The Emergence of Italian Pentecostalism: Affectivity and Aesthetic Worship Practices

An aesthetic dimension is also expressed in the songs and hymns forming the chore of the frequent and lengthy worship meetings of Italian Pentecostals. In a study of Italian Pentecostals in Canada, Enrico C. Cumbo described their worship as characterized by an “intense, unmediated experience of the numinous”; the Italian hymnbook was considered the only indispensible text alongside the bible.[45] The 1928 edition, composed by Massimiliano Tosetto and Michele Palma, contained 328 hymns. Later editions included a collection of Sunday school songs for children. The hymnal was considered a treasury of spiritual wisdom, guidance, and everyday theology.[46]

The same admiration Italian Pentecostals had for the hymnal was reflected in an appreciation for literature containing their newfound hope. One of the most effective means for reaching the Italian people with the Pentecostal message was the distribution of gospel literature. Sunday school books and gospel tracts were distributed in droves. In 1956, a reported 6 tons of gospel literature was mailed to all parts of Italy in a single month.^[47] In 1961 the Italian Assemblies of God passed out one million gospels of John and millions of gospel tracts. Literature evangelism opened the largely Catholic populace to God’s personal revelation in Scripture.^[48] To the chagrin of Parish priests, reading of the bible by laity had a direct effect on diminishing numbers at mass. People were captivated by the intuitive and immediate encounter they had with God through reading the gospel on their own accord. Laypersons found “a more direct way of access to God” through gospel literature.^[49]

Conclusion

The journey of Italian Pentecostals was marked by the pursuit for more personal, vital, and passional religious experience. Italians found a solution to their struggle for purpose and self-identity in the freedom and emotionality of Pentecostalism. Their yearning for religious fulfillment pushed Italians away from Roman Catholicism to the most accessible religious competitor, mainstream Protestantism. There they found a comparable rigidity and pressure to conform to denominational standards. Dissatisfied with conventional denominations, they were compelled to create an independent fellowship. This allowed them to pursue religious fulfillment and express themselves more freely in worship without the stricture of denominational standards.

The conditions which formed the basis of the Italian Evangelical Mission created a community more conducive to the religious primitivism of the contadini. In this pre-Pentecostal state the community lacked the necessary stability to deal with doctrinal tension. The absence of affiliation and formal structure reinforced sectarian values and amplified ethnocultural alienation. Pentecostalism allowed Italians to pursue freedom in worship and maintain evangelical fervor, while achieving a greater sense of continuity with their ancestral faith. Pentecostalism gave Italians an extended spiritual family and the necessary tools to surmount sectarian differences, economic hardship, and psychological deprivation.

Tags: aesthetic, affectivity, emergence, italian, pentecostalism, practices, worship

Category: Church History, Fall 2021