Keener also speaks to the matter of applying biblical texts in our lives. Are all of the practices and directives that we find in Scripture eternal, or are some of them limited by culture or context? This is not always easy to determine. For two examples in this regard, he speaks about women’s head coverings and holy kisses.

Keener is one of the top scholars in the area of Bible backgrounds. This is a great opportunity to learn more about this area that is so vital to a proper understanding of Scripture.

Trailer for New Testament Backgrounds

Find many more courses and introductions at: SeminaryNow.com

More from Craig Keener at PneumaReview.com:

“People Met Jesus Deeply Here: Craig Keener on the Asbury Outpouring”

A series of 19 lectures on the Gospel of Matthew

Round-up of excerpts and additional comments on Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts

John MacArthur’s Strange Fire, reviewed by Craig S. Keener

Rightly Understanding God’s Word series – A course on biblical interpretation in 8 chapters

Philip Yancey, “The Rise and Fall and Rise of Jimmy Carter” Patheos (March 24, 2023).

John W. Kennedy, “Pentecostal Research 2.0” AGNews (March 29, 2023).

Shaunti Feldhahn, “God is on the Move at Harvard – and in our World” Shaunti.com (April 6, 2023).

John Lathrop writes: “At the link you can read an article written by Christian author, Shaunti Feldhahn. It deals with Harvard, from which she and her husband, Jeff, graduated. More specifically, she writes about a recent conference that was held at Harvard.”

Elijah Kim of Pathos Foundation speaks about the Quiet Revival DrDanny.Podbean (April 11, 2023).

John Lathrop writes: “At the link you can hear a recent interview with Dr. Elijah Kim (it is about 57 minutes long). He speaks about his own spiritual journey, Boston United Worship, working with churches of different ethnicities, and the ‘quiet revival’ that is taking place in Boston.”

Roger E. Olson, “‘Faith Healing’: What Is It?” Patheos (April 27, 2023).

Historian of religion, Roger Olson, argues that the terms “faith healer” and “faith healing,” though popular with journalists, critics, and now even some historians, are unknown terms to the people and movement (Pentecostals and charismatics) that they are supposed to represent. He says none of the so-called faith healers believed it was faith that healed. Rather, they all believed it was God that healed. Olson concludes, “I do believe in and have experienced healing through prayer within the church as commanded by James 5:13-15 and believe Christians ought to follow that pattern in prayer for the sick.”

Image: Joel Holland

Stephen Strang, “The Spirit of Pentecost in an Upside-Down World: Here’s how you can experience the power of Acts 2 to turn your life right-side up for Jesus” Charisma (May-June 2023).

Charisma’s founding editor teaches a practical introduction to the contemporary ministry of the Holy Spirit that every follower of Jesus can experience.

Kate Shellnutt, “Died: Pat Robertson, Broadcast Pioneer Who Brought Christian TV to the Mainstream: With CBN, ‘The 700 Club,’ Regent, the Christian Coalition, and a run for president, he changed evangelicals’ place in public life” Christianity Today (June 8, 2023).

PR

Despite the fact that we, as mere fading mortals, go out of our way to not think about death, great works of art and literature tend to inexplicably draw us into the obscure world of mortality. The End of the Christian Life is one of the latest books to wrestle with this topic—a topic that is increasingly inconsistent with mainstream cultural mores. J. Todd Billings provides a freshness and unobscured clarity to a difficult conversation that can be attributed both to his erudite scholarship and present experience with terminal cancer. Billings increases the veracity of his book by engaging with numerous authoritative voices—from early Church Fathers to contemporary scholars. Based strictly on the title, this book concerns a critical phase in the life of a Christian, but believers and non-believers alike, who want to know how to “truly live,” will benefit greatly from the gems found at the surface and buried beneath.

Following the informative introduction, chapter one presents the reader to the pit of Sheol where those who are imprisoned within it feel abandoned, helpless, and cut off from God. Contrary to the belief of some, “no mortal lives for long without visiting Sheol for a time,” Billings muses (p. 30). Often Sheol is experienced in the death of someone close to us, frustrating our attempt for complete control over life. Our consistent denial of the recurring experience of Sheol engenders a false sense of control. Maybe we should stop fighting, “open our eyes and breathe deeply in the Pit itself,” Billings suggests (p. 45).

