Age of the Spirit: Charismatic Renewal, the Anglo-World, and Global Christianity, 1945-1980

by John Maiden

This expansive study offers an interpretation of the 'new Pentecost': the rise of charismatic Christianity, before, during, and after the 'long 1960s'. It examines the translocal actors, networks, and media which constructed a 'Spiritscape' of charismatic renewal in the Anglo-world contexts of Australia, the British Isles, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. It places this arena also in a wider and dynamic worldwide setting, exploring the ways in which charismatic imaginations of an 'age of the Spirit' were shaped by interpenetrations with the 'Third World', the Soviet Bloc, and beyond in the global Sixties and Seventies.

Age of the Spirit explains charismatic developments within Protestantism and Catholicism, mainline and non-denominational churches, and within existing pentecostalisms, and places these in relation to lively scholarly themes such as secularisation, authenticity, and cosmopolitanism. It offers an unrivalled analysis of charismatic music, books, television, conferences, personalities, community living, and controversies in the 1960s and 1970s. It looks forward to the many global legacies of charismatic renewal, for example in relation to the politics of sexuality in the Anglican Communion, or to support for President Donald J. Trump. The essential question at the heart of this book is relevant for scholars and practitioners of Christianity alike: how did charismatic renewal transform the churches in the twentieth century, moving from the periphery to the mainstream?

Genres: History

280 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2023

Reviews

[CL Chu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the numerous localities in the book, I feel it can be better organized geographically rather than thematically. There are considerable overlaps across chapters. Many paragraphs are written in the dry "this person did this and that organization did that" format.

Overall, it's good to know how the type of church I go - mainline evangelical - is influenced by the charismatic movement. The general "affective turn" of global Christianity and its alignment with conservative politics (though with selective liberal lining depending on denominational politics) are surely interesting. Further investigation shall be made in the charismatic movement in the Global South plus diaspora in the North.