A Call for an Amipotent Pentecostal-Charismatic Revival

By Joshua D. Reichard

Amipotence calls global Pentecostals and Charismatics to spiritual revival by repenting from the idolatry of power and embracing persuasive love.

Thomas Jay Oord’s concept of “Amipotence” offers Pentecostals and Charismatics a new way to understand God’s power. Traditionally, God’s omnipotence has been seen as ultimate control over creation, emphasizing coercion and dominion. However, Oord presents an alternative view: God is “all-loving,” where divine power is expressed relationally rather than through coercion. Oord’s Amipotence invites Pentecostals and Charismatics to rethink their focus on divine power by shifting away from coercion toward a deeper appreciation of God’s persuasive love, the most potent spiritual force of all.

Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions have long emphasized signs, wonders, and miracles as manifestations of divine authority. Overemphasizing miracles can risk overshadowing the central biblical truth that “everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:8). Oord’s Amipotence encourages a move from worshiping the idol of power to elevate love as the most potent and transformative spirituality. This theological shift allows Pentecostals and Charismatics to recover a view of God that prioritizes relational power over physical coercion.

Pentecostals and Charismatics often view miracles as evidence of God’s intervention in response to faith. Miracles are transactional, whereby a demonstration of faith compels God to act in coercively visible ways. A transactional view of miracles perpetuates the belief that divine power is primarily about control and coercion, where believers access God’s power to manipulate or exert control over circumstances. Miracles are seen as evidence of spirituality. Amipotence does not call Pentecostals and Charismatics to abandon their belief in miracles but to reframe it: God’s power is ultimately about love, which is most potent when expressed through self-giving, others-empowering (agape) love.

The power of love, as Oord articulates it, surpasses coercive power by fostering lasting transformation. Early Pentecostalism reflected this understanding, rooted in humility and the empowerment of the marginalized, as seen in the Azusa Street Revival. Diverse groups came together, believing God’s Spirit empowered the weak and marginalized. Pentecostalism’s origins resonate with the biblical narrative that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). However, contemporary American Charismatic Christianity has, in some cases, shifted focus toward seeking political power and promoting the prosperity gospel, distorting this original message.

The prosperity gospel, which equates God’s favor with material wealth and success, represents a theological departure from Pentecostalism’s foundational values of humble reliance on persuasive love. The prosperity gospel promotes a transactional view of faith, where God’s blessings are seen as rewards for righteousness, often leading to an emphasis on wealth and control. The shift toward the prosperity gospel mirrors a broader trend among some American Charismatics, who have aligned themselves with political power, particularly around nationalistic agendas and dominionism. Such alliances reflect an understanding of power rooted in coercion rather than love, further distancing these movements from their own theological roots.

The pursuit of prosperity and political power has eroded the spiritual integrity of some American Charismatic movements and replaced the gospel’s message of self-giving love with self-serving ambition. Focusing on material success and domination has led to moral failures and corruption in some circles, as leaders prioritize wealth and control over authentic spirituality. Oord’s Amipotence offers a much-needed corrective. A theological re-centering of spiritual power as God’s love can help Pentecostals and Charismatics return to their roots of humility and service and embrace a divine power that works through relationships and compassion rather than domination and wealth.

In the lyrics of a praise song, David Ruis, a leader of the Charismatic Vineyard movement, framed it this way,

His love is stronger than the Angels and Demons…
His love is my strength and power.

There is hope for Amipotence to influence a Pentecostal-Charismatic revival preceded by genuine repentance for the “idolatry of power.” Such idolatry, reflected in the pursuit of coercive control, political influence, and prosperity, has compromised the movement’s spiritual integrity. Repentance calls for a return to humility, acknowledging that divine power is not transactional or coercive but rooted in self-giving love. By renouncing the worship of worldly power and refocusing on God’s love, Pentecostals and Charismatics can pave the way for an “Amipotent Revival” that restores the church’s integrity. An Amipotent Revival would not center on material success or political dominance but on embodying God’s transformative love in self-giving service to others as a fresh understanding of Spirit-filled living. When Pentecostals and Charismatics turn away from the idolatry of power, they can experience spiritual renewal that deepens their relationship with God and enhances their witness to the world with an Amipotent expression of faith grounded in persuasive love.

