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Finally getting round to fixing a textbook ref that should be attributed to the book section author. As the book section is an abridged version of a journal article the original journal publishing has been linked. This journal article also contains a peer-reviewed membership estimate, which should clear up some content disputes :) Some other useful info here to which is in the process of integration
 
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{{short description|Association of Christian communities}}
{{Short description|Association of Christian communities}}
{{for|the charitable organization|Progressio (organization)}}
{{For|the charitable organization|Progressio (organization)}}
{{Over-quotation|date=May 2023}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{POV|date=November 2020}}
{{COI|date=November 2020}}
{{POV check|date=February 2021}}
}}
{{Infobox organization
{{Infobox organization
|name = The Sword of the Spirit
|name = The Sword of the Spirit
|image =
|image = File:Sword of the Spirit logo.png
|size = 190px
|size =
|founders = Ralph Martin and Steve Clark
|founder =
|abbreviation = SOS
|abbreviation =
|formation = 1982
|motto =
|headquarters = [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]<ref name="Klemond" />
|formation = 1982
| membership = 10,000, as of 2008<ref name="glob geo csordas" />
|headquarters =
| membership =
|type =
|website = {{URL|https://www.swordofthespirit.net/}}
|type = Ecumenical Christian organization
}}
|leader_title =
The '''Sword of the Spirit''' is an international, [[ecumenical]] association of Christian communities within the [[charismatic movement]].<ref name="Thiselton">{{cite book |last=Thiselton|first=Anthony C.|date=2013|title=The Holy Spirit: In Biblical Teaching, Through the Centuries, and Today|publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]]|page=369|isbn=978-0-8028-6875-6}}</ref> As of 2017, the Sword of the Spirit is composed of 82 communities, 45 of which are [[Catholic]].<ref name="Klemond" /> The member communities are composed predominantly of [[laity|laypersons]].<ref name="glob geo csordas">{{cite journal |last1=Csordas |first1=Thomas J |title=A global geography of the spirit: the case of Catholic Charismatic communities |journal=International Social Science Journal |date=2012 |volume=63 |issue=209–210 |pages=171–183 |doi=10.1111/issj.12024 }}</ref> The Sword of the Spirit is one of the largest federated networks of communities to come out of the [[Catholic charismatic renewal]].<ref name="glob geo csordas" /><ref group="Note">Other associations of communities to emerge include the [[People of Praise]], the [[Emmanuel Community]], the [[Mother of God Community]] network, the European Network of Communities, and the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships. {{cite journal |last1=Rush |first1=Theophane |title=Covenant Communities in the United States |journal=Pneuma |date=1994 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=233–245 |doi=10.1163/157007494X00210 |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/pneu/16/1/article-p233_21.xml |access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref>
|leader_name =
|key_people =
|website = {{URL|https://www.swordofthespirit.net/}}
}}

The '''Sword of the Spirit''' is an international, [[ecumenical]] association of Christian communities within the [[Charismatic Movement]].<ref name="Thiselton">{{cite book |last=Thiselton|first=Anthony C.|date=2013|title=The Holy Spirit: In Biblical Teaching, Through the Centuries, and Today|publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]]|page=369|isbn=978-0-8028-6875-6}}</ref> The member communities are composed predominately of [[laity|laypersons]] <ref name="glob geo csordas">{{cite journal |last1=Csordas |first1=Thomas J |title=A global geography of the spirit: the case of Catholic Charismatic communities |journal=International Social Science Journal |date=2012 |volume=63 |issue=209-210 |pages=171-183 |doi=https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12024 |access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref>. It takes its roots from the [[Shepherding movement]].<ref name="diamond">{{cite book |last1=Diamond |first1=Sara |title=Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right |publisher=Pluto Press |location=London |pages=114, 122 |access-date=27 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="Csordas">{{cite book |last=Csordas |first=Thomas J.|date=2001|title=Language, Charisma, and Creativity: Ritual Life in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal|publisher=University of California Press|page=87}}</ref>. The Sword of the Spirit has branches in 24 countries, and 10,000 members across the 65 member communities <ref name="glob geo csordas">{{cite journal |last1=Csordas |first1=Thomas J |title=A global geography of the spirit: the case of Catholic Charismatic communities |journal=International Social Science Journal |date=2012 |volume=63 |issue=209-210 |pages=171-183 |doi=https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12024 |access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref>.


== History ==
== History ==
===Background ===
{{further|Catholic charismatic renewal}}
In the 1960s, two Americans, [[Ralph C. Martin]] and [[Stephen B. Clark]], founded [[Word of God (community)|The Word of God]].<ref name="Csordas Language">{{cite book |last=Csordas |first=Thomas J.|date=2001|title=Language, Charisma, and Creativity: Ritual Life in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal|publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>{{rp|80, 87}} Clark was born in 1940, and studied at [[Yale University]], the [[University of Freiburg]], and the [[University of Notre Dame]].<ref name="Thiselton"/> Martin was a friend of Clark's, and the two of them had been deeply impacted by the [[Cursillo]] movement.<ref name="Kangas">{{cite news |last1=Kangas |first1=Billy |title=Amy Coney Barrett, Stephen B. Clark and the Origins of "Covenant Communities" |url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/billykangas/2020/09/amy-coney-barrett-stephen-b-clark-and-the-origins-of-covenant-communities.html#_ftnref34 |access-date=29 March 2023 |work=The Orant |date=29 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> After some success bringing the Cursillo movement to a network of college groups, Clark and Martin experienced the charismatic renewal, which they began to write and teach about.<ref name="Kangas2022" />


Cardinal [[Leo Joseph Suenens]] was a supporter of Clark, Martin, and other early leaders of the Catholic charismatic renewal.<ref name="Diamond">{{cite book |last1=Diamond |first1=Sara |title=Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right |publisher=Pluto Press |location=London |pages=126–127}}</ref> In 1972, Suenens visited the Word of God community, endorsed it, and encouraged its international expansion.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|84}} In response, within the same year Clark and Yocum founded the '''Servants of the Word''', an ecumenical celibate brotherhood<ref name="glob geo csordas" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts|first=Judy|date=2002-05-19|title=Charismatic Renewal Moves Into Church Mainstream|url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/charismatic_renewal_moves_into_church_mainstream|work=[[National Catholic Register]]|access-date=2019-07-29}}</ref><ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|84}} of men who committed to lifelong service of Sword of the Spirit communities around the world.<ref name="glob geo csordas" /> [[Russ Bellant]] reports 100 members of the Servants of the Word, including Clark, in 1988, and describes the brotherhood as a "quasi-religious order".<ref name="RussBellant">{{cite news |last1=Bellant |first1=Russ |title=When Right Goes Wrong |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/64895311/Sword-of-the-Spirit-and-the-Central-Intelligence-Agency-1988# |issue=5 |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=November 18, 1988|volume=25 }}</ref> Throughout the 1970s, Martin, Clark, and other leaders traveled internationally, sharing about the charismatic renewal, and planting the seeds for intentional communities.<ref name="Kangas2022" />
The Sword of the Spirit was founded by Ralph Martin and Steve Clark in 1982.<ref name="Csordas"/> Clark was born in 1940, and studied at [[Yale University]], the [[University of Freiburg]], and the [[University of Notre Dame]].<ref name="Thiselton"/> He worked with [[Ralph Martin (Charismatic Movement)|Ralph Martin]] as an early leader of the Charismatic Movement in Michigan, publishing several books on charismatic spirituality and Christian community building,<ref name="Thiselton" /> many through the Sword of the Spirit self-publication Servant Publications (often Servant Books).


