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Sword of the Spirit

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For the charitable organization, see Progressio (organization).
The Sword of the Spirit
AbbreviationSOS
Formation1982
TypeEcumenical Christian organization
Membershipunknown ,
unknown total members[1]
Websitewww.swordofthespirit.net

The Sword of the Spirit is an international, ecumenical association of Christian communities within the Charismatic Movement.[2] The member communities are composed predominately of laypersons.[3]

History

The Sword of the Spirit was founded by Ralph Martin and Steve Clark in 1982.[4] Clark was born in 1940, and studied at Yale University, the University of Freiburg, and the University of Notre Dame.[2] He worked with Ralph Martin as an early leader of the Charismatic Movement in Michigan, publishing several books on charismatic spirituality and Christian community building.[2]

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 affiliation with the Sword of the Spirit. Rev. Philipp Rotunno, liaison for charismatic renewal, said the Sword of the Spirit believed it was "fighting the 'Empire of Evil', which it considers the world". Former members of the group criticized the leadership saying that the leaders thought they were "anointed by God", exerted excessive control over community members, and the subservient role of women, dubbed "handmaidens", in the community.[5] Margaret Atwood, the author of The Handmaid's Tale said that the People of Hope "subordinates its women" and that their treatment of women is "a form of brainwashing".[6]

Word of God

The initial federation of Sword of the Spirit communities included the Word of God community in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[4]

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.[7][8]

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."[9]

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 [10].

People of Praise

Current affiliated covenant communities include the People of Praise in Bangalore, India.[11]

Servants of the Word

The Servants of the Word is an ecumenical Sword of the Spirit community of men.[3][12] The men are committed to serving within other Sword of the Spirit communities.[3]

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.[13][14]

Gender Roles

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].

Islam, Feminism, Homosexuality and Communism

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". These four key opponents of Clarks model for Christianity are listed in Sword of the Spirit training manuals as "Islam, communism, feminism and gay rights" [4]..

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 [15] 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." [16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sword of the Spirit: About Us". Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ a b c Coleman, Simon; Hackett, Rosalind I. J. (2015). The Anthropology of Global Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism. NYU Press. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-0814772591.
  4. ^ a b c d Csordas, Thomas J. (2001). Language, Charisma, and Creativity: Ritual Life in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. University of California Press. p. 87.
  5. ^ "Sect Causes Split in Jersey Parish". New York Times. May 4, 1986. p. 64.
  6. ^ "Margaret Atwood on the real-life events that inspired The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments". Penguin. 9 September 2019.
  7. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 April 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter.
  8. ^ "Steubenville merits close scrutiny". National Catholic Reporter. 11 February 2000.
  9. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 April 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter.
  10. ^ Escobar, Gabriel (28 September 1997). "He's the Coach for the Faithful - Or the Far Right". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  11. ^ "About Us - People of Praise". http://www.peopleofpraise.co.in/. Retrieved 1 October 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  12. ^ Roberts, Judy (2002-05-19). "Charismatic Renewal Moves Into Church Mainstream". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  13. ^ Smith, Lindsey (January 30, 2020). "Multiple families accused man "living single for the Lord" of child sexual assault. He's still free". Michigan Radio.
  14. ^ Smith, Lindsey (May 11, 2020). "New allegations surface against man investigated by Michigan Radio, judge sets $1 million bond". Michigan Radio.
  15. ^ Jones, Arthur (18 Aprtil 1997). "Communities falter under heavy hands". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 26 October 2020. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Graham, Ruth (8 October 2020). "Inside the People of Praise, the Tight-Knit Faith Community of Amy Coney Barret". New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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