Pentecostalism, the most experiential branch of Christianity, has been described as "a potent mixture of the modern and the postmodern, of the preliterate and the postliterate, of the fiesta and the encounter group."1 According to its chronicler, Harvard's Harvey Cox, it is the "fastest growing Christian movement on earth."2

While such descriptions suggest the growth of Pentecostalism and its breadth of appeal, they leave unanswered questions concerning the exact size and general unity of the Spirit-filled movements.3

Assessing the size of religious movements is difficult. In the case of these Spirit-filled movements it is doubly so, for they often fail to maintain membership statistics systematically. The size problem becomes more complicated as we consider whether to limit the counting only to denominations tied to the Pentecostal movement of the early twentieth century. We decided against such a limit, because we did not want to exclude charismatics scattered throughout non-Pentecostal churches.

If we wish to include those in non-Pentecostal churches, however, what criteria distinguish the "Spirit-filled"? We have chosen two characteristics: the gift of glossolalia, or speaking in tongues,4 and identification with Pentecostalism or the charismatic movement.

In order to count these Spirit-filled Christians, we conducted large-scale national surveys in 1992 and 1993 (along with two colleagues, John Green and James Guth). These surveys measured denominational affiliation precisely, enabling us to distinguish the historic Pentecostal denominations from other religious groups. We find that 2.5 percent of Americans affiliate with white Pentecostal denominations (such as the Assemblies of God), with another 1.1 percent in historic black Pentecostal groups (such as the Church of God in Christ). In addition, within the sizable nondenominational Protestant population, individuals who speak in tongues and identify themselves as either "Pentecostal" or "charismatic" (categorized as nondenominational charismatic) account for 1.4 percent of the population. Altogether, 5 percent of Americans come from either Pentecostal denominations or from nondenominational charismatic churches (see chart).

When the criteria shift from denominational affiliation to the ability to speak in tongues or to self-identification as a Pentecostal or charismatic, we find the following: 9 percent of Americans claim the gift of tongues; 12 percent identify with these movements. When the gift of tongues and self-identification are combined, 7.2 percent of Americans qualify as "core" members of these Spirit-filled movements.

In what religious traditions is this core located? Are members of the core dispersed throughout the four major Christian traditions (evangelical, mainline, black Protestant, and Roman Catholic) or concentrated within one of these?

Almost 46 percent of the Spirit-filled are part of the evangelical Protestant tradition. Only 10 percent are mainline Protestants, while just over 20 percent each are from the black Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions.

From another angle, within the traditions, Spirit-filled core members constitute 20 percent of all black Protestants, 13 percent of evangelical Protestants, 7 percent of Roman Catholics, and only 4 percent of mainline Protestants. Thus, the inroads of these movements among Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants are small when compared with their representation among evangelicals and black Protestants. Still, the dispersion of core members throughout all four traditions suggests that these Spirit-filled movements have broad appeal and staying power.

Are these movements recruiting similar types of individuals within each Christian tradition? We answer this question with the data presented at the bottom of the table. Historically, Pentecostal spirituality has been associated with the poor and uneducated.

Education. About 25 percent of the U.S. population have graduated from college or have had postgraduate experience ("All Americans" column in the table). None of the core groups across the four traditions approaches this standard, with Spirit-filled blacks and Catholics deviating greatly from this figure. When evangelical Protestants are divided into component subgroups, only 12 percent of Pentecostals have graduated from college, but fully 25 percent of nondenominational charismatics have attained the same level of education--suggesting even greater within-movement diversity.

Income. A similar pattern emerges with income. Nationally, 40 percent of adult American families make over $30,000 per year, but the figures for core, Spirit-filled members within black Protestant and evangelical Protestant denominations are only 24 and 29 percent respectively. In contrast, the income level of core, Spirit-filled mainliners and Catholics hovers around the national average.5 (Given these results, it is not surprising that the Spirit-filled core within evangelical Protestantism comes disproportionately from the South, the region with the lowest levels of education and income.) Again, these findings reveal that the core of the Spirit-filled movements is far from homogeneous.

