The Gospel Revisited

Towards a Pentecostal Theology of Worship and Witness

Archer

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2011
• eBook ISBN: 9781630876593
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

This book is a constructive attempt at formulating a contemporary Pentecostal theology grounded in worship and witness. The theological vision expounded here is grounded in the Pentecostal story with its emphasis upon the fivefold Gospel. The doxological confession of Jesus as Savior, Sanctifier, Spirit Baptizer, Healer, and soon coming King provide the basic organizational structure of a Pentecostal narrative theology. Each chapter takes seriously these central convictions and allows them to shape, form, and reform various theological loci. Important issues such as methodology, hermeneutics, and theology as embodied worship and witness are addressed. The result is a vibrant and integrative theology fueled by a dynamic spirituality.

1

A Pentecostal Way of Doing Theology

Method and Manner

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

—Luke 4:18–19

I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who has faith.

—Romans 1:16

Pentecostalism as a Christian religious movement has been given much attention by historians, sociologists and even biblical scholars; yet, little attention has been given to the development of a Pentecostal theology. This chapter emphasizes the necessity of doing Pentecostal theology by means of an integrative methodology and in a narrative manner that flows out of Pentecostal identity. Pentecostal theology must move beyond the impasse created by subsuming its identity under the rubric of “Evangelical” in order for it to articulate a vibrant fully orbed mature Pentecostal theology. This can be accomplished only when “Pentecostal” is taken seriously as an authentic Christian tradition with its own view of reality. I argue that one very important way of articulating a Pentecostal theology in keeping with its identity is to ground it pneumatologically and organize it around the Fivefold Gospel.

Pentecostal theology?1 Often, Pentecostalism is presented as a pri-mitivistic and popularistic revivalistic movement with an apocalyptic forecast for the future.2 As a religious movement, Pentecostalism has a robust spirituality, but it lacks the intellectual ability and academic sophistication required to produce an acceptable enduring theology.3 From this perspective, Pentecostalism is presented as a subgroup of popularistic Fundamentalism or at best a conservative group of North American Evangelicalism. Pentecostalism at most may help other Christian communities appreciate the importance of emotive experiential worship services but it really does not offer a distinct theology.

This simplistic reductionism of Pentecostalism is being challenged in various ways. Douglas Jacobsen (a non-Pentecostal) correctly points out that such a “representation of the movement misinterprets both the genius and genesis of Pentecostalism.”4 Pentecostalism should be appreciated for what it is—an authentically new, living Christian spirituality with a distinct theological view of reality.5 In other words, “Pentecostalism is a theological tradition.”6

Even though there is a growing awareness that Pentecostalism is its own theological tradition, there are some Pentecostal scholars who continue to recast Pentecostal theology into an Evangelical mold. For these, Pentecostalism is an Evangelical tradition first and foremost with the additional distinct doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. Thus Pentecostalism is not a separate theological tradition in and of itself but simply an Evangelical movement that has a distinct doctrine—a view that becomes more pronounced after certain Pentecostal denominations became members of the National Association of Evangelicals in the 1940s and 1950s.7

One cannot argue for a distinct “Pentecostal” theological tradition if it is really believed that Pentecostalism’s roots, soil, and fruit is Evangelicalism, especially the North American version! One would not be able to construct an accurate and explicit Pentecostal theology from the theological and cultural categories that are inherently a part of Protestant Evangelicalism. The theological categories are often at odds with the implicit theology of Pentecostalism.8

One of the issues that contribute to the debate is the manner in which the origin and emergence of Pentecostalism are understood. The primary focus falls upon the historical antecedents that gave rise to “Pentecostalism.” The examination of historical antecedents becomes the means properly to explain the theological matrix of Pentecostalism and then becomes the standard to validate the current production of Pentecostal theology. From this perspective, the definition of Evangelicalism and the contributions of Evangelicalism to Pentecostalism are more of a concern than an understanding of Pentecostalism.9 One could argue that the world behind Pentecostalism is more important, hermeneutically speaking, than the world of Pentecostalism that generally eclipses the world behind Pentecostalism.10 No doubt an accurate and fair assessment of the social, cultural, and theological womb that birthed Pentecostalism is important in order to properly understand and assess Pentecostalism.11 But to subsume Pentecostalism into the category of Evangelicalism is to exclude aspects of Pentecostalism that are essential to its identity and undermine its capability to present an authentic Pentecostal theology. Pentecostalism is more than the sum total of all the contributing theological antecedents that it embraced, absorbed or rejected, and then transformed into a distinct tradition which has commonalities with most Christian traditions including Evangelicals.12

