The article explores Pentecostal embodiment practices and concepts with regard to Holy Spirit
baptism and demon possession. The studied material is connected to a specific and highly
controversial debate in Ethiopian Pentecostalism, which revolves around the possibility of demon
possession in born-again and Spirit-filled Christians. This debate runs through much of Ethiopian
Pentecostal history and ultimately is concerned with whether or how Christians can host conflicting
spiritual forces, in light of the strong dualism between God and evil in Pentecostal cosmology. The
article shows that the embodiment of spirits and/or the Holy Spirit is related to theological concepts
of the self, because these concepts define what may or may not be discerned in certain bodily
manifestations. Moreover, the article contends that this debate thrives on a certain ambiguity in
spirit embodiment, which invites the discernment of spiritual experts and thereby becomes a
resource of power.