Spiritual Explosion: A Review of the Literature on the Sudden Growth of Pentecostalism in Australia

doi:10.1558/jasr.37176

Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, Vol 31, No 1 (2018)

Spiritual Explosion: A Review of the Literature on the Sudden Growth of Pentecostalism in Australia

Jon K. Newton

Issued Date: 21 Nov 2018

Abstract

Australian Pentecostalism may be traced back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century but remained a very small part of the Australian religious landscape until the late 1970s, when it suddenly began an explosive growth period that was sustained for twenty years. This article explores and analyses the statistics that chart this growth. It reviews the existing literature on the causes of this sudden growth spurt produced by participants and observers of Australian Pentecostalism in books and journal articles. It concludes that, according to this literature, there were four main factors driving this phenomenon: cultural changes in Australia; a spiritual movement that included the 'charismatic movement' and the 'Latter Rain' stream; the emergence of new leadership and governance structures; and demographic factors. The article concludes by raising a number of questions that demand further research.

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DOI: 10.1558/jasr.37176

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