I sense that we more “postmodern” Pentecostal scholars take the “world of Pentecostalism” as our starting-point and, thus, are more willing, post-critically, to appropriate theological insights of other traditions—including those outside of so-called Evangelicalism—into our Pentecostal theological works.13 Doing Pentecostal theology involves more than simply retrieving and restating or employing a revisionist historiography; it involves faithfully re-visioning our tradition in light of the Spirit and the Word.14 Thus, what emerges is a mature, Pentecostal, theological articulation of our implicit Pentecostal spirituality.

One of the more pressing problems of doing modernistic academic forms of theology is that they become disembodied from community life and spirituality, thus doctrinal statements take precedence over both communal praxis and communal pathos. Orthodoxy, defined as right belief, is the means to explain what is and is not essentially Evangelical. Orthodoxy separated from both orthopraxy and orthopathy becomes a form of cognitive creedalism that, in turn, becomes the means to identify who is and is not “Evangelical.” Reference to our specific communities of worship (local churches and denominations) is not as important as affirming the Evangelical creed! Furthermore, who said that all the theological molds have been created? Those Pentecostals who are concerned to be seen as Evangelical first and Pentecostal second seem insistent to argue that current North American Evangelicalism (as though it is some monolithic group) presents the best creedal description of essential orthodox Christianity. At best, Pentecostal “Evangelicals” can argue that Pentecostalism has recovered an additional doctrine but not an essential doctrine. For this group “Pentecostal” is simply an adjective.

Could we not suggest that Pentecostalism is the creation of a distinctly new and, yet, still authentically Christian mold? Rather than arguing that Pentecostalism is Evangelical, should not the greater and more ecumenical concern be to argue that Pentecostalism is an authentic Christian tradition in action and thought? From a grammatical perspective, “Pentecostal” functions both as an adjective and as a noun. It is a distinctly identifiable community embodying its own Christian spirituality. As Terry Cross so aptly stated:

While Pentecostals share many theological tenets in common with other Christians, we have experienced God in ways others do not confess. Rather than viewing theology as a description of our distinctive, we need to understand the all-encompassing difference which our experience of God makes in every area of our lives—especially those that are theological . . . Pentecostal theology will reflect the reality of God’s encounter with humans, developing the recipe with a special ingredient that flavors the whole dish, not just the relish that complements the main course prepared by someone else.15

In re-addressing the legitimacy and viability of doing Pentecostal theology, I will argue that our tradition should express its theology in a way that is faithful to the tradition. The method and manner are organically connected to the body thus affirming a narrative approach that starts from below, among the people who have encountered the Spirit of the living God in community.

I agree with Simon Chan’s statement that “the strength of Pentecostal traditioning lies in its powerful narratives.” Chan further argues, “Pente-costals have been better at telling their story than explaining it to their children.”16 Chan’s statement is revealing. On the one hand, he recognizes the strength of testimony and story as a primary means of Pentecostal traditioning; yet, on the other hand, it appears that this approach is not as helpful because the stories need to be explained. In explaining, Pentecostals may opt for modernistic epistemological modes that are inher...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Permissions
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: A Pentecostal Way of Doing Theology
• Chapter 2: Pentecostal Story
• Chapter 3: Jesus the Spirit Baptizer
• Chapter 4: Nourishment for Our Journey
• Chapter 5: Pentecostal Prayer and Relational Openness of the Triune God
• Excursus: An Extended Review of Graham Old’s Essay, “Charismatic Calvinism View”
• Chapter 6: The Spirit and Theological Interpretation
• Chapter 7: Liberating Hermeneutics
• Concluding Remarks