Between 1980 and 1981, Clark instituted a training course that relied heavily on the teachings of his 1980 book, ''Man and Woman in Christ''. Thomas J. Csordas, an anthropology professor, states, "Clark's course made minutely explicit prescriptions for proper comportment, gender-appropriate dress, child-rearing practices, and the domestic division of labor. In addition, it identified global trends presumed to threaten the community mission of building the Kingdom of God—Islam, communism, feminism, and gay rights."<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|87}} The training course was guided by a philosophy that imposed high demands on community members, and several members were effectively shunned for a failure to adhere to its principles, creating tensions within the community that would reverberate for more than a decade.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|89–90}}
The Sword of the Spirit developed as the umbrella network centred around the [[Word of God (community)]] in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]], where the it was a prolific organisation amongst the initial charismatic covenant community organisations such as [[People of Praise]] and [[Mother of God Community]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gillis |first1=Justin |title=Rise and Fall of a Religious Community |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/mgod1.htm |work=Washington Post |date=13 April 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bernard |first1=David K |title=A History of Christian Doctrine |date=1999 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |url=http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/History%20of%20Christian%20Doctrine%20Vol%203.pdf}}</ref>


===Founding===
== Historic Member Communities ==
=== Word of God ===
The initial federation of Sword of the Spirit communities included the [[Word of God (community)|Word of God community]] in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]].<ref name="Csordas"/>


In 1982, the communities that had chosen to align with Word of God were federated into a unified, international association.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|13, 87}}<ref name="Kangas2022">{{cite journal |last1=Kangas |first1=Billy |title=Charismatic Ambassadors: How the Charismatic Renewal Fueled the Rise of Covenant Communities |journal=Liturgy |date=3 July 2022 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=20–27 |doi=10.1080/0458063X.2022.2085969 |s2cid=251286266 }}</ref> Member communities submitted to governance of a council headed by Clark.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|87}}<ref name="Bernard">{{cite book |last1=Bernard |first1=David K |title=A History of Christian Doctrine |date=1999 |publisher=Word Aflame Press |url=http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/History%20of%20Christian%20Doctrine%20Vol%203.pdf}}</ref> Other prominent early members were the communities in [[Gaithersburg, Maryland]] and [[South Bend, Indiana]].<ref name="Bernard" />{{rp|286}} While the Sword of the Spirit consisted primarily of Catholics, its membership was open to other Christians.<ref name="Bernard" />{{rp|286}} By 1988, Sword of the Spirit included 45 branches and associated communities, 22 of which were in the United States.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|13–14}} By 1989, Sword of the Spirit newsletters reported 10 branch communities, 24 affiliate groups, and 13 associated communities.<ref name="Rush" />
In 1990, the Word of God disaffiliated with the Sword of the Spirit following an investigation into abuses within the community by Bishop Albert Ottenweller.<ref name="National Catholic Reporter">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Arthur |title=Communities falter under heavy hands |url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1997b/041897/041897c.htm |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=18 April 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Steubenville merits close scrutiny |url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2000a/021100/021100o.htm |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=11 February 2000}}</ref>


[[Russ Bellant]] reports that Fr John Bertolucci (a leader of the Catholic branch of Sword of the Spirit) and Ralph Martin each received support from [[Tom Monaghan]] for their respective TV ministries during the 80's. Monaghan is also reported to have supported Sword of the Spirit programmes in South America. Fr Patrick Egan, who was the [[Domino's]] corporate chaplain is also reported as involved with the Sword of the Spirit via the Word of God Community, and the Christ the King parish.<ref name="RussBellant"/>
Founders Steve Clark and Ralph Martin split, Martin remaining with Word of God, and Clark remaining with Sword of the Spirit. Following the disaffiliation, Martin said that the Sword of the Spirit training course was "an ill-advised venture that led to considerable confusion, turmoil, spiritual distress both in individuals and in the community as a body," "fostered elitism," "attempted to build a comprehensive Christian culture by fiat," was especially harmful to women and "had a negative impact on many marriages and placed undue stress on many families."<ref name="National Catholic Reporter"/> The split from Word of God saw 15 further communities leave the Sword of the Spirit.<ref name="Rush Thopane">{{cite journal |last1=Rush |first1=Theophane |title=Covenant Communities in the United States |journal=Pneuma |date=1994 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=233–245 |doi=10.1163/157007494X00210 |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/pneu/16/1/article-p233_21.xml |access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref>


=== Split with Word of God ===
The Word of God community has traditionally implemented a hierarchical structure, where male 'leaders' within the group were in charge of male community members decisions "down to minor family matters", and female community members were similarly subject to relevant male household heads.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Escobar |first1=Gabriel |title=He's the Coach for the Faithful - Or the Far Right |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/promise/firstarticle.htm |access-date=26 October 2020 |work=Washington Post |date=28 September 1997}}</ref>
In 1991, a schism occurred.<ref name="Growing up Charismatic">{{cite journal |last1=Csordas |first1=Thomas J. |title=Growing up Charismatic: Morality and Spirituality among Children in a Religious Community |journal=Ethos Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology |date=December 2009 |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=414–440 |doi=10.1111/j.1548-1352.2009.01067.x |url=https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1548-1352.2009.01067.x |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref> Martin effectively renounced the rigid vision that guided the training course,<ref name="Jones" /> while Clark, though conceding the course had been awkwardly implemented, believed that its principles were sound and worthy of continued adherence.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|93–94}} Several communities, including the Word of God (led by Martin), adopted a new "allied" status—maintaining ties to the fellowship while also reclaiming autonomy that had been surrendered to the fellowship's leadership council.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|90}} <ref name="Rush">{{cite journal |last1=Rush |first1=Theophane |title=Covenant Communities in the United States |journal=Pneuma |date=1994 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=233–245 |doi=10.1163/157007494X00210 |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/pneu/16/1/article-p233_21.xml |access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref> Servants of the Word, led by Clark, announced that it was an autonomous community not bound by the Word of God's decision, choosing instead to remain firmly within Sword of the Spirit.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|90–91}}


