Dynamic and institution in the Children of God

Abstract

Dynamic is used here as an equivalent to charisma, but not however in the New Testament sense of a gift, but rather as suprahuman source of authority. A charismatic person then is someone who claims that the authority he claims is neither inherited nor given him by a group of people, but has been directly bestowed upon him by God. In other words, a charismatic person is a prophet. Institution is an organisation broadly defined, containing both a social entity as the "religious system" and in the more practical aspect as the organisation of a particular movement. The purpose here is to indicate the relations between dynamic and institution, between prophet and organisation within and out-side the religious group "The Children of God".

Keywords

• Children of God
• Charisma
• Leadership, Religious
• Pentecostalism
• Authority
• United States