[SoccerAaron]

Speaking in tongues. Also, they are the main "prospeirity(sp?) gospel" backers.

[Travis]

Tongues & prophecy. Emphasis on "spiritual warfare."

[Grasshopper359]

Originally posted by SoccerAaron
Also, they are the main "prospeirity(sp?) gospel" backers.

They weren't for the 12 or so years that I was in the Pentecostal denomination. Some are, but for the most part, the denomination itself has stayed out of that. In fact, it never really caught on at all in Canada.

I'd be inclined to agree with Travis. When the Pentecostal movement started, what set them apart from others was a belief in tongues and prophecy. They're not the only denomination that believes in these now, so I don't know if this is much good as a defining variable anymore. Truth be told, I don't know if there is any one thing that you can point to to define a denomination, to the exclusion of all others. Every denomination that I can think of has at least a few points of doctrine that are shared by at least one other.

Having said that, I'll lay out for the most part what Pentecostals typically believe.

-Protestant denomination.
-Not necessarily strict Arminian, but they do have Arminian leanings.
-Belief that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit include: tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, working of miracles and healings.
-Evangelistic, with a heavy emphasis on missions.
-Some have traditional worship, most tend to have modern.
-Most are Trinitarians, some are not (UPCs for example).
-Typically partial preterists, though some are futurists.
-Not usually dispentionalists; most tend to believe in the equality of all Believers in the eyes of God.
-Not usually Zionists; Pentecostals tend to believe in the evangelism of every ethnic group as a precursor to Christ's return, as opposed to returning the Jewish people to their homeland. In fact, global missions is the PAOC's first priority right now.
-The issue of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is divided; some believe in pre-tribulation rapture, some believe in post-tribulation rapture. As far as I know, the PAOC have no official position on the matter.
-The issue of women being ordained is also divided. Some believe in it, others do not. The issue came up when I was in the Pentecostal denomination, and the PAOC turned it down, but things may have changed since then. I know of at least one woman who was ordained by the PAOC.

Some bodies hold to different views on finer points, but most Pentecostals tend to agree with the majority of what I laid out.

[jesusfreak1234]

I am kind of Pentacostal, but I don't agree wiht everything...
-like how you have to be filled with holy spirit, with such as speaking in tongues to go to heaven.---yes i have gone to a church like that
-the "good christian=rich" thing
-the look beautiful thing... most pentacostal churhes their are they are barbies n' kens.... be ur self! lol
-A lot of them need to learn God's love... cause they ned to show it... specially the adults.
- there are other thing i can't remember.. so get back to me later

[Tracy]

Originally posted by Grasshopper359
-Typically partial preterists, though some are futurists.

-The issue of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is divided; some believe in pre-tribulation rapture, some believe in post-tribulation rapture. As far as I know, the PAOC have no official position on the matter.

Actually, the PAOC statement of faith does affirm the rapture/futurism. I'm not Pentecostal myself, but have attended a PAOC church for about a year now (mostly youth, used to attend Sundays, though) and everybody I know there is a futurist.

Don't know enough to know whether the rest is accurate, that just stuck out for some reason.

[Travis]

I've never met any pentacostal who wasn't a futurist that I know of...

[Nathanael]

Originally posted by jesusfreak1234 -the "good christian=rich" thing

What do you mean by this? People are ostricised if they're not rich? Or it's automaticly assumed everyone's gonna be rich if they're good?

This sounds like more of a problem of the congregation than the church.

-the look beautiful thing... most pentacostal churhes their are they are barbies n' kens.... be ur self! lol

I'm not sure about every pentecostal denominations but I'm pretty sure a good deal of them preach holiness standereds.

-A lot of them need to learn God's love... cause they ned to show it... specially the adults.

Are you talking about people in church or saying the beliefs of that church were formed in that way? and if that, how so?

[Mrstickball]

I'm not understanding the Barbie and Ken statement.....Are you saying that Pentecostals try to look all pretty or something? I'm thinking that you've been watching TBN alittle too much and haven't seen normal ones.