Meanwhile, throughout the 1990s, a number of Sword of the Spirit member communities were censured by Catholic bishops for excessively authoritarian practices. In 1990, for example, Bishop [[Albert Henry Ottenweller]] required the community in his diocese to separate from the Sword of the Spirit.<ref name="Jones">{{cite news |last1=Jones|first1=Arthur |title=Communities falter under heavy hands |url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1997b/041897/041897c.htm |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=18 April 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gillis |first1=Justin |title=Rise and Fall of a Religious Community |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/mgod1.htm |newspaper=Washington Post |date=13 April 1997}}</ref> Similarly, the '''People of Hope''', a Sword of the Spirit community in the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark]], was strongly criticized by Archbishop [[Peter Leo Gerety]] and his successor [[Theodore McCarrick]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=Sect Causes Split in Jersey Parish |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/04/nyregion/sect-causes-split-in-jersey-parish.html |work=New York Times |date=May 4, 1986 |pages=64}}</ref><ref name="Allen">{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=John |title=Charges of 'cult-like' behavior against NJ charismatics resolved, Myers says |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/charges-cult-behavior-against-nj-charismatics-resolved-myers-says |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=22 February 2007}}</ref> Accusations had been made against the People of Hope involving "abuse, mind control, elitist behavior and cult-like controls."<ref name="Allen" /> These concerns were addressed by 2007, when the People of Hope received official recognition from Archbishop [[John J. Myers]].<ref name="Allen" />
=== People of Praise (US) ===
The Sword of the Spirit historically devolves from an initial 'association of communities' created by the [[Word of God (community)]] and the [[People of Praise]]. In 1981 the association was disbanded due to lack of agreement between leadership of the two groups, prompting the founding of the Sword of the Spirit to act as a replacement association of communities centred around the Word of God community. People of Praise have not been affiliated with the Sword of the Spirit since 1981.<ref name="Rush Thopane"/>


As of 2008, the Sword of the Spirit had 65 branches across 24 countries and approximately 10,000 total members.<ref name="glob geo csordas" /> In 2023, the Sword of the Spirit reported having 14,000 members.<ref name="About" />
=== Servants of Christ the King ===
The Servants of Christ the King community,<ref name="Csordas"/> Ohio, led by Sword of the Spirit senior coordinator Father Michael Scanlan <ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodgers-Melnick |first1=Ann |title=Catholic charismatic communities in turmoil |publisher=The Pittsburgh Press |date=July 21, 1991}}</ref> was among the initial federation of Sword of the Spirit communities.


== Description ==
The Servants of Christ the King disaffiliated from the Sword of the Spirit in 1991 under the orders of Bishop Ottenweller, following findings that the Sword of the Spirit influence was controlling, elitist, secretive, fundamentalist, and intruded on family life.<ref name="National Catholic Reporter"/>


The Sword of the Spirit describes itself as "a community of disciples on mission."<ref name="SOS">{{cite web |title=Our Call |url=https://swordofthespirit.net/our-call/ |website=The Sword of the Spirit |access-date=30 March 2023}}</ref>
Servant of Christ the King leader, and Sword of the Spirit senior coordinator, Father [[Michael Scanlan (priest)]], was involved in a sex abuse scandal at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, where he presided as president of the institution. A revelation came about in late 2018 that a former chaplain at Franciscan of Steubenville, Father Sam Tiesi,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Giannamore |first1=Paul |title=Franciscan University names five priests accused of sexual misconduct |url=https://wtov9.com/news/local/franciscan-university-names-five-priests-accused-of-sexual-misconduct |access-date=18 May 2020 |agency=WTOV9 |publisher=FOX}}</ref> had engaged in years-long abuse of women at the university. It has been reported by multiple victims that they made Father Scanlan aware but he did nothing or, in at least one case, verbally assaulted the accuser. Instead of dealing with the abuse he participated in covering up and silencing those who would report his close friend, Father Tiesi.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/plaques-removal-franciscan-university-exposes-abuse-former-chaplain| last1=Morson| first1=Jenn| title=Plaque's removal from Franciscan University exposes abuse by former chaplain| work=National Catholic Reporter| date=October 31, 2018| access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>


=== Community life ===
Alongside Tiesi and Scanlan, a third Servants of Christ the King member is noted as involved in this sex abuse scandal: televangelist John Bertolucci, who is noted as having multiple previous sex abuse allegations, and was dismissed by the Diocese of Albany in 2002 following previous admission of paedophilia and other abuse of minors by Bertolucci.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wakin |first1=Daniel |title=Six Priests Are Dismissed for Abuse of Minors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/29/nyregion/six-priests-are-dismissed-for-abuse-of-minors.html |work=New York Times |date=June 29, 2002}}</ref> John Bertolucci was also involved in Sword of the Spirit leadership, where he headed FIRE, a Catholic Sword of the Spirit branch.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bellant |first1=Russ |title=When Right Goes Wrong |issue=5 |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=November 18, 1988|volume=25 }}</ref>


The Sword of the Spirit is an association of 'covenant communities'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Csordas |first1=Thomas J. |title=Language, charisma, and creativity : ritual life in the Catholic charismatic renewal |date=2012 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=New York |isbn=9780230341104 |pages=80–83 |edition=1st pbk. |url=https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft2d5nb15g&chunk.id=d0e1485&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e1485&brand=ucpress;query=covenant%20community#1}}</ref> In [[The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements]] Thigpen describes the 'covenant' aspect of communities formed by Clark and Martin as involving "a commitment to at least some degree of sharing financial resources, regular participation in community gatherings, and submission to the direction of the group's designated authorities".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Paul |first1=Thigpen |title=Dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements |date=1988 |publisher=Regency Reference Library |location=Grand Rapids, Mich. |isbn=9780310441007 |pages=190 |url=https://www.mybibleteacher.net/uploads/1/2/4/6/124618875/the_new_international_dictonary_of_pentecostal_and_charismatic_movements.__s.pdf}}</ref>
== Current Member Communities ==
=== People of Hope ===
The People of Hope became affiliated with the Sword of the Spirit in 1983. In 1986, the Archbishop of Newark, Peter L. Gerty, ordered the People of Hope community to end their affiliation with the Sword of the Spirit.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=Sect Causes Split in Jersey Parish |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/04/nyregion/sect-causes-split-in-jersey-parish.html |work=New York Times |date=May 4, 1986 |pages=64}}</ref> Rev. Philipp Rotunno, liaison for charismatic renewal, stated the Sword of the Spirit believed they were "fighting an Empire of Evil". Previous membership of the People of Hope have made claims that leadership thought they were "anointed by god", exerted excessive control over community members, and enforced the subservient role of women, dubbed "handmaidens", in the community.<ref name="NYT" />


