Robert Graves speaks with PneumaReview.com about Strangers to Fire

Editor Introduction: For many Pentecostals and charismatics, John MacArthur’s 2013 book, Strange Fire, represents the same tired arguments used for years by those who believe God is done giving gifts to his church. PneumaReview.com asked The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship President, Robert Graves, about their response, their first published book, Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture.

PneumaReview.com: What was the reason for creating this anthology? Is it merely to offer an answer to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire?

Robert Graves: John MacArthur’s book presented an opportunity to show that there is a scholarly side to Pentecostalism. It’s not just fire—there’s a great deal of light! A response to Strange Fire allowed us to show that other side. When I read Strange Fire, I detected a bit of embarrassment on MacArthur’s side as he tried to woo back to the cessationist side some scholarly minds that had seen the failure of cessationism, that is, it’s failure to correctly interpret and apply the Scriptures. The Foundation’s anthology, Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture, displays the other side of Pentecostalism, that is, the scholarly side. It’s also a side that the average Pentecostal needs to see; they need to know that there are teachers they can go to for truth when errant Pentecostal teachers go off course, not just errant cessationists.

PneumaReview.com: There are some that still believe that the renewal movements of the Pentecostals and charismatics have produced few scholars or theologians, but the list of contributors to Strangers to Fire defies that idea. Would you take the time to introduce us to each of the writers appearing in this volume and how they are contributing to renewal theology today? It is a long list, but there are many students and church leaders that do not yet know who these scholars are or how many Christian traditions they represent.

Robert Graves: Allow me to begin with a summary: there are twenty-six authors and thirty-five chapters, obviously, some wrote more than one chapter; for instance, there are three chapters by Jack Deere and three by Jon Ruthven. Almost all of the contributions were previously published, so the anthology serves more as a clearinghouse or convenient compendium of first-class scholarly responses to cessationism than a source of new ideas (I must note as an exception Paul Elbert’s chapter “Face to Face: Then or Now? An Exegesis of First Corinthians 13:8–13,” which alone is worth the price of the book; it’s been around for awhile as a paper read at the Society for Pentecostal Studies, but it was never published). A number of the authors I do not personally know, but my best guess is that 14 of them are classical Pentecostals, six of them have Baptist backgrounds, three have Reformed backgrounds, one is an Anglican, and one comes from a Methodist background. Most of those who come from non-Pentecostal backgrounds would now consider themselves to be Charismatic or Third Wave. Here they are in alphabetical order:

Stanley M. Burgess is Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University. He received a BA and MA from the University of Michigan and a PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has taught history for 57 years and was Distinguished Professor of Christian History, Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia (2004–2011). He has written numerous scholarly articles on church history and the history of Christianity as well as several scholarly books, including The Spirit and the Church: Antiquity (Hendrickson), The Holy Spirit: Eastern Christian Traditions (Hendrickson), and The Holy Spirit: Medieval Roman Catholic and Reformation Traditions (Hendrickson).

Randy Clark is the Overseer of Global Awakening and the Apostolic Network of Global Awakening. He has ministered for over 43 years in 45 countries; he pastored for over 30 years. He received an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, a DMin from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio (a United Methodist seminary), and a ThD from Phoenix University of Theology (not ATS accredited). He was ordained in the General Baptist denomination in 1971, the American Baptist in 1975, the Vineyard in 1984, and the Apostolic Network of Global Awakening in 2006. He has authored over twenty books, training manuals, and workbooks, including There Is More and The Essential Guide to Healing (along with co-author Bill Johnson); compiled and contributed to Power, Holiness, and Evangelism and Supernatural Missions. He had vision for an institute to verify healings which has become a reality, the Christian Medical Research Institute.org. He is the president of Global School of Supernatural Ministry.

Ronald Cottle is founder and President Emeritus of Christian Life School of Theology Global, Columbus, Georgia, and founder and President of the Apostolic Council of Transformational Servant-Leaders. He received the MDiv from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, South Carolina, and the PhD in religion and BS and EdD in higher education from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He was ordained as a minister in the Assemblies of God in 1953. He has published over thirty books and numerous scholarly articles. His books include commentaries on Galatians, The Lord’s Prayer, The Beatitudes, Romans, as well as two books on the life of David: Anointed to Reign I and II. Most recently he has written on the New Apostolic Reformation: Leading Transition; The Joining of the Lord (on spiritual fathers and sons); Designing and Building Leadership Teams; and Servant Leadership.

