toracialsegregation includingfromtheBlackAnglican IviyoLofakazi BakaKristu (LegionofChrist ’sWitnesses),whohadbeenmovinginthecharismaticgiftsinNatalandZululandyearsbeforetheyappearedinthelargelywhite SouthAfrican ‘renewal’ movement therewaslittleinteraction.³⁵ WhitecharismaticrenewalinSouthAfrica,speci fically,hasbeenchargedwithlackinga politicalcritiqueofapartheid;andelsewhere,too,charismaticsoftenfailedto challengebarriersofrace,culture,andclass.IntheUnitedStates,fewBlack Churchcongregationsbecameinvolvedinthecharismaticrenewalandthere
³²RobertWuthnowandStephenOffutt, ‘Transnationalreligiousconnections’ , SociologyofReligion, 69/2(2008),209–32.
³³SeeJamesBelich, Replenishingtheearth:thesettlerrevolutionandtheriseoftheAngloworld (Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2011),472–73.
³⁴ R.H.Hawn,editorial, EpiscopalCharismaticFellowshipNewsletter,August1973,1.
³⁵ StephenHayes, BlackcharismaticAnglicans (Pretoria:UniversityofSouthAfrica,1990).
wasremarkablylittlecommentaryincharismaticmediaoncivilrights.Inthe UnitedKingdom,sincethemid-1950smigrationhadproducedan ‘urbanevangelicalexplosion’ ofpentecostalandholinessAfrican-Caribbeancongregations anddenominations.³⁶ However,rarelyweretherecross-fertilisationsbetween charismaticrenewalandthis ‘newNonconformity’ ofBlack,Spirit-filled,and working-classChristians.³⁷ Charismaticrenewal,asconstitutedinthisstudy, wasverylargelythepreserveofwhiteand ‘whitesettler’ middle-classChristianity. WhilewewillprimarilyexaminetheSpiritscapeofcharismaticrenewalinthe Anglo-world whereserviceagenciesconstructedor ‘packaged’ thecharismatic renewal whatfollowsisalwaysinterestedinthewiderglobalsetting.Therewas, weshallsee,interpenetrationwithmainlandWesternEurope;forexample,withthe ProtestantecumenicalSisterhoodofMary(ÖkumenischeMarienschwesternschaft) inDarmstadt,WestGermany.Thethreatofcommunism,whichcharismaticsoften imaginedineschatologicalterms,fosteredlinksbetweenEnglish-speakingand continentalEuropeancharismaticgroups.Furthermore,bythemid-1970sthe leadershipofRomanCatholicrenewalbegantoshiftfromAmericatowards EuropeastheVaticanintegratedthemovementintoitsecclesiologicalstructures. Therewasinteraction,too,withThirdWorldcharismatic,pentecostal,andholiness Christianity.Duringthe1950sintheAnglo-world,therewassomedissatisfaction abouttheostensiblyoverlycerebralorbureaucratisedaspectsofchurchlife.Some lookedtoexamplesofChristianityintheThirdWorld,whichinsomesocieties, K.K.Yeoremindsus,emergedfroma ‘ common “shamanicunderlay”’ whichsaw ‘spiritsandprincipalitiesverymuchatworkinalldimensionsoflife’.Theysawthe potentialofreanimatedfaith.³⁸ Inthe1970s,placessuchasStAndrew’sAnglican Cathedral,Singapore, ElMinutodeDios,aCatholiccommunityinBogotá,and El TabernáculodelaFe,thepentecostalcongregationofJuanCarlosOrtizinBuenos Aires,becameimprintedintheimaginedgeographyofWesterncharismatics.
‘TheHolyGhostIsaGhostNoLonger
’:TheScopeofRenewal
Theeclecticismofcharismaticrenewal,soevidentatGuildford,displayedthe qualitiesofwhatKeesdeGrootdescribesas ‘liquidreligion’.³⁹ Ithadnodiscernible
³⁶ CliffordHill, Blackchurches:WestIndianandAfricansectsinBritain (London:BritishCouncilof Churches,1971).
