To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity

by Allan Heaton Anderson

No branch of Christianity has grown more rapidly than Pentecostalism, especially in the southern hemisphere. There are over 100 million Pentecostals in Africa. In Latin America, Pentecostalism now vies with Catholicism for the soul of the continent, and some of the largest pentecostal congregations in the world are in South Korea.

In To the Ends of the Earth, Allan Heaton Anderson explores the historical and theological factors behind the phenomenal growth of global Pentecostalism. Anderson argues that its spread is so dramatic because it is an "ends of the earth" movement--pentecostals believe that they are called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ to the furthest reaches of the globe. His wide-ranging account examines such topics as the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, the role of the first missionaries in China, India, and Africa, Pentecostalism's incredible diversity due to its deep local roots, and the central role of women in the movement. He describes more recent developments such as the creation of new independent churches, megachurches, and the "health and wealth" gospel, and he explores the increasing involvement of pentecostals in public and political affairs across the globe. Why is this movement so popular? Anderson points to such features as the emphasis on the Spirit, the "born-again" experience, incessant evangelism, healing and deliverance, cultural flexibility, a place-to-feel-at-home, religious continuity, an egalitarian community, and meeting material needs--all of which contribute to Pentecostalism's remarkable appeal.

Exploring more than a century of history and ranging across most of the globe, Anderson illuminates the spectacular rise of global Pentecostalism and shows how it changed the face of Christianity worldwide.

Genres: History, Church History, Religion

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often we think of worship or the sacraments as means to draw us closer to Christ and his Church. I believe history can have a similar effect and Allan Heaton Anderson's book "To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity" is an inspiring survey of how the Holy Spirit has been moving in the world for the last 200 years. Anderson, who spent two decades involved in South African Pentecostalism, takes a detailed look at pentecostal stirrings in India, Scandinavia, and, of course, Asuza Street, the place of healing revivals, and chronicles how pentecostal and charismatic Christianity eventually entered into mainstream Christianity, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s through the the Spirit-baptism of key figures in the Protestant Mainline, the Jesus People, and the "third wave" of pentecostalism which emerged out of Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard Movement.

Anderson highlights some key pentecostal distinctives and/or principles and demonstrates how these have played out in India, China, Korea, and other non-Western settings. These distinctives include:

- An enabling of indigenous lay Christians to the work of ministry because pentecostals assert that the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, available to all believers, is more important than formal theological education (this in contrast to earlier denominational missions such as the Anglicans and Presbyterians who entrusted full authority to Western-trained white missionaries and clergy)
- The elevation of women as leaders, including religious leaders, whether they be Aimee Semple McPherson in the USA or Pandita Ramabai in India (note: Ramabai was not technically pentecostal and didn't insist on tongues as a sign of Spirit-baptism but she did defend many expressions of charismatic Christianity against Anglo-American critics). Additionally, particularly in Latin America, pentecostalism provides the moral discipline and order necessary to rein in wayward men, thereby leading to family stability and increased social mobility. Pentecostalism, like worldwide Christianity, has majority women membership.
- The authority of the Bible and the insistence that all problems in life can be addressed through spiritual means. For instance, while many streams of Christianity tend toward a belief in "cessationism," pentecostals assert there are powerful spiritual forces at work in the world. Although pentecostals tend to have a very conservative hermeneutic of the Bible, they believe "that the text does not have authority IN ITSELF - rather, it is the Bible as interpreted by the inner working of the Spirit that is authoritative" (p. 122).
- Related to this, Pentecostalism simply provides community support and answers to all of life and the needs that people have. As Anderson relates "One major attraction of Pentecostalism for people in the majority world is that, probably above all other considerations, pentecostal churches give biblical answers for 'this worldly' needs that prevail in poor societies, like sickness, poverty, hunger, oppression, unemployment, loneliness, evil spirits, and sorcery" (p. 125). Pentecostalism is particularly prevalent among the lower classes.
- Pentecostalism's overall flexibility and adaptibility to different contexts.

There are times when I question Anderson's objectivity; he sometimes seems too effusive in his defence of pentecostal Christianity from critics. I think he underplays the influence of prosperity gospel teachings which have been spread globally and infected the theology and practice of pentecostals and charismatics in the majority world. I greatly admire pentecostalism's "democratizing" power (the Holy Spirit's empowerment over formal and often costly theological education), but this is a double-edged sword and its negative consequences are not sufficiently explored (although he does admit that pentecostalism tends to lead to schism after schism, especially when the inspirational leader of a church or group dies and heirs battle over inheritance; as well, pentecostalism's openness to the supernatural can lead to a temptation towards syncretism in some cases, much like in Roman Catholicism). All in all, this is an excellent book detailing pentecostalism's explosion over the last few centuries.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we hear the term "Pentecostalism" in the US, I think we tend to view this as a somewhat marginal movement within Christianity. Anderson's book forces us to think again as we look at Pentecostalism on a global scale. Some estimates, for example, identify 614 million Christians world-wide as Pentecostal. In many parts of the majority world, Pentecostal groups are the most rapidly growing segment of the church. Anderson's book not only traces this history of this movement from Azusa Street (and parallel occurrences in India and elsewhere) but also gives some account for its rapid expansion over the last century.

Anderson accounts for this growth by chronicling several factors. One is the missional beginnings of this movement--the baptism of the Spirit being given to embolden believers' testimony to Christ. Interestingly, gifts of tongues fed a missionary impulse, in which believers, often in error, believed that these tongues would enable them to speak in and understand the languages of the people to whom they were going. Also, this was a lay movement, not emphasizing academic training so much as the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And because of this lay component, missions in many countries rapidly indigenized--far more quickly than in other missionary enterprises. Also the strongly affective component of Pentecostalism combined with the emphasis on power and healing engaged cultures where experience and the reality of the spiritual world are prevalent.

Anderson begins with a treatment of the historical roots of this movement and then chronicles the global scene of Pentecostalism in terms of origins and organizations, missions and migration, women and family, Bible and community, the Full Gospel, transformation and independence, charisma and faith, and preachers and entrepreneurs. One realizes that apart from the emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, this is a rich, multi-faceted, and culturally contextualized global movement.

This survey is part of the Oxford Studies in World Christianity series, which looks to me to hold the potential of introducing western readers to the explosive growth and development of the church in the Majority World.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to Pentecostalism around the world. The author does a good job of tracing the history of this movement in the non-Western world, and hence provides lots of new information. The book was so full of new information that it was a little overwhelming, but it provided a good basis for learning about a new phenomena.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful book examining global Pentecostalism. Anderson sets the Azusa Street revival of 1906 in a broader global context, and then traces the various narratives that have lead to Pentecostalism's massive presence to date.