William De Arteaga has been in the Charismatic Movement since 1978. Bill is known as a Christian historian and expert on revivals and the rebirth and renewal of the Christian healing movement. His major works include Quenching the Spirit (Creation House, 1992) and Forgotten Power: The Significance of the Lord’s Supper in Revival (Zondervan, 2002). Bill has published articles and reviews in Pneuma, Journal of Christian Healing, Charisma, and other publications. He is a major contributor to Pneuma Review. Bill also pastored two Hispanic Anglican congregations in the Marietta, Georgia, area. Bill has been in the Order of St. Luke, which encourages the healing ministry in all Christian churches, since the 1980s, and its chaplain for the state of Georgia. Bill’s blog is “The Anglican Pentecostal,” and his postings often discuss current issues in the healing and deliverance ministries. Bill earned his master’s degree from the University of Florida and pursued studies at Emory University.

Jack Deere earned his ThD from Dallas Theological Seminary, where he also served as an associate professor of Old Testament. He is the author of the bestselling Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Surprised by the Voice of God, and The Beginner’s Guide to the Gift of Prophecy. As a lecturer, he has spoken throughout the world on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He is a contributor to the Bible Knowledge Commentary and has written articles for Bibliotheca Sacra, Charisma, and Equipping the Saints.

Paul Elbert, MS, MA, is a physicist-theologian and New Testament scholar. Paul works mainly in interpretive methods and narrative-rhetorical backgrounds with respect to Luke-Acts. He is co-chair of the Steering Committee for the Formation of Luke-Acts Section within the Society of Biblical Literature and a member of the New Testament Section within the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical and Theological Research. He served as chairperson of the charismatic themes in Luke-Acts five-year dialogue within the Evangelical Theological Society and serves on the editorial board of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies. His writings have appeared in Theologische Zeitschrift, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Journal of Biblical Literature, Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, Journal of Theological Studies, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Evangelical Quarterly, Trinity Journal, Refleks: Med Karismatisk Kristendom i Fokus, Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, and the Journal of Pentecostal Theology. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research.

Andrew T. Floris (1926–2012) was a serious student of the church’s early history. His articles include “Two Fourth Century Witnesses on the Charismata,” Paraclete (Fall 1970), pp. 17–22; “Chrysostom and the Charismata,” Paraclete (Winter 1971), pp. 17–22; “Didymus, Epiphanius, and the Charismata,” Paraclete (Winter 1972), pp. 26–31; and “The Charismata in the Post-Apostolic Church,” Paraclete (Fall 1969), pp. 8–13.

Robert W. Graves is the president and cofounder of The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship. He has held positions of leadership in and has taught in Pentecostal churches and at Southwestern Assemblies of God College. He is the author of numerous articles and one book related to the Pentecostal experience, Praying in the Spirit (Chosen Books, 1987); his articles have appeared in Paraclete: A Journal Concerning the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostal Evangel, Church of God Evangel, Moody Monthly, Christian Parenting Today, Encounter, Advance, Pneuma Review, and others; he is also the author of The Gospel According to Angels (Chosen Books, 1998). He is a member of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. He earned BS and MA degrees from Georgia State University.

Gary S. Greig is Editorial Director for Bible and Theology for Gospel Light Publications and Regal Books and an adjunct faculty mentor of United Theological Seminary (Dayton, Ohio) and of Dr. Randy Clark’s Global Awakening Ministries. He was an associate professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Regent University, School of Divinity from 1995–1998, and before that an adjunct professor of Hebrew for Fuller Theological Seminary. He holds an MA and PhD (Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 1990) from the University of Chicago, Oriental Institute. His book The Kingdom and the Power of the Cross: Are the Healing and Spiritual Gifts Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the Church Today? A Biblical Look at How to Bring the Gospel to the World with Power (Regal, 1993) is a compendium that lays out the biblical foundations of power evangelism and power ministry.

