The Spirit of Pentecost

This monograph shows that Australian Pentecostalism exhibits distinctive elements that do not fit accepted historical and sociological theories. Neither the deprivation theories of the 1970s and 80s nor more recent sociological and psychological explanations are adequate to explain its development. This work shows that the movement's major contribution to Australian Christianity lies in its rekindling of an openness to experiential religion, specifically through the baptism in the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues, and that this has been both a strength and a weakness.