Nearer, My God, to Thee

Nearer, My God, to Thee DAMASO REYES When the day of Pentecost came, they were all ARCELONA—Los Pentecostales together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the de Barcelona is located on a non- blowing of a violent wind came from heaven Bdescript street near the city’s con- and filled the whole house where they were sit- vention center. Twenty minutes before ting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire the evening service, the sounds of prayer that separated and came to rest on each of them. and soft singing waft down from the sec- All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit ond floor sanctuary. The lights have been and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit dimmed, and some two dozen congregants enabled them. —Acts 2:1-4 are scattered throughout the large room, some on their hands and knees whispering prayers at their seats. Others hold hands in small groups and sing joyously. The trait most associated with Pentecostalism and other charismatic forms of Christianity is glossolalia, or speaking in DAMASO REYES SPRING 2013 105 Downloaded from wpj.sagepub.com at COLUMBIA UNIV on December 19, 2014 REPORTAGE tongues, but here in Barcelona, there is little William Joseph Seymour, a self- of that. Many, if not most, Pentecostals never trained preacher and the son of former find themselves so moved by the Holy Spirit slaves, led a small prayer group in Los that they speak in a language unknown to Angeles and, in 1906, told of the coming them, but all of these worshipers seek a of a second Pentecost, when the Holy personal relationship with God. Pastors, Ghost would descend to earth. After researchers, and parishioners alike define weeks of prayer, the metaphorical tongues the central characteristic of Pentecostalism of fire came down, and soon, so many were as a close, direct connection with God. arriving to experience this miracle that That’s why the faithful are so often found the group had to move to a former stable on their knees. on Azuza Street to accommodate their “I preach a relationship with God numbers. In the months and years that and not a religion,” says Pastor Nathan followed, men and women, blacks and Harrod. “People in Spain are tired of whites, were singing, dancing, weeping, religion, and I believe people worldwide and worshiping together. At its birth, are tired of religion. Being Pentecostal Pentecostalism, with its radical equality, is not a religion. What we focus on was perhaps the most progressive form of is a relationship with God, and what Christianity in America, and within a few people want to have nowadays is a years, it spread to Europe. Today, upward relationship with God.” Pentecostalism of 500 million people around the globe encourages believers not to blindly adhere to some offshoot of the movement follow the church’s hierarchy but to place that began on Azuza Street more than a responsibility for salvation squarely on century ago. the shoulders of the believer. Outside the United States, Every religion needs an inspiring Pentecostalism spread quickly in South creation story. In fact, Pentecostalism has America, Asia, and Africa, changing the two. The first can be found in the book center of gravity of the movement. But in of Acts in the New Testament when the the last 25 years, evangelists from Europe’s Holy Spirit, in the form of flames, came former colonies have set their sights on down from heaven. At that point, the bringing the gospel back to the continent separation of language, which God had and in so doing threaten to change a inflicted when men attempted to build religious balance of power that has existed a tower in the city of Babel that would for centuries. From a population of just touch the sky, was lifted. Jews, who had a few tens of thousands, Pentecostals come from “every nation under heaven,” now number between 15 and 20 million could suddenly understand one another. in Europe—from just 5,000 in tiny The tongues of fire had touched them and Luxembourg to 3 million in the United given them a gift so special it would not Kingdom. In most nations, their numbers be received again for another 2,000 years. are in the low single digits as a percentage Damaso Reyes is a photographer, writer, and project leader at the World Policy Institute. This article was made possible by The Knight Luce Fellowship for Reporting on Global Religion. 