P'ent'ay
| P'ent'ay -ECFE | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Evangelical Protestant |
| Polity | Congregationalist |
| Region | Ethiopia, United States, Norway, Kenya, Eritrea, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom |
| Members | ~15,000,000 |
| Official website | Official ECFE website (english) |
P'ent'ay (from Amharic: ጴንጤ?, also transliterated as Pentay or Pente) is an Amharic and Tigrinya language term for a Christian of a Protestant denomination, widely used in Ethiopia and among Ethiopians and Eritreans living abroad. The term was created in the late 1960s and was used as a term of disparagement towards those churches who believed in the "Pentecostal experience". Today, it is used to describe Christians who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo, Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo, Roman Catholic or Ethiopian Catholic churches. The term P'ent'ay is a shortening of the word "Pentecostal", however, it is widely used when referring to all Protestant Christians whether they are actual Pentecostals or not. The equivalent rendition in many other languages is Evangelicals. The four major Evangelical denominations in Ethiopia are: the Kale Heywet (Word of Life); Mekane Yesus (Place of Jesus), Lutheran; Mulu Wongel (Full Gospel) and Meserete Kristos (meaning "Christ foundation") or Mennonite. Some P'ent'ay communities - especially Mekane Yesus - have been influenced by the Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which represents mainstream, traditional Ethiopian Christianity. But for the most part they are very Pentecostal in their worship and theology.
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