Abstract

Worship is central to who Pentecostals are, how they understand God and live in the world. This chapter offers a sociological explanation for Pentecostal worship and how it is embodied in practice and theological reflection. Theology itself is an interpretive exercise about Pentecostal worship and the various kinaesthetic, therapeutic, and social implications of worship. Central to this interpretive approach is the observation of the Pentecostal body. Bodies, it is argued, embody beliefs, practices, and emotions. Bodies carry Pentecostalism into everyday life. Bodies engage the contemporary world characterized by secularizing and globalizing trends. Pentecostal bodies, however, open participants up to other possibilities for living in the world that are characterized by not only sighs, groaning, and tongues, but also with laughter, hope, and joy.