The charismatic movement of the twentieth century has made an impact on nearly every denomination and has given rise to a number of new churches and fellowships. This discussion traces these developments and emphasizes the influence of the charismatic movement in contemporary worship.
The “charismatic renewal” of the late twentieth century is one of several movements in the history of the church emphasizing the power of God and the manifestation of miraculous and revelatory gifts of the Spirit, especially tongues and prophecy. Earlier charismatic movements included Montanism in second-century Phrygia, the Irvingite movement of nineteenth-century Britain, and the worldwide Pentecostal movement in the early twentieth century.
The charismatic renewal probably received its name at the fourth international convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) held in Minneapolis on June 25–29, 1956, where one or more of the invited speakers used this term to describe the movement of which they were a part. During these meetings, David J. DuPlessis advocated a decidedly ecumenical emphasis—an innovation to many of its participants (C. E. Sonmore, Beyond Pentecost [1992], 10–17).
Prior to this time, perhaps partly due to some of the efforts of DuPlessis, there had already been some Pentecostal activity among members of traditional churches. For example, the Christian cell movement of the late 1940s and early 1950s emphasized charismatic gifts, healing, and “body ministry” among Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others. “Cells” of Christians met together in many parts of the United States for fellowship, prayer, and the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit. One of the leaders of this movement, Samuel Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary House Church in New York City, published Faith at Work, a periodical which enjoyed a fairly wide circulation and which laid important groundwork for the later efforts of the FGBMFI and similar organizations.
In the 1960s, the charismatic movement began to find increasing acceptance within the traditional churches and sometimes came to be called “NeoPentecostalism.” Developments in the Roman Catholic church were typical of what happened in many Protestant denominations. In 1966, several Catholic lay faculty members at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh came together for prayer and discussion about the vitality of their lives as Christians and met some friends of theirs, Steve Clark and Ralph Martin, who introduced them to The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson. At the same time Ralph Keifer, a theology instructor at Duquesne, happened to read They Speak With Other Tongues by John Sherrill. Through William Lewis, vicar of St. John’s Student Parish in East Lansing, Michigan, these Duquesne professors met Betty Schomaker, an Episcopalian who brought them to a prayer meeting at the home of Florence Dodge, a Presbyterian, where, on January 13, 1967, Ralph Keifer spoke in tongues. The following week, two other Duquesne faculty members were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and by February, four of them had received the pentecostal experience. In mid-February, about thirty students and faculty spent a weekend retreat in prayer, and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. This “Duquesne weekend” was seminal for the subsequent spread of the charismatic gifts among Catholics. As a result of prolonged discussions between Ralph Keifer and Kevin and Dorothy Ranaghan, nine people from the University of Notre Dame came together in an apartment in South Bend on March 5, 1967, to seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The following week, at a subsequent meeting, many of these persons received the gift of tongues. Meetings of this kind continued to multiply, and the movement quickly spread to Catholic student groups at Iowa State, Holy Cross, and Michigan State University, where Ralph Martin and Stephen Clark started a prayer group after visiting Duquesne. In May of 1969, the first Catholic Charismatic Conference was held at Notre Dame and attended by 450 people. After six years of growth, the annual Notre Dame conference met at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with close to 20,000 people in attendance. Similar growth was experienced among Protestant charismatic groups during this time.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the charismatic movement was described by observers as a prayer movement. The central purpose of the charismatic prayer meeting was considered to be worship. One of its distinctive features was spontaneity; there was no prescribed agenda, and anyone could contribute. Kilian McDonnell provided an eyewitness account of a charismatic prayer meeting. It started with a hymn, followed by a Scripture reading; then there was silence while people meditated and prayed silently. After about five minutes someone prayed aloud, using as a basis the text which had just been read. This was followed by more silence, broken with short prayers by various members for the gift of praise, for strength, and for sensitivity to the needs of others. Someone with a guitar started singing a hymn, and the other members began to join in. A young businessman then gave a testimony of how God had enabled him to come to understand and help a difficult co-worker at his office since the time of the previous meeting. Two others gave testimonies, then there was silence for several minutes. An older man then asked for prayers for a domestic problem. He knelt in the middle of the room and the others gathered around, laying hands upon him. One of them spoke in tongues for about half a minute, while others quietly prayed in English. After three minutes he rose, and everyone sat down again as before. A young girl read a psalm, then there was silence. Someone then suggested that they break for coffee.
