Spirit and Power: A 10-Country Survey of Pentecostals

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, with support of the John Templeton Foundation, published this 10-country survey of pentecostal and charismatic Christians, two large and fast-growing groups whose socially conservative views are impacting religion and politics worldwide.

"This survey demonstrates that pentecostal beliefs and practices are literally reshaping the face of Christianity throughout the developing world," said Luis Lugo, the director of the Pew Forum. "And with religion playing an increasingly prominent role in global affairs, we need to pay closer attention to pentecostalism–arguably the most dynamic religious movement in the world today."

According to the World Christian Database, at least a quarter of the world's 2 billion Christians are thought to be renewalists, an umbrella term referring to pentecostals and charismatics as a group. Still, little is known about their religious, political and civic views. To address this gap, the Pew Forum conducted surveys in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, India, the Philippines and South Korea.

The survey findings were presented at "Spirit in the World," an international symposium on pentecostalism. Funded by the Templeton Foundation and hosted by the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, the Los Angeles event brought together international scholars who track the social, political, and economic impact of pentecostals around the world.