Gabriel Terzungwe Wankar

Towards the New Evangelization: Lessons from Pentecostal / Charismatic Christianity to the Catholic Church in Africa Gabriel Terzungwe Wankar

While admitting that Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity proposes solutions that are sometimes too simple and short-term ? like instant healing, deliverance from forces of evil, and material prosperity for complex questions of human existence, as well as the fact that often in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, there is an emphasis on the role of the Spirit and charismatic gifts that tend to portray their members as being supernaturally led in an interior way, over and above other Christians who are ?not charismatic? ? it has nevertheless brought an awakening and a dynamic of new life to Christianity in our time. This study proposes lessons the Catholic Church in Africa can draw from these new initiatives to present her faith in a new and vital way and to proclaim that faith as a force for unity, a force of solidarity, and an indication of eternity?s openness to time.