³⁷ JohnMaiden, ‘AnewNonconformity:ethnicity,evangelicalismandecumenism,c.1952–1985’,in DavidBebbingtonandDavidCeriJones(eds.), EvangelicalismanddissentinmodernEnglandand Wales (London:Routledge,2020),176–96;JohnMaiden, ‘“Race”,blackmajoritychurchesandtherise ofecumenicalmulticulturalisminthe1970s’ , TwentiethCenturyBritishHistory,30/4(2019),531–56.
³⁸ K.K.Yeo, ‘Biblicalinterpretationinthemajorityworld’,inMarkP.Hutchinson(ed.), TheOxford historyofProtestantdissentingtraditions,vol.5: Thetwentiethcentury:themesandvariationsina globalcontext (Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2019),131–69,at155.
³
⁹ KeesdeGroot, ‘Threetypesofliquidreligion’ , ImplicitReligion,11/3(2008),277–96.
on 10 September 2023
startingplace.Asagrassrootsphenomenon,theuseofmedia particularlystories andtestimonies alloweditto floweasilybackandforththroughecclesiastical barriers,includingbetweenProtestantandRomanCatholic.Charismaticsfound commonalityintheirexperiences(chieflybaptismintheSpirit),embodiments (hand-raising,hugging,etc.),practices(singingintongues,prophecy,etc.),and words(‘PraisetheLord!’).Fromtheirpointofviewtherewasareasonforthis fluidity.Theradicalhope ‘IwillpouroutMySpiritonallpeople’ impliedspontaneousexpansionandunity,notboundarymakingandexclusivity.A1970statement bytheAmericanBobMumford,formerlyoftheAssembliesofGod,istelling: ‘Charismaticrenewal,restoration,orDivineinterventionareonlyadjectiveswhich seektodescribetheindescribable aspiritualrevolutionwhichistakingplace universally.’⁴⁰
Insomeexistingscholarship ‘renewal’ refersonlytodevelopmentsinthe mainlinechurchesandasharpdistinctionismadewithnon-denominational ‘neo-pentecostalism’ or ‘restorationism’.Whiletheremaybevalidtheological reasonsforthis,andstudiesdistinguishingbetweentheseconstituenciescan havesignificantvalue,theyalsoriskobscuringtheoverlapsbetweenthem.The extenttowhichallswaminawidercharismaticsubcultureisevidentinsome studies.PeterHocken’spioneeringstudyofBritishcharismaticsobservedthatin themid-1960stherewas ‘onediscerniblemovement’ ⁴¹WhenreadingWilliamL. DeArteaga’sstudyofCampsFarthestOut,the ‘schoolhouseofcharismatic renewal’ intheUnitedStates,oneisstruckbytheseamlessinteractionbetween mainliner(includingsomeCatholics),pentecostal,NewThought,andconservativeevangelicalChristians.⁴²MichaelReid’sdoctoralstudyofcharismaticrenewal inChristchurch,NewZealand,demonstrates fluidityatthegrassrootslevel.⁴³ Iwillrepeat:torecognisethecoherenceoftheSpiritscapeofcharismaticrenewal doesnotimplyhomogeneity.Thereweremultiplecharismaticidentities,and mattersofpneumatology,ecclesiology,andeschatologyoftenrequirednegotiation.Therefore,inthisbookthe ‘renewal’—thereanimationofallChristianity isorganisedintothreebroadvarieties.
Mainlinecharismatics werethosewhoengagedinparachurchcharismatic subculture(attending,forexample,prayergroupsandconferences)whileremainingcommittedtofurtheringtheSpirit’simpactontheirowndenominations.
⁴⁰ BobMumford, ‘Editorial’ , NewWine,August1970,2.
