Alan Delotavo’s Back to the Original Church, reviewed by Jim Williams
Pentecostalism is a renewal movement meant to recover something for the entire church. Delotavo gives it much to ponder. How is the movement doing? Delotavo reads church history through the lens of American Evangelicalism. In American church history, how does Pentecostalism fit in the Evangelical reading? Pentecostalism has changed since Azusa Street. It has strong denominations and educational institutions; it is prosperous and at peace in the world. It is no longer largely pacifist, and the proportion of women senior pastors and denominational officials is a far cry from what it once was. Some argue that Pentecostalism’s desire for recognition led to throwing itself into the Evangelical mainstream resulting in the loss of some of its distinctive witness. Perhaps the Evangelical historical lens is not entirely useful: is there a better one? When does Pentecostalism cease being a church movement and start becoming a sect, then a museum? Delotavo’s vision of the church begs us to think bigger, historically and purposefully.
Reviewed by James Williams
Category: Church History, Fall 2013
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