Some thoughts that you might help me with? I'd appreciate your insights and critiques.While the term anointing can be used in multiple ways, in our Pentecostal vernacular, we mean something along the lines of what Jesus meant when He said The Lord has anointed Me.... While the anointing can be hard to formally articulate, it means (for us) something along the lines of the recognizable presence of the Lord upon the words/actions of someone. It is the awareness that God is acting. (Again, this is based on our particular Pentecostal notion of what the anointing means.)The anointing makes you relevant in ANY situation, culture, sub-culture, etc. If someone is, say, anointed to sing, then even if they are Red Back Hymnal types, the anointing can bridge the divide between them and urban/hip-hop culture. Of course, IDEALLY, a singer would not only sing hip-hop style, but would also be anointed. Recall that the disciples were able to communicate to all on the Day of Pentecost through the power of the Holy Ghost.There is no substitute for the anointing. This doesn't mean that churches done' try to substitute things for the anointing. But the anointing is what makes SPIRITUAL impact. While great music, talent, lights, charisma, etc. can make emotional or intellectual impact, these things alone do not impact the spiritual universe--they cannot usher in healing, repel demons, etc.