After a period of formation and discernment, members have the opportunity to make a "public commitment", a commitment which "is open-ended in that members agree to remain part of the community unless the Lord clearly leads them elsewhere."<ref name="About">{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://swordofthespirit.net/about-us/ |publisher=Sword of the Spirit |access-date=30 March 2023}}</ref> Occasionally, members "transfer their commitment from one SOS community to another, particularly when younger members marry between communities or are seeking to get established in a career and can do so better in another location."<ref name="glob geo csordas" /> Some member communities are Catholic [[associations of the Christian faithful]].<ref name="Klemond" />
The People of Hope remained an unrecognised Catholic lay community until 2007 on the grounds of complaints of "abuse, mind control, elitist behaviour and cult-like controls" from ex-members of the group. Archbishop Theodore McCarrick issued a public letter declaring that a school operated by the People of Hope, Koinonia Academy, “is not an approved Catholic school and it is not recommended for Catholic parents as a place where their children can receive Catholic education as supervised by the Church.” In 2007 Archbishop John Myers recognised the People of Hope as an official lay community of the Catholic church, saying the Archdiocese of Newark was satisfied that the People of Hope had made the changes demanded by previous investigation from officials of the Catholic church.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=John |title=Charges of 'cult-like' behavior against NJ charismatics resolved, Myers says |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/charges-cult-behavior-against-nj-charismatics-resolved-myers-says |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=22 February 2007}}</ref>


==== In Popular Culture ====
=== Gender roles ===
[[Margaret Atwood]] states that the People of Hope, while a member of Sword of the Spirit in 1985, were inspiration for the book ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]''. Specifically Atwood calls the People of Hope a "cult" and refers to this group as inspiration due to the claims of the subjugation of women, isolationist nature, and practices of indoctrination observed within the group. <ref name="Penguin">{{cite news |title=Margaret Atwood on the real-life events that inspired The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments |url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2019/sep/margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale-testaments-real-life-inspiration.html |publisher=Penguin |date=9 September 2019}}</ref>


Gender roles within Sword of the Spirit communities have followed a conservative model of gender roles with patriarchal values, where males maintain headship over females within the communities.<ref name="Csordas Language"/>{{rp|118}}
=== People of Praise (India) ===
Current affiliated Sword of the Spirit covenant communities include the People of Praise in [[Bangalore, India]], distinct from the now disaffiliated People of Praise in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us - People of Praise |url=http://www.peopleofpraise.co.in/about-us/ |website=peopleofpraise.co.in |access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref>


=== Servants of the Word ===
=== Leadership and organization ===
The individual members of Sword of the Spirit live in family households or households of single men or women. Each member is assigned a pastoral leader of the same gender.<ref name="glob geo csordas" /> According to Csordas, these pastoral leaders are similar to lay spiritual advisors, to which fully committed members are obedient on issues of morality, spirituality, and community order.<ref name="Csordas Language" />{{rp|83}} Members say that the possibility of coercion is mitigated by the fact that, generally speaking, the pastoral leaders give advice rather than orders, and that members usually have a close relationship with their pastoral leader.<ref name="Csordas Language" />{{rp|83}} Csordas speculates that this pastoral system is adapted from the [[Shepherding movement]].<ref name="Csordas Language" />{{rp|83}}
The Servants of the Word is an ecumenical Sword of the Spirit community of men.<ref name="Coleman"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts|first=Judy|date=2002-05-19|title=Charismatic Renewal Moves Into Church Mainstream|url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/charismatic_renewal_moves_into_church_mainstream|work=[[National Catholic Register]]|access-date=2019-07-29}}</ref> The men are committed to serving within other Sword of the Spirit communities.<ref name="Coleman"/>


According to Csordas, "community governance is organised at local, regional, and international levels. Leaders meet periodically at each of these levels, sometimes with separate meetings for male and female leaders. As one Sword of the Spirit Coordinator says, 'We try to do as much as possible at the local and regional levels'."<ref name="glob geo csordas" /> The communities are self-governing, but they share in the same support structure.<ref name="Klemond">{{cite news |last1=Klemond |first1=Susan |title=Families, Young People Strong in Faith Are Fruit of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal |url=https://www.ncregister.com/features/families-young-people-strong-in-faith-are-fruit-of-the-catholic-charismatic-renewal |access-date=29 April 2023 |work=NCR |date=15 July 2017|language=en}}</ref>
Serious concerns were raised regarding Servants of the Word's child protection policy following the charging of Jamie Treadwell for sexual abuse of children while a member of Servants of the Word, where it became apparent that Servants of the Word leadership had been aware of similar allegations which had been reported to authorities regarding Treadwell and other Servants of the Word members for at least ten years.<ref name="Michigan Radio 1">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Lindsey |title=Multiple families accused man "living single for the Lord" of child sexual assault. He's still free. |url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/multiple-families-accused-man-living-single-lord-child-sexual-assault-hes-still-free |publisher=Michigan Radio |date=January 30, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Michigan Radio 2">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Lindsey |title=New allegations surface against man investigated by Michigan Radio, judge sets $1 million bond |url=https://www.michiganradio.org/post/new-allegations-surface-against-man-investigated-michigan-radio-judge-sets-1-million-bond |publisher=Michigan Radio |date=May 11, 2020}}</ref>