Billings ponders the views of his friend Walter and that of Irenaeus, a second-century bishop, both of whom approached death as part of a divine pedagogy, in the second chapter, “Two Views of Mortality.” Contrasting views, as seen through the theology of St. Augustine and the author’s experience of the memorial service for his friend Melissa, are then presented as a counterbalance. Although death may testify to God’s love for us, it is both irrational and a consequence of sin (p. 66). The reality of these opposing views is that both death and dying are, simultaneously, gifts of the “arc of human life,” and “an enigma and a wound” that point us to the redemptive death of Christ (pp. 57, 68).

Chapter five addresses two extant views of flourishing—the so-called prosperity gospel, and God’s counterview. With cancer patients as his focus, Billings talks about the religious hope that keeps them enheartened and living. He finds that deeply religious patients choose extreme measures of treatment, their risky choices revealing their view of flourishing. How Christians are formed theologically leads to important questions such as, where does our hope lie, how does God act in this world, and does God want us to prosper? Billings looks at the theology of healing as espoused by Joseph Prince and then turns to the teachings of St. Paul to examine the difference between how humans and God define prosperity. He completes this chapter by redirecting the discussion towards the Pauline emphasis of a life hidden with Christ.

Timing is everything, so it goes without saying that this book could not have been released at a better time. The global COVID-19 pandemic and its hourly coverage by an impassioned media has served to remind us of our frailty by resurrecting a once-dormant fear of mortality. Dying and death is the obvious theme of the book, but this is ameliorated by many other themes such as the human desire for control over death, and the idolatrous trust in modern medicine. I was encouraged by how the author treats these universal human perceptions with informed grace. All Christians and non-Christians will recognize themselves—their thoughts and attitudes—within the pages of this book and not feel condemned. Also, I found the discussion questions placed at the end of each chapter helpful for assimilating what was read. My only frustration was found in a minor misstep that fails to include Christians from outside of the Reformed faith tradition. Some readers may be uncomfortable with Billings’ implicit theology of God’s sovereignty, water baptism, and irresistible grace; however, any noticeable doctrinal differences do not detract from the book’s overall message. Altogether, J. Todd Billings offers to his audience a gripping message of resurrection hope in Christ, thereby lifting everyone with faith in God, up and out of the deep, dark, and ensnaring pit of Sheol.

Reviewed by Joseph R. Fiorentino

This book review previously appeared in Didaskalia: The Journal of Providence Theological Seminary, Volume 30 2021-2022, CS ISSN #0847-1266. Used with permission.

Publisher’s page: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-end-of-the-christian-life/392000

PneumaReview.com: Will you please introduce us to your newest book?

Paul Palma: This book offers an historical and comparative profile of classical Pentecostal movements in Brazil and the United States in view of their migratory beginnings and transnational expansion. Pentecostalism’s inception in the early twentieth century, particularly in its global South permutations, was defined by its grassroots character. In contrast to the top-down, hierarchical structure typical of Western forms of Christianity, the emergence of Latin American Pentecostalism embodied stability from the bottom up―among the common people. While the rise to prominence of the Assemblies of God in Brazil, the Western hemisphere’s largest (non-Catholic) denomination, demanded structure akin to mainline contexts, classical Pentecostals such as the Christian Congregation movement cling to their grassroots identity. Comparing the migratory and missional flow of movements with similar European and US roots, in this book, I consider the prospects for Brazilian Pentecostals with an eye on the problems of church growth and polity, gender, politics, and ethnic identity.

PneumaReview.com: What is the significance of the word “grassroots” in the title?

PneumaReview.com: In the book you refer to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Chicago in 1907-08. Please tell our readers a little bit about the history of that move of God.

PneumaReview.com: Some key missionaries went out from Chicago to Brazil, who were they?

