Amanda Kerrigan on the Impact of Pentecostal Christian Churches on the Youth of Taipei
By: Amanda Kerrigan
October 14, 2008
While riding a bus through the streets of Taipei, you will no doubt see many bright neon orange crosses glowing in the night sky. For a place where only 4.5 percent of the population is Christian, there is a surprisingly large number of churches in Taiwan. But there is an even larger number of red and golden temples where the majority of Taiwanese people practice their religion, which is a combination of Buddhism, Taoism, and local Taiwanese beliefs.
Upon arriving at National Chengchi University, I discovered that most of the students come from families that observe this local religion. Many students will go to Buddhist temples before tests to pray and offer sacrifices to the god of education for a good test score. The majority of Christian students I have met at school, which is not many, did not become Christians until they went to college and joined a campus church group.
About a month ago a Taiwanese Christian friend of mine offered to take me to her church in Taipei, which is called New Life Church. At the time we went I had never heard of this church, but later I found out that it is one of the most famous Christian churches in Taipei. The majority of the church's followers are mostly high school students, college students, and recent college graduates. The church has become so popular that it had to move its services next door to a large gym.
Upon entering the church, it seemed like a large church typical of those in the United States. There was a band setting up on the stage and two large screens at the sides of the stage where announcements were flashing. But as I took a closer look at the people and as the service progressed, I soon realized that this church was anything but typical. The girls playing the keyboards were wearing quite revealing attire—super short shorts with high heels and stockings. The men wore very tight jeans and glittery shirts. The pastor, however, had the most shocking appearance of all. He was a middle-aged man with blue, orange, and red hair in the style of a mohawk. He also wore very tight jeans that had horseshoes painted on each of his back pockets. He also wore cowboy boots and a glittery, silver belt.
Despite these appearances, I kept telling myself to have an open mind. However, just as I was getting used to this new environment, a fellow student asked me if I knew how to speak in tongues. When I replied that I did not, she said that at New Life Church they spoke in tongues. I had heard of speaking in tongues before, but thought it was something rare that only a few people did. But at this church, all 1,000 members suddenly began speaking in tongues at the pastor's command. The service lasted for three hours, and by the end of it I thought I had gone crazy. Perhaps the most frightening part of the service was when one of the pastors ministered to several hundred people. The pastor would speak in tongues and then lightly hit people on the forehead in order to knock the bad spirits out of them. Many people fell to the floor in tears when the pastor hit them. Everywhere people were crying, speaking in tongues, and hugging each other. It felt like absolute chaos.
Since attending this church service, I have been discussing church life in Taipei with fellow students. I thought that this type of church must be quite rare, but surprisingly many churches, particularly those with mostly young attendees, incorporate speaking tongues into their Sunday services or Bible studies. It seems that because many Christian students did not grow up in Christian households, they accept the Pentecostal way of worship as normal because they have no other basis for comparison. This lack of experience allows New Life Church and other churches to easily convince newcomers that their way of worship is the only way of worship.
When I went to the discussion session after the church service, the leader of my group told me and another newcomer that speaking in tongues was a gift and the only true way to communicate with God. The church leaders put a lot of pressure on us to learn how to speak in tongues. They tried to make me and the other new girl feel like we were inadequate Christians because we lacked this ability. To further normalize speaking in tongues and to encourage students to join the church, New Life Church also creates a cool and lively church environment. The church band is apparently a well-known band in Taipei. All the band members wore stylish and even sexy clothing. When the lead singer and band members began speaking in tongues they made it seem as if it were the absolute best and most fun way to communicate with God.
Despite the peer pressure and the lively environment, I was not convinced to speak in tongues, and I do not plan to go back to this church. When I first saw all the churches in Taipei, I was so excited to see that Christianity was becoming more and more popular. Now, however, I am disheartened that some preachers are taking advantage of the naïveté of Taiwanese youth in order to create an exclusive and almost cult-like Christian church environment.
About a month ago a Taiwanese Christian friend of mine offered to take me to her church in Taipei, which is called New Life Church. At the time we went I had never heard of this church, but later I found out that it is one of the most famous Christian churches in Taipei. The majority of the church's followers are mostly high school students, college students, and recent college graduates. The church has become so popular that it had to move its services next door to a large gym.
Upon entering the church, it seemed like a large church typical of those in the United States. There was a band setting up on the stage and two large screens at the sides of the stage where announcements were flashing. But as I took a closer look at the people and as the service progressed, I soon realized that this church was anything but typical. The girls playing the keyboards were wearing quite revealing attire—super short shorts with high heels and stockings. The men wore very tight jeans and glittery shirts. The pastor, however, had the most shocking appearance of all. He was a middle-aged man with blue, orange, and red hair in the style of a mohawk. He also wore very tight jeans that had horseshoes painted on each of his back pockets. He also wore cowboy boots and a glittery, silver belt.
Despite these appearances, I kept telling myself to have an open mind. However, just as I was getting used to this new environment, a fellow student asked me if I knew how to speak in tongues. When I replied that I did not, she said that at New Life Church they spoke in tongues. I had heard of speaking in tongues before, but thought it was something rare that only a few people did. But at this church, all 1,000 members suddenly began speaking in tongues at the pastor's command. The service lasted for three hours, and by the end of it I thought I had gone crazy. Perhaps the most frightening part of the service was when one of the pastors ministered to several hundred people. The pastor would speak in tongues and then lightly hit people on the forehead in order to knock the bad spirits out of them. Many people fell to the floor in tears when the pastor hit them. Everywhere people were crying, speaking in tongues, and hugging each other. It felt like absolute chaos.
Since attending this church service, I have been discussing church life in Taipei with fellow students. I thought that this type of church must be quite rare, but surprisingly many churches, particularly those with mostly young attendees, incorporate speaking tongues into their Sunday services or Bible studies. It seems that because many Christian students did not grow up in Christian households, they accept the Pentecostal way of worship as normal because they have no other basis for comparison. This lack of experience allows New Life Church and other churches to easily convince newcomers that their way of worship is the only way of worship.
When I went to the discussion session after the church service, the leader of my group told me and another newcomer that speaking in tongues was a gift and the only true way to communicate with God. The church leaders put a lot of pressure on us to learn how to speak in tongues. They tried to make me and the other new girl feel like we were inadequate Christians because we lacked this ability. To further normalize speaking in tongues and to encourage students to join the church, New Life Church also creates a cool and lively church environment. The church band is apparently a well-known band in Taipei. All the band members wore stylish and even sexy clothing. When the lead singer and band members began speaking in tongues they made it seem as if it were the absolute best and most fun way to communicate with God.
Despite the peer pressure and the lively environment, I was not convinced to speak in tongues, and I do not plan to go back to this church. When I first saw all the churches in Taipei, I was so excited to see that Christianity was becoming more and more popular. Now, however, I am disheartened that some preachers are taking advantage of the naïveté of Taiwanese youth in order to create an exclusive and almost cult-like Christian church environment.
About the Author
Opens in a new window