== Practices ==
=== Religious practices ===
Religious practice within the Sword of the Spirit include a range of practices from [[Pentecostalism]]. These practices have historically included [[exorcism]] and [[demonology]], as well as practices seen elsewhere in [[charismatic Christianity]], such as [[speaking in tongues]], [[spiritual gift]]s (or 'charisms'), [[faith healing]] and [[prophecy]].<ref name="Csordas">{{cite book |last=Csordas |first=Thomas J.|date=2001|title=Language, Charisma, and Creativity: Ritual Life in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal|publisher=University of California Press|page=87}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=The Life in the Spirit Seminars Team Manual |date=2011 |publisher=Tabor House |location=4828 S. Hagadorn Road East Lansing, Michigan 48823 |edition=Catholic Edition (2011) |url=https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5c76fdfa98ac6b41f0b894a3/5e6273d93689a33aacf681bf_Life%20in%20the%20Spirit%20Seminar%20-%20Catholic%20Manual.pdf |access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref>
=== Religious Practices ===
Religious practice within the Sword of the Spirit and other covenant communities within the [[Charismatic Christianity]] movement include a range of practices from [[Pentacostalism]]. These practices have historically included [[Exorcism]] and [[Demonology]], [[Speaking in tongues]], [[Spiritual gift]]s (or 'charisms'), [[Faith Healing]] and [[Prophecy]].<ref name="Csordas"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=The Life in the Spirit Seminars Team Manual |date=2011 |publisher=Tabor House |location=4828 S. Hagadorn Road East Lansing, Michigan 48823 |edition=Catholic Edition (2011) |url=https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5c76fdfa98ac6b41f0b894a3/5e6273d93689a33aacf681bf_Life%20in%20the%20Spirit%20Seminar%20-%20Catholic%20Manual.pdf |access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref>


=== Gender roles ===
== Outreach ==

Gender roles within Sword of the Spirit communities have followed a conservative model of gender roles with patriarchal values, where males maintain headship over females within the communities.<ref name="Csordas"/>
In 2009, the Sword of the Spirit instituted a fellowship of celibate women called the Bethany Association.<ref name="glob geo csordas" />

{{vanchor|Kairos}} describe themselves as "the regional youth program of The Sword of the Spirit" with the objective of "serving Sword of the Spirit teens and their friends"<ref name="kairos01">{{cite web |title=About |url=https://kairos-na.org/about/ |website=kairos-na.org |publisher=Kairos}}</ref> Kairos is linked with University Christian Outreach and [[Saint Paul's Outreach]].<ref name="kairos02">{{cite web |title=Our Global Network |url=https://www.kairos-eme.org/our-global-network |website=kairos-eme.org |publisher=Kairos}}</ref><ref name="kairos03">{{cite web |title=Kairos North America Youth Culture newsletter |url=https://kairos-na.org/YCN/YouthCultureNewsletter-Issue59-1210-October.pdf |website=kairos-na.org |publisher=Kairos}}</ref>

University Christian Outreach also describe themselves as an outreach of the Sword of the Spirit.<ref name="UCO01">{{cite web |title=Support a Missionary |url=https://www.ucoweb.org/support-missionary1 |website=ucoweb.org |publisher=University Christian Outreach}}</ref> This organisation aims to achieve strategic outreach and community building at university campuses.<ref name="UCO02">{{cite web |title=Mission |url=https://www.ucoweb.org/mission |website=ucoweb.org |publisher=University Christian Outreach}}</ref>

The [[Brotherhood of Hope]] is a member community of the Sword of the Spirit dedicated to [[College religious organizations|college campus ministry]].<ref name="livingBulwark01">{{cite web |title=Come and See: Our Personalized Approach to Discipleship with College Students |url=https://livingbulwark.net/come-and-see/ |publisher=Living Bulwark}}</ref><ref name="BoH01">{{cite web |title=Then & Now: Special Moments in Our History |url=https://brotherhoodofhope.org/news/then-now |website=brotherhoodofhope.org |publisher=Brotherhood of Hope}}</ref>

[[NET Ministries]] were founded at the Community of Christ the Redeemer (which is a member community of the Sword of the Spirit). The NET president in 2017, Mark Berchem, was a coordinator at the Community of Christ the Redeemer.<ref name="Klemond" />


'Brothers' from Servants of the Word are active in various youth outreaches such as Kairos, University Christian Outreach and Youth Initiatives.<ref name="SoW01">{{cite web |title=Evangelism and Youth Outreach |url=https://servantsoftheword.org/our-service/evangelism |website=servantsoftheword.org |publisher=Servants of the Word}}</ref>
A Sword of the Spirit motto for woman is given as "make a space", while the motto for men is given as "Seize the territory" <ref name="glob geo csordas">{{cite journal |last1=Csordas |first1=Thomas J |title=A global geography of the spirit: the case of Catholic Charismatic communities |journal=International Social Science Journal |date=2012 |volume=63 |issue=209-210 |pages=171-183 |doi=https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12024 |access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref>


== Sexual abuse controversy ==
=== Islam, feminism, homosexuality and communism ===
Civil lawsuits were entered against the Sword of the Spirit and Servants of the Word leadership following the conviction of Jamie Treadwell for sexual abuse of children, and further allegations of sexual abuse of children against Ed Conlin,<ref name="Michigan Radio 2023-06-14">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Lindsey |title=More sexual assault survivors connected to Michigan-based religious groups surface |url=https://www.michiganradio.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2023-06-14/more-sexual-assault-survivors-connected-to-michigan-based-religious-groups-surface?fbclid=IwAR1m9LuNP1W-oN3K0UhxXfhAWkBjQDphTPyTvgs3u4adKSD8ZlEblgTtnQc |publisher=Michigan Radio |date=June 14, 2023}}</ref> both who were members of Servants of the Word at the reported times.<ref name="Michigan Radio 2023-06-14"/><ref name="Michigan Radio 2022-04-13">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Lindsey |title=Man investigated by Michigan Radio sentenced to probation, will be on sex offender registry |url=https://www.michiganradio.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2022-04-13/man-investigated-by-michigan-radio-sentenced-to-probation-will-be-on-sex-offender-registry |publisher=Michigan Radio}}</ref> Sword of the Spirit and Servants of the Word leadership admitted to knowing of previous allegation concerning these individuals dating back decades.<ref name="Michigan Radio 2023-06-14"/><ref name="Michigan Radio 2022-04-13"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Lindsey |title=Multiple families accused man "living single for the Lord" of child sexual assault. He's still free. |url=https://www.michiganradio.org/investigative/2020-01-30/multiple-families-accused-man-living-single-for-the-lord-of-child-sexual-assault-hes-still-free |publisher=Michigan Radio |date=Jan 30, 2020}}</ref>
Sword of the Spirit leader, Steven Clark, has presented a training course for disciples of the Sword of the Spirit, in which Clark identifies "global threats" which endanger the Sword of the Spirit mission to "build the Kingdom of God".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=The Life in the Spirit Seminars Team Manual |date=2011 |publisher=Tabor House |location=4828 S. Hagadorn Road East Lansing, Michigan 48823 |edition=Catholic Edition (2011) |url=https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5c76fdfa98ac6b41f0b894a3/5e6273d93689a33aacf681bf_Life%20in%20the%20Spirit%20Seminar%20-%20Catholic%20Manual.pdf |access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref> These four key opponents of Clarks model for Christianity are identified as "Islam, communism, feminism and gay rights".<ref name="Csordas"/>


