This present study is a reflection upon a case study of an Independent Charismatic Church in the light of Harvey Cox's book, Fire From Heaven. In particular, it seeks to re-examine the theory of Cox that within the emergence of postmodernity religious expression is becoming polarized into the forms of 'fundamentalism' and 'experientialism'. Cox applies this analysis to Pentecostalism and suggests that even now the battle lines are drawn between these polarities. He speculates that glossolalia could be the focus of such a debate between belief and experience within postmodernity and may provide a resource which meets the current 'ecstasy deficit' in human spirituality. Evidence from this case study suggests that there are some indications of a cultural shift to postmodernity and that the tensions which Cox highlights are present within the case study. However, it is unclear whether the role of glossolalia in postmodernity will be as important as Cox anticipates. Rather, this study suggests that glossolalia will become merely one symbol among many which form the 'spiritual bricolage'.
1998 Academic Press
The Charismatic Movement is now more popularly connected with the so-called Toronto Blessing and its associated phenomena. In its earliest days, the Charismatic Movement adopted the spirituality of Pentecostalism, and the focus was upon the crisis spiritual experience known as Baptism in the Spirit, 2 incidentally often associated with Toronto type phenomena but more especially with speaking in tongues, otherwise known as glossolalia. 3 It is probably fair to say that glossolalia is given a less prominent place in the British Charismatic Movement of the 1990s than it was in the late 1960s and early 1970s, 4 yet it has not disappeared. On the contrary, there is a theory that suggests it might in fact become more at home in the early twenty-first century than in this present century.
This is the theory of Harvey Cox on the question of Charismatics and the future of glossolalia in the context of postmodernity. 5 Cox essentially writes about classical Pentecostalism in the United States, but he also considers Pentecostalism in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Since there is still a close connection between Pentecostals and Charismatics, although differences must also be noted, it seems a natural progression to consider Cox's theory in light of the Charismatic Movement in Britain today. Therefore the aim of this essay is twofold: first, to describe very briefly Cox's interpretation of Pentecostals and glossolalia in relation to his understanding of postmodernity; second, to explore his theory with material collected from a recent case study of an Independent Charismatic Church in Liverpool which specifically focused on the phenomenon of glossolalia.
The Fundamentalist/Experientialist Scenario
Harvey Cox, like many other academics, is interested in the apparent cultural shift from modernity to postmodernity. He begins the final chapter of his book Fire From Heaven with a quotation from the lyrics of Sting, the singer and song writer:
You could say I lost my faith in science and progress. You could say I lost my belief in the holy church. You could say I lost my sense of direction. 6