Paul Palma: Two Chicagoan missionary teams were integral in the founding of Brazilian Pentecostalism. The first was a group of Italian migrants and onetime Presbyterians. Luigi Francescon, accompanied by Lucia Menna and Giacomo Lombardi, arrived in South America in 1909. The Italians helped found the Brazilian Christian Assembly (CA) and Christian Congregation (CC) movements. The second was a duo of Baptist Swedes, Daniel Berg and Gunnar Vingren. The former Baptists Berg and Vingren arrived in Brazil in 1910 on their way to founding the Brazilian Assemblies of God (AD).

PneumaReview.com: What factors contributed to making their ministries so fruitful?

PneumaReview.com: As you have pointed out in the book their work is still evident today in the ongoing ministry of three denominations. Please tell us briefly about each.

Paul Palma: Despite challenges, each of the denominations are bearing fruit today. The CC is now a decidedly international movement with congregations throughout Latin America, North America, Italy, and beyond. The AD remains the largest Western (non-Catholic) denomination with a membership of about 21 million, but its expansion has tapered over the last decade due to structural and political shifts. The CA endures throughout Latin (and North) America but has splintered into several different denominations, including the Pentecostal Christian Church, the Bible Christian Church, the Villa Devoto CA, and the CA God is Love.

PneumaReview.com: You highlight the fact that two of the denominations trace their roots back to Luigi Francescon. What issues caused the movement he started to divide into two groups?

Paul J. Palma, Grassroots Pentecostalism in Brazil and the United States: Migrations, Missions, and Mobility (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022).

Paul Palma: The chief difference between the Francescon-founded CC and CA is a regional one. Francescon pioneered the CC on Brazilian soil. A year before his 1910 arrival in Brazil, he founded the CA in Buenos Aires, Argentina. CA churches slowly made their way into Brazil and recently reunited through inter-ecclesial efforts that harken to their Chicagoan heritage. While Francescon concentrated on the CC in Brazil (based in São Paulo), another cohort of missionaries from Chicago filled the need for workers in Argentina, and the movement there developed peculiarities of its own. For instance, while the CC readily expanded among the native Portuguese population, the CA remained ethnically Italian and insulated from other churches well into the twentieth century.

PneumaReview.com: Do the Pentecostal churches in Brazil have different practices or priorities than most non-Brazilian Pentecostal churches in the United States?

Paul Palma: Besides the prevalence of Portuguese-speaking members, there are subtle cultural differences. The CC churches are distinguished from most other Pentecostal churches by their insistence that women wear head coverings (the “veil”) during public worship. You will also find less urgency for seminary training for ministers among the Brazilian churches. While Brazilian Pentecostals now encourage seminary training, they lacked the resources for educational institutes for many years. For the AD, because of reasons tied to its Swedish roots, even when educational resources were available, it favored a short-term Bible School training model over formal seminaries.

PneumaReview.com: At different points in the text, you mention “reverse mission,” for those who may be unfamiliar with that term please explain what it means.

PR

Additional Resources

Read the review of Grassroots Pentecostalism in Brazil and the United States by Brian Roden

Watch the book launch introduction by Paul Palma

In Grassroots Pentecostalism in Brazil and the United States: Migrations, Missions, and Mobility, Dr. Paul J. Palma presents a history of the major Pentecostal movements in Brazil, beginning with how immigrants to the United States who encountered Pentecost took the full gospel message to Brazil, how the denominations were established and how they grew and adapted over time, and how these movements in Brazil then proceeded to reach out beyond their Latin American borders in reverse missions to North America and Europe.

The book consists of ten chapter comprising two major sections: “Classical Pentecostalism in Transnational Perspective,” and “Classical Pentecostalism and Mobility: Challenges and Prospects.” The first part deals with the history of the founding and expansion of Brazilian Pentecostal groups, while the second part deals with contemporary challenges facing the denominations profiled in this book.

