Christianity – A Religion of Controversy and Tension
Christianity – A Religion of Controversy and Tension
Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion, is the largest religion in the world with over 2.38 billion followers. It is based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Church is characterized by the presence of a charismatic wing that is focused on evangelism, conversion and persisting in faith of those who have been saved. In a sense, it is a religion of controversy and tension.
Charismatics often claim that God wants to heal every Christian. These Christians are locked in an epic end-times battle with demonic powers. They are said to be theologically heterodox and scripturally ungrounded, but their obsession with these powers is blamed for unhealthy spiritual development.
While the apostles were limited in scope, they did have the ability to perform miracles. This included the ability to cast out demons and raise the dead. However, these miracles were not the kind of miracles that healed the sick. Instead, they were performed to demonstrate that the apostles were messengers of God.
However, they were never intended to keep the church healthy. In fact, they were rarely given to believers. Those who claimed the gift of healing were caught using chicanery.
Pentecostal Christianity has become the most dominant mode of empowerment of the Holy Spirit. One example of this is the Pentecost story. When the Holy Spirit descended, the apostles began speaking in tongues.
Another example is the practice of praying for deliverance. Historically, Christian communities knew they were in need of deliverance when they saw a demon-possessed man.