Most pentecostal churches preach holiness, but there are different levels of holiness...I assure you that if you came to my church that you aren't going to see everyone dressed up and looking like barbie or ken....

[SoccerAaron]

Hopefully not all dress like the people on TBN. (I.E Jan crouch )

[Grasshopper359]

I am kind of Pentacostal, but I don't agree wiht everything...
-like how you have to be filled with holy spirit, with such as speaking in tongues to go to heaven.---yes i have gone to a church like that
-the "good christian=rich" thing
-the look beautiful thing... most pentacostal churhes their are they are barbies n' kens.... be ur self! lol
-A lot of them need to learn God's love... cause they ned to show it... specially the adults.
- there are other thing i can't remember.. so get back to me later

What it looks like is that you've been to a couple churches that taught this stuff, and come to the conclusion that that was what the Pentecostals in general believe. The points that you have problems with vary from church to church, city to city, and country to country. For example, you said that one church that you'd been to talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues as a pre-requisite to going to Heaven. That would not go over very well with the PAOC. They obviously do support speaking in tongues (it's in their statement of faith), but to be required prior to entry to heaven is has never been supported by the PAOC.

[Nathanael]

what do you think pentacostal religion is?

first of all, pentecostals are not religious!

[el cabong]

first of all, pentecostals are not religious!

Amen! That there were more people like that in the world.

[Raphael]

(SoccerAaron)
Also, they are the main "prospeirity(sp?) gospel" backers.

(Roger)
Only some...and it just so happens that they're the ones who end on TBN and make it look like all of us back the prosperity gospel.

(jesusfreak1234)
-like how you have to be filled with holy spirit, with such as speaking in tongues to go to heaven.---yes i have gone to a church like that

(Roger)
Actually that is a very very small fringe of pentecostals (though a somewhat noisy bunch). My pastor actively teaches against statements like that one.

(jesusfreak1234)
the look beautiful thing... most pentacostal churhes their are they are barbies n' kens.... be ur self! lol

(Roger)
Hmmm, so we should be happy with pitching up to church in a t-shirt, shorts and barefoot? I did that yesterday as a matter of fact...and do so regularily (in summer, in winter I wear warmer stuff ).

(jesusfreak1234)
-the "good christian=rich" thing

(Roger)
Nope, we don't teach or support that idea. We do beleive that God Blesses some people with more money that others, but in no way do we rate that as being "how good a Christian" the person is.

(Nate)
first of all, pentecostals are not religious!


(Roger)
Sadly I know some pentecostals who claim not to be religious, but are just as religious, if not more so, than many more "religious" denominations.
But still AMEN!!

[Grasshopper359]

Originally posted by Raphael
(Roger)
Hmmm, so we should be happy with pitching up to church in a t-shirt, shorts and barefoot? I did that yesterday as a matter of fact...and do so regularily (in summer, in winter I wear warmer stuff ).

Well, it's not quite warm enough for shorts and t-shirts here yet, but in the summer, I regularily wear a Polo shirt, khaki shorts and desert boots. One time, we went on an evangelism trip with some Pentecostals down in Dorchester, and it poured rain the whole weekend. So there we were going door to door, my buddy was dressed in shorts, hiking boots and a windbreaker, and I was wearing khaki pants, jungle boots, my old combat jacket, and a wide-brimmed camoflouge jungle hat, with the one side fastened up. I looked like a total mercenary. One lady said, "You aren't Jehovah's Witnesses, are you?" I laughed and said, "Do we look like Jehovah's Witnesses?" She laughed and said, "Well I didn't think so, but I had to ask." Heck, the pastor was out wearing shorts and a t-shirt when the weather finally did clear up.

My buddy and I used to go down to the Pentecostal church in Innisfil last summer for a worship night that they had, dressed in shorts and t-shirts, and the guys in the band up on stage were dressed pretty much the same way, as was pretty much everybody else. It was fun.

[SoccerAaron]

Originally posted by jesusfreak1234

-like how you have to be filled with holy spirit, with such as speaking in tongues to go to heaven.---yes i have gone to a church like that

I've only heard UPC's say that.