When Christianity Seeks Power with André Gagné
What if some of the most significant changes happening in Christianity are happening in places we aren’t paying much attention to? What happens when movements that many Christians might think of as fringe are actually becoming increasingly influential in the places where religion, culture, and political power intersect?
In this episode of Rector’s Cupboard, we’re joined by André Gagné, professor and chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University in Montreal, to talk about neo-charismatic Pentecostalism and its growing influence around the world.
What exactly is happening within these movements? How did they become so widespread, and what happens when ideas about spiritual authority, spiritual warfare, and the supernatural begin to intersect with the pursuit of power?
Drawing on his own experience within the movement as well as years of research, André helps us understand the diversity of Pentecostal and neo-charismatic Christianity, the ways it has shaped contemporary Christian life, and some of the theological currents that have emerged within it. We also talk about what can happen when those currents become connected to political power—and why understanding that connection matters, even when the people involved may have very different intentions, experiences, and understandings of what they are part of.
Perhaps the challenge is not simply to ask what is happening, but to learn how to see it more clearly: to take the ideas seriously without reducing the people who hold them to those ideas, and to notice the ways theology can shape the world around us in ways we might not expect.
This conversation is part of our exploration of What on Earth Is Happening with Christianity?—and André will be joining us in person for our November conference in Vancouver. More information and registration for our upcoming conference available here.
We hope you enjoy the conversation.
References:
“The Demon Next Door”, The Atlantic, July 7, 2026
Andrés Substack, which contains writings and podcast episodes - Spirit, State, and Society