An Alternative Approach To The Sacraments Among Pentecostal And Charismatic Churches

Although Pentecostals typically worship in a free style, they are by nature sacramentalists. They usually view sacramental actions as channels of divine power; however, they refuse to precisely define sacraments. Recently, some Pentecostal churches have adopted liturgies for use in their services and moved to a higher view of the sacraments. Pentecostals are by nature sacramentalists. Anointing with oil, prayer cloths, laying on of hands, feetwashing, and other symbolic acts have been standard features of the movement since its inception, and its first major conflict involved an argument over the mode of baptism. The Pentecostals have always had a difficult time in either completely identifying or contrasting themselves with evangelicals. They never seem to completely fit, despite their desire to do so. Actually they are closer to the Eastern churches in many of their theological presuppositions than they are to either Roman Catholic, evangelical, fundamentalist, or liberal Protestan…