Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal relationship with God and experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. For Christians, this event commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

, as described in the second chapter of the Book of Acts.

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

was established in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

, India at the start of the 20th century.

History

Indigenous Pentecostalism in India first emerged from the Syrian Christian community in the state of Kerala. Christianity in Kerala claims its origin in AD 52 when the

Apostle Thomas Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...

arrived and preached the gospel to

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. In addition, there were evidences of migrations of Christians from Syria in the fourth century and the eighth century to Kerala. The Pentecostal message from the West arrived in Kerala in 1909 through the visit of George Berg. This American missionary of German descent arrived in Bangalore in 1909 and preached in a convention in Kerala. The first Pentecostal congregation was formed through the efforts of Berg in Kerala only in 1911; this was among first generation Christians. Berg was the first missionary to reach out to the natives who did not speak English. In 1913 Pastor

Robert F. Cook Robert F. Cook (1880–1958) served as the prime missionary responsible for the establishment of the Pentecostal movement in India. Though a number of missionaries came before him and though the Pentecostal experience took place in India independ ...

also came to India as a missionary. He came to Kerala and began his ministry there in 1914. By 1923, Cook had established 36 churches in Kerala, known collectively as the South India

Church of God (Full Gospel) in India {{Infobox Christian denomination , name = Church Of God (Full Gospel) in India (COG) , image = Church of God Emblem.svg , imagewidth = 140px , caption = Cross with wave of the Holy Spirit , abbreviation = COG in India , main_classification = Prote ...

. Pastor K. E. Abraham, who was associated with Pastor Cook until 1930, was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1923, an event considered as the foundation for the establishment of the India Pentecostal Church of God. In 1930, Pastor K.E Abraham who believed that local Keralite churches must be independent from foreign organizations for effective evangelization within India, split from Pastor Cook and formed the South India Pentecostal Church of God. He later changed the name of the church to India Pentecostal Church of God. In addition to the work begun by Abraham, Pentecostalism grew rapidly in Kerala through the ministries of the Ceylon Pentecostal Mission (CPM), the Church of God (Cleveland), and the Assemblies of God.

Notable communities

* Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) *

Assemblies of God in India The General Council of the Assemblies of God of India is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in India. It is affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. The headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. History The General Council of the ...

(AG) *

(COG) *

The Pentecostal Mission The Pentecostal Mission (TPM) or New Testament Church (NTC) in the United States or Universal Pentecostal Church (UPC) in the United Kingdom is a Pentecostal denomination which was founded in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1923. The intern ...

(TPM) * Glorious Church Of God (Malayam Daiva Sabha) * Sharon Fellowship Church (SFC) * New India Church of God (NICOG) * New India Bible Church (NIBC) * World Mission Evangelism Church of God (WME) * The Apostolic Ministries International (TAMI) * Suvartha Center Church (SCC) * Malankara Christian Church (MCC) *Church Of God Full Gospel In India Kerala Region * Karisma Fire Ministries

Population

Christian Denominations in Kerala, 2011

Source: Religious Denominations of Kerala

Pentecostal Youth Associations

Lifestyle

In classical Pentecostalism, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is understood to be a separate and distinct experience occurring sometime after regeneration. Influenced by the Holiness movement, baptism with the Holy Spirit was regarded by the first Pentecostals as being the third work of grace, following the new birth (first work of grace) and entire sanctification ( second work of grace). John Wesley, the founder of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

movement, taught that there were two distinct phases in the Christian experience. In the first work of grace, the new birth, the believer received forgiveness and became a Christian. During the second work of grace, sanctification, the believer was purified and made holy. Wesley taught both that sanctification could be an instantaneous experience, and that it could be a gradual process. Early Methodists wore plain dress, with Methodist clergy condemning "high headdresses, ruffles, laces, gold, and 'costly apparel' in general". John Wesley recommended that Methodists annually read his thoughts ''On Dress''; in that sermon, John Wesley expressed his desire for Methodists: "Let me see, before I die, a Methodist congregation, full as plain dressed as a Quaker congregation". The 1858 Discipline of the

Wesleyan Methodist Connection The Wesleyan Methodist Church was a Methodist denomination in the United States organized on May 13, 1841. It was composed of ministers and laypeople who withdrew from the Methodist Episcopal Church because of disagreements regarding slaver ...

thus stated that "we would ... ejoin on all who fear God plain dress".

