This book deals with the largest global shift in religion over the last forty years, the astonishing rise of Pentecostalism and charismatic Christianity. Conservative estimates suggest that a quarter of a billion people are now members of Pentecostal churches, mainly in the developing world. David Martin examines the widely differing forms of Pentecostal religion across the five continents, drawing deeply significant conclusions about the future of Christianity itself.

David Martin's "Tongues of Fire "was a pioneering examination of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity in Latin America. This book extends the argument of that book and applies it globally. The author looks at the roots of the Pentecostal movement to explain how it crosses cultural boundaries, appealing to people as diverse as the respectable poor in Latin American and Africa, the new middle classes of South East Asia, and minorities in the Andes or Nepal. Martin offers a sensitive and illuminating account of the life-world of Pentecostals which looks at the specificities of history, politics, culture and economics while drawing out a wide-ranging theory and explanation of the secular and the sacred.

"Pentecostalism: The World Their Parish "is a major milestone in the work of one of the most respected sociologists of religion writing today. It will become essential reading for students, academics and general readers interested in the rise of global religion.

Combining personal stories and sound scholarship, Paul Alexander, a young scholar with a Pentecostal background, examines the phenomenal worldwide success of Pentecostalism. While most other works on the subject are either for academics or believers, this book speaks to a broader audience. Interweaving stories of his own and his family's experiences with an account of Pentecostalism's history and tenets, Alexander provides a unique and accessible perspective on the movement.

Presents a multidisciplinary study of how Nigerian pentecostals conceive of and engage with a spirit-filled world, arguing that the character of the movement is defined through an underlying "spell of the invisible." This book presents a multidisciplinary study of how Nigerian Pentecostals conceive of and engage with a spirit-filled world. It seeks to discern the spirituality of the charismatic religious movement in Nigeria in relation to issues of politics, national sovereignty, economic development, culture, racial identity, gender, social ethics, and epistemology. Nimi Wariboko describes the faith's core beliefs and practices, revealing a "spell of the invisible" that defines not only the character of the movement but also believers' ways of seeing, being, and doing. Written by an insider to the tradition, Nigerian Pentecostalism will also engage outsiders with an interest in criticalsocial theory, political theory, and philosophy. Nimi Wariboko is the Katherine B. Stuart Professor of Christian Ethics at Andover Newton Theological School, Newton, Massachusetts.

"I was brought into a Christian church by a so-called Christian lady. While I received Jesus Christ in my heart, she left the service to go sleep with my husband."
"Before I had time to think, there stood Mr. (X). In a split second, he grabbed me and began to squeeze my breasts and crotch. I remember struggling to escape. I was twelve years old."
"Our church's youth pastor became sick with cancer. Medical treatment was resisted, and all they did was pray and fast around him 24 hours a day. He died He was 26 years old."
Ten years as a minister with the Assemblies of God Church turned Austin Miles into one of today's most outspoken critics of the church and propelled him into the international spotlight as an important spokesperson on a subject that has been handled far too delicately for far too long.
Miles' first book, the controversial Don't Call Me Brother, sold thousands of copies, appeared on several religious bestseller lists, and led to an unprecedented outpouring of media attention and public response. This book updates events following the publication of the book and the televangelist scandals, and includes letters from Miles' admirers and critics - from a 70-year-old man who sees the truth about born-again Christianity for the first time, to a ministerial candidate with a high-heel fetish. Letters from followers of the late faith-healer William Branham call the book "blasphemous"; others detail tragic stories of molestation, the loss of life savings, and the alientaion of family members. These letters, many of them expressing confusion and pain, provide the springboard for Miles' hard-hitting examination of deceptive religious organizations and for updates on the cast of characters that still controls much of the religious thinking of our time.