After twenty minutes, the meeting resumed, and the guitar player sang a hymn that he had written. Then there was extended silence until a man who had been there a few times previously suggested that the group pray for him that he might be baptized in the Holy Spirit. He knelt in the center, and the others gathered around, placing hands on his head and shoulders. He did not at that time speak in tongues. After three or four minutes he rose and everyone returned to his or her place. Somebody began to recite the Lord’s Prayer, and everybody else joined in. Then the members of the group began to tell of special prayer concerns. One man had an appointment for a job interview, another had housing problems, and another needed guidance for his life’s direction. There was a pause, then a member prophesied about God’s mercy. After another silence, someone began singing in tongues, and three or four joined in. The singing was followed by silence and the recitation of a psalm by the group. The entire meeting lasted about two and a half hours, which was “very modest by classical and neo-Pentecostal standards” (Kilian McDonnell, Catholic Pentecostalism: Problems in Evaluation [1970], 25–27).
The Latter Rain revival of the late 1940s and early 1950s was a major source of the charismatic renewal. One of its distinctive forms of worship, the “heavenly choir,” first became manifest at meetings held in Edmonton, Alberta, in October of 1948, attended by members of several Pentecostal denominations, including the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. The “heavenly choir” was a spontaneous form of congregational choral worship, metaphorically described by James Watt as “a mighty organ, with great swelling chords, and solo parts weaving in and out, yet with perfect harmony.” According to George Warnock, “from that day forth scriptural song became part and parcel of ministry that came when the body came together” (R. M. Riss, A Survey of 20th-Century Revival Movements in North America [Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988], 116).
Worship within the Latter Rain movement was later described by Bill Hamon as “praise flowing up and down like rhythmic waves of gentle ocean breezes and then rising to a crescendo of melodious praises.… In the 1950s, the praise service would flow continuously from thirty minutes to three hours. Most Charismatics of the 1960s and 1970s came into the Latter Rain type of worship” (The Eternal Church [Point Washington, Fla.: Christian International, 1981], 257–258). Hamon also has observed of the Latter Rain movement that “worship in these churches would continue with uplifted hands for about twenty minutes, then subside to a melodious murmur. Several prophecies would come forth, then worship would go on for another twenty or thirty minutes. Then the cycle would continue with more prophecies and more worship” (Prophets and the Prophetic Movement [1990], 116).
Many of the Scripture songs and praise choruses that later gained wide currency among charismatics were originally products of the Latter Rain movement and were written by such people as Phyllis Spiers (who was associated with Sharon Bible School in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and later with Elim Bible Institute in upstate New York), Rita Kelligan (also of Elim), and many others. Because these people felt that their music was born of the Spirit of God, they were not particularly interested in obtaining credit for these works through copyright registration. As a result, there were several cases in which music that originated with them was attributed to others.
In 1954, praise in the dance was introduced at a Latter Rain conference at Crescent Beach, British Columbia. During a time of worship, a woman prophesied, “The King is coming, the King is coming—go ye out to meet Him with dances and rejoicing.” She began taking ferns out of a flower basket, waving them in the air and laying them down as if before the Lord, praising the Lord in the dance. “Within a short time, most of the Latter Rain churches on the West Coast were praising God in the dance” (Hamon [1981], 260).
Various forms of dance have become an important part of charismatic worship, particularly in Kenya, Chile, Australia, Britain, and the United States. The liturgical dance movement was well known within Anglicanism prior to the advent of the charismatic renewal, and many charismatics have embraced it wholeheartedly. The Christian Dance Fellowship of Australia has had a tremendous worldwide influence, incorporating pageantry into worship. In an article on dance as a part of the charismatic movement, Nell Challingsworth described one occasion at which the colors for the dancers’ robes were taken from the stained glass windows, using ruby, gold, purple, sapphire, and emerald (D. Martin and P. Mullen, eds., Strange Gifts?: A Guide to Charismatic Renewal [Oxford: Blackwell, 1984], 126).