Wayne Grudem is Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a BA from Harvard University, an MDiv and a DD from Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia, and a PhD (in New Testament) from the University of Cambridge, England. He has published twenty books, including his newest book, The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution. He was also the General Editor for the 2.1 million-word ESV Study Bible (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Book of the Year and World magazine book of the year, 2009). He is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a co-founder and past president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible.

James Hernando is Professor of New Testament at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He has been a contributing author for Signs and Wonders in Ministry Today, “Greek Word Studies” in The Complete Biblical Library, the commentary on 2 Corinthians in the Full Life Bible Commentary to the New Testament, and author of various articles in Paraclete, Pentecostal Evangel, and Pathways for Young Adults. His latest publication is Dictionary of Hermeneutics: A Concise Guide to Terms, Names, Methods and Expressions (Gospel Publishing House). In addition to his PhD (Drew University) degree, Dr. Hernando earned three master’s degrees (State University of New York, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and Drew University).

Melvin L. Hodges (1909–1988) was an ordained Assemblies of God minister and missiologist who promoted the concept of the indigenous church. At the age of ten, he experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, after which his father, a minister, began teaching him Greek, which, along with Spanish, he excelled in. His writings combined pragmatism with spiritual insight, which is evident in his books, which include The Indigenous Church (first published by Gospel Publishing House then reprinted by Moody Press), The Indigenous Church and the Missionary, A Guide to Church Planting, Growth in Your Christian Ministry, Spiritual Gifts, When the Spirit Came, and A Theology of the Church and Its Mission: A Pentecostal Perspective.

Eddie Hyatt is an ordained minister with over forty years of ministerial experience. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Regent University where he majored in church history and spiritual renewal. He also holds the Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Historical Theology from Oral Roberts University. Eddie has lectured on revival, church history, and various biblical themes in churches, conferences, and some of the major educational institutions in the world today. He has authored several books, including 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity, which is used as a textbook in colleges and seminaries around the world. His latest book is Pursuing Power: How the Historic Quest for Apostolic Authority and Control Has Divided and Damaged the Church.

William K. Kay, PhD, studied at the University of Oxford and is now Professor of Theology at Glyndŵr University and Professor of Pentecostal Studies at the University of Chester. He is a former Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education and Professional Studies at King’s College, London. He has published widely on religious education, often using empirical methods to verify or challenge contemporary orthodoxies. Similarly, he has used empirical methods in conjunction with the study of Pentecostalism. He has published widely on Pentecostalism including Pentecostals in Britain (Paternoster, 2000) and Apostolic Networks in Britain (Paternoster, 2007). His most recent book is Pentecostalism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2012). His most recent research, funded by a Templeton grant, was on Pentecostal-style church growth in Southeast Asia. He is an ordained minister with British Assemblies of God.

Craig S. Keener is Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of seventeen books, four of which have won awards in Christianity Today, and the best-selling The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Some of his other books include commentaries on Matthew, John (2 vols.), Acts (4 vols.), Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Revelation; also Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts; Gift and Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today; The Spirit in the Gospels and Acts; and Paul, Women and Wives. His MA and MDiv are from the Assemblies of God Seminary and his PhD from Duke University. He was ordained in the National Baptist Convention and together he and his wife, Dr. Médine Moussounga Keener, from Congo, work for ethnic reconciliation.

Robert Menzies, PhD, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, is the Director of Synergy, a rural development organization based in Kunming, China. He also serves as adjunct faculty at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in the Philippines and has taught widely in the Asia-Pacific region as well as in the United States and Europe. His book Pentecost: This Story Is Our Story (Gospel Publishing House) won The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship’s 2013 Award of Excellence. His other books include Empowered for Witness: The Spirit in Luke-Acts (Sheffield), Spirit and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experience (Zondervan), and The Language of the Spirit: Interpreting and Translating Charismatic Terms (CPT Press). He has also published widely in academic journals.

J. P. Moreland, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California. He has authored, edited, or contributed papers to ninety-five books, including Does God Exist? (Prometheus), Universals (McGill-Queen’s), Consciousness and the Existence of God (Routledge), and Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (Blackwell). He has also published over 85 articles in journals such as Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, American Philosophical Quarterly, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, MetaPhilosophy, Philosophia Christi, Religious Studies, and Faith and Philosophy.

