The widespread Gypsy conversion to Pentecostal Christianity in Europe shows no signs of waning and there are indications that evangelical Gypsies are having a significant impact in their communities.
Charisma magazine (March) reports that the growth of Pentecostalism has been called the largest revival in post-war Western Europe, although many Christians are still unaware of it. Writers Tomas and Herti Dixon cite figures by Light & Life, a branch of the Assemblies of God pioneering the ministry to Gypsies, that suggests continued growth: 130,000 Gypsy believers in France (a third of the Gypsy population); between 100,000 and 500,000 evangelicals among a total of one million Gypsies in Spain.
This revival has often led to separate Gypsy congregations rather than feeding into the native European churches; there are now Gypsy Bible colleges and missions. As with Pentecostalism in Latin America and other Third World countries, Gypsy Pentecostals are beginning to effect political and social change.
This is most clearly seen in Finland, where the largely Christian (Lutheran and Pentecostal) Gypsy national organizations and politicians have pressed for recognition of a Gypsy nation with its own language and political rights. The writers add that Gypsy Christians are also in the forefront of pushing for integration into the European Union while resisting assimilation.
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