A tour of a Pentecostal service

The overall impression I got from the ninety minutes was the dualistic nature of the beliefs expressed. Life was an eternal battle between the forces of Good, and Evil. Good would triumph, but only on the acceptance of God's protection. Without it, one is exposed to the wiles and the evil power of the Devil, and it seems to be that man cannot hold out against that sort of power.

I wonder if this is a universal belief amongst all the Pentecostal believers, or was I merely exposed to the idiosyncratic beliefs of a regional pastor?

Having seen the workings of the church, and presuming that the beliefs on show were not too far from those which drive the current Prime Minister, what are we to make of his world-view?

Although the congregation was made up of well-meaning, kindly people with no obvious signs of elitism, or even of being judgmental, there is the dualism, the division of the world into those for Good, versus those for Evil, the very belief in such figures as the Devil, the separation of those who are saved, against those who are not, the helplessness in a sea of turmoil … The list of uncomfortable, unsophisticated beliefs does go on.

I wonder where such people fit into Australia's rubric. Are they part of a growing revivalist movement, or are they actually the last gasp of a dying tradition? They seem better suited to the 'bush', because of the humility of their surroundings, but also because of the plainness of their aspirations - to withstand the darkness, and to prosper, seemingly modestly, in their daily lives.

The place of the greatest growth is in the cities, in the suburbs where Scott Morrison thrives. Not in the fashionable enclaves, but in a more strident atmosphere of uncertainty about the future, and a hanging on to newly-minted traditional values. The new revival is truly difficult to fathom, but it is real. We sneer at our peril.