== Reception ==
== Reception ==
The Sword of the Spirit member communities have been subject to several interventions from local bishops of the catholic church throughout the organisation's history <ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Arthur |title=Communities falter under heavy hands |url=http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1997b/041897/041897c.htm |access-date=26 October 2020 |publisher=National Catholic Reporter |date=18 April 1997}}</ref> following concerns from members of the communities that community leaders were "attempting to strictly control relationships and finances, and representing that control as the will of God." <ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Ruth |title=Inside the People of Praise, the Tight-Knit Faith Community of Amy Coney Barrett |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/us/people-of-praise-amy-coney-barrett.html |access-date=26 October 2020 |work=New York Times |date=8 October 2020}}</ref>


[[Margaret Atwood]] has said that her 1985 book, ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]'', was partially inspired by "a Catholic charismatic spinoff sect, which calls the women handmaids."<ref name="Grady Handmaid">{{cite news|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|title=The false link between Amy Coney Barrett and The Handmaid's Tale, explained.|last=Grady|first=Constance|date=October 27, 2020|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/21453103/amy-coney-barrett-handmaids-tale-supreme-court}}</ref> In other interviews, pointing to an [[Associated Press]] clipping from her archives, she identified that sect as People of Hope.<ref name="Grady Handmaid"/> However, subsequent investigations revealed that the newspaper clipping Atwood shared in an interview was published after the publication of her book, calling into doubt whether the article actually served as inspiration for Atwood.<ref name="Grady Handmaid"/><ref>{{cite news|work=[[NJ.com]]|last=Deignan|first=Tom|title=How a little known sect is Jersey's own 'Handmaid's Tale'|date=May 16, 2017|url=https://www.nj.com/opinion/2017/05/how_a_little_known_sect_is_jerseys_own_handmades_t.html}}</ref>
Ex-[[People of Praise]] Catholic Theologist Dr. Adrian J Reimers has rebuked the covenant community design propagated by the Sword of the Spirt, noting that the organisation is cult-like, claiming that the covenant community model represents "powerful means of psychological and social control", and that covenant communities such as those in Sword of the Spirit present a "world in which a person loses psychological control of his or her own life".<ref name="ReimersCulticStudies">{{cite journal |last1=Reimers |first1=Adrian J |title=More than the Devil's Due |journal=Cultic Studies |date=1994 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=78–87 |url=https://www.spiritualabuseresources.com/articles/more-than-the-devils-due |access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref>


In 1997, theologian Adrian Reimers, a former member of the [[People of Praise]], wrote a scathing critique of the People of Praise, Sword of the Spirit, and similar groups, alleging "the abuse of authority" among the organizations' leadership.<ref name="Shimron">{{cite news |last1=Shimron |first1=Yonat |title=Judge Amy Coney Barrett and her ties to the People of Praise and Catholic charismatics |url=https://religionnews.com/2018/07/06/amy-coney-barrett-people-of-praise-supreme-court-trump-catholic-charismaticthe-splainer-who-are-catholic-charismatic-covenant-community/ |access-date=9 April 2023 |work=Religion News Service |date=6 July 2018}}</ref> Reimers claimed that such renewal groups, while containing many "positive signs," diminish individual autonomy and believe that the Catholic Church is "unable to support an authentic Christian life" apart from renewal communities.<ref name="Reimers">{{cite book |last1=Reimers |first1=Adrian J. |title=Not Reliable Guides: An Analysis of Some Covenant Community Structures |date=1997 |location=South Bend, IN |pages=126–134}}</ref>
== Finance ==


Cardinal [[Raniero Cantalamessa]], who formerly described himself as "a strong adversary" of the charismatic movement, claims to have experienced [[baptism in the Holy Spirit]] through a ministry which would later become the People of Hope, which is now a Sword of the Spirit community.<ref name="Allen" />
The Sword of the Spirit finances its operations primarily through tithing, where community members are required to pay a percentage of their income to the community treasury.<ref name="Csordas"/>
Sword of the Spirit USA tax returns show a yearly revenue of around $1.5 million, with just under $1 million paid out in wages and salary, with a workforce of just under 30 employees.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sword of the Spirit, Form 990 Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax,2015 |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/383002347/201632869349301213/full?fbclid=IwAR1TpNdoyGLCHvI3xAp5ZYbIt6tRWVPf9CcV81eXckloQPFfol5CrPezTws |website=projects.propublica.org |publisher=IRS |access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref>


In a 2010 synodal proceeding, [[George Bacouni]], an archbishop of the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church]], commended the catechetical approach of the Sword of the Spirit as a model for the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]].<ref name="Bacouni">{{cite web |title=Bulletin Synodus Episcoporum: Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_24_speciale-medio-oriente-2010/02_inglese/b06_02.html |website=www.vatican.va |access-date=May 9, 2023 |date=October 24, 2010}}</ref> According to Bacouni, the Sword of the Spirit "is not solely aimed at education of the mind but rather at bringing the faithful to a personal relationship with Jesus, a discovery of their call and mission, and to a deeper communion with the Church."<ref name="Bacouni" />
== Academic study ==
Following the split between the Word of God community and the Sword of the Spirit some academic study was conducted at the Word of God community investigating the moral reasoning of children within the community, and analysing the capacity of the covenant community model presented by the Sword of the Spirit to transfer religion to a new generation. Csordas finds that young children "equate the conventional order of social life with the moral order of spiritual life" whereas teenagers are "often vehemently opposed to and critical of community ideology and its practices of enforcement", and proposes that such cultures may take 3 generations to stabilise.<ref name="Growing up Charismatic">{{cite journal |last1=Csordas |first1=T J |title=Growing up Charismatic: Morality and Spirituality among Children in a Religious Community |journal=Ethos Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology |date=December 2009 |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=414–440 |doi=10.1111/j.1548-1352.2009.01067.x |url=https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1548-1352.2009.01067.x |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>


