a contextual missiology of the spirit - eTheses Repository ...

Although the term ‘globalization’ has several implications, such as socio-political,
religio-cultural, economic and technological, this study uses the term
‘globalization of Pentecostalism’ to express the ‘interconnectedness of
Pentecostalism’ across the globe in one way or another, as mentioned in chapter
one. As Harold Netland argues, despite the rise of powerful anti-globalization
movements and the resurgence of a nationalistic spirit, ‘globalization promotes
increased interconnectedness and commonalities across traditional ethnic,
religious, cultural, and national boundaries.’ 36 There are several Pentecostal
commonalities despite its regional and ecclesiastical differences. There have been
a number of attempts in the recent past to study various aspects of the
globalization of Pentecostalism. 37 In the contemporary world, it seems that in no
part of the world can Pentecostalism claim to be an isolated movement, but
different strands are connected to each other in one way or the other. As Coleman
comments, ‘one could argue that such similarities are due to the same Spirit
infusing different populations around the globe,’ however, ‘the social and
communicational links between complex and shifting networks’ of people cannot
be ignored. His research of a Charismatic church in Sweden reveals a global
charismatic ‘meta-culture’ that transcends geographical as well as ecclesial
particularities, and displays remarkable parallels across the globe. 38
36 Harold A. Netland, ‘Introduction: Globalization and Theology Today,’ in Globalizing Theology:
Belief and Practice in an Era of World Christianity, ed. Craig Ott and Harold A. Netland (Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 22.
37 For example, Dempster, Klaus, and Petersen, Globalization of Pentecostalism; Karla Poewe, ed.
Charismatic Christianity as a Global Culture (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press,
1994); Simon Coleman, The Globalization of Charismatic Christianity: Spreading the Gospel of
Prosperity (Cambridge: CUP, 2000); Sturla J. Stalsett, Spirits of Globalization: The Growth of
Pentecostalism and Experiential Spiritualities in a Global Age (London: SCM Press, 2006).
38 See for more discussion, Coleman, Globalization of Charismatic Christianity, 67-69.
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