Challenges Of Pentecostal Theology In The 21st Century

Where is Pentecostal theology going in the 21st century? How does it address issues of spirituality, politics and justice? What does it have to offer the worldwide Church? These and other vital questions are explored here by leading Pentecostal theologians from the UK and the USA as they assess the challenges and opportunities facing Pentecostalism today. With stimulating contributions by Joel Edwards, Charlotte Johnson, Steven Land, Douglas Nelson, Phyllis Thompson and Keith Warrington, this book offers valuable guidance to church leaders and to students training for the ministry throughout the Pentecostal world. ‘There is passion and information here, advice for the present and hope for the future.’ William K. Kay, Institute for Pentecostal Theology, Regents Theological College ‘When we consider that one in four Christians are Pentecostals, this book is a “must” for all who are seeking to improve their knowledge of Pentecostal theology and recognize its distinctives.’ Bishop Dr Donald Bolt, New Testament Church of God England and Wales

A collection of five pictures which address issues and challenges pertinent (but not exclusively so) to the Black Majority Church in the UK. They sharpen understanding of the way the BM have come to do church, and also challenge whether the vision is to maintain the status quo or be a prophetic church.

In our post 9/11 world where there is a growing religious fundamentalism, and when both exclusion and easy tolerance are inadequate options, this book offers a creative alternative arguing that Pentecostalism has the potential to be a peaceful harbinger of plurality. The potential lies in its spirituality - a lively pneumatology and eschatology. The eschatological Spirit is seen as orientated towards the other, crossing boundaries in redemptive embrace, transcending exclusion and easy tolerance. This book's non-Western perspective and the empirical contextual study of Singapore's multicultural and multi-faith context are unique contributions to religion and society. This is a book for students, pastors, teachers, and theologians concerned for an approach to mission that is sensitive to their context, who want to learn from a creative theological voice from what has been perhaps the largest religious movement in history, and who see the immense potential in lively theology by Christians of the Chinese diaspora who can speak to the many millions of ethnic Chinese Christians. This book will also appeal to those outside Christianity who are interested in its attempts to engage with a complex multi-ethnic and multi-religious situation such as that in Singapore.

A little over one hundred years ago the Holy Spirit breathed a fresh awakening into little communities in Topeka, Kansas (1901) and then on Azusa Street in California (1906). Over the past century this spiritual awakening has touched every country on the globe. By 2014 there were 631 million Pentecostals in the world, comprising a quarter of all Christians, and that number is forecast to grow to 800 million by 2025. This book offers a window into some of the unique features of this phenomenal movement through expert contributions from some of the world's preeminent Pentecostal theologians. It presents a Pentecostal perspective on important theological themes that pastors, theologians, and lay leaders are grappling with in the twenty-first century.

This book emerges from a consultation in June 1996 with Walter J. Hollenweger, acknowledged doyen of Pentecostal studies, held at Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham. Different perspectives are offered from scholars from five continents, emphasizing the increasingly non-Western nature of this rapidly growing Christian movement and the significance of its roots. Central challenges facing Pentecostalism after a century of existence include the central doctrine of Spirit baptism and its relationship to the 'supernatural', the political relevance of the movement in different parts of the world, the indigenization and contextualization of the movement, and case studies from four continents.

The revelatory experience or in common parlance, “hearing God’s voice,” is prized by Pentecostal-Charismatic Christians for its contribution to spirituality, yet remains one of the most problematic areas of church life. Theological tensions and pastoral fallout have plagued the experience since the time of the New Testament. Drawing on the tools of practical theology, this book presents the findings of a unique and ground-breaking study among Australian Pentecostals. With a theological framework modelled on New Testament practice and undergirded by the accountability of the local church, many of the problems associated with revelatory experience can be addressed and the experience fully harnessed for kingdom purpose.

This book considers whether Pentecostalism will remain a vibrant religious force in the land of its birth (the U.S.), and if so, what forms it will take. The contributors represent a variety of disciplinary and methodological approaches in answering these questions, often concluding that U.S. Pentecostalism(s) are in decline but able to reform.

In little over a century, the Pentecostal movement has emerged from small bands of revival seekers to become one of the largest Christian groups in the world. Primarily a movement within Western Christianity for much of its brief history, it is increasingly characterized as a global movement. Pentecostal theology and ministry in a Western context must engage global Pentecostalism and be willing to rethink its traditional patterns of thought and practice in light of the evolving nature of the movement.The essays in this book come mainly from the McMaster Divinity College 2008 Pentecostal Forum: "The Many Faces of Pentecostalism: Pentecostalism and Globalization." The first section outlines the nature of globalization and establishes it as the context for contemporary Pentecostal theology and ministry. The other contributions explore the impact of globalization on traditional areas of Pentecostal theology, such as Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues, and twenty-first-century Pentecostal ministry.