== See also ==
== Notable members ==


* [[Anton Colella]]<ref name="About" />
* [[Michael Scanlan (priest)]] (member of Servants of Christ the King)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |title=Father Scanlan's legacy: a conservative Catholic citadel on the Ohio River |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2017/01/15/Father-Scanlan-s-legacy-a-conservative-Catholic-citadel-on-the-Ohio-RIver/stories/201701150088 |access-date=30 March 2023 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Rogelio Singson]] (member of Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cahiles-Magkilat |first1=Bernie |title=Ex-DPWH chief Singson is new MAP president |url=https://mb.com.ph/2022/06/15/ex-dpwh-chief-is-new-map-president/ |access-date=10 August 2023 |work=Manila Bulletin |date=15 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Aniceto Sobrepeña]] (member of Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chee Kee |first1=Raoul J. |title=Chito Sobrepeña–Why giving back to society has been his life's work |url=https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/120769/chito-sobrepena-why-giving-back-to-society-has-been-his-lifes-work/ |access-date=10 August 2023 |work=Lifestyle.INQ |date=18 August 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Emmanuel Community]]
* [[Emmanuel Community]]
* [[People of Praise]]
* [[People of Praise]]
* [[Kairos (retreat)]]


== References ==
==References==
===Explanatory Notes===
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|group=Note}}


===Citations===
== External links ==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
* [https://www.swordofthespirit.net/ The Sword of the Spirit]
* [https://www.swordofthespirit.net/ The Sword of the Spirit]
* [https://servantsoftheword.org/ The Servants of the Word]
* [https://servantsoftheword.org/ The Servants of the Word]
* [https://kairos-na.org/ Kairos]
* [https://www.ucoweb.org/ University Christian Outreach]
* [https://www.spo.org/ Saint Pauls Outreach]
*[https://brotherhoodofhope.org/ Brotherhood of Hope]

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sword of the Spirit}}
[[Category:Nondenominational Christian societies and communities]]
[[Category:Nondenominational Christian societies and communities]]

Latest revision as of 15:47, 26 July 2024

The Sword of the Spirit
Formation1982
FoundersRalph Martin and Steve Clark
HeadquartersAnn Arbor, Michigan[1]
Membership10,000, as of 2008[2]
Websitewww.swordofthespirit.net

The Sword of the Spirit is an international, ecumenical association of Christian communities within the charismatic movement.[3] As of 2017, the Sword of the Spirit is composed of 82 communities, 45 of which are Catholic.[1] The member communities are composed predominantly of laypersons.[2] The Sword of the Spirit is one of the largest federated networks of communities to come out of the Catholic charismatic renewal.[2][Note 1]

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]

In the 1960s, two Americans, Ralph C. Martin and Stephen B. Clark, founded The Word of God.[4]: 80, 87  Clark was born in 1940, and studied at Yale University, the University of Freiburg, and the University of Notre Dame.[3] Martin was a friend of Clark's, and the two of them had been deeply impacted by the Cursillo movement.[5] After some success bringing the Cursillo movement to a network of college groups, Clark and Martin experienced the charismatic renewal, which they began to write and teach about.[6]

Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens was a supporter of Clark, Martin, and other early leaders of the Catholic charismatic renewal.[7] In 1972, Suenens visited the Word of God community, endorsed it, and encouraged its international expansion.[4]: 84  In response, within the same year Clark and Yocum founded the Servants of the Word, an ecumenical celibate brotherhood[2][8][4]: 84  of men who committed to lifelong service of Sword of the Spirit communities around the world.[2] Russ Bellant reports 100 members of the Servants of the Word, including Clark, in 1988, and describes the brotherhood as a "quasi-religious order".[9] Throughout the 1970s, Martin, Clark, and other leaders traveled internationally, sharing about the charismatic renewal, and planting the seeds for intentional communities.[6]

Between 1980 and 1981, Clark instituted a training course that relied heavily on the teachings of his 1980 book, Man and Woman in Christ. Thomas J. Csordas, an anthropology professor, states, "Clark's course made minutely explicit prescriptions for proper comportment, gender-appropriate dress, child-rearing practices, and the domestic division of labor. In addition, it identified global trends presumed to threaten the community mission of building the Kingdom of God—Islam, communism, feminism, and gay rights."[4]: 87  The training course was guided by a philosophy that imposed high demands on community members, and several members were effectively shunned for a failure to adhere to its principles, creating tensions within the community that would reverberate for more than a decade.[4]: 89–90 

Founding

[edit]

In 1982, the communities that had chosen to align with Word of God were federated into a unified, international association.[4]: 13, 87 [6] Member communities submitted to governance of a council headed by Clark.[4]: 87 [10] Other prominent early members were the communities in Gaithersburg, Maryland and South Bend, Indiana.[10]: 286  While the Sword of the Spirit consisted primarily of Catholics, its membership was open to other Christians.[10]: 286  By 1988, Sword of the Spirit included 45 branches and associated communities, 22 of which were in the United States.[4]: 13–14  By 1989, Sword of the Spirit newsletters reported 10 branch communities, 24 affiliate groups, and 13 associated communities.[11]

Russ Bellant reports that Fr John Bertolucci (a leader of the Catholic branch of Sword of the Spirit) and Ralph Martin each received support from Tom Monaghan for their respective TV ministries during the 80's. Monaghan is also reported to have supported Sword of the Spirit programmes in South America. Fr Patrick Egan, who was the Domino's corporate chaplain is also reported as involved with the Sword of the Spirit via the Word of God Community, and the Christ the King parish.[9]

Split with Word of God

[edit]

In 1991, a schism occurred.[12] Martin effectively renounced the rigid vision that guided the training course,[13] while Clark, though conceding the course had been awkwardly implemented, believed that its principles were sound and worthy of continued adherence.[4]: 93–94  Several communities, including the Word of God (led by Martin), adopted a new "allied" status—maintaining ties to the fellowship while also reclaiming autonomy that had been surrendered to the fellowship's leadership council.[4]: 90  [11] Servants of the Word, led by Clark, announced that it was an autonomous community not bound by the Word of God's decision, choosing instead to remain firmly within Sword of the Spirit.[4]: 90–91 

Meanwhile, throughout the 1990s, a number of Sword of the Spirit member communities were censured by Catholic bishops for excessively authoritarian practices. In 1990, for example, Bishop Albert Henry Ottenweller required the community in his diocese to separate from the Sword of the Spirit.[13][14] Similarly, the People of Hope, a Sword of the Spirit community in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, was strongly criticized by Archbishop Peter Leo Gerety and his successor Theodore McCarrick.[15][16] Accusations had been made against the People of Hope involving "abuse, mind control, elitist behavior and cult-like controls."[16] These concerns were addressed by 2007, when the People of Hope received official recognition from Archbishop John J. Myers.[16]

As of 2008, the Sword of the Spirit had 65 branches across 24 countries and approximately 10,000 total members.[2] In 2023, the Sword of the Spirit reported having 14,000 members.[17]

Description

[edit]

The Sword of the Spirit describes itself as "a community of disciples on mission."[18]

Community life

[edit]

