Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

European  Pentecostalism      By    William K. Kay Reviewed by    Various European Pentecostalism is a 398-page book, which is the seventh volume in a series of 12 titled “ Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies .” The series is published by Brill. The book is not exclusively a behavioural science text but part three included sociological perspectives. ******** A review by Michael Wilkinson finds the book useful for sociology of religion researchers. “Finally, the sociological and statistical coverage, while general, will be of value to sociologists of religion, especially those conducting current research on the movement. This material provides an excellent framework and background for current issues of migration, globalization, religious diversity, and cultural change.” (p . 130). ******** In Paul Schmidgall’s review, he refers to data describing the scope of Pentecostalism in the Introduction by Anne Dyer with data from 2001. His comments ...

  I read a number of books reporting research with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians as a part of my own investigations and when writing Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians (2021). This book list with links to reviews or book summaries is the product of that research. I am using the concept, studies , to refer to scientific investigations that report quantitative or qualitative data. Some references refer to theorizing by scholars.  I do not include religious studies or theological sources because that is not my area of expertise, although I did read several of these works in preparing the aforementioned counselling book. Key Topics: Anthropology, Counselling, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Sociology, Integrating Christianity and Counseling or Psychotherapy   Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians by Geoffrey W. Sutton. A summary of research studies about beliefs, pract...

THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD:  GODLY LOVE and the  REVITALIZATION of AMERICAN PENTECOSTALISM .          By   Margaret M. Poloma  & John C. Green.               Poloma and Green report findings from a sociological study of the Assemblies of God by interpreting interview and survey data from 447 clergy and 1,827 congregants, contextualized by historical narratives, website documents, previous research, and sociological theories.  They posit that organizational tension between charisma (primal spirituality) and social structure (pragmatic, organizational concerns) can catalyze revitalization; however, extant data are not quite sufficient to support the hypothesized dynamic.  Data illustrate both a commitment to classic Pentecostal experiences (e.g., glossolalia, divine healing) as well as concerns for orthodoxy and structure.  We also see a str...

Catch the Fire:  Soaking Prayer       and  Charismatic Renewal         By Michael Wilkinson  &  Peter Althouse Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton,  Soaking prayer is claimed by charismatics to facilitate and expand the reception of divine love in order to give it away in acts of forgiveness, reconciliation, compassion, and benevolence. Soaking is a metaphor that supports charismatic spirituality and practices like resting in the Spirit, prayer for spiritual gifts, healing, prophecy, and impartation, which we describe and explain in this book (p. 4). The authors offer readers an integrated sociological and theological perspective on soaking prayer as practiced by charismatic Christians associated with Catch the Fire (CTF), a church in Toronto, Canada and a worldwide movement. Wilkinson and Althouse contextualize soaking prayer in two primary ways.  1. Dramatic ...