Douglas A. Oss is the Director of the PhD in Biblical Interpretation and Theology at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology. He holds the MDiv from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and the PhD from Westminster Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has planted two churches (including the First Evangelical Free Church, Springfield, Missouri), two university ministries, and has served in pastoral ministry a total of eighteen years. Doug co-authored Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? (Zondervan) and has published articles in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society; Bulletin for Biblical Research; Grace Theological Journal; Westminster Theological Journal; and Enrichment Journal. He also translated 1 and 2 Corinthians for the New Living Translation, and was a translation scholar for the New Testament portion of the English Standard Version. He authored the study notes in the ESV Study Bible for 2 Peter and Jude.

Cecil M. Robeck Jr., PhD, is Professor of Church History and Ecumenics and Director of the David du Plessis Center for Christian Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. He is an ordained minister with the General Council of the Assemblies of God. For the past thirty years, he has been invited to serve with a variety of international ecumenical organizations, representing the interests of the Pentecostal Movement. He has written numerous scholarly articles on biblical, historical, theological, and ecumenical subjects, and he has written or edited five books including Prophecy in Carthage: Perpetua, Tertullian and Cyprian (Pilgrim) and The Azusa Street Mission and Revival (Nelson). Together with Dr. Amos Yong, he is the co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism (Cambridge), which will be released in 2014.

Jon M. Ruthven, PhD, spent his entire adult life in ministry, starting with David Wilkerson in Boston and New York City in the mid-60s. After spending a dozen years pastoring, a couple of years as a missionary in Africa as the head of a Bible school, he taught theology in seminary for 18 years. Always interested in training and discipleship, Jon is developing a radically biblical approach to ministry training that seeks to replicate the discipling mission of Jesus in both content and method. Jon has written numerous scholarly papers and books including On the Cessation of the Charismata: The Protestant Polemic on Postbiblical Miracles (1993; rev. 2009) and What’s Wrong with Protestant Theology? Tradition vs. Biblical Emphasis (2013). He continues to emphasize the biblical grounding for a practical ministry of healing and signs and wonders in the power of the Spirit.

Mark Rutland is the founder and President of Global Servants which he began in 1977. Over the years, Dr. Rutland has continued as the President of Global while also serving as a Senior Pastor and a University President. A native of Texas, he was educated at the University of Maryland, Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, and holds a PhD from California Graduate School of Theology. Through Global Servants, Rutland has travelled in missionary evangelism around the world and founded ministries in Ghana and Thailand. The House of Grace home for tribal girls in Chiang Rai, Thailand, was founded in 1988 and houses over 100 girls. He also is a sought-after speaker for leadership seminars and conferences in the U.S. and abroad. He and his wife Alison have taught together in Global’s marriage enrichment conference, ministering to thousands of couples over the years. Dr. Rutland is the author of fourteen books; his latest book, ReLaunch, is a New York Times bestseller.

Omer Jaye Sharp (1929–2006) earned five degrees which were conferred by Corpus Christi University, Trinity University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and North Texas State University. He was ordained as a Southern Baptist Minister in 1955. He pastored several churches in the Clarksburg, West Virginia, area, and was on the faculty of Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, West Virginia. He also traveled extensively for many years, holding seminars, preaching, and evangelizing.

Gary Shogren is Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament at Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica. He has been in pastoral and teaching ministry since 1980. He is a graduate of Cairn University and received an MDiv from Biblical Theological Seminary, and completed his PhD in New Testament Exegesis from King’s College, Aberdeen University. He is an ordained Baptist minister. His writings include 1 Corinthians: An Exegetical-Pastoral Commentary (available in English on Logos); 1-2 Thessalonians in the ZECNT commentary series, and is currently writing a commentary on Romans for Latin Americans. His published articles include several on the spiritual gifts. Although not a Pentecostal, he is concerned that Bible scholars show care in exegeting and interpreting the Scriptures.

