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Much has changed since the early days
of Pentecostalism. The early movement was marked by the low educational
level of its converts. It generally consisted of those who did not feel
at home in main-line churches, partly because of class distinction found
there.
One student of Pentecostalism wrote:
"The appeal of Pentecostalism is
limited quite clearly to the naive and gullible mind which will accept
things without investigation. The great majority of the followers of the
healers are old people, shallow people—people cast aside by society
and forgotten by the proud ‘established churches,’ to our eternal
discredit."—Carroll Stegall, Jr., The Modern Tongues and
Healing Movement.
Not only were all class barriers absent
in the Pentecostal circles, but racial barriers were also almost
nonexistent. Today the social and organizational structure of the early
pioneer Pentecostal churches has changed. The semi-educated and
unskilled are still welcome, but a new breed, the intellectuals, have
taken control of its once loosely knit congregations. Their full gospel
emphasis, however, has remained.
While there is little basic difference
between the old-time Pentecostals and the charismatics, the latter
prefer this new name. It distinguishes them from a movement which was
once believed to consist of the ignorant and the emotionally unstable.
As a rule, the charismatics try to involve themselves in the phenomenon
of speaking in tongues and spiritual healing practices without entering
into the other kinds of ecstatic behavior so characteristic of some of
the Pentecostal churches. Another difference is in the social makeup of
most of their groups. In marked contrast to their heritage builders, the
charismatic groups appeal mainly to the educated, and this thrust,
together with their rather sophisticated use of tongues, has gained them
thousands of converts in the upper stratum of society. Today doctors,
lawyers, educators, and businessmen find that they can combine their
desire for a "new birth" with a tongues experience—without
becoming the topic of ridicule from their friends and neighbors.
Mrs. Jeane Stone, board member of the
Blessed Trinity Society, a group formed by Harold Bredesen, a Dutch
Reformed minister and avid tongues enthusiast, says of these tongues:
"Their private use is more
important than public, more oriented to clergy and professional classes,
more Bible-centered as against experience, not separatist, more orderly
meetings with strict adherence to Pauline directives, less emphasis on
tongues."—As quoted by Frank Farrell, "Outburst of Tongues:
The New Penetration," Christianity Today, September 13,
1963, p. 6.
The question as to whether the
charismatic movement is strictly a spontaneous outlet for
emotional ecstasy, leading to a sense of spiritual fulfillment, can be
answered in the negative. There are undoubtedly those who feel
themselves attracted to the movement and join on their own initiative,
but the majority of converts are sought out through a conscientious
missionary endeavor. Converts are won by individual church members, and
also by organizations such as the Full Gospel Business Men’s
Fellowship International, a California-based enterprise led by Demos
Shakarian. A wealthy businessman, he formed his organization after
having been encouraged in the idea by the spiritual activist, Oral
Roberts. Members of the Shakarian family are no newcomer to the
Pentecostal experience. They proudly point out that one of the first
Pentecostal churches in North America was established in their
California home in 1905 as a result of their interest in the Azusa
Street Mission. However, their experience with the supernatural was
evident long before this. The Shakarian Story, by Thomas Nickel,
reveals that members of the family have been involved in direct
revelations, visions, speaking in tongues, and miraculous healings for
over 100 years, predating by many years their first arrival in America.
The chief purpose of the Full Gospel
Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) is to implant within
the narrow boundaries of the traditional churches the manifestations of
Pentecostalism. To accomplish this, the organization sponsors banquets,
conventions, and breakfasts on a local, national, and international
level. Being both astute businessmen and Full Gospel Pentecostalists,
the Shakarians do not leave a stone unturned to attain their goal. Says
Russel T. Hitt, "The most polished of public relations techniques
have been enrolled to advance the movement. While there is certainly
nothing wrong with using modern techniques, the neo-Pentecostalism
cannot claim complete spontaneity."—Russel T. Hitt, "The
New Pentecostalism, an Appraisal," Eternity, July, 1963, p.
16. (Italics supplied.)
An important instrument in this all-out
effort is their monthly publication, VOICE, which enthusiastically
publicizes such happenings as testimonies, "baptisms in the
spirit," and other related topics. One of the most recent thrusts
(Jan. 1973) of the FGBMFI concerns the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Regarding the church as spiritually impoverished because of its
reluctance to join or endorse the charismatic movement, they have
decided to "enrich" it with the "gift of tongues" by
mailing a copy of their monthly VOICE to those Adventists that have been
placed on their mailing list, hoping to repeat the impact a similar
effort had on another major denomination in the United States. Read Chapter 2 — Tongues
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