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Pentecostals and workers for justice and have not been natural allies in the past century. However, this article shows Pentecostalism has 'grown up' and becoming involved in the world around it. It seems that the challenge of that involvement -- of establishing justice - is still as important as ever. The church has to present the hope of God in Christ to the world in every facet of culture and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the response of the Pentecostal church to the practices of speaking in tongues and spoken prophecy. It notes that the practice of speaking in tongues and its interpretation serve as de facto prophecy. It stresses that the gift of tongues is not limited to the use of glossalalia and concerns an experience beyond the belief that people can speak in a heavenly language. It presents early testimonies of the gift from Pentecostals such as that of Catherine Price.

Pentecostal spread is often attributed to Pentecostalism's ability to make local cultural adjustments. This paper argues that there is also a strand within Pentecostalism that spreads through a conviction that it has embraced a global brand that needs little or no modification. The nature of this 'globally committed' strand is explored through the concepts of commodification, extraversion, importation and exoticism. Each of these sheds light on the thinking within the strand, enabling it to be distinguished from more 'locally committed' Pentecostal expressions. Particular attention is paid to the topic of importation as the migration of established Pentecostal groups across cultural boundaries highlights the extent of such established groups' commitment to further local cultural adjustment. Distinguishing between 'globally committed' and 'locally committed' Pentecostals strands is commended as valuable not only in academic debate but in assessing social concerns and analysing inter-church relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]