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Pentecostalism has also won adherents in the islands of Islamic Indonesia, especially Timor. Some 1.5 million of Indonesia's estimated 8,000,000 Christians are associated with Pentecostal or charismatic churches. Thousands have joined the movement since an abortive Communist uprising in 1965 was bloodily put down; this has led sociologists to suggest that at least some simply want ed to avoid suspicion of being Communist atheists. But a bigger attraction may have been the widespread reports of Pentecostal miracles on Timor, including such New Testament specialties as raising the dead, walking on water and turning water into wine. While such sensational "miracles" have not held up under serious checking, reports of other supernatural incidents—such as healings and profound spiritual reformations —have been more difficult to refute.
In the Philippines, Pentecostalism is growing through two channels. The more classical version is prospering especially through mail-order Bible courses, which have been growing at the rate of 1,500 new enrollees per month. Philippine Catholics are also experiencing a Pentecostal fervor, with some 100 priests, 500 nuns, and 15,000 laymen involved; they are even sending missionaries to Latin America and to other Asian countries. Many of Japan's small but vigorous Catholic population (350,000) are embracing Pentecostalism. The Kobe-Osaka area alone has a dozen Catholic Charismatic prayer groups.
Fertile Ground. Malaysia is so familiar with the movement that the Malaysian Council of Churches speaks matter-of-factly about "Spirit-filled" Christians among its Anglican and Methodist constituents. The Anglican Bishop of Singapore, the Rt. Rev. Chiu Ban It, has himself received the baptism in the Spirit and is an enthusiastic backer of Pentecostal spirituality.
Why the great surge of Pentecostalism across Asia? One major reason is the Pentecostal emphasis on direct personal encounter with the Holy Spirit.
This gives Asian converts the feeling of immediate spiritual equality with Westerners, something that often is not encouraged by the involved liturgy and theology of other Christian churches.
The sense of equality is enhanced by a tendency of missionaries in the classical Pentecostal denominations to hand over leadership to local followers faster than other missionaries have done.
Asian Pentecostalism has prospered most spectacularly in the aftermath of turmoil. Pentecostal leaders are now looking toward wounded Bangladesh, which Dr. Philip Hogan, foreign missions director for the Assemblies of God, calls the "Christian opportunity of this age." Already Hogan is receiving reports of thousands of conversions there.
So far, only a few Pentecostalist missionaries have ventured into ravaged South Viet Nam. Among them is an enterprising Assemblies of God church that holds services, Bible classes and prayer meetings in Saigon's abandoned U.S.O. headquarters. If desolation is indeed fertile ground for Pentecostalism, South Viet Nam could well be the next country to witness an outpouring of the Spirit in Asia.