P'ent'ay

P'ent'ay (from Amharic: ጴንጤ?, also transliterated as Pentay or Pente) is an Amharic language term for a Christian of Protestant denomination, widely used in modern Ethiopia and among Ethiopians living abroad. It is used to describe Christians who are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo, Ethiopian Orthodox Tehadeso, 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) or 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.

The P'ent'ay label may be an indication of the apparent prominence of the Pentecostal denomination at some point in the history of Protestantism in Ethiopia, even though many other branches such as Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Mennonites also have a similarly wide presence.