106 WORLD POLICY JOURNAL Downloaded from wpj.sagepub.com at COLUMBIA UNIV on December 19, 2014 PENTECOSTALISM of the total population of Christians. experience to the small storefront church But Pentecostalism’s growth is truly with five believers. As these churches have remarkable. Over the past two decades gained members, they have begun flexing churches based in Africa and the United their social and political power. In Britain, States have planted numerous churches on leaders of the largest Pentecostal organiza- European soil, and they are flourishing. In tion have spoken out against gay marriage. Spain, one American-based Pentecostal Just like their American counterparts, Eu- group now has nearly 70 churches and ropean Pentecostals are fully engaged with 40,000 followers, rising from fewer than the secular society. Far from waiting for a a handful 20 years ago. Pentecostals see better world in the life to come, Pentecos- this as just the start of their tals are interested in chang- movement to re-evangelize ing the world now to reflect the continent. pentecostals their values. For more than a and other In eight of 10 coun- generation, weekly religious tries surveyed by the Pew attendance along with charismatics Forum on Religious and religious affiliation has been have found Public Life, a majority of dropping across Europe. a way to fill Pentecostals said religious Millions of Europeans are groups should try to in- leaving the faith of their the pews fluence policy. While Pew fathers and mothers and where old-line did not survey Pentecos- becoming more secular. tals in any European coun- Charismatic Christianity, churches have try, in every country it did with Pentecostalism at the not. survey, Pentecostals were forefront, is rushing in to fill more socially conservative that space. As Pentecostal congregations than other mainstream Christian groups. grow by double digits, it is clear that As the number of Pentecostal congre- their struggle for souls is not just with gations grow in Europe, their political the secular world but with the traditional activism will increase, and they will push torch bearers of Christianity and in some their conservative social values and fight cases even the state itself. for the rights of their followers, who are In many parts of Europe, especially disproportionately poor and lacking in those with declining religious participa- political influence. tion rates, faith is seen as a zero sum game. More established denominations see Pen- A MULTINATIONAL RELIGION tecostalism as an existential threat to their In Spain, the number of people who attend own survival. For generations, one was born church has been eroding steadily. A gov- into the Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox ernment survey shows that while three- Church. Today, Pentecostalism is present- quarters call themselves Catholic, only 13 ing Christians, especially young ones, with percent attend mass regularly—down from a choice. If established Christianity is an nearly 20 percent a decade ago. By Euro- iPhone, offering one color and one screen pean standards that still makes Spain quite size, then Pentecostalism is Android, offer- a religious country. Still, in 2010, when ing every variation from the mega-church Pope Benedict XVI visited in an effort to SPRING 2013 107 Downloaded from wpj.sagepub.com at COLUMBIA UNIV on December 19, 2014 REPORTAGE boost morale, he warned of the “strong and Church, was very anti-anything that was aggressive secularism” gripping the na- not from a Calvinistic viewpoint,” he says, tion. Upward of 90 percent attend church describing the religious landscape of the at least once a year but normally just for a mid 1980s. “They were very much against wedding, funeral, or special religious day Pentecostalism and most Evangelicals like Christmas or Easter. While the cul- to the point that when we wanted to tural ties that bind Europeans to their tra- have a major meeting and we wanted to ditional churches remain, religious bonds rent a church building, they said no we have been fraying for decades. couldn’t, because they considered us non- This has not gone unnoticed by Pen- Christian.” Twenty years later, the Dutch tecostals. Harrod’s ministry in Barcelona church is closing houses of worship, and is a part of the United Pentecostal Church the Pentecostals are purchasing them. International, one of the America’s larg- In Spain, under the Franco est denominations. After reaching a dictatorship, Catholicism was the state critical mass in the United States, along religion and the only recognized church. with many other churches, it made a con- Over decades, these restrictions were scious choice to grow its missionary arm slowly relaxed, and Protestantism gained abroad. “Pentecostalism is the religious ver- a tenuous foothold, becoming secure after sion of the multinational,” says Craig Ott Franco’s death in 1975 and the official of Trinity International University, separation of church and state in 1978. describing the way Pentecostal churches Spain’s United Pentecostal has increased have spread around the globe. from a handful of churches 20 years ago For many, the idea that “Christian” to 65 today. Harrod came to Barcelona Europe needs saving is received somewhere in 2004 after his American father-in-law between shock and insult.

Load more