⁴¹ Streamsofrenewal:theoriginsandearlydevelopmentofthecharismaticmovementinGreat Britain (Carlisle:PaternosterPress,1986),ch.20.SeealsoRogerShuff, SearchingforthetrueChurch: Brethrenandevangelicalsinmid-twentieth-centuryEngland (MiltonKeynes:PaternosterPress,2005).
⁴²WilliamL.DeArteaga, ‘GlennClark’sCampsFurthestOut:theschoolhouseofcharismatic renewal’ , Pneuma,25/2(2003),256–88.
⁴³MichaelAndrewReid, ‘ButbymySpirit:ahistoryofthecharismaticrenewalinChristchurch, 1960–1985’,UniversityofCanterbury,PhDthesis(2003).
⁴⁴ Onmainlineexpressions,see:ValentinaCiciliot, ‘TheoriginsoftheCatholicCharismatic RenewalintheUnitedStates:earlydevelopmentsinIndianaandMichiganandthereactionsofthe
TheFountainTrust,whichwaslargelyAnglicanled,wasaserviceagencywiththis aim.Mainlinersofteninitiallydrewheavilyonpentecostalinfluences,but overtimesoughttolegitimisetheirexperiencesoftheSpiritwithintheirown denominationaltraditionsandtheologiesofChristianinitiation.Thesemainline charismaticswereasdiverseasthedenominations(theyweretobefound,even, amongsttheQuakers,Mennonites,andOrthodox),butwerealsooftenrepresentativeofthevariety within them.Catholicsrepresentedavarietyofdifferent emphaseswithintheirdenominationalsetting.AmongstAnglicansand EpiscopalianswerecharismaticswhowereevangelicalandAnglo-Catholic constituencieswhichhadsharedahistoricalanimus.Therecouldbeacontinuum, too,fromconservativeBibliciststowhatPamelaE.Klassencallsthe ‘supernatural liberal ’—charismaticswhodrewontherapeuticapproaches,suchasJungian theoryandNewThought.Weshallseealsosomeblurringofboundarieswith theinchoateNewAgemovement.⁴⁵
Independentcharismatics weresituatedoutsideofthemainlineandpentecostal denominations.Theyincludedthosewhowere ‘putout’ ofthesechurches(often duetotonguesspeaking)andthosewholefttheminsearchof ‘ pure ’ New TestamentChristianity.Thisconstituencywasdiverse,drawingoninfluencesas variousasthepost-1945healingevangelismrevival,the1948LatterRainmovement,thePlymouthBrethren,andBaptist/Baptistictraditions. ⁴⁶ Theimpulsefor independentswasrestorationism.Thiscombinedaselectionofvariousideasand practicessuchasthevictoryofapowerfulChurchbeforethereturnofChrist, teachingson ‘thechurchinthehome’,theEphesians4ministriesofapostles, prophets,evangelists,pastors,andteachers,theunityofthelocalchurch,and radicaldiscipleshipandsubmission.Oneconstituencytowhomthisprimitivism appealedwastheJesusPeople,thehippieChristianmilieuwhichLarryEskridge describesas ‘awashinaPentecostalethos’.TheseseekersweredrawntotheNew
ecclesiasticalauthorities’ , StudiesinWorldChristianity,25/3(2019),250–73;JohnMaiden, ‘The emergenceofCatholicCharismaticRenewal “inacountry”:AustraliaandtransnationalCatholic CharismaticRenewal’,sameissue,274–96;DonaldS.Swenson, ‘TheCanadianCatholicCharismatic renewal’,inMichaelWilkinson(ed.), CanadianPentecostalism:transitionandtransformation (Montreal:McGill-Queen’sUniversityPress,2009),214–32;DavidA.Reed, ‘Denominational charismatics – wherehavetheyallgone?ACanadianAnglicancasestudy’,inWilkinson, Canadian Pentecostalism,197–213;CarterLindberg, CharismaticmovementsandtheLutherantradition (Macon: MercerUniversityPress,1983);IanRandall, ‘Baptistrevivalandrenewalinthe1960s’,inKateCooper andJeremyGregory(eds.), RevivalandresurgenceinChristianhistory (Woodbridge:BoydellPress, 2008),341–53;PaulBarreiraandDavidHilliard, ‘Filledwithterrificjoy!Thebeginningsofcharismatic renewalinSouthAustralianMethodism’ , ChurchHeritage,8/2(1993),61–83.
