The Fountain Trust was an ecumenical agency formed in the UK in 1964 to promote the charismatic renewal. Ecumenism (also oecumenism, œcumenism) refers to initiatives aimed at greater Religious unity or cooperation The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The term charismatic movement describes the adoption from the early twentieth century onwards of certain beliefs typical of those held by Pentecostal Christians — specifically The trust operated on the principle that it was the purpose of the Holy Spirit to "renew the historic churches". In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance [1] D. Eryl Davies, principal of the Evangelical Theological College of Wales, has criticized the trust for "facilitating interdenominational fellowship and bonding more on the basis of the charismata and a distinctive 'spirituality' rather than on the unique truths of the biblical gospel" and because "a theological looseness as well as ambiguity developed with regard to the gospel itself. Spiritual gifts (or Charismata, according to some Christian denominations such as Pentecostal, are gifts that are bestowed on Christians each having his or her "[2]
It was founded by Michael Harper, a Church of England priest who experienced what charismatics and Pentecostals termed the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a religious experience accompanied by speaking in tongues. Michael Harper is the name of Michael Harper (priest - English charismatic Anglican and Orthodox priest (b The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism According to the New Testament, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience sent by Jesus Christ. Religious Experience (also known as a spiritual, Sacred, or mystical experience is an altered state of consciousness where an Glossolalia is commonly called "speaking in tongues" For other uses of "speaking in tongues" see Speaking in Tongues (disambiguation. Between July 1964 and its voluntary dissolution in 1980, Fountain Trust sponsored several conferences, meetings and publications, involving leaders such as Brethren Bible teacher Arthur Wallis and theologian Thomas Smail of the Church of Scotland,[3] who became director in 1975. The Brethren are a number of Protestant Christian religious bodies using the word "brethren" in their names Arthur Wallis may refer to A pseudonym of British actor and writer Nicholas Briggs Arthur Wallis (wrestler, British Olympic wrestler Thomas 'Tom' Allan Smail (b 1928 was a Church of Scotland minister later an Anglican priest, and a leading Theologian in the Charismatic movement The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. The first of five biennial international conferences under the auspices of the trust was held at Guildford, England in 1971. [4]
In 1966 the Trust set up Renewal magazine, which for several decades was the leading magazine for charismatic Christians in the UK. In recent years it has merged with Christianity magazine. The Trust also published a supplement entitled Theological Renewal three times a year. [5]
The archives of the Trust are now with the Donald Gee Center for Pentecostal & Charismatic Research at Mattersey Hall. Mattersey Hall is a Bible college and the main training centre for the Assemblies of God in the United Kingdom. [6]
Notes and references
- ^ The Latter Rain and the Restoration Movement in Britain. "Bread & Games - Reflections on the British Church". Retrieved on 2006-05-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held , which quotes page 86 of Lillie, David (1994). Is Restoration Still On God's Programme?. Devon: Kyrtonia ExPress.
- ^ The Great Distraction: Looking Back at the Charismatic Movement (PDF). The Evangelical Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-05-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
- ^ The Charismatic Movement - A Short History. The charismatic movement - a short history. Retrieved on 2006-05-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
- ^ Project Description: Ecumenism at the Five International Conferences of the Fountain Trust (1970-1980). European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism (GloPent). Retrieved on 2006-05-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
- ^ Wihitfield, Geoggrey (2004). "Frank Lake’s Quest for the Origins of Sin and Human Malfunction in the Light of Pre-Natal Psychology and its Relevance for the Pastor and the Psychotherapist". Working Paper No. 144. Retrieved on 2006-05-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
- ^ The Donald Gee Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Research. Mattersey Hall. Retrieved on 2006-05-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
Other sources
- P. D. Hocken, "Fountain Trust" in Stanley M. Burgess & Eduard van der Maas, New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, revised edition, (Zondervan, 2003)
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