In the psychology of religion, a Pentecostal is a person who identifies with one of the Christian movements labeled Pentecostal.
As a field of study, Pentecostal Christianity is sometimes called Pentecostalism. Scholars point out that their are a variety of groups who identify as Pentecostal thus, the plural form, Pentecostalisms, might make sense in some contexts.
Some, but not all, Pentecostals also identify as Evangelicals.
The research criteria for identifying a Pentecostal can vary from simply accepting the identity reported by a research participant to listing beliefs, practices, and experiences for participants to report what is true about them.
An emphasis of Pentecostalism is on the active work of God's Spirit in the life of a Christian. God's Spirit is referred to as the Holy Spirit or an older term, Holy Ghost. Among Pentecostals who trace their origins to the early 1900s, a common experience is glossolalia (speaking in tongues).
Another emphasis common to Pentecostalism is holiness reflected in various moral codes of conduct often including abstinence from alcohol and sexual activity outside of marriage.
Some groups of Pentecostals practice foot washing and a minority practice handling poisonous snakes.
Other classic Pentecostal Gifts or Gifts of the Spirit in addition to speaking in tongues include a word of knowledge, discernment of spirits, interpretation of tongues, and gifts of miracles, healing (also called faith healing), and prophecy.
More recent lists of spiritual gifts include administration, apostle, evangelism, hospitality, and leadership. Some would say any gift or area of strength can be a gift from God that God's Spirit can strengthen to bless the person and others in the church.
Pentecostals have often been linked to deliverance ministries, which involves the "casting out" or deliverance from the devil, demons, or evil spirits. Although, this is not unique to Pentecostals because the Catholic Church has long had a ministry of exorcism.
A related but somewhat overlapping term is Charismatic.
Cite this article
Sutton, G. W. (2021, August 29). Pentecostal or Pentecostalism defined. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/08/pentecostal-or-pentecostalism-defined.html
Resources
This book list might be helpful for those wanting to read research about Pentecostals and Pentecostalism.
Measuring Pentecostal or Charismatic Spirituality
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