Structure and Charisma
Structure and Charisma
Doctrine, Power, and Administration
This chapter considers the remaining three dilemmas of O'Dea—dilemmas of delimitation, of power, and of administrative order—to examine the structural dilemmas faced by the Assemblies of God (AG) as it tries to maintain an efficient organization and its distinct worldview. The dilemma of delimitation addresses the threat to charisma posed by the relativizing of the original religious message in relation to new conditions. The dilemma of power focuses on the need to accommodate to the larger culture. The dilemma of administrative order deals with the AG's increasingly complex bureaucratic structure. The chapter concludes that “the mystical is more than a memory,” but whether the AG can continue to surf the tension between charisma and structure is open to further assessment.
Keywords: Assemblies of God, Pentecostalism, religious experiences, charisma, Thomas O'Dea, delimitation, power, administrative order
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