⁴⁵ PamelaE.Klassen, SpiritsofProtestantism:medicine,healingandliberalChristianity (Berkeley: UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2011),3.
⁴⁶ Onindependentrestorationism,see,forexample:WilliamK.Kay, ApostolicnetworksinBritain: newwaysofbeingchurch (MiltonKeynes:PaternosterPress,2007);AndrewWalker, Restoringthe Kingdom:theradicalChristianityofthehousechurchmovement (Guildford:Eagle,1998);S.David Moore, Theshepherdingmovement:controversyandcharismaticecclesiology (London:T&TClark, 2003);BrettKnowles, NewLife:ahistoryoftheNewLifeChurchesinNewZealand,1942–1979 (Dunedin:ThirdMillennium,1999).
Testamentexperienceofthesupernaturalandcommunity(Eskridge’sremarkable, andsometimeshilarious,oralhistoryincludesamemberofacommuneclaiming tohavewitnessedthefeedingofthirtyyoungpeoplefromonecanoftuna).⁴⁷ We shallseehow veryofteninthecontextofecumenicalprayergroups the questionofwhetherto ‘stayin’ or ‘comeout’ ofthedenominationswasaslowburningtension.Anotherimpulseforsomeindependents(thoughsomedismissedtheteachingsasunbiblical)wasthesearchforthe ‘abundantlife’.The globalhealingevangelismministriesofOralRoberts,T.L.Osborn,andothers orientatedmanytowardsGod’sphysicalandmaterialblessingsduringthepostwardecades.Theteachingsof ‘wordoffaith’ ministries(basedontheideathat God’scovenantwiththeindividualbelieverisrealisedthroughtheirspeakingout thepromisesofScripture)foundsomefertilegroundontheedgesofcharismatic renewal,andinparticularlyitsnon-denominationalvarieties.
Charismaticisedpentecostals arethethirdmainconstituency.Pentecostal denominationssuchastheAssembliesofGodandElimareoftenpresentedas distinctfromthe ‘ newmove ’ ofthecharismaticrenewal.Charismaticrenewal tendedtoappealtoadifferentdemographic themiddle-classortheuniversities andthesuburbs.Theologically,charismaticstendednottoinsist,atleastintheory, ontonguesasthe ‘initialevidence ’.However,anotherdynamicwasatwork.What ShaneCliftonhasobservedoftheAustralianscenewassometimestruemore widely:charismaticrenewalcouldhave ‘asmuchimpactonPentecostalism asPentecostalsweretohaveonCharismaticmovements’ ⁴⁸ Theroutesthese influencestookcouldbecircuitous.TheradicalpentecostalsoftheLatter Rainrevivalof1948werededicatedtotherestorationofaprimitiveversionof pentecostalism.⁴⁹ Manywhobecameindependentwerelaterdrawntowards thecharismaticrenewal.Here,theylaunderedsomeofthetraitsofearly pentecostalism ecumenicity, ‘singingintheSpirit’,andlayingonofhands. Later,thesereanimatingpractices flowedbackintothepentecostaldenominations.Thescopeofthe ‘NewPentecost’ wasfarreachingandpervasive.
AgeoftheSpirit:Secularisation,Cosmopolitanism, andAuthenticity
FortheAmericanPresbyteriantheologianJ.RodmanWilliams,theGuildford conferencewasindicativeofthe ‘emergenceofaneraoftheSpiritsuchashasnot
⁴⁷ LarryEskridge, God’sforeverfamily:theJesusPeoplemovementinAmerica (NewYork:Oxford UniversityPress,2013),quoteat78,tunareferenceat81.
