Main Street Mystics; The Toronto Blessing and Reviving Pentecostalism

"On January 20, 1994, the worshippers at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church began to feel the Holy Spirit move them. They began to laugh uncontrollably, collapse to the floor, and stagger as if drunk. But what was truly startling in this occurrence - now commonly known as the Toronto Blessing - is that these manifestations continue to appear at the Toronto church and have sparked a worldwide charismatic revival. Visitors from around the globe have come and started revivals in their home churches upon return. In Main Street Mystics, Margaret M. Poloma explains this contemporary charismatic revival without explaining it away. From her unique position as both a scholar and a pilgrim, Poloma offers an intimate account of the movement while always attempting to understand it through the lens of social science. She looks at Pentecostalism as a form of mysticism, but a mysticism that engages Pentecostals in the everyday world. With its broad overview and up-close portraits, Main Street Mystics is essential for anyone wanting to understand the ever-renewing movement of Pentecostalism."--Jacket.