With respect to the worship of the charismatic movement in general, D. L. Alford has written that “freedom in worship, joyful singing, both vocal and physical expressions of praise, the instrumental accompaniment of singing, and acceptance of a wide variety of music styles are all characteristic of this renewal,” and that “it is not unusual to find Charismatic worshipers singing, shouting, clapping hands, leaping, and even dancing before the Lord as they offer him sincere praise and thanksgiving.” He observes that charismatic worship has several important characteristics, including (1) emphasis upon the singing of psalms and Scripture songs; (2) reliance upon music for praise and worship in church, at conferences and festivals, in small groups, and in private; (3) use of musical instruments; (4) emphasis upon congregational singing with the use of praise leaders; (5) use of dance and pageantry, both spontaneous and choreographed; (6) use of drama and pantomime; and (7) emphasis upon the prophetic role of, or anointing upon, the musicians (S. M. Burgess and G. M. McGee, eds., Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements [Grand Rapids: Regency Reference Library, 1988], 693–694). Bob Sorge observes that “to move prophetically in worship is to move with an awareness of the desire and leading of the Holy Spirit moment by moment, to discern the direction of the Spirit, and to lead God’s people to a fuller participation of that” (Exploring Worship: Practical Guide to Praise and Worship [Son-Rise, 1987], 125). Other characteristics of charismatic worship include the uplifting of hands, the linking of arms, the freedom for all participants to contribute, especially in the functioning of prophetic gifts and in acts of healing, and the use of music, art, and color as sacramental signs. There is a fresh emphasis upon meaning in worship and recognition that Scripture should be read with great emphasis and care, that actions should not be perfunctory, and that words should correspond with actions (Martin and Mullen, 109).
By 1974, some liturgists began to discern an urgent need to incorporate some of the charismatic distinctives into the liturgy. Certain important characteristics of charismatic worship therefore soon came to be incorporated into the worship of both Catholics and Protestants. For example, on Pentecost Monday in 1975, the first charismatic Mass was conducted at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with Cardinal Leon Josef Suenens as celebrant, where “young American Charismatic leaders from Ann Arbor, Michigan, delivered prophecies from the high altar of the basilica. Joyful and anointed singing filled the church” (Vinson Synan, In the Latter Days: The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Twentieth Century [Ann Arbor, Mich.: Servant Books, 1984], 116). Prior to this time, Josephine Massyngberde Ford had written that speaking and singing in tongues were already in use at pentecostal Catholic Eucharists during the synaxis or preparatory section of the Mass, and after the reception of Holy Communion (M. P. Hamilton, ed., The Charismatic Movement [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975], 117).
Charismatic Anglicans have made extensive use of Rite A in the Alternative Service Book in order to celebrate an extended Eucharist. Within certain parts of this rite provided by the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England, it is possible to include many of the elements from charismatic prayer meetings and to create inspiring celebrations, such as that which took place at the first International Anglican Charismatic Conference in 1978 at Canterbury Cathedral, where the Archbishop of Cape Town and thirty Anglican bishops presided (Martin and Mullen, 89).
A British Anglican, John Gunstone, has written that “one place where the Charismatic Renewal is having a wide influence is in the worship of parish churches. The renewal has, through its prayer meetings, introduced Anglicans to forms of praising, praying, singing, and sharing which most of them had never experienced before.… The popular, Scripture-based choruses, which have been the voice of the Charismatic Renewal in worship, are heard everywhere, and there is more relaxed freedom in the conduct of worship nowadays. Evangelicals have discovered the liturgical dance and Catholic Anglicans the personal testimony” (Martin and Mullen, 87–89).
Another important element of the charismatic renewal (and those whom it has touched) has been the public praise movement, which advocates marches for Jesus. Two of the primary exponents of public praise are Graham Kendrick in Britain and John Dawson in the United States. One of the earliest expressions of this type of worship took place in 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand, where there was a “march for righteousness” under the leadership of Rob Wheeler and Peter Morrow (both of the Latter Rain tradition), Anglican bishops, and pastors of most of the churches of that city.
The “praise and worship” movement which swept through many traditional churches in the 1980s and 1990s had its roots in the charismatic movement and its antecedents. Most praise and worship songs were originally sung among charismatics. At the outset of the charismatic movement, one of the first distributors of music tapes of this genre was Maranatha! Music of Laguna Hills, California.
According to Harry Boonstra (“With Reservations: A Review of Three Influential Books on the Praise and Worship Movement,” Reformed Worship 20 [1991], 36–37), three of the most influential books of the movement were written by Graham Kendrick (Learning to Worship [Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1985]), Jack W. Hayford (Worship His Majesty [Waco, Tex.: Word Books, 1987]), and Judson Cornwall (Let Us Worship [Waco, Tex.: Word Books, 1983]), who had been an almost ubiquitous guest speaker on praise and worship at charismatic conferences for several decades.
