Why Many Pentecostals Lack Initiative

This is not a straight-forward “law” of Pentecostalism, but it is indeed a large enough problem that it could still affect some who have left the movement.

I listen often to stories of Pentecostals about having a hard time motivating their children to take school seriously. They know in their hearts that the kids are capable and intelligent, but the kids are almost compulsive under-achievers. There is a connection to underachievement and Pentecostal “theology,” if one would be so sarcastic to call Pentecostal thinking “theology.”

To be a person of initiative, it takes many things around that person to ignite the fires of energy to build a better life. Such energy and initiative are not simply tricks of “motivation” or pep talks to get the lazy bum off of the sofa, in a manner of speaking. In order to be a person of initiative, one has to have a view of the world and one’s self that pushes one to achieve things. One’s entire Spiritual outlook upon one’s self, upon humanity as a whole, and upon one’s family and friends must drive this initiative. When I speak of “Spirit,” I mean one’s life’s philosophy and way of looking at the world.

A person of genuine, lasting initiative has a sense of duty to one’s self and to others. This person has a sense of the long term, and not merely short-term gains. Often a sense of Mission drives this person, since maybe his parents told him stories of overcoming things or working hard to start a business, or studying hard to make it through college or something – some story of another fires his imagination to push harder to reach a particular goal. The person’s mission drives his roles – father, mother, occupation, public service, etc – to the point where these roles produce particular tasks that one wishes to accomplish. These “tasks” flow from the roles one has chosen, which was based on one’s mission, which was based on one’s vision of himself as to what he wishes to accomplish and to be. All these tasks are then translated into plans of action. These plans can take weeks, months and even years, but ultimately, they are driven from the First Root of one’s visions and missions of one’s life. The disciplined person makes detailed plans and schedules to accomplish particular ends, but this is not necessary in some cases, since some have natural talents of personal organization and drive, and each person is different.

This is a very rough summary, but that is the outline of what drives a person – this is the root of initiative – ultimately, one’s vision of where one thinks he must go.

What visions do Pentecostals have? What drive them? Many Pentecostals have a vision of Jesus coming soon to pull them into the blue sky, away from this Earth. I am not here to discuss theology and the various interpretations of this, but this is one of their main focuses, which is not a main focus for traditional Christianity. So, if one thinks that at any moment, God will suck him into the sky, what would such a vision of IMMEDIATE VANISHING drive into the imagination of a person? If one thinks that the world will be destroyed by fire and sword by some cataclysmic Battle of Armageddon, what kind of initiative a person would have if this vision was central to their life? With such visions in one’s mind, one would focus upon immediate things like the weekly church meetings to make sure one is “right with God.” One would focus upon emotional ejaculations like speaking in tongues and running around the church to prove that they are “saved” and ready for the great vacuum cleaner in the sky. If one thought that the world was about to be destroyed by fire and sword, one could care less about the community outside of the church, since they would be eventually exterminated en mass by the great Tribulation or something similar. One would not give a care about one’s community, state, or nation as a whole, since the mass of them are “outside the church,” and will be killed anyway for their rebellion.

Such thinking separates one’s vision from the community, taking away the initiative toward public service and making the community and the world a better place than one found it. This vision saps the initiative to public service. This also saps the initiative toward one’s career. How? Well, if at any minute, I will be floating into the sky, why think ahead 10 or 20 years and plan to make my life and my family’s life better? If I am studying in school, why give it my best, when all these books and buildings will be consumed in fire of the Tribulation? What is the point? Why try?

Thus, Pentecostals are usually very far behind in their careers and in their personal lives of public service to the community from neglect. Their distorted visions of the world are driving them toward ignorance and laziness in the things in life that really make a difference. Why spend 18 years educating kids if the Anti-Christ will come to kill them at any time, or if the Rapture comes tomorrow morning before lunch time?

This is why we can find very intelligent people among Pentecostals that are mentally lazy and do not give their best in their careers and developing their families. Why would one want to keep in touch with “unsaved” family members when they “reject the Truth” and will get exterminated in the Great Tribulation like everyone else. See? All these visions drive their missions, roles, and goals to things that are immediate, emotionalist, and usually destructive. This is why some have quick affairs, damaging their marriages, because, you know, we can repent in time for the Rapture. This also drives spending too much time at church and with religion to the point of madness. These visions drive isolation and breed paranoia because they refuse to look outside themselves for feedback.

Thus, I have given an outline of why Pentecostals in some cases lack initiative and are very immature career wise, emotionally, and with their families. There are some exceptions, of course, and in many of the exceptions, the people have lingering visions from previous religious affiliation, most often Roman Catholic or some other traditional church. These lingering visions from previous religious training can drive some to some level of initiative for a time before the Pentecostal visions take over their minds and missions and sap their initiative also. Those that might have initiative among Pentecostals are those who no longer believe the messages and are on their way out. The only things that a Pentecostal might drive toward are (1) preaching or (2) music, which are the only outlets for ambitious people within Pentecostalism. With such a narrow range of opportunities and energy outlets, their energies are mostly driven toward emotionalism and self-destruction like gossip, backbiting and the like. And after some time, the initiative is gone and they appear somewhat lazy toward what they would call “things of this world.”

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JP Istre