The Globalization of Pentecostalism: A Review Article, by Paul Elbert
Following Sheppard is a breath of fresh air, a delightful, realistic, and biblically based piece by Janet Everts Powers, “ ‘Your Daughters Shall Prophesy’: Pentecostal Hermeneutics and the Empowerment of Women” (313-337). Powers’ piece might be read profitably and with appreciation, even in the face of disagreement, by eight categories of people: 1) those believing that the Lukan gift of the Holy Spirit was given only to the twelve apostles (colonialist exegesis?); 2) those who wish the Lukan gift of the Holy Spirit had been given only to twelve male apostles; 3) those whose ecclesiastical deportment or pastoral worldview is perfectly consistent with categories one and two above, with the gift of the Holy Spirit appropriately confined to Lukan characters’ salvation experience or modified according to epochal constraints imposed on Luke’s text; 4) those who believe that there is no possibility whatever to understand 1 Tim 2:12 in the context of a Christian home in Timothy’s pastoral care or as correcting a specific problem; 5) those who believe that Paul would have issued 1 Tim 2:12 to women known and appreciated at the center of the Empire, like to the patroness and deaconess Phoebe (Rom 16:1,2) or to Junia (Rom 16:7), probably a prominent apostle; 6) those who believe that Paul addressed 1 Cor 14:1, 12, 39 only to men; 7) those who believe Paul would have issued 1 Tim 2:12 to Philip when he lodged in his house and met his daughters who were prophetesess (Acts 21:8, 9); and lastly, 8) those who believe Paul would have conveyed 1 Tim 2:12 as a dictum to Luke who later wrote for Theophilus that the gift of the Holy Spirit for prophetic empowerment of believer-disciples was gender insensitive (Acts 2:18). Unfortunately, Powers does not interact with Köstenberger et al[44] who offer a thorough treatment of 1 Tim 2:9-15 which is worthy of some interaction or response.[45] However, it may be noted that Powers is approaching the topic exegetically, being open to the potential of harmonization between diverse Scriptural data, while sensing the need for supporting and understanding the ministry of charismatic women using a broad biblical basis, not trying to decide whether they should be in ministry at all based primarily on only one portion of Scripture.[46] In this she is somewhat similar to Thomas who suggests that there may be a distinctive interpretative approach to Scripture contained in the New Testament itself containing three crucial elements: the role of the community, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the role of Scripture.[47] This may allow forward progress when the biblical evidence is (or appears to be) divided, “Just as the Spirit’s activity in the community was able to lead the church to a decision regarding the inclusion of Gentiles, despite the diversity of the biblical statements on this topic, so it would seem that this paradigm could assist the (Pentecostal) church in grappling with significant issues that simply will not disappear.”[48] Examining the role of women in the ministry of the church suggests that this model from Luke-Acts can be tested, given the cooperation and interest of the Holy Spirit. Alice E. Luce, for example, a former Anglican missionary and a pioneer Pentecostal teacher, evangelist and pastor in Mexico and Hispanic missions in America, may be a case in point, based both upon what she did and what she wrote.[49] Thomas concludes that “many Pentecostal churches (and Evangelical churches as well?) have not paid nearly enough attention to the activity of the Holy Spirit in empowering women for a variety of ministries in the church, and as a result, have allowed one or two texts to undermine the balance of the biblical teaching on this topic, as well as the Spirit’s own witness.”[50]
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