Outward Holiness Outward holiness, or external holiness, is a Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine emphasizing modest dress and sober speech. It is a testimony of a Christian believer's regeneration, done in obedience to God. The doctrine is prevalent among denominations ...

, or External Holiness, is a Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine emphasizing modest dress and sober speech. The doctrine was prevalent during the revival movements for the early Lutheran Pietists and Methodists, and during the Holiness and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movementModest and plain dress, which is defined as loose covering from the neck to below the knee in all normal body postures; women often wear a Christian headcovering. This would also include the strict prohibition of mixed bathing. *Moderate or no use of jewelry or ornaments of gold, silver, and jewels for personal adornment; some denominations will only allow the use of a wedding band or ring while others proscribe it too. *A distinction of the sexes in clothing, forbidding such style as trousers and pant suits for women unless required by work or public service. *Christian men are to wear their hair short and Christian women must never cut or remove their hair, wearing it long in order to have a definitive distinction of male and female sexes. As a continuation, in Kerala many Traditional Pentecostal denominations do not wear ornaments depending upon the denomination they are part of. However Dr. Valsan Abraham who is the current president of IPC Church has mentioned that removing ornaments is not a part of Biblical doctrine but the forefathers of IPC CHURCH had decided to have a simple lifestyle and the practice of removing ornaments has never ever recorded in the constitution of IPC and in the statement of faith. Most of the Independent churches in Kerala do not have a practice of removing ornaments. At the turn of the century, more and more traditional churches are moving away from the practice of mandating compulsory removal of ornaments and classifying it as a personal choice of believers.

Pentecostal Institutions in Kerala

List of some main institutions are :- * India Bible College & Seminary, Kumbanad * MT Zion Bible Seminary, Mulakuzha * Faith Theological Seminary, Manakkala * Bethel Bible College, Punalur * Sharon Bible College, Thiruvalla * Shalom Bible College, Vadavathoor * IPC Kottayam Theological Seminary, Puthuppally * Rhema Bible Seminary, Nallur, Palakkad. Accredited by ATA * Calicut Theological College - Kozhikode * Asian Bible College - Kochi * Trinity Bible College Kozhikode, Waynad

Pentecost Media

Media plays a leading role to spread Pentecostalism in Kerala through Television Channels, Radio Channels, Newspapers/Magazines and Social Media.

Resistance of Pentecostalism in Kerala

The US-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned some attacks on Christians in Kerala, generally considered a safe-haven for Christians because of the large Christian minority there. The ICC warned that the Kerala attacks would only embolden anti-Christian extremists elsewhere to attack the even more vulnerable Christians in their states. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad along with the Arya Samaj arranged the Ghar Wapsi Program and converted a few number of Christians to Hinduism in Kerala. Because Dalit Christians had belonged to SC/ST communities before conversion to Christianity, but they are denied the government's SC/ST benefits in education and job reservation. The Supreme Court ruled that a person who reconverts from Christianity to Hinduism shall be entitled to reservation benefits if his forefathers belonged to a Scheduled Caste and the community accepts him after reconversion.

International Evangelists in Kerala

* Billy Graham American Evangelist Billy Graham came in February 1956, conducted program in

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south ...

in Kerala. Most of the pentecostal Christian homes in Kerala had the wall poster with the side view picture of 36 years old Evangelist Dr. Billy Graham with the writing "God is Calling The Church”. * Reinhard Bonnke German Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke preached in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of ...

for the CfaN Fire Conference on April 9-13, 2008.

Malayalee Evangelists outside Kerala

* MA VARGHESE Ma Varghese is the senior Pastor of Bethel AG church Bangalore. * PG VARGHESE P.G Varghese is the founder of IET Indian Evangelical Team working in North India. They have nearly planted 8000 churches across India. * ANISON SAMUEL Anison Samuel is a revival speaker, Pastor and an evangelist who has started his ministry at the age of 12. He is currently the President of The Apostolic Ministries International and the senior Pastor of Zion Apostolic church in Edmonton, Canada. The Apostolic Ministries International have around 1500 churches across the globe. * RANJIT ABRAHAM & V A THAMPY Pastor R Abraham and Pastor VA Thampy are the founders of New India Church of God. Under their leadership they have planted 3500 churches across the nation of India with orphanages and schools.

References

{{Christianity in Kerala Christianity in Kerala