Steven Studebaker: Defining Issues in Pentecostalism
A number of introductions have appeared in recent years on Pentecostalism, among them the work of Walter Hollenweger, Alan Anderson, Vinson Synan, and others. A comparison with these texts quickly reveals that Studebaker’s collection does not address most of the issues typically covered in standard introductions. Even the topics that are addressed do not represent a Classical Pentecostal perspective in some regards. The collection certainly highlights defining issues of the past and present history of Pentecostals. But its aim is not a comprehensive coverage of traditional themes. Rather, the reader is introduced to the issues that currently define the transition of Pentecostalism from its Classical, North American, form to a worldwide renewal movement. This collection therefore places a certain demand on the reader to engage the texts with an openness to the future. What these essays discuss can in many cases be found in the other writings of the contributors, yet where these essays point the reader is not yet clearly defined among Pentecostal scholarship. In this sense, the title of the collection should be read in the present continuous: these are classical and emergent issues that are defining Pentecostalism in the present.
A hint of the future direction of the Pentecostal movement is found in the strong pneumatological orientation of the essays. To some, like Macchia and Pinnock, this orientation is a tending to the “unfinished business” of a movement that has not yet given a comprehensive account of its doctrine of the Holy Spirit. To others, like Studebaker and Gabriel, pneumatology is a stepping stone in the process of going beyond old business and toward a more comprehensive account of Pentecostal thought and praxis. Judging from the academic rigor and sincerity of the texts in this collection, the emerging form of Pentecostalism in the twenty-first century is second to none in quality and dedication to an understanding of God and God’s presence and activity in the world. The forthcoming volumes in this series promise to shed further light on the theological landscape of Pentecostalism that has been significantly expanded by this contribution.
Reviewed by Wolfgang Vondey
Category: In Depth, Spring 2009
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