"Confession Is Good for the Soul?" Charismatics and Confession in Conversation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3203233 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew P Rogers (0000-0002-6197-0727, University of Roehampton, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 461 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16040461 |
| OpenAlex | W4409120439 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
Scripture speaks of confessing our sins to God and to one another (e.g., Ps 32:5; Jas 5:16; 1 Jn 1:9). For a tradition that has been strong on sin and the Bible, how do evangelicals deal with confession? In this article, I explore practices of confession in UK charismatic networks based on interviews with five national leaders using a critical conversation methodology. These networks have largely adopted an informal and spontaneous 'liturgy' since they began in the 1970s, so this is also a case study of what shape practices take when traditional Christian practices have been put aside. As a semi-indigenous researcher, I offer an account of the 'what' of charismatic confession practice from a leader's perspective: as a network, in public worship, in small groups, and individually. I conclude that these confession practices can be characterised as relational, DIY, and 'as and when'. I then proceed to offer some 'whys' for these practices, including pendulum swings of recent tradition, the relation of confession to charismatic sung worship, and both emic and etic deformations. Finally, I ask, 'Whither charismatic confession?' and answer this through posing three questions for reflection around the Bible and confession, the retrieval of practices, and the formative power of practices. This leads into a response to the Special Issue question of how God's own action is disclosed through these conversations about confession with charismatics
Art · Conversation · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Soul · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Communication · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious Education and Schools
Political and Religious Identities of British Evangelicals
Evangelicals engaging in practical theology
When God Talks Back. Understanding the American Engangelical Relationship With God. Alfred a Knopf, New York.
The Oxford Handbook of Evangelical Theology
When confessing sin feels good
Conversations in practical theology
Apostolic Networks in Britain Revisited
The Routledge Research Companion to the History of Evangelicalism
Practices of Confession, Intercession, and Forgiveness in 1 John 1.9; 5.16
Looking into the mirror
Public Confession and the Moral Universe of the East African Revival
Strategies for conducting elite interviews
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |