Fire From Heaven

Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the 21st Century
by Harvey Cox
Da Capo Press (1995)

The Pentecostal movement is shaping much of modern Christianity in the world. In Fire from Heaven, Harvey Cox attempts to study and explain Pentecostalism because it is one of the fastest growing movements in the world. He attempts to provide a neutral perspective for outsiders who are interested in understanding how the church is growing globally at such a fast rate. He describes the symbols of the Pentecostal church, which include such things as “high-amperage music, voluble praise, bodily movement including clapping and swaying, personal testimonies, sometimes prayers ‘in the Spirit,’ a sermon full of stories and anecdotes, announcements, lots of humorous banter, a period of intense prayers for healing, and a parting song.” (6) Interestingly, he confirms the fact that Pentecostalism is mostly an urban phenomenon, so it has implications for people who are involved in urban ministry. A historical context, dating back to Azusa Street, is provided early on in the book, followed by chapters emphasizing the importance of mysticism and hope to the religion. The author also touches on certain dynamics of the global expansion and the future of the movement in the United States.

Nobody can deny that the growth of the Pentecostal movement throughout the world has been amazing. One of the things that I struggle with most, and the author also pointed this out, is the seemingly overdone focus on demonic activity, or exorcisms, in the church. Much of it seems trivial. Cox writes, “What annoys me about the experts who catalog and chart the different devils today, and who are sure the demons are at work in their opponents, is that they are making a very serious religious question seem trivial and ridiculous.” (286) Spiritual darkness and demonic activity are clearly present in the world today, but the sins perpetuated by world and the flesh are also to blame for many of life’s fundamental difficulties. I do see many signs of hope in the movement. Cox pointed out that many young Pentecostal ministers “believe that the fact that their movement started among the disowned and dispossessed is not a mere historical memento, but a decisive indication of what the Spirit wants them to be doing today.” (318) God is moving in the lives of the poor around the world through the movement.

From what I understand, several forms of liberation theology and Pentecostalism exist in Homewood. I can completely understand why some people in the community have grasped on to certain aspects of the Pentecostal movement. Cox discovered that, “The movement started from the bottom. A partially blind, poor, black man with little or no book learning outside of the Bible heard the call… He was a son of former slaves who had to listen to sermons through a window and who undoubtedly traveled to Los Angeles in the segregated section of the train. Yet under Seymour’s guidance, a movement arose whose impact on Christianity, less than a century after his arrival in Los Angeles, has been compared to the Protestant Reformation.” (119) The Pentecostal movement may appeal to many residents of Homewood because it is such a profound shift in Christianity with roots growing from a person reflecting the demographic make up of much of the neighborhood as it is today. Pentacostalism could help to bring a profound sense of hope to the neighborhood, and I intend to keep learning about this form of Christianity so that I can be more effective with the young people with whom I have been called to serve in Homewood.