REFORMASI PANTEKOSTAL SEBAGAI PEREMAJAAN KEKRISTENAN PALING RADIKAL SEJAK PEMBARUAN JOHN CALVIN

The Pentecostal Churches and Charismatic movements within the mainstream Churches are by far the fastest growing sectors of Christianity. In particular, migrants are attracted from their mainstream ecclesial roots to a myriad of Pentecostal communities in urban settings, to congregations that are small and welcoming, but also to the mega-Churches. This essay looks at key characteristics of urban migrants and the significant elements of the Pentecostal/charismatic communities that attract them as new members. Particular attention is given both to the evolving political dimension of these communities and to the “gender paradox” whereby women are more likely to join Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches where they discover a renewed dignity and identity while these very Churches are largely governed by men. Examples are given as diverse as that among Protestant urban migrants in mainland China, and Catholic domestic and international migrants within and from the Philippines. The essay concludes with an analysis that looks at the data as a reflection of modernity and its consequent challenge to mainstream Churches that have as yet failed to adapt