Britons have long been wary of demonstrative emotion in the practice of religion. An epitaph on the grave of a celebrated 18th-century preacher noted approvingly that he was “the enemy of all enthusiasm”. But exuberant displays are becoming a feature of religious worship in Britain’s churches, especially among the Pentecostals, one of the fastest-growing groups in this country. Once regarded as a sect, the Pentecostals’ numbers have grown rapidly in recent years, with a 30 per cent rise in attendance between 1998 and 2005 and the opening of dozens of new churches. Pentecostals have now overtaken Methodists to become the third largest denomination after Anglicans and Roman Catholics.

The Pentecostals are typical of the evangelical churches that, across the Christian world, are experiencing an upsurge of attendance and support at a time when the “established” churches are seeing an inexorable decline in their numbers. The phenomenon may be linked to the search, in a cynical and materialist age, for beliefs that admit no doubt and demand a commitment that is uncompromising. In America, the Southern Baptists have become a powerful political force and in Latin America Protestant evangelicals are making inroads into the heartlands of Roman Catholicism. Pentecostals command overwhelming support from African Christians, but have broadened their appeal beyond those of African and Caribbean origin to include many who seek a more spontaneous and ecstatic expression of their religious convictions.

Many churches, nevertheless, regard the Pentecostals with suspicion, as we reveal in times2 today. This is because of the central role that glossolalia — speaking in tongues — plays in their services. Indeed, their name derives from the feast of Pentecost, when the Disciples, gathered in Jerusalem, were inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak in many languages, enabling them to go out and preach the gospel to the nations. Other practices central to Pentecostal worship are also extremely vibrant, sometimes involving healing and exorcism, shouting and clapping, fainting, impromptu praying and prophesying. To traditionalist Anglicans, this seems dangerously undisciplined and can all too easily be exploited by exhibitionists and charlatans. Indeed, at their most extreme, these practices may come to resemble some of the rituals and trance-like devotions of animist ceremonies.

Nevertheless, there is no denying the fervour, engagement and sense of community in Pentecostal congregations. And these qualities are attracting young Christians of all denominations. Evangelicals in the Anglican Church and other charismatics also place value on the spontaneous and passionate expression of belief; and the experiential side to religion has proved a powerful motivating force for those determined to spread their beliefs and values in the world. What is sometimes overlooked is the enormous moral force that the Pentecostal churches have in Britain’s black community, especially among women. These churches, largely independent, are in the forefront of the fight against crime, drugs and family breakdown. And in the approach to Christmas, when a growing number are eager to re-assert the Christian heart of the festival, the Pentecostals are among those most committed to spreading and living the Christian message.