Thank you, very much.
Yes I see this forum is filled with vitriol. I hope that I never get swept up in it.
Pentecostal catches a lot of flack alright. So does Lutherans. We get equated to rome quite a lot. The irony is that those who do, use Romanist terms to do so. Its a real head scratcher really.
I understand. I’ve had my fair share of attacks too. It just bounces right off of me at this point.
As far as I understand about Pentecostals, they are not necessarily unified under a core doctrine. Some of them might believe you need to speak in tongues for evidence of being saved, while others may think it’s not necessary to be saved, but that the gift of tongues should be sought. I think the general culture within the Pentecostal church is that if you aren’t speaking in tongues then you’re a bit of an outsider in a social sense. Churches have cliques and in-crowds.
I’ve met a fair amount of Pentecostals who seem to think speaking in tongues is just babbling random syllables in quick succession like an auctioneer. I am not sure if that’s representative of the whole, just my experience.
One particular point I do agree with them on is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit haven’t ended. I also believe the offices of the church are still in effect per Ephesians 4:11-13, but I don’t think all Penetcostals agree with that.
I don’t neatly fit into any church or denomination I’ve found so far, but i identify as non-denominational and think that the various churches all offer something valuable that the others could benefit from.