Faith-healing Pentecostals: fundie, or just wacky?

[darkplumaged]

I found a link to this church through one of XGay Greg's Facebook friends:

 

woodymartin.org

 

We rarely talk about faith-healing types here. Are they fundies, or something else entirely?

[Vex]

I wouldn't call them fundies. It's hard to tell from this, but when I think of fundies they're generally some kind of Baptist.

Faith healing is very interesting, though. I LOLed at the "Blood of Jesus Oil". Oh, wow. If they weren't so earnest I'd think they were deliberately scamming people.

[Ramona]

There's a group called "Oneness Pentecostals" that I think would fit quite well into the "fundie" category.

Particularly when you see their "holiness standards" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oneness_Pe ... _standards

[pixydust]

It's just like there are fundie Baptists and non fundie Baptists, there are fundie Pentecostals and non-fundie Pentecostals. I've gone to some extremely fundie Pentecostal churches, more fundie than the Baptist churches that I have been to.

[feeltheword]

Lurker here. I spent a good portion of my formative years attending a "oneness" Apostolic Pentecostal church. In my experience, it was both fundie and wacky. I'm an Alabama native. My former shrink once said that, especially in the deep south, it can sometimes be very difficult to differentiate between presenting features of mental illness and the religious culture.

I remember the pastor encouraging the congregation to fast (going without food, only allowing consumption of water), for up to weeks at a time. That even included the children. It was insane. The women did not cut their hair because it was their "glory". Women wore sleeves past their elbows, dresses past their knees, no makeup or jewelry, and could not braid their hair. Men were to be "clean shaven" with short hair and could not wear shorts. No television or anything "worldly" was allowed. And they practiced praying the gay away. Also, lots of speaking in tongues and pew jumping, and at altar call or praise time, the men and women were separated.

Acts 2:38 and "holiness" was their mantra,as well as the "oneness" aspect. (God, Jesus, Holy ghost= same being)

[Fun-Dee]

Lurker here. I spent a good portion of my formative years attending a "oneness" Apostolic Pentecostal church. In my experience, it was both fundie and wacky. I'm an Alabama native. My former shrink once said that, especially in the deep south, it can sometimes be very difficult to differentiate between presenting features of mental illness and the religious culture.

I remember the pastor encouraging the congregation to fast (going without food, only allowing consumption of water), for up to weeks at a time. That even included the children. It was insane. The women did not cut their hair because it was their "glory". Women wore sleeves past their elbows, dresses past their knees, no makeup or jewelry, and could not braid their hair. Men were to be "clean shaven" with short hair and could not wear shorts. No television or anything "worldly" was allowed. And they practiced praying the gay away. Also, lots of speaking in tongues and pew jumping, and at altar call or praise time, the men and women were separated.

Acts 2:38 and "holiness" was their mantra,as well as the "oneness" aspect. (God, Jesus, Holy ghost= same being)

My MIL is United Pentecostal, which sounds like it must be a form of oneness Pentecostal. They also believe in the God, Jesus, Holy Ghost=same being. No hair cutting, no makeup, no jewelry, no tv or movies, dresses only, sleeves covering at least most of the upper arm. Back when there were record stores, my SIL who was a teenager at the time, said that they were instructed to turn their head when they walked by the record store in the mall. Despite all of the restrictions, there were a lot of teen pregnancies in that church. They did allow dating, at least at that time, and many of the women worked outside the home.

[yetanothermeg]

I was in line behind a group of Pentecostal ladies recently. They all had skirts down to their ankles and long hair in elaborate up-dos (in the middle of the day). Of course I had to ask, "are you ladies from the same church?" They gave me their card and I looked it up. I took them to be fundies because of the skirts/uncut hair.

[yewchapel]

In the UK, most Pentecostal church congregations are entirely or mostly of Afro-Caribbean origin and are very different to the churches in the US, by the sounds of things. Lots of traditional African wear for women - very elaborate and extravagant, modest in terms of coverage only! Most are not fundie. UK fundies tend to be from Brethren/Holiness movement churches, not charismatic. Baptists in the UK that are affilated with BUGB (Baptist Union of Great Britain) are not fundie at all and are pro women in leadership and a fair few are pro marriage equality - but some independent Baptist churches are fundieish.

[AnywhereButHere]

I'm not totally informed on the Pentecostal faith, but I do have a cousin (and her family) who are Pentecostal and who I would consider rather fundie. The man is the definite head of the house and ultimate authority figure, the women do not cut their hair or wear makeup and long skirts are a must. When we saw them at a family reunion, their daughters pretty much took over my (then) 18 month old son, watching him, playing with him, etc. I wanted to be sure they were okay with that (I wasn't expecting free babysitting) and was told by their father that they were used to it, and it was pretty much their job at their church. I don't think they were homeschooled and at least one of them last I heard did go off to college, but they lived in a community of people who I think were mostly of the same beliefs, so maybe public school worked well for them in that situation?

[Ali]

Some Christians who believe in healing are fundie and some are not. There are many Christians who believe in healing that also allow women to wear pants, use birth control, have short hair, etc. It is a more a matter of theology than life-style. I grew up going to churches that believe in healing, but we were not fundie.

Pentecostal churches have a wide spectrum on beliefs about dancing, women only wearing skirts, etc. In some denominations, things have greatly relaxed from 30 or so years ago.

[wild little fox]

Some Christians who believe in healing are fundie and some are not. There are many Christians who believe in healing that also allow women to wear pants, use birth control, have short hair, etc. It is a more a matter of theology than life-style. I grew up going to churches that believe in healing, but we were not fundie.

Pentecostal churches have a wide spectrum on beliefs about dancing, women only wearing skirts, etc. In some denominations, things have greatly relaxed from 30 or so years ago.

That is because of Footloose not Jesus.

:lol:

[infooverload]

Faith healing always terrifies me on some level. Here in OR they were working on trying to pass laws against parents whose children die due to lack of medical treatment, because the parents did faith healing instead. The bringing about of the purposed laws happened due to several children dying in the last few years due to faith healing and most attended the same church.

[frumper-rump]

The "Littlest Rump" goes to an Assembly of God church daycare and I consider that church to be fundie-lite. I've been to other AoG churches that I didnt consider to be fundie at all. In my experience the fundie-ness of Pentecostals can vary from denomination to denomination and even from individual church to church. (I've belonged to both Assembly of God and Church of God churches where "faith healing" was performed- neither were fundie, but both considered Pentecostal)

Edited to Add: In the churches I have attended that perfromed "faith healing", people still sought medical care. I don't know of anyone who only relied on prayer for medical conditions.

[yewchapel]

Charismatic Christians aren't just limited to Pentecostals - Pentecostalism is a denomination, but charismatics are in a lot of denominations. Charismatic Catholics are on the rise for instance, and the new Archbishop of Canterbury is on the charismatic side. And as frumper-rump says, fundieness varies from group to group. I've known non-fundie charismatics and very fundie charismatics, but in my experience the cessationist* groups (linked to Independent/Strict Baptist and Brethren groups) tend to be more fundie than the charismatic groups.

*cessationist = believing that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues ended with the early Acts-era church, and modern Christians do not have them at all