Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide

by Walter J. Hollenweger

One of the premier interpreters of Pentecostalism, Walter J. Hollenweger has written what is in many ways a sequel to his magisterial The Pentecostals (1972). This volume assesses the origins of perhaps the fastest-growing religious phenomenon in this century in light of its current development. Hollenweger contends Pentecostalism is at a critical crossroads in its evolution. Focusing on the theological stories of the Pentecostal movement within the contexts of its "Black Oral Root," "Catholic Root," "Evangelical Root," "Critical Root," and "Ecumenical Root," Hollenweger calls our attention to the significance of this movement for religion, politics, and, indeed the future of the world. "I know of no one else who has the breadth of knowledge, the depth of understanding, or the grasp of such a broad base of scholarship to be able to write this book. . . . This fascinating book is at times playful, at times deadly serious, and at times simply informative. It will stretch the thinking of all who care to be taught, and challenge the hypocrisy of those who think they know it all. And it will help us all to understand better than we have before, the roots that have nurtured one of the most vital Christian movements in the twentieth century."
—Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., Professor of Church History and Ecumenics, Director of the David du Plessis Center for Christaian Spirituality, Fuller Theological Seminary "Pentecolstalism is the fastest growing and most vital Christian movement on the globe today. What great news that the esteemed elder statesman of Pentecostal studies has now given us this comprehensive and absorbing account of how it started and why it is growing."
—Harvey Cox, Thomas Professor of Divinity, Harvard University

495 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997