charismatic movement

A Christian movement, emphasizing emotional, demonstrative religious practices that began in the 1960s. It is similar to PENTECOSTALISM but is found in other Christian communities. "Charisma" is originally a Greek word; it refers to a gift of grace. People in the charismatic movement see behavior such as speaking in tongues, faith healing, vigorous weeping, or laughing as gifts of the Holy Spirit. They differ from Pentecostals by remaining in their own communities rather than founding Pentecostal churches. In a narrow sense, the charismatic movement refers to the appearance of charismatic practices in Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in the United States during the 1960s. For Protestants the decisive year was 1960. That was when an Episcopal priest in Van Nuys, California, Dennis Bennett (1917–91), informed people that he had experienced the gift of glossolalia, speaking in tongues. For Roman Catholics the decisive year was 1967, when students in several Catholic universities began to experience charismatic gifts. Practices, such as speaking in tongues and faith healing, spread among both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Church leaders were sometimes suspicious, and noncharismatic members often looked askance at charismatic practices. Nevertheless, after the initial enthusiasm died down, charismatic groups have managed to maintain small but dedicated followings. In the 20th century, Pentecostalism grew more rapidly than any other Christian movement, especially in the Southern hemisphere. Similarly, the charismatic movement was not confi ned to North America. Charismatic practices made their way to Britain and the European continent. They have also had a large impact on Christians in places as widely separated as Nigeria in Africa, Korea in East Asia, and far northern Canada among Inuit (Eskimo). Today, scholars also identify charismatic movements in other religions, such as BUDDHISM. Clearly, Buddhists do not attribute charismatic behavior to the Holy Spirit, but some of them have the same sort of practices. For example, in a Buddhist community in Taiwan known as Ciji, members, especially women, sometimes weep uncontrollably when they recite Buddhist scriptures (see SCRIPTURE, BUDDHIST) or the name of a BUDDHA or BODHISATTVA. They also sometimes weep when viewing a statue of the Buddha. Charismatic movements sometimes appear odd to outsiders. They have, however, made important contributions to religious life in the past 50 years.