Pentecostal Christianity came about in the beginning of this century and has become the fastest growing form of Christian religion. At the turn of the 21st century its expansion is gaining even more momentum. In Latin America, Africa, East Asia and the former Soviet Union the number of adepts is growing dramatically. In some of these regions it is the main form of Protestantism. In the 1960s the Pentecostal experience reached the mainline churches where it was baptized the Charismatic Renewal. Both Catholic and mainline Protestant churches nowadays also include significant Charismatic Renewal movements. Other Charismatic churches are autonomous and show a wide variety of characteristics. It is estimated that 500,000,000 people are currently involved in Pentecostal/Charismatic religion.

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