Sam Storms has spent 40 years in ministry and in 2008 became Lead Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he currently serves. He has ministered in churches in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri and was Visiting Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, 2000–2004. Sam is founder and president of Enjoying God Ministries and regularly blogs at www.samstorms.com. He has authored or edited 22 books and has published numerous journal articles and book reviews. He is a graduate of The University of Oklahoma (BA), Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM), and The University of Texas at Dallas (PhD).

Horace S. Ward (1939–2014) received his BA from Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio, his BS from Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, and his MA and PhD from the Ohio State University. Horace was ordained into the ministry of the Church of God on June 27, 1966, and pastored churches in Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, and Maryland. In 1970, he was one of four cofounders of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, in which he served several positions of leadership, including president. As an educator he served as instructor, assistant professor, and Dean of Students at Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee, and as President of West Coast Christian College in Fresno, California.

David A. Womack (1933–2009) received his BA and MA degrees in theology from Northwest University with an emphasis on the history of Christian doctrine. He served as a missionary to Columbia and became home secretary of Assemblies of God World Missions. Among the books he authored are Breaking the Stained-Glass Barrier (Harper & Row), The Pyramid Principle of Church Growth (Bethany House), Alive in Christ (Gospel Publishing House), and The Wellsprings of Original Christianity: A Call for a Fresh Apostolic Revival (Trafford).

PneumaReview.com: What are some of the things you learned while assembling this timely anthology?

Robert Graves: I had already read all but a couple of the contributions when we decided to embark on this venture, so it’s not like I learned anything new in regard to cessationism or continuationism. However, due to Keener’s second article, I did learn of other well-known and highly regarded scholars who aren’t thought of as Pentecostal or Charismatic but who are continuationists; these include N. T. Wright, Gregory Boyd, Paul Copan, Lyle Dorsett, Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Peter Kuzmic, Mareque Steele Ireland, Gerald McDermott, Dallas Willard, Craig Blomberg and many others.

PneumaReview.com: What has the reception to Strangers to Fire been like so far?

Robert Graves: It’s only been available since the end of August (plus it’s 600 pages long), so I’m still waiting to hear from cessationists. From the continuationist side, of course I’ve heard nothing but praise to this point. But still, it’s early. And I’m sure there will be some constructive criticism—at least, I hope so. A number of scholars and leaders received review copies and supplied us with comments that we were able to use as promotional blurbs. One came from George O. Wood, the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God (A/G). The anthology also received praise from Greek scholars French Arrington (Church of God, Cleveland) and Anthony Palma (A/G) and theologians and historians such as Derek Morphew (Vineyard), Michael L. Brown (Messianic Jew/Charismatic), R. T. Kendall (Nazarene/Reformed/Charismatic), and Vinson Synan (Pentecostal-Holiness).

PneumaReview.com: What is the Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship? In particular, what does “Pentecostal” mean in the name? Does TFFPS work only with classical Pentecostals?

Robert Graves: The purpose of The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship is to advance biblical scholarship within the Pentecostal family. We do this in a number of ways, such as providing funding for Pentecostal scholars working on projects relevant to Pentecostalism, funding translation projects (see Gonzalo Haya-Prats’ The Empowered Believer: The Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts, translated from the Spanish dissertation defended at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and Odette Mainville’s forthcoming The Spirit in the Works of Luke, defended at the University of Montreal, which is being translated from the French); we’ve also participated in distributing Pentecostal works in the Chinese language to Chinese-speaking bible colleges and seminaries; we’ve provided grants that have allowed Chinese-speaking Pentecostal scholars to attend the Society for Pentecostal Studies conference; every year we grant awards of excellence in scholarship to the best Pentecostal book as well as the best Pentecostal essays (up to three). The word “Pentecostal” in our name should be considered to include Pentecostals and Charismatics, or anyone who believes that all of the gifts of the Spirit are available to the church today and there is a baptism in the Spirit that may be subsequent to salvation and results in an enduement of prophetic power for witness and service.

PR

Strangers to Fire CreateSpace page: https://www.createspace.com/4908979

The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship page: www.tffps.org

Further Reading:

Read the reviews of Strangers to Fire from: Tony Richie, John Lathrop, and further reflections by Jon Ruthven.

“Are Pentecostals offering Strange Fire?” The panel discussion at PneumaReview.com about John MacArthur’s Strange Fire.