The Sword of the Spirit is an association of 'covenant communities'.[19] In The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Thigpen describes the 'covenant' aspect of communities formed by Clark and Martin as involving "a commitment to at least some degree of sharing financial resources, regular participation in community gatherings, and submission to the direction of the group's designated authorities".[20]

After a period of formation and discernment, members have the opportunity to make a "public commitment", a commitment which "is open-ended in that members agree to remain part of the community unless the Lord clearly leads them elsewhere."[17] Occasionally, members "transfer their commitment from one SOS community to another, particularly when younger members marry between communities or are seeking to get established in a career and can do so better in another location."[2] Some member communities are Catholic associations of the Christian faithful.[1]

Gender roles

[edit]

Gender roles within Sword of the Spirit communities have followed a conservative model of gender roles with patriarchal values, where males maintain headship over females within the communities.[4]: 118 

Leadership and organization

[edit]

The individual members of Sword of the Spirit live in family households or households of single men or women. Each member is assigned a pastoral leader of the same gender.[2] According to Csordas, these pastoral leaders are similar to lay spiritual advisors, to which fully committed members are obedient on issues of morality, spirituality, and community order.[4]: 83  Members say that the possibility of coercion is mitigated by the fact that, generally speaking, the pastoral leaders give advice rather than orders, and that members usually have a close relationship with their pastoral leader.[4]: 83  Csordas speculates that this pastoral system is adapted from the Shepherding movement.[4]: 83 

According to Csordas, "community governance is organised at local, regional, and international levels. Leaders meet periodically at each of these levels, sometimes with separate meetings for male and female leaders. As one Sword of the Spirit Coordinator says, 'We try to do as much as possible at the local and regional levels'."[2] The communities are self-governing, but they share in the same support structure.[1]

Religious practices

[edit]

Religious practice within the Sword of the Spirit include a range of practices from Pentecostalism. These practices have historically included exorcism and demonology, as well as practices seen elsewhere in charismatic Christianity, such as speaking in tongues, spiritual gifts (or 'charisms'), faith healing and prophecy.[21][22]

Outreach

[edit]

In 2009, the Sword of the Spirit instituted a fellowship of celibate women called the Bethany Association.[2]

Kairos describe themselves as "the regional youth program of The Sword of the Spirit" with the objective of "serving Sword of the Spirit teens and their friends"[23] Kairos is linked with University Christian Outreach and Saint Paul's Outreach.[24][25]

University Christian Outreach also describe themselves as an outreach of the Sword of the Spirit.[26] This organisation aims to achieve strategic outreach and community building at university campuses.[27]

The Brotherhood of Hope is a member community of the Sword of the Spirit dedicated to college campus ministry.[28][29]

NET Ministries were founded at the Community of Christ the Redeemer (which is a member community of the Sword of the Spirit). The NET president in 2017, Mark Berchem, was a coordinator at the Community of Christ the Redeemer.[1]

'Brothers' from Servants of the Word are active in various youth outreaches such as Kairos, University Christian Outreach and Youth Initiatives.[30]

Sexual abuse controversy

[edit]

Civil lawsuits were entered against the Sword of the Spirit and Servants of the Word leadership following the conviction of Jamie Treadwell for sexual abuse of children, and further allegations of sexual abuse of children against Ed Conlin,[31] both who were members of Servants of the Word at the reported times.[31][32] Sword of the Spirit and Servants of the Word leadership admitted to knowing of previous allegation concerning these individuals dating back decades.[31][32][33]

Reception

[edit]

Margaret Atwood has said that her 1985 book, The Handmaid's Tale, was partially inspired by "a Catholic charismatic spinoff sect, which calls the women handmaids."[34] In other interviews, pointing to an Associated Press clipping from her archives, she identified that sect as People of Hope.[34] However, subsequent investigations revealed that the newspaper clipping Atwood shared in an interview was published after the publication of her book, calling into doubt whether the article actually served as inspiration for Atwood.[34][35]

In 1997, theologian Adrian Reimers, a former member of the People of Praise, wrote a scathing critique of the People of Praise, Sword of the Spirit, and similar groups, alleging "the abuse of authority" among the organizations' leadership.[36] Reimers claimed that such renewal groups, while containing many "positive signs," diminish individual autonomy and believe that the Catholic Church is "unable to support an authentic Christian life" apart from renewal communities.[37]

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who formerly described himself as "a strong adversary" of the charismatic movement, claims to have experienced baptism in the Holy Spirit through a ministry which would later become the People of Hope, which is now a Sword of the Spirit community.[16]

In a 2010 synodal proceeding, George Bacouni, an archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, commended the catechetical approach of the Sword of the Spirit as a model for the Eastern Catholic Churches.[38] According to Bacouni, the Sword of the Spirit "is not solely aimed at education of the mind but rather at bringing the faithful to a personal relationship with Jesus, a discovery of their call and mission, and to a deeper communion with the Church."[38]

Notable members

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Explanatory Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Other associations of communities to emerge include the People of Praise, the Emmanuel Community, the Mother of God Community network, the European Network of Communities, and the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships. Rush, Theophane (1994). "Covenant Communities in the United States". Pneuma. 16 (1): 233–245. doi:10.1163/157007494X00210. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Klemond, Susan (15 July 2017). "Families, Young People Strong in Faith Are Fruit of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal". NCR. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Csordas, Thomas J (2012). "A global geography of the spirit: the case of Catholic Charismatic communities". International Social Science Journal. 63 (209–210): 171–183. doi:10.1111/issj.12024.
  3. ^ a b Thiselton, Anthony C. (2013). The Holy Spirit: In Biblical Teaching, Through the Centuries, and Today. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 369. ISBN 978-0-8028-6875-6.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Csordas, Thomas J. (2001). Language, Charisma, and Creativity: Ritual Life in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. University of California Press.
  5. ^ Kangas, Billy (29 September 2020). "Amy Coney Barrett, Stephen B. Clark and the Origins of "Covenant Communities"". The Orant. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Kangas, Billy (3 July 2022). "Charismatic Ambassadors: How the Charismatic Renewal Fueled the Rise of Covenant Communities". Liturgy. 37 (3): 20–27. doi:10.1080/0458063X.2022.2085969. S2CID 251286266.
  7. ^ Diamond, Sara. Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right. London: Pluto Press. pp. 126–127.
  8. ^ Roberts, Judy (2002-05-19). "Charismatic Renewal Moves Into Church Mainstream". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  9. ^ a b Bellant, Russ (November 18, 1988). "When Right Goes Wrong". Vol. 25, no. 5. National Catholic Reporter.
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