Pentecostal Identity and the Charismata
Pentecostal Identity and the Charismata
Mixed Motivation and Religious Experience
This chapter examines the first two of Thomas O'Dea's dilemmas—the dilemma of mixed motivation and the symbolic dilemma—to assess the state of Pentecostal identity and charismatic experiences as reflected in the pastoral survey. It shows that most pastors perceive a decline in Pentecostal practices within the denomination. They express concern about the loss of pentecostal power, an embracing of a renewal/revival identity, and being informed about the various renewal sites, but most have made little effort to investigate the rumors of revival for themselves. Being of one mind around the core value of revival has apparently not translated into an acceptance of revival in contemporary dress. Present-day pastors, much like their predecessors, have been reluctant to accept charisma as it has taken flesh in periodic revivals of the latter half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. At least among some pastors, revitalization in traditional Pentecostalism is being relegated to doctrine rather than personal experience.
Keywords: Thomas O'Dea, Pentecostalism, pastors, mixed motivation, symbolic dilemma, Pentecostal identity, charisma
NYU Press Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.