⁴⁸ ShaneClifton, Pentecostalchurchesintransition:analysingthedevelopingecclesiologyofthe AssembliesofGodinAustralia (Leiden:Brill,2009),139.
⁴⁹ ThisisapointmadewellinDavidEdwinHarrellJr., OralRoberts:anAmericanlife (Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1985),152–55.
beenseensinceNewTestamenttimes’ . ⁵⁰ Religious,social,andpoliticaluncertaintiesinthedecadesafter1945,andparticularlythelongSixties,heightened eschatologicalinterestandproducedmovementsforrenewalorreformationinor ontheedgesofthechurches.Thesewereyearsofscientificadvancement for example,nuclearpowerandspacetravel(withthelaunchofSputnikin1957) risingaffluence,andanincreasinglydominantculturalnarrativeofsecularisation. TheEnglishhistorianSamBrewitt-Taylorobserveshowtheeschatological emphasesofliberalmovementsintheProtestantchurcheswereshapedbythe ColdWar’ s ‘yearsofmaximumdanger’,1958–62.Atthe1958Lambeth Conference,forexample,therewasaconvictionthatthe ‘world’sconfusion’ madeit ‘theurgentdutyoftheChurchtobethechannelofGod’sreconciling power ’ ⁵¹Intheprecedingyears,asliberalsreimaginedtheChurchtheyoftendid sowithreferencetotheHolySpirit.TheradicalpioneerJohnWren-Lewisspoke ofmaking ‘alltheoldfamiliarformulaebecomesuddenlyalivewithnewmeaning, likethedrybonesofEzekial’svision’ . ⁵²BythetimetheAnglicanBishopJohn RobinsonbegantoarticulateasecularChristianityfora ‘ newera ’ itwasthe languageofa ‘newReformation’ . ⁵³IntheRomanCatholicChurchsimilarthemes wereevidentintheVaticanIIpromiseofa ‘NewPentecost’.PopeJohnXXIII’ s description,onescholarargues, ‘invitedattentionprimarilytotheoriginofthe church,notto20interveningcouncilsincludingVaticanI,andconnoteda reawakeningofwhatthechurchisinallagesandcontexts’ . ⁵⁴ Thenotionofthe CouncilbringingtheeffusionoftheHolySpiritwaswidelyheld.Ontheedgeof thechurches,othersweredrawntowardsmetaphysicalreligionandtheNew Age.⁵⁵ AFaithfortheNewAge (1967),publishedbyAnglicanlayauthorDavid Vaughanonthe450thanniversaryyearofLuther’sReformation,calledfora ‘supernaturalistic’ Christianitythatwould ‘openupvastnewcontinentsofmind andsoulformankindtoexploreinatrulyNewRenaissanceandatrulyNew ReformationinatrulyNewAge’ . ⁵⁶ ForStevenSutcliffe,theNewAgewasan ‘eschatologicalemblem’ . ⁵⁷ Avectorforthesemovementsofreformationand renewalwasthehopeofreanimationbyGod’sSpirit.
Charismaticrenewalwasaneschatologicalresponsetoaseriesofculturaland politicalmoments.Theearlypentecostaleschatologyofthe ‘latterrain’ was
⁵⁰ J.RodmanWilliams, ‘GenuineconcernforPentecostaltheology’ , Renewal,34(1971),6–9, quoteat9.
⁵¹OnthisseeSamBrewitt-Taylor, ChristianradicalismintheChurchofEnglandandtheinvention oftheBritishsixties,1957–1970 (Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2019),113–15,quoteat114.
⁵²Ibid.,157. ⁵³JohnT.Robinson, ThenewReformation? (London:SCM,1965).
⁵⁴ ThomasHughson, ‘InterpretingVaticanII: “AnewPentecost”’ , TheologicalStudies,69(2008), 3–37,at10.
⁵⁵ StevenSutcliffe, ChildrenoftheNewAge:ahistoryofspiritualpractices (London:Routledge, 2003).
