- Published: December 31, 2021
- Updated: December 31, 2021
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 15
The Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost People is a documentary narrated and directed by Peter Adair; it describes the church service of a community of Pentecostal believers in Creek, Western part Virginia that took place in 1967. Furthermore, during the church service there is speaking in tongues, faith healing, singing, and snake handling. The documentary starts by showing the viewer several imagery of the place of worship and its services. Additionally, the narrator first introduces the Pentecostal community and the church congregation and then presents several activities that the church conducts such as speaking-in-tongue, faith healing, and snake handling; the church services were usually four to seven hours long, several times week. Furthermore, the narrator states that members of the congregation were usually bitten while handling snakes but refuse medical attention.
The documentary then shows numerous interviews with some members of the church congregation; these interviews show stories of how several members of the church congregation received salvation through the supremacy of the Holy-Spirit and how the Holy Spirit empowers them from day to day. Furthermore, some members suggest that they communicate with God through the influence of the Holy-Ghost, who sometimes paralyzes them. Finally, the last interview involved an old woman who convulses and shakes on camera while speaking in tongues.
The documentary then shows the start of a church service; as members of the congregation enter, they kiss one another on the lips and then take their seats. In addition, once all the members were seated, they started clapping their hands and singing together. Besides, as the congregation is singing and worshiping, the pastor stands up and addresses the congregation; he invites all those who are not filled with the Holy-Ghost to come forward to receive an impartation. Eventually, the services move into a session of prayer; members of the congregation stand and make known their prayers and concerns. Additionally, the congregation breaks out into diverse kinds of prayer including lying on the floor, standing still, and convulsing uncontrollably.
The documentary is a testament of what many individuals consider as the ministry of the Holy Spirit, a strange paradox. On the one hand, there is very little theological works on the ministry of the Holy Spirit; there is only a small reference to the issue in connection with the Trinity. On the other hand, over the last two decades there has been an increasing interest and manifestation of the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, especially in many non-denominational churches in America. The documentary is an example of the Pentecostal movement and subsequent series of the charismatic faiths that led many individuals to a new awareness of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and His spiritual gifts in the lives of Christians. The ministry of the Holy Spirit just as the documentary demonstrates revolves around the work of the Holy Ghost, especially in the lives of believers; the spiritual gifts such as faith healing and speaking in tongues that empower believers in their ministries(Oyakhilome, 2011).
Nonetheless, there are increasing numbers of Christians that do not believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who suggest that the Pentecostal movement, the charismatic faith and the many non-denominational churches of today that believe in the Holy Spirit, are just an indigenous cultural phenomenon. Furthermore, these critics suggest that just because it is taking place in America and within Christian community does not make it part of the body of Christ.
Work Cited
Oyakhilome, Chris. Seven Things the Holy Spirit Will Do in You. Folkestone: LoveWorld Pub, 2011. Print.