Charismatic renewal has been a colourful but controversial feature of Christianity in the transatlantic world since 1945, and it has mostly been given a wide berth by modern historians of the traditional denominations. Coverage has often been perfunctory at best, influenced perhaps by an assumption that it is something of a minority concern, with little wider influence. There has been much greater awareness of the distinct history of the Pentecostal Churches, though even here research on North America and Europe has been relatively slight, with attention particularly focused instead on the growth of Pentecostal Churches in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
The volume under review sets out to remedy this deficiency. Some ten research essays focus on particular countries, organisations, networks or individuals, but in the process help to illuminate the complex cross-currents of influence and identity that shaped charismatic renewal on both sides of the Atlantic. A number of themes emerge again and again: the role of universities as channels through which charismatic renewal spread; its appeal particularly (but by no means exclusively) to the young; the importance of personal networks, currents of international influence and ‘global flow’; the ecumenical reach of renewal; and the associated readiness of many charismatic renewal leaders to work in harmony wherever possible with authorities in their own denominations and with like-minded people in others. In the main, charismatic renewal has been a feature of western Christianity, Catholic and Protestant alike, which has found the older traditions a habitable context, despite some hostility. Moreover, the cultural clothing of charismatic renewal has been immensely influential, changing liturgical and devotional fashion in parishes and congregations in the ‘mainstream’.
Though there is a useful introduction which sets out the methodological and interpretative issues, and a particularly illuminating conclusion by David Bebbington which draws attention to the similarities and especially divergences between Pentecostalism and charismatic renewal, the real strength of this volume is in the case studies. The standard is consistently high, though some contributions make greater headway than others in drawing out the broader implications of the material they cover. For this reviewer, particular highlights are Joshua Ziefle's study of David du Plessis's positive relationship with the historic denominations, John Maiden's study of the extensive influence of the publishing enterprise, the Logos International Fellowship, on renewal in the US and elsewhere, Ian Randall's fascinating microstudy of renewal in Cambridge, Mark Hutchinson's consideration of historical narratives developed by Catholics for and against charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church, and Andrew Atherstone's consideration of the ministry of John Wimber and its impact in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Other chapters cover renewal in Wales (David Ceri Jones) and France (David Bundy), the impact of the Christian Life magazine in the US (Amber Thomas Reynolds), the origins of Catholic charismatic renewal in the US (Valentina Ciciliot) and renewal amongst American Mennonites (Devin Manzullo-Thomas); these are all excellent too.
As is only to be expected from a volume of essays, one of the values of this book is to act as a prompt for further research, since at a number of points it is clear that only the surface is being scratched of a phenomenon in modern western Christianity which merits much closer study. But this will be an essential starting-point, none the less. A number of perspectives have been mapped out here – local studies, regional or national studies, personal and organisational networks, critical biography, the material culture of print and publishing – which could usefully be extended into other contexts. Without doubt, this volume establishes firmly the breadth, influence and significance of charismatic renewal in the last half century or so, and opens up fascinating insights into its study.