Reframing spirituality in Amipotent terms can help Pentecostals and Charismatics shift their focus from miraculous spectacles as ends in themselves to seeing the Spirit’s work as equipping believers for self-giving, others-empowering service. As such, Amipotence aligns with a biblical emphasis on the fruit of the Spirit, including love, peace, and patience, as the true evidence of a Spirit-filled life. Rather than seeking power to control or coerce outcomes, Pentecostals and Charismatics can embrace their spirituality as a call to embody love, serving others in humility and compassion. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God works in the most upside-down ways, where the last are first, the rejected are favored, and the weak are strong.

Theological renewal is not just necessary for American Charismatic movements but also for Pentecostalism globally. While the challenges may differ in the Global South, many non-Western Pentecostal movements share a misunderstanding of power as coercion rather than persuasive love. Amipotence provides a way forward, offering a fresh, non-coercive vision of divine power deeply relevant to contexts where believers face social, political, or economic marginalization. In regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where Pentecostalism emphasizes collective well-being and communal transformation, the concept of Amipotence aligns naturally with existing cultural values.

For many global Pentecostals, the idea that God works through love and weakness has profound implications. In places like sub-Saharan Africa, where Pentecostalism has flourished amidst political and economic challenges, believers often experience the power of God’s love in the midst of suffering and persecution. Similarly, in Latin America, where the Charismatic Renewal has impacted Catholic communities, the notion of God working through humility and love fits well with historic movements for social justice. Amipotence could catalyze new forms of ministry prioritizing relational care over authoritarian leadership and encourage global Pentecostalism to become a more compassionate and just expression of faith.

Amipotence can help Pentecostal and Charismatic communities in Western and Non-Western contexts recover their original vision of God’s power as self-giving, others-empowering love. Rather than seeking economic or political dominance, believers are called to model their lives after Christ, who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). A theological shift toward Amipotence could renew the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement by reframing miracles and divine intervention as expressions of love rather than control. In doing so, Pentecostals and Charismatics can be agents of God’s transformative love better equipped to address the challenges of a changing world.

Oord’s concept of Amipotence offers a fresh opportunity for Pentecostals and Charismatics to reframe their understanding of God’s power. The worship of power as coercive control must give way to an embrace of love as the most potent form of divine influence. As Pentecostals and Charismatics adopt this perspective, they can align more closely with the biblical vision of God’s power—one that elevates the weak, confounds the strong, and transforms lives through persuasive love. Embracing Amipotence will deepen Pentecostal-Charismatics’ relationship with God and others, grounding their faith in Amipotent love that rejects idolatrous definitions of power.

Bio: Joshua D. Reichard is the President/CEO of Omega Graduate School, The American Centre for Research in the Social Sciences (ACRSS), and has published extensively on issues related to the intersection of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements and Process-Relational theologies. In addition to his theological interests, he is an interdisciplinary scholar, a Certified Clinical Sociologist, and a licensed school superintendent.

OORD’S DRABBLE* RESPONSE

Joshua Reichard believes Pentecostals and charismatics could greatly benefit from embracing amipotence. He argues that it offers a path away from idolizing power and toward prioritizing love. This shift could help these traditions move beyond viewing miracles as transactions and prosperity as a sign of divine favor. Instead, amipotence encourages an emphasis on service, particularly to those who are marginalized. It provides a fresh theological framework, inviting Pentecostals and charismatics to reject control-based power and embrace a vision of God who uplifts the weak, confounds the strong, and transforms the world through gentle, persuasive, and uncontrolling divine love. It’s love power!

For more on Oord’s view of the Pentecostal theologian Amos Yong, see this article.

* A drabble is an essay exactly 100 words in length.