Worship Ritual And Pentecostal Spirituality As Theology

Vibrant worship music is part of the Charismatic liturgy all around the world, and has become in many ways the hallmark of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity. Despite its centrality, scholarly interest in the theological and ritual significance of worship for pentecostal spirituality has been sparse, not least in Africa. Combining rich theoretical and theological insight with an in-depth case study of worship practices in Nairobi, Kenya, this interdisciplinary study offers a significant contribution to knowledge and is bound to influence scholarly discussions for years to come. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Pentecostal worship, ritual, and spirituality.

Rites in the Spirit is a book about spirituality, ritual, and Pentecostal experience. The volume presents a careful and innovative study of Pentecostal practices and experiences. Focusing on the very important, but often intriguing worship rites that express the spirituality of Pentecostals, Albrecht discovers that these Pentecostal/charismatic rites and their attending sensibilities also function to shape, nurture, authenticate and even transform the spiritual lives of these Christians. Rites in the Spirit seeks to guide Pentecostals, and the charismatically-inclined, toward self-interpretation and a more nuanced conception of, and a deeper appreciation for, their Pentecostal experience. The volume also aims to make a sometimes exotic spirituality more accessible and understandable to those who have had limited contact with Pentecostal/charismatic forms and expressions.

In Pentecostals and the Body researchers examine the role of religious experience, ritual, emotion, and embodiment among Pentecostals with a wide range of cross cultural examples.

Over the past decades, Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity has arguably become the fastest growing religious movement in the world. Distinguishing features of this variant of Christianity include formal ritual activities as well as informal, experiential, and ecstatic forms of worship. This book examines Pentecostal-charismatic ritual practice in different parts of the world, highlighting, among other things, the crucial role of ritual in creating religious communities and identities.

At its best, all Christian worship is led by the Holy Spirit. But is there a distinctive theology of Pentecostal worship? The Pentecostal church or the renewal movement is among the fastest-growing parts of the body of Christ around the world, which makes understanding its theology and practice critical for the future of the church. In this volume in IVP Academic's Dynamics of Christian Worship (DCW) series, theologian Steven Félix-Jäger offers a theology of renewal worship, including its biblical foundations, how its global nature is expressed in particular localities, and how charismatic worship distinctively shapes the community of faith. With his guidance, the whole church might understand better what it means to pray, "Come, Holy Spirit!" The Dynamics of Christian Worship series draws from a wide range of worshiping contexts and denominational backgrounds to unpack the many dynamics of Christian worship—including prayer, reading the Bible, preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, music, visual art, architecture, and more—to deepen both the theology and practice of Christian worship for the life of the church.

This dissertation explores the experiential contours of Pentecostalism as a liberative praxis. The connection between Pentecostalism and social change is a burgeoning line of inquiry, particularly in the Global South, but this study focuses on the history of Pentecostalism in the US, beginning with the production and circulation of the African American Spirituals. Bringing theories of affect into conversation with ritual studies, this interdisciplinary work traces personal stories and experiences from the author and examines them in light of Pentecostal traditions that stem from the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California, the birthplace of the Pentecostal movement. William J. Seymour's vision at Azusa was egalitarian and transgressed the societal boundaries and norms of race and gender in the early twentieth century. Pentecostalism was and is informed by Black, queer, female, and other voices often silent or rendered invisible. Without this representation, Pentecostalism is simply one tradition among many co-opted and appropriated for the ongoing colonial projects of the modern Western world. Therefore, this book explores Blackpentecostal tradition: specifically, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM), a predominately Black LGBTQ+ movement that integrates Pentecostal worship and theology with an inclusive, liberative theology.

Scripting Pentecost explores and develops an analysis of worship and liturgy in Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions. Organized into three main sections, history, theology, and contemporary practice, the first section quarries the historical trajectories of classic Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement, Third-Wave, and Oneness Pentecostalism. Particular attention is given to the liturgical approaches of some of the earliest leaders, including William J. Seymour, Alexander Boddy, and Aimee Semple McPherson. The second section, constructive theology, offers theological approaches to liturgical studies from Pentecostal and Charismatic perspectives. In this section the Pentecostal and Charismatic tradition is advanced and extended by an interaction with ecumenical sources. The third section, case studies in contemporary worship theology and practice, examines the actual performance of liturgy through selected global case studies chosen to reflect a diversity of ecclesial practice in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America and Oceania.

Walter Hollenweger, a recognized expert on the worldwide Pentecostal movement, has argued that Pentecostalism's greatest contribution to the larger Christian tradition has been in the area of worship. It is in the context of worship that people are saved, sanctified, baptized in the Spirit, healed, and filled with the hope of Christ's coming. Despite the importance of worship to the Pentecostal tradition, theologians in the movement have not yet developed a full-fledged theology of worship. In this multi-authored work, leading Pentecostal scholars come together to construct a contemporary biblical theological approach to worship. Seeking to go beyond discussions that focus on style and trends, these writers offer a distinctive theological vision for Pentecostal worship that appreciates the history, diversity, ethos, and global contexts of Pentecostalism. Written for pastors, students, and scholars, this work provides ample resources for those interested in examining the Pentecostal theology of worship. Contributors to this work include biblical scholars, systematicians, and practical theologians. The diversity of voices insures creativity of approaches and freshness of ideas. With the maturation of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement comes a need for extended dialogue regarding a Pentecostal theology of worship. It is hoped that this volume with make a significant contribution to the dialogue. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction-Lee Roy Martin; 1. Worship and the Torah-Jerome Boone; 2. The Book of Isaiah and Pentecostal Worship-Jacqueline Grey; 3. The Book of Psalms and Pentecostal Worship-Lee Roy Martin; 4. Toward a Pentecostal Theology of Anointed Cloths-John Christopher Thomas; 5. Worship in the Book of Revelation-Melissa L. Archer; 6. The Nature and Pattern of Biblical Worship-R. Hollis Gause; 7. Signs of Grace: Towards a Charismatic Theology of Worship-Frank D. Macchia; 8. Liturgy, Theosis, and the Renewal of the World-Daniela C. Augustine; 9. 'In Your Presence Is Fullness of Joy': Experiencing God as Trinity-Chris E.W. Green; 10. 'Singing Heavenly Music': R. Hollis Gause's Theology of Worship and Pentecostal Experience-Kimberly Ervin Alexander; 11. Pentecostal Worship and the Creation of Meaning-Johnathan E. Alvarado; 12. Taking the Risk: The Openness and Attentiveness of Latin American Pentecostal Worship-Wilmer Estrada-Carrasquillo; 13. An African American Contribution to the Theology of Worship: Considering Three Situations of Integrated African American Led Worship from Pre-Civil Right Times-Antipas L. Harris; 14. Betwixt and Between the Cross and the Eschaton: Pentecostal Worship in the Context of Ritual Play-Peter Althouse; 15. From 'Hallelujah!' to 'We Believe' and Back: Interrelating Pentecostal Worship and Doctrine-Daniel Castelo.