South Indian Pentecostal Movement In The 20th Century

“Azusa Street was the prelude, but the beginning of Pentecostalism was reached when a global Pentecostal network was established. Neither a creed, an institution nor a place is the beginning of Pentecostalism, but a vast and vague international network; and in that specific sense Pentecostalism was a global movement right from its beginnings. And it is in this context that the beginnings of Pentecostalism in India have to be understood.” – from the introduction Making up approximately 20 percent of South India’s Protestants, Pentecostals are an influential part of India’s Christian culture, yet there is a distinct lack of scholarly focus on this increasingly large denomination. This careful study ably fills that gap. After a brief introduction outlining the history of the worldwide growth of Pentecostalism, Bergunder delves into the history of the south Indian Pentecostal movement in the first section. The second section gives a systematic profile of the current movement in south India, based on formal interviews with nearly 200 leading pastors and evangelists, as well as a wide-range of source materials. Bergunder finishes with prospects for the future of this unique Pentecostal movement.