In his early 30s, Christenson was a Lutheran pastor in San Pedro, California, who came to believe at the start of the 1960s that Jesus Christ still heals the sick today as He did 2,000 years ago.

That belief led Christenson to accept that the other gifts of the Holy Spirit were also still available.

He himself was baptized in the Spirit and began to speak in tongues at a local Assemblies of God church he visited in 1961.

Christenson decided to stay in his Lutheran denomination, where he became a major advocate for and leader of the charismatic renewal sweeping through mainline churches.

His own San Pedro church became so popular that it could well have become a mega-church as Lutherans curious about the baptism in the Holy Spirit flocked there. But he always encouraged them to return to their own congregations to be a strength and light.

Christenson's books, "Speaking in Tongues" (1968) and "The Christian Family (1970)," became bestsellers.

Where detractors criticized the charismatic movement as being too based in shallow emotionalism, Christenson's own sharp and quiet intellect contradicted the stereotype.

After decades pastoring in California, he returned to his home state of Minnesota. At age 89, he was attending the same church in Northfield, Minnesota, where he was baptized at the start of his life.

Christenson had memorized the entire Book of Ephesians, and praying from that book was a major part of the four-hour prayer walks he did daily. It was on such a walk two months away from his 90th birthday that he slipped on ice Dec. 21, the fall that led to his five-day coma and then death.

He was married to his wife, Nordis, for 66 years and is survived by her, four children, 18 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Egyptian Farmer's Find Reveals Giant Statue of Pharaoh Linked to Biblical Exodus

Elon Musk Wows the World: Unveils Flying Tesla Roadster at SpaceX Texas Site

Illegal Alien Busted Allegedly Hauling Enough Fentanyl To Potentially Kill State's Entire Population—Twice

Trump's Fraud Task Force Recovers Nearly $6 Billion While Targeting Medicare/Medicaid Duplicate Coverage

Now More Than Ever, the Survival of the Constitution Is on the Ballot

Turnout Surge among GOP Seniors Could Be Midterm's Biggest Surprise

Fact Check: Breaking Down Talarico's Claims at CNN Town Hall

Prayer Alert: Deadly Oregon Elementary School Shooting Could've Been Worse, But For Heroic Armed Bystander Who Stopped Teen Gunman

'I Still Can't Believe What God Did!' 550 Baptized in Freezing Waters of England

Christian Mom Fights Homeschool Battle: 'Government Cannot Exclude Religious People' (Video)

Facts Don't Lie: Republicans Dominate 5 Financially Healthiest State Governments, Democrats Run the 5 Worst

Social Security to Grant 3.6% Cost-of-Living Boost

491 Fugitives—'Dangerous Drug Traffickers, Rapists, and Sex Offenders'—Hiding in Public Housing Arrested in Nationwide Sweep

What We Know About the Omar Raid and the Allegations Behind It

President Trump Says Pentagon Won't Livestream Execution of Fort Hood Shooter

Virginia, Colorado Suspend Medicaid Coverage of Trans Procedures for Minors after Federal Rule Takes Effect

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Says God's at Center of Team Culture: 'That's Who I Am' (Video)

Pope Leo Diagnosed with Cancer Following Surgery to Remove a Third of His Right Lung

Victor Davis Hanson: Genocide Hypocrites

FBI Arrests OpenAI Engineer Over a Hidden Listening Device