In North America, the widespread influence of the praise and worship movement among traditional churches may have been precipitated by the International Worship Symposium (IWS), founded by Barry and Steve Griffing in 1978 at Shiloh Christian Fellowship in Oakland, California, a “revival” church heavily influenced by the Latter Rain Movement of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1978, its founders invited a number of music ministers to come together on an informal basis for a mutual exchange of their knowledge and experience. About 120 came to share new music with one another, discuss problem-solving, and trade observations. This session became a yearly event. In 1979, 90 of them met in Findlay, Ohio, at Hope Temple pastored by Moses Vegh, where, spontaneously, an entire symphony orchestra came together, playing extemporaneously under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The 1980 symposium met at George Rohrig’s church in Santa Ana, California. Larry Dempsey, who grew up in this church, became an IWS director at this time. In earlier years, Dempsey had been an organist for A. A. Allen and for R. W. Schaumbach.
In 1981, about 450 people came together for the IWS at Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. By 1982, IWS attendance, this time at Zion Evangelistic Temple in Clawson, Michigan, had risen to 850 daytime registrants, with 2,000 attending evening meetings. The son of Zion’s pastor, Leonard Gardner, was Dan Gardner, music minister of the church. He became one of the directors of the IWS from this time until 1984 and has written many of the songs of the praise and worship movement.
In 1982 and 1983, some of the important pastors of the revival fellowship of churches wanted to make the IWS a symposium for Latter Rain “restoration orthodoxy.” However, the younger music leaders of these churches felt that IWS meetings should not be restricted in this way, since they were commissioned to bring the worship of that tradition to the broader church, and since their particular emphases would have an impact upon all of the church through that medium. This disagreement came to a head at the 1983 symposium at Living Waters Church in Pasadena, California, where there were over 1,000 registered delegates. The pastor, Ione Glaeser, defended the young IWS directors and withstood the pastors, some of whom objected to the use of dance in worship, instrumental song, extemporaneous song, and the idea of a corporate prophetic anointing. Opponents of the broader approach also feared that the involvement of large numbers of people would lead to compromises, opening the door to the commercialization of what had been freely given by God.
The “word of faith” movement became involved in IWS after Dan Armstrutz, the worship leader of Grace Fellowship in Texas, insisted that both Bob Yandia, his pastor, and Machan Dellovan, the head of the vocal department at Oral Roberts University, accompany him to the IWS symposium in 1983. This event opened the way for meetings of the symposium at the University the following year. Here, these meetings became far more than small fellowship gatherings, and the level of scholarship in the teaching sessions increased considerably.
Members of traditional churches first came to the IWS in large numbers in 1985 at Duquesne University, then the following year in Washington, D.C., where there were 2,300 registered delegates and 4,000 attending every evening. These meetings may have helped to inspire Gerrit Gustafson and others to form Integrity Hosanna! Music, which almost immediately becomes one of the most important sources for praise and worship choruses.
As is often the case with folk music, it is difficult to determine the names of the original composers of the Scripture choruses and praise songs that have recently come into widespread use. Some of them were composed during previous revivals, including that of the late 1940s of which the Latter Rain was a part. Other choruses originated with people such as Beverly Glenn, but later came to be attributed to others. Some additionally known composers of praise and worship songs include Donna Adkins, Bruce Ballinger, LaMar Boschman, David Butterbaugh, Shirley Carpenter, Kay Chance, Margaret Clarksen, Tommy Coombs, Andrae Crouch, Bob Cull, Kirk Dearman, Larry Dempsey, Chuck Fromm, Bill and Gloria Gaither, Dan Gardner, Less Gerrett, Bob Gillman, Debbye Graafsma, Gerrit Gustafson, Jack Hayford, Kent Henry, Naida Hern, Anne Herring, Roy Hicks, Jr., Kurt Kaiser, Graham Kendrick, Laurie Klein, Karen Lafferty, Bob McGee, Audrey Meier, Pauline Mills, Don Moen, Dave Moody, Martin Nystrom, Michael O’Shields, Twila Paris, Randy Rothwell, Pete Sanchez, Jr., John Sellers, Henry Smith, Leonard Smith, Michael W. Smith, Timothy Dudley Smith, Leona Von Brethorst, Brian Wren, and Kathy Zuziak. While this list is far from exhaustive, most, if not all praise and worship composers attribute the origin of its music not to themselves, but to the creative work of God himself.