An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

the Holy Ghost). Interestingly the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of God are notgiven other names (such as Christology or Theology) in his exposition to express these twooriginal doctrines. Divine Healing occupies only 12 lines of Thomas-Juggan‟s account ofthe church and stresses that some have the gift of healing.The development of Pentecostalism throughout history to contemporary society isexplained by Richardson and Bouden (1999) as a progressive development which nowinfluences many denominations such as Lutherans, Presbyterians and other protestantchurches. Others, however, have suggested it is a deviation from Christian tradition.Robbins (1995) while broadly sympathetic, points to conservative evangelicals who arguethe concept of Pentecostalism as not the same as that found in Acts and suggests theoutpouring of the spirit, the miracles, and sound from heaven, tongues of fire or dividedtongues does not happen in modern-day Pentecostal churches. Robbins rejects the critiquewhich suggests that what happens in the Pentecostal churches is a caricature of whathappened at Pentecost as reported in Acts, without actually citing any who have put thiscritique in writing.The URC congregation would not put this criticism so starkly, but they believe theoutpouring of the spirit, speaking in tongues, and prophetic manifestations of the HolySpirit at Pentecost were a specific historical occurrence after the Resurrection. TheAnglican church conceives of Pentecost in terms of a time element. In the same way asthere is recognition of Lent before Easter there is Pentecost – Whit Sunday - after Easter asdescribed above in relation to the feast of the Passover.110