The Real Reason the Pentecostal Movement Keeps Growing

Charisma News – 2/4/2015 Ed Stetzer

There are parts of the globe where the greatest church growth is happening through the Pentecostal movement. One of the most frequently asked questions is: “In a world where the church seems to be declining in many areas, how they are bucking the trend?”

There is never one reason why a movement succeeds. But some factors rise to the surface. Pentecostals will say they are growing because the Spirit is moving in a powerful way. I get that, and actually would affirm that as part of the reason, but from a sociological perspective, other things are happening and worth exploring.

I was recently asked (by Pentecostal leaders) what some sociological reasons might be. So following that meeting, and in this brief post, I want to explore how the beliefs of Pentecostals actually promote and produce growth compared to other more “mainstream” groups.

Pentecostals Value Their Shared Experience

From a statistical perspective, Pentecostals tend to be less “nominal” than other believers. The reason is often obvious—the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

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Political Commentator Glenn Beck Wonders Why ‘No One’ in U.S. Cares for Christians’ Plight in Middle East

By Isaiah Narciso (news@gospelherald.com) Apr 21, 2015

Conservative political commentator Glenn Beck brought up a controversial issue on Monday, asking why Christians in the United States haven’t done more to help their fellow brethren, who are being persecuted in the Middle East.

In a report filed by Erica Ritz of The Blaze, Beck looked at how American Christians reacted when they defended the “religious freedom” rights a pizza parlor in Indiana. He then noticed how little attention was paid in the U.S. to Christians being persecuted across the Middle East.

“Why does no one care?” Beck said. “When we talked about a Christian pizza parlor just the other day, Christians responded in large numbers. … Here people are getting executed. Shouldn’t the response be exponentially greater when Christians are literally being beheaded and crucified, children being raped and killed every single day?”

Beck then shared a graphic video released by the terror group known as ISIS murdering Christian captives in Libya. (more…)

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Guest Speaker Pastor Wally from USA at CTFM this Mother’s Day

Dear friends & family in Christ, Pastor Wally Magnangal from Christians in Crisis, based in the USA, will be ministering God’s prophetic Word and praying for people at CTFM in…

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Pakistani Christians Commemorate Victims Of Terror Attack, Say Jihadists Will Never ‘Push Back’ Their Faith

By Leah Marieann Klett (news@gospelherald.com) Mar 18, 2015

Hundreds of Pakistani Christians on Tuesday held prayer services to commemorate the victims of two Taliban suicide bombs in the city of Lahore, refusing to let terrorism silence their faith.

On March 16, suicide bombers affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban launched attacks against two churches conducting Sunday morning services in the predominantly Christian city of Lahore, killing at least 14 people and injuring 70 others. Although police said that the bombers were stopped by either worshippers or security personnel, the attackers still managed to detonate their explosives.

Christian leaders from across Pakistan  country attended the funeral for the victims following two days of violent protests by the community members against the blasts. According to Reuters, the Pakistani government had called in 5,000 police and paramilitary rangers to control the law and order situation in the region, where violent clashes between Christians and Muslims erupted. Several protesters were killed and about a dozen wounded in the clashes.

Speaking on Tuesday, Manual Mani, a pastor attending the funerals, said the act of terrorism would not stop Christians from practicing their faith within the country. “I would like to tell these terrorists if they think that they can push us back from our faith, they are deadly, entirely, very much at fault,” he said.

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Egyptian TV Personality Tells Israel’s Netanyahu to ‘Put Your Trust In God and Bomb Iran’

April 15, 2015 - CNS News Michael Morris Amid the Iranian nuclear talks, Egyptian TV personality Tawfik Okasha, called on “our dear friend” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bomb…

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Bangladesh Muslims attack Christians, stabs priest during Easter Mass

April 19, 2015  By Robert Spencer – Jihad Watch

“After assaulting the faithful, the group stole items worth 33,900 taka (4,134 EUR); destroyed Bibles, crosses, holy pictures, musical instruments and homes; killed goats and chickens.” Time to step up the “dialogue,” bishops! That will fix this right up in a jiffy!

The U.S. Catholic establishment, with its refusal to discuss, much less do anything about, the Muslim persecution of Christians in any honest manner, is failing its brethren in Bangladesh and all across the Islamic world.

“Bishop of Sylhet: Protection for tribal Catholics, victims of expropriation and threats,” by Sumon Corraya, Asia News, April 17, 2015 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Sylhet (AsiaNews) – “We want justice and security for our priests and our faithful. We hope that the government will find a peaceful solution and that our people can live free from tensions. ” This is the appeal that Msgr. Bejoy N. D’Cruze OMI, Bishop of Syleht, launches through AsiaNews after the recent attacks against the tribal Khasia living in his diocese. “They are a very peaceful community – the prelate said – but often fall victims of the Bengali majority “.

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In 35 Years, Majority of Christians will be in Africa & South America

4, April 2015 – DAVID MASCI  – Pew Research Center, FactTank

The global Christian population has been shifting southward for at least a century and is expected to continue to do so over the next four decades, according to new demographic projections from the Pew Research Center. Overall, the share of Christians in the world is expected to remain flat. But Europe’s share of the the world’s Christians will continue to decline while sub-Saharan Africa’s will increase dramatically.

Nearly half of the world’s Christians already reside in Africa and the Latin America-Caribbean region. By 2050, according to the Pew Research study, those two regions will be home to more than six-in-ten of the world’s followers of Jesus, with just a quarter of Christians living in Europe and North America.

This was not always the case. In 1910, for instance, Europe was home to roughly two-thirds (66%) of the world’s Christians, with North America a distant second with 15%.

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Can This Be True? 2 Million Indonesian Muslims Find Jesus Per Year

4/3/2015 Steve Strang

Amid all the news about Islam’s gains around the world, here is some startling news you’ve probably never heard: In Indonesia—the most populous Muslim nation—2 million Muslims are converting to Christianity per year. That’s right. That’s one new convert every 15 seconds. At this rate, Indonesia will be mostly Christian by 2035.

Some Muslims are so alarmed they’ve created a video on YouTube to alert other Muslims to this menace and are trying to raise $2 million to start a TV station aimed at Muslim youth to keep them in Islam.

Called “Save Maryam,” it depicts a young teen named Maryam representative of all disillusioned Muslim youth who have responded to invitations to gospel events or someone handing them a tract that says “Jesus Loves You.” Watch the 4-minute, 45-second video yourself if you don’t believe me. It’s from Muslims in their own words, alarmed at the rate of conversions to Christianity.

It ends by urging Muslims to stop this trend (thereby “Saving Maryam”) by alerting other Muslims to the threat by forwarding the video on social media.

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34,000 Black Churches Break Ties With Presbyterian Church USA

 3/27/2015 Anthony Evans

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African-Americans, has broken its fellowship with Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) following its recent vote to approve same-sex marriage.

The Presbyterian General Assembly, the top legislative body of the PCUSA, voted last June to revise the constitutional language defining marriage. This arbitrary change of Holy Scripture is a flagrantly pretentious and illegitimate maneuver by a body that has no authority whatsoever to alter holy text.

Rev. Anthony Evans, NBCI President noted:

“NBCI and its membership base are simply standing on the Word of God within the mind of Christ. We urge our brother and sisters of the PCUSA to repent and be restored to fellowship.”

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