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Question: I was raised in the Catholic church all my life and for as long as I have thought freely, I have been dissatisfied with its ways. However, this was the only kind of church I ever experienced until about 2 months ago, when I began dating someone who is Pentecostal. I hadn't gone to any kind of church for about 7 months, and upon entering this new type of worship, I was shocked to say the least! Never before have I felt so in touch with Christ.

I have been going to church with my new boyfriend ever since, but I am still very baffled about many things in the Pentecostal church. I'm not entirely sure what the foundations of their beliefs are. I would also like to know more about being slain in the spirit and about speaking in tongues. What else differentiates their beliefs from traditional Catholic beliefs? I really get a lot from this type of worship, but I want to be sure I know all of its facets before diving into it entirely. I would like to be more able to let the light of Jesus flow into me, but I feel I am holding a lot back in this church because there is still so much that I don't understand. This church doesn't have nearly the amount of tradition and structure that I am used to. What about Lent and Advent? Why don't Pentecostals celebrate these times?

Answer: Let me start with the foundations of Pentecostal belief. First, Pentecostals believe as all true Christians do in Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin; He lived as a man among men, teaching them and showing them the heart and will of God the Father. We believe that Jesus was crucified, that all of our sin, pain, and sickness died on the cross with Him; that He was raised again to life on the third day, and now is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us all.

What makes Pentecostal worship different from Catholic worship? This particular question can be answered by a study of scriptures.

1.) An Old Testament prophetic announcement of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28,29).

Because as Pentecostals we believe that the Bible is the perfect, inerrant, inspired word of God; then we are, through this word, made aware of the power, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit available to all who believe and accept Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

We believe that salvation is by the grace of God not the works of men. In other words, there is nothing you can do in and of yourself, no amount of good deeds, traditional religious observances, or self-sacrificing oaths, that can change the sinful nature of mankind that keeps us separated from God. All you can do is realize that you are under the same curse of sin as everyone else; acknowledge your need for redemption; repent, or turn away from your sins, and invite Jesus into your heart; then confess Him to others as your Lord and Savior. In an effort to simplify an answer that could get quite lengthy and wrapped up in a great deal of theology, suffice it to say that Pentecostal belief has as its foundation, the whole word of God, uncompromised by the creeds, opinions, or agendas of men.

As to the question of the Pentecostal church having a lack of tradition and structure, this goes back to the biblical principal of salvation by grace and not by works. One of the foundations of Catholic belief is that the priest is the intercessor between the lay person and God. This is why sins are privately confessed to the priest, and the priest then provides absolution by assigning a penance consisting of various structured, traditional prayers repeated a suitable number of times according to the seriousness of the sin. This is, at its center, a belief that the believer through works assigned by the priest, receives forgiveness and is then in right standing with God. This is very closely related to the Old Testament requirements of sacrifices and other symbolic acts as a means to be reconciled to God.

If you believe the gospel (good news) of the New Testament, however, you know that God sent His son, Jesus (John 3:16), as the final, ultimate sacrifice for all the sins of mankind from the foundation of the world, and for all time until His return. The only "traditions" observed by the Pentecostal church are those set forth in New Testament scripture, (the Lord's supper or communion and baptism in water), which return glory, honor, and praise to God; because we know that we owe our life for the grace He has extended to us for our redemption.

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