Do these differences in education and income lead to differences in religious belief and practice? Or does being part of these movements reduce the impact of social diversity and produce similar religious perspectives and practices? Once again, the religious tradition in which the Spirit-filled are located has an important influence on beliefs and behaviors. For example:

Faith healing and miracles. The percentage of core members in mainline Protestant denominations who practice faith healing "regularly" or "sometimes" (25 percent) is far less than the percentage among those within evangelical Protestantism (63 percent). Within the evangelical tradition, Pentecostals practice faith healing most regularly: 73 percent (data not shown). While core members within evangelical and black Protestant churches almost unanimously agree that miracles still occur, the belief is less prevalent (though still widespread) in the mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic core.

Other religions. While Catholic core members tend to believe that "all religions are equally true," a universalistic view, their evangelical counterparts do not agree.

Media. Spirit-filled evangelicals and black Protestants listen to religious radio far more than their compatriots in the mainline and Catholic traditions.

Abortion and gay rights. On these issues, core members within evangelical and black Protestant churches hold more conservative views than do those in mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions.

This sampling of religious beliefs and behaviors reveals substantial differences among core members of these Spirit-filled movements in the United States. The Spirit-filled are divided socially, religiously, and politically.

In the end, the greatest strength of the Spirit-filled movements may also be their greatest weakness. Their experiential focus has enabled penetration and growth, but their lack of a theological core has hurt unity and cohesion. What it means to be a Pentecostal or charismatic varies considerably with the religious context of core members. The core of these Spirit-filled movements is large and likely growing, and there are individuals on the periphery of the movements who are potential core members. Yet the diversity within the ranks of the Spirit-filled works against the development of a more powerful influence in American society.

TABLES

WAYS OF COUNTING THE "SPIRIT-FILLED"

- 5% of Americans affiliate with Pentecostal or nondenominational charismatic churches

- 8.7% speak in tongues

- 12.1% identify themselves as Pentecostal or charismatic

- 7.2% both speak in tongues and identify themselves as Pentecostal or charismatic (core).

PERCENTAGE OF THE "SPIRIT-FILLED"

45.9% Evangelical Protestant

10.3% Mainline Protestant

21.2% Black Protestant

22.7% Roman Catholic

CHARACTERISTICS OF CORE* MEMBERS BY RELIGIOUS TRADITION

SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHIC

--College graduate: 18% Evangelical; 24% Mainline; 11% Black; 9% Roman Catholic; All Americans 25%

--Income Above $30K: 29% Evangelical; 42% Mainline; 24% Black; 39% Roman Catholic; 40% All Americans

--Southerner: 48% Evangelical; 31% Mainline; 39% Black; 17% Roman Catholic; 32% All Americans

RELIGIOUS

--Practices faith healing: 63% Evangelical; 25% Mainline; 56% Black; 35% Roman Catholic; 16% All Americans

--Miracles still happen: 97% Evangelical; 86% Mainline; 96% Black; 82% Roman Catholic; 80% All Americans

--All great religions true: 16% Evangelical; 30% Mainline; 29% Black; 53% Roman Catholic; 40% All Americans

--Listens to religious radio: 43% Evangelical; 18% Mainline; 51% Black; 8% Roman Catholic; 17% All Americans

POLITICAL

--Pro-life: 72% Evangelical; 37% Mainline; 71% Black; 48% Roman Catholic; 39% All Americans

--Pro-gay rights: 29% Evangelical; 49% Mainline; 38% Black; 61% Roman Catholic; 52% All Americans

*Constitutes those who both speak in tongues and identify as either a pentecostal or charismatic.

Source: Akron National Surveys, 1992-93

FOOTNOTES

1. David Martin, quoted in Harvey Cox, "Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-first Century" (Addison-Wesley, 1995), p. 110.

2. Harvey Cox, "Fire from Heaven," p. 15.

3. Pentecostalism is treated by some as encompassing both the historic Pentecostal movement and the more recent charismatic movement. Both movements have emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that are associated with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In this report, both movements will be referred to as the "Spirit-filled" movements.

4. The survey question asked, "How often do you speak in tongues?" Choices for response ranged from once a day to once a week, once a month, occasionally, never. All those responding positively, from "once a day" to "occasionally," were included in our count.

5. Again, there is variation among core, Spirit-filled members within evangelical Protestantism, as only 19 percent of families within Pentecostal denominations make over $30,000 annually, while the comparable figure for nondenominational charismatics is exactly at the national average of 40 percent.

Copyright (c) 1996 Christianity Today, Inc./BOOKS & CULTURE

July/August 1996, Vol. 2, No. 4, Page 24

bcjul96mrj6B40246618