The aim of the thesis is to examine how a group’s self-image is created, sustained and if necessary changed during the revolutionary 20th century. The study takes its point of  eparture in the idea that a self-image is essential for an organisation’s cohesion and collective identity. The study object is the Pentecostal Philadelphia church in, Sweden, established in 1910. In concrete terms, the thesis examines the self-image of the church as it is expressed in its narratives and activities from 1910 to 1980. The lf-image is analysed with the aid of the concepts ‘boundaries’ and ‘symbols’ and in relation to social and organisational change processes. In the main the empirical material  onsists of official documents such as jubilee publications, annual reports and the weekly newspaper Evangelii Härold. The main contribution of the thesis is an analysis of the church’s historical narrative. In this narrative the overall theme appears to be the small and faithful group that due to God’s influence and despite opposition became a major  nd significant church -- a success story. The theme also remains the same when the circumstances change. Narrative theory emphasises that the narrative has to be changeable order to be serviceable. However, my study shows that the narration, at least at the level highlighted in the thesis, is inert. The self-image seems to be difficult to change but is not necessarily static. The narrative is shown to include strategies for dealing with internal change processes and changes in society.

This thesis explore how the contemporary Swedish Pentecostal movement view childrens way to salvation. Is it possible to discern certain theological systems represented in the movement and has the movement’s view changed over time? The study reaches the conclusion that the view has changed and that there exists two logically opposite systems in the movement, leaving it with a theological double vision. The study explores the theological basis and the practical implications of both systems, and seek to discern what system is the prominent one. The study shows that the pelagian system stands out against the arminian system and that an ongoing theological renegotiation seems to strenghthen its position. The study also interacts briefly with two international pentecostal movements and finds the arminian theological system to dominate in that context. The result of the study raises questions whether the Swedish Pentecostal movement is aware of it’s double vision and the changes that is underway. The study ends by emphasizing the need for the Swedish Pentecostal movement to work through some main elements in its theology, in order to reach a clear view of children’s way to salvation. / Studien undersöker hur dagens svenska Pingströrelse ser på barns väg till frälsning. Vilka teologiska system finns representerade i rörelsen? Vilken teologi bygger dessa på och vilken praktik leder de till i förhållande till barnen? Studien söker också att besvara vilket teologiskt system som dominerar inom rörelsen samt om rörelsens syn på barns väg till frälsning har förändrats över tid. Studien visar att två oförenliga teologiska system, det pelagianska och det arminska, finns representerade i Pingströrelsen och att det pelagianska systemet är mest framträdande. Resultatet pekar på att den svenska Pingströrelsen har en dubbelsyn på barns väg till frälsning vilket leder till en skiftande praktik i förhållande till barnen. Studien utvidgar kort perspektivet och jämför den svenska Pingströrelsens teologi med teologin hos två internationella pingströrelser: Pentecostal World Fellowship och Assemblies of God. Studien avslutas med en uppmaning till den svenska Pingströrelsen att arbeta igenom sin teologi så att den kommer fram till en skarp syn på barns väg till frälsning och därmed till en välgrundad praktik i arbetet bland barnen.

This thesis is a contribution to a hitherto neglected area of research: The African Pentecostal Churches, that do not belong to those called African Indigenous Churches (AICs). It is a case study from the perspective of southern Burundi, the periphery of the ancient kingdom. The Pentecostal Movement in Burundi was born in the encounter between Swedish Pentecostal missionaries and the population in the southern part of the country. This study highlights what happened in that encounter. The thesis consists of six parts. The first is a survey of the Pentecostal Movement in Sweden. The diachronic structure of parts two to five focuses on the development within the Burundian Pentecostal Churches and their relationship to the Burundian society 1935-1960. In the sixth part the diachronic approach is augmented by structural analyses, showing how aspects in the Pentecostal Movement developed. The Pentecostal missionaries accepted in part the traditional world view, the belief in a spiritual world and non-rational explanations to misfortunes in life. They encouraged the Burundians to do spiritual experiences, and especially the baptism in the Holy Ghost. The Burundian evangelists and church elders played a decisive role. It was their task to reformulate the Pentecostal message in Kirundi, which was not spoken by the missionaries. They moulded the message into a Burundian Pentecostal message, at the same time respecting the teaching of the early missionaries. They succeeded in doing that so well that the Pentecostal Movement became a popular movement, in certain places the dominating Christian denomination, in spite of the parallel work done by the Catholic Church, encouraged and supported by the Belgian state. This thesis builds on material taken mainly from unpublished sources from archives in Burundi, Sweden, Rome, Great Britain and Denmark. These are supplemented by interviews, most of them made by the author.