I was shown this video a few weeks ago and have been meaning
to share it. It relates more to our
previous discussions about what it looks like to worship the Divine, but
thought it would still be interesting for others to watch.
This boy, the “pint sized preacher,” is preaching at a Pentecostal
church. If you want to know more about
the PCG, there is information about their beliefs in this link. In short and simply put, Pentecostalism is a
renewal movement within the Protestant Christianity that emphasizes personal
experience with God through baptism with the Holy Spirit (Wikipedia). Again, for more detailed information check
out the link above.
What do you guys think of this video? From what we have learned, what do you think “moves”
this child to have such “ability?”
Honestly, when I watched this video for the first time I
laughed. It was humorous to see such a
young boy up there with such a deep passion and to see the seriousness of the
response from the congregation. However,
it isn’t funny. It is, I think, a form
of worship and I think it seemed funny to me because it is not often that you
see a boy of that age preaching.
What about this video do you all think made it get so much
attention? I guess I am also curious to
see the academic perspective on this.
Annie, I'm with you on this one. The first time I watched this video I also started laughing. What confused me most was also the seriousness of the congregation in response to the little boy. However, this seriousness may be rooted in one of the primary beliefs of this Christian sect.
ReplyDeleteAs per your link about Pentecostal Christianity, the views of Pentecostals are centered around the overtaking of believers by the Holy Spirit. What sets this group apart from many other Christians is precisely this Spirit-driven form of worship. In the section on the Pentecostal Church of God's site titled 'Beliefs,' the church says the following: "The Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire (Matthew 3:11), is a gift from God, as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation of time, and is received subsequent to the new birth (John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 2:38, 39; 10:44-48). The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is accompanied by speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance as the initial physical sign and evidence (Acts 2:4)" (Pentecostal Church of God). From my point of view, Pentecostal Christians and other supporters of these 'Pint Sized Preachers,' may indeed believe that this form of preaching by children, and therefore, those who are not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit, is a type of overtaking, similar to that of speaking in tongues. From the conviction in the voices of the congregation in the video you posted, it seems that they see this preaching as miraculous in some way. Perhaps the mere fact that a child as young as four is preaching to an audience about salvation is seen as a Spirit-driven act. Of course, I am not a member of this faith and therefore cannot attest to this, but as an outsider watching the video, that is what I took away.
To answer your question, maybe that is why this video received so much attention. In response to your question "what moves this child to speak in this way?" I think that it is probably a mix of influence from the child's father, who when I read up about this boy, realized was also a Pentecostal preacher, social influence from attending the services himself, and spiritual influence of some kind. The enthusiasm in the voice of the child suggests that this driven preaching comes from a couple of factors. Again, because I am not in the faith myself and cannot speak for all members, I am unsure if this is the reason for the video's popularity, but I definitely found this entertaining and interesting at the least!
Great post and comment!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and comment!
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