A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

Trinitarian Pentecostal Organizations
have been abandoned by some groups and are gradually
declining in groups that still affirm them. Worship is generally
more subdued and sedate than in times past.
Why are these changes occurring? We can identify at
least three major factors.
First, there is the generational effect. 184 In any
revival movement, the first generation experiences a dramatic
encounter with God that results in radical changes
of belief and lifestyle. This generation has a high commitment
to the distinctive tenets of the group, because they
discovered these truths for themselves, defended them in
the face of great opposition and at great cost, and experienced
first-hand the spiritual benefits of their newfound
commitments.
Typically, most of the second generation adheres to
the same tenets because they were molded by the dedication,
spirituality, sacrifice, and sincerity of the first generation.
They observed or at least heard direct testimonies
of the transformation of their elders, and they observed
first-hand the spiritual blessings that resulted. In many
cases, however, they are not as effective in transmitting
the core values to the next generation.
Consequently, the third generation often inherits a
tradition without the full inward experience that molded
the tradition. They neither observe nor experience the
transition from the old life to the new. Living realities of
the first generation become monuments in the second
generation and relics in the third. Godly disciplines
become legalisms and then archaic practices. Of course,
this trend can be countered by personal revival and
renewal and by a continual influx of converts who
embrace the original spiritual realities.
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