⁵⁶ DavidVaughan, AfaithfortheNewAge (London:RegencyPress,1967),quotedinSutcliffe, Children,27.
⁵⁷ Sutcliffe, Children,4.
resurgentamongstcharismatics.Thiswasthenotionthata ‘formerrain’ wasthe PentecostoftheBookofActs;GodpouringouthisSpiritontheChurchwith theaccompanyingsignoftongues.Followingcenturiesofapostasy,inwhichthe Churchlackedpower,theReformationsignalledthebeginningsofthepreparation oftheChurchforalatterrainoutpouring.Thiswouldrestorethechurchin apostolicpoweraspreparationforglobalrevivalandChrist ’simminentreturn.In the1930sthepentecostaldenominationstookonthefundamentalistschemeofa pre-tribulation ‘secret’ rapture.However,afterthewar,LatterRainpentecostals, aswellasmanyindependentevangelicals,revivedtheoptimismoftheChurch empoweredbeforeChrist’sreturn.⁵⁸ Thisideapermeatedwhatbecamecharismaticrenewal.EvenascautiousanAnglicanasMichaelHarper,althoughhe refusedtobedrawnondefinitivepredictions,stillasserted ‘therearesignsthatthis wellmaybethelast final,latterrainoutpouringoftheSpiritbeforethereturnof Christ ’ ⁵⁹ Formany,weshallsee,theexpansionof ‘Pentecost’ wasalsolinkedwith afulfilmentofbiblicalprophecy:theestablishmentoftheStateofIsraelin1948 andtheSix-DayWarof1967.⁶⁰
Obviously,Catholiccharismaticstendednottouselatterrainterminologybecause ofitsimplicationsforinterpretingthepre-ReformationChurch.However,their messageofaresurgenceofthesupernaturalgiftsintheChurchcarriedasimilar senseofclimacticeschatologicaldrama. ⁶¹AlthoughCatholicssearchedforevidenceofsupernaturalgiftsthroughoutthehistoryoftheChurch,theynarrated theputativeantecedentstotheCatholicrenewalasparalleltotheturnofthe centurypentecostaloutpouring.Accordingtothisnarrative,Sr.ElenaGuerra (1833–1914),thefounderoftheOblateSistersoftheHolySpirit,Lucca,Italy, hadbetween1895and1903sentletterstoPopeLeoXIIIurgingrenewedpreachingontheHolySpirit.GuerrapredictedGodwouldgrant ‘along-awaiting renewalofthefaceoftheearth ’.PopeLeoissued ProvidaMatrisCaritate (1895),whichcalledforanovenatotheHolySpiritprecedingthefeastof Pentecost;andhethenpublishedhisencyclicalontheHolySpirit, Divinum IlludMunus (1897).Onthe firstdayof1901thePopesang ‘VeniCreator Spiritus’ infrontoftheHolySpiritwindowofStPeter’sBasilica.Guerraalso beganprayergroups—‘permanentcenacles’ (cenaclereferstothe ‘ upperroom ’ wherethedisciplesreceivedthelastsupperandwaitedfortheSpiritafterChrist’ s death).ShecalledforceaselessprayertotheHolySpiritintheChurch,a ‘UniversalCenacle’.PopeJohnXXIIIbeatifiedGuerra,andearlyCatholic
⁵⁸ PeterAlthouse, Spiritinthelastdays:pentecostaleschatologyinconversationwithJügen Moltmann (London:T&TClark,2003),ch.1.
⁵⁹‘MichaelHarper “viewsthechurch”’ , CharismaticContact,4/1(1975),n.p.
⁶⁰ AlanLangstaff, ‘Anewwave’sabouttobreak’ , Vision,30(January–February1979),5–8.
⁶¹PeterHocken, ‘WhatchallengesdoPentecostalsposetoCatholics?’ , JournaloftheEuropean PentecostalTheologicalAssociation,35/1(2015),48–57.
on 10 September 2023