In the third chapter, Palma discusses the founding and early growth of Pentecostal bodies in Brazil. Initially, Pentecost in Brazil was concentrated among European and U.S. immigrants to the nation. Later migrations of rural Brazilians to the cities for work brought Portuguese speakers into contact with the Pentecostal churches made up primarily of immigrants from other countries. Both groups being “outsiders” often led to solidarity based on the lived experience of migration, whether across or within national borders. Palma notes that “Pentecostalism supplied a ‘common language,’ holding out to the displaced agrarian migrant the promise of solidarity and belonging” (68). In contrast to the missions outreaches of mainline Protestant denominations, which focused on spreading North American versions of Christianity among the lower-middle class of Brazil, the Pentecostal groups “came to be religious-social phenomena by, of, and among the poor, literally a Brazilian religion of the Brazilian migrant poor” (82).

In the fifth chapter, Palma discusses the growth of Brazilian Pentecostalism beyond the urban and rural poor into “reverse missions,” where the country that was once the recipient of missions efforts ends up sending missionaries back to the countries that previously sent them workers. By 2007, Brazil was sending out more foreign missionaries than Britain or Canada (105). Both the Italian-rooted Christian Assemblies and Christian Congregations, and the Brazilian Assembleia de Deus (Assemblies of God, hereafter AD) founded by Swedes Vingren and Berg, now have congregations in the United States, from which their founders left to minister in Brazil. Just as these group started in Brazil by working among Italian and Swedish immigrants to that country, their U.S. branches started out ministering to Brazilians who had migrated to the States for economic reasons. One church in San Jose, California, that traces its roots to the Brazilian AD (but is independent from that organization) has even planted a church in Santa Catarina in Brazil, adding another half-circle to the missions movement that had already gone full-circle (118).

Part II of the book begins with chapter six, which discusses various aspects of church growth in Brazilian Pentecostalism. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Italian-founded Christian Congregations and the Swedish-founded Assemblies of God followed fairly parallel growth trajectories. After that, however, the CC’s growth rate plateaued, while the AD’s growth curve climbed steeply upward (though it is noted that the AD has seen a decline in membership of over two million members between 2010 and 2015). This chapter dives deep into various factors that contributed to these varying growth patterns, and careful readers will be on the lookout for how those issues may impact the growth or decline of their own church bodies. Special attention is given to the role that the move to autochthonous leadership had on church growth, with the groups that more readily handed leadership over to Brazilian nationals experiencing faster growth.

The seventh chapter takes a look at various forms of church polity in Pentecostal groups in both Brazil and in the United States. The Christian Congregations churches have held steadfastly to a model of unpaid, volunteer clergy. “Except for assistance with missionary travel expenses, ministerial office holders and other administrative personnel are expected to sustain themselves fiscally through their own means” (152). This seems very much in line with what I have heard about the early Pentecostal church planters in the United States, who were generally bivocational. The Brazilian Assemblies of God, on the other hand, has a much more episcopal structure, with authority centralized in the office of the pastor-presidente, who at times exercises authority at the level of a “Pentecostal pope” (158). Palma also discusses some of the differences between how Pentecostal groups incorporate ideas from liberation theology in their work with the poor and the presentation of those in classical Roman Catholic liberation thought.

Chapter nine touches on issues of holiness ethic, separatism, and political involvement. Holiness codes tend to be stricter in rural, less affluent areas, while a bit more latitude is shown among the economically prosperous and believers in urban spaces. Politically, while Catholics and mainline Protestants have become less politically involved in Brazil over time, Pentecostals— especially within the AD— have moved in the opposite direction, in contrast to the early apoliticism of Pentecostal groups in the country: one third of the thirty Protestants elected to the national congress in 1994 were members of the AD. Palma foreshadows the involvement of Pentecostals in the country’s 2022 presidential election, a fact that has been borne out in news reports after the publication of this book. Pentecostals were also reportedly involved in the violent protests in the capital, Brasilia, on January 8, 2023, that eerily echoed facets of the January 6, 2021 events in Washington, D.C. (which saw many neo-pentecostals active in rallies in the weeks just before that event).

In his concluding tenth chapter, Palma summarizes how the different ethnic backgrounds of the founders of Pentecostalism in southern (Italian) and northern (Swedish) Brazil impacted the polity, practices, and politics of the groups they established, yet this ethnic factor is often overlooked. However, despite their origins being traced to European-American immigrants, the CA, CC, and AD movements today are all undoubtedly Brazilian in character. Considering the reverse missions from Brazil to North America and Europe, Palma notes that “the story of Brazilian classical Pentecostalism illustrates the vibrant multidirectional character of twenty-first-century Christianity” seen in many parts of the world (235).

Anyone interested in the development of Pentecostal churches around the world will find this book to provide significant insights into the largest Spirit-filled movement within the borders of a single country today. Knowing where Pentecostalism has come from is vital for those doing Pentecostal church work today, as the roots of a movement, while not exhaustively deterministic of its future, do continue to exert influence. In addition, seeing where other groups may have taken missteps that hampered the mission of the church can help contemporary workers to be on guard against similar errors.

Reviewed by Brian Roden

The book consists of Acknowledgments, five chapters, thirteen excurses, varied notes, selected bibliography, and detailed indexes of subjects, ancient names, modern authors and ancient sources.

Chapter titles include: “The Emergence of the Spirit: Recasting Exodus”, “The Essence of the Spirit: Retelling Exodus”, “The Absence of the Spirit: Recalling Exodus”, “The Assurance of the Spirit: Rekindling Exodus”, and “The Significance of the Spirit: Rediscovering Exodus”. Each chapter brings a varied and deep-well resource for the study of pneumatology.

This work offers detailed, personable, opinionated, and indispensable tedious research. From his descriptions of German theologian Hans Leisagang and more to his Greek or Jewish tracing of the origins of historical pneumatology, you’ll find detailed promise of the divine presence of God. The weight of God’s glory is depicted through Israel’s birth and early years. Pillars and angels, Clouds and fire are described as leading the Israelites to outpace the Egyptians. While God’s presence is described as durable, unshakable, and reliable.

Levison’s description of the Babylonian exile offers intriguing storylines where the Spirit is an active agent in cross-cultural contexts.  He offers rich parallels of Moses and Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zechariah and more with concepts of the Spirit of God 1) rushing upon, 2) pouring over, and 3) resting upon individuals.

Jack Levison holds the W.J.A. Power Chair of Old Testament Interpretation and Biblical Hebrew at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. Levison was raised in New York, attended Wheaton College, received an MA at Cambridge University, and pursued his doctoral studies at Duke University. Faculty page.

He offers a unique study of consequences regarding modern assessments of early Judaism including a discourse of NT Wright’s deep appreciation for the contributions of 2^nd Temple Judaism and Shekinah Glory’s indwelling presence. He proclaims clearly, the Spirit is active now.

Levison ends this work with thirteen brief two to four page excurses. An excursus (from Latin excurrere, ‘to run out of’) is a short outbreak or narration in a work of literature. Excursuses often have little to do with subject matter discussed by the work, used to lighten or add insight to the story. He does it with brilliance.

Reviewed by Joseph S. Girdler

Publisher’s page: https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481310031/the-holy-spirit-before-christianity/

Elbert approaches Luke-Acts with two questions: (1) How does Luke expect Theophilus, the reader, to read his two-volume work (Luke-Acts)? and (2) How does Luke expect him to respond to it? As Robert Menzies summarizes, in the forward, first, Luke gives Theophilus “a coherent pneumatological picture.” Second, Luke thinks that “if Theophilus prays to receive gift of the Holy Spirit as Jesus taught, then it will be given to him” (Lk 11.13) and third, that Jesus’s command to ask for the good gift of the Holy Spirit must be understood in light of Pentecost and subsequent pneumatological events in Acts (vii). Significantly, Elbert sees the inchoate state of Theophilus who has received some initial instruction in the faith (Lk 1.4) like Apollos, whose knowledge of Jesus was rudimentary but deficient and was given a fuller picture (5, Acts 18.24–28).

For Elbert, Theophilus was probably a sincere disciple who needed further instruction which included more information about the Holy Spirit that his second treatise more extensively provides (1, 6). Having given Theophilus further teaching and examples of historical precedent, Luke expects him to seek this gift of the Holy Spirit (11). Elbert cites Hellenistic rhetorical parallels that demonstrate a pedagogical and mentoring relationship with the reader (20:n35, n61).

Moreover, the Lukan version of “the Holy Spirit” in contrast to Matthew’s “good gifts” shows that Luke is stressing Spirit reception either by his redactional emendation or by preferring one version of the dominical saying over another retained in the earlier Gospel tradition (11.13 cp. Matt 7.11). Elbert links the good gift-Holy Spirit saying to Acts 1.5, 8; 2.2. Luke’s rhetoric is intended to be didactic for his reader, Theophilus, and later in Luke-Acts, Luke shows him what to pray for and the effects of the gift of the Holy Spirit (34–35). Luke then, views history and narrative as paradigmatic for Christian practice (43–44).

In the third chapter, Elbert focuses on Acts 2.38: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (NRSV). Repentance and baptism are mandated in the final instructions of Jesus (Lk 24.47–49) and found throughout the Third Gospel. The repeated promise of the Holy Spirit in Lk 24.49 and in Acts 1.4, 8, 14 puts Theophilus in “an expectant transition” and is followed with templates for his own petition to receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit (45). But first, Elbert makes it clear that those who were about the receive the promise of the Holy Spirit “had already entered into genuine Christian discipleship and commitment to Jesus, i.e., that they have entered into that nexus of experiential concepts: repentance, forgiveness, belief, and salvation which Luke associates with experiencing Jesus” (46). He gives ample examples from the Gospel that folk already had experienced salvation before Pentecost. In the text and in the footnotes, he takes issue with those who say that believers only experience salvation after Pentecost, especially James Dunn (46–50). It appears that Dunn and company are interpreting Luke’s pneumatology through the lens of Paul’s understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in conversion. Luke must be allowed to speak on his own terms, for the pneumatological agendas of both Luke and Paul are not quite the same.

Using a Graeco-Roman historiographical method, Luke presents in Peter’s Pentecost sermon “three narrative functions”: (1) to summarize events with a view of how the reader should respond, (2) to provide precedents that guide the disciples in mission, and (3) “to draw all the threads together into a timely tutorial re the Lukan gift of the Spirit, from both the preceding prophetic xenolalic event as well as from the previous narrative” (50–51). Peter’s initial speech/sermon is programmatic for all of Acts (54). “This emphasis on the individualistic extension of prophetic vocation to all repentant, forgiven, callers upon the Lord’s name who would prayerfully seek the gift of the Spirit, as I shall argue, for 2.38c, is distinctively Lukan” (55).

Elbert notes that the promise of the Spirit is not merely for prophecy: “Luke neither says nor implies that Joel has promised the ‘Spirit of prophecy’ (contra Turner). Rather, Luke’s insertion ‘and they will prophesy’ in 2.18 simply highlights the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy and extends the promise of it to everyone (cf. 1.4; 2.39), thus making Luke’s understanding of prophecy one component of the Lukan gift of the Spirit” (57–58). Luke understands that other aspects of the Spirit’s gift are included, such as dreams and visions and, later, other wonders. Nor is it evident that Spirit-reception happens immediately upon obeying the imperatives of “repent” and “be baptized”; the reception of the Spirit is in the future tense. Elbert demonstrates several passages where the future following the imperative is not immediate (64–73). To insist that the gift of the Spirit must appear immediately at baptism appears “to be non-Lukan importations no matter what their source” (72). Luke has set his narrative up to this programmatic point in the Pentecost sermon to instruct Theophilus, who already knows about repentance and forgiveness of sins, to ask the good Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Elbert makes the case for Apollos receiving fuller pneumatic instruction and experience, for he had the same instructional deficiency as the Ephesian twelve, who knew only the baptism of John. He suggests that Theophilus, though somewhat informed in the faith (Lk 1.4), knows only of a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins and needs further instruction on how to receive the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised. Luke does this by his frequent emphasis on prayer, especially regarding reception of the Holy Spirit. These promises and examples provide a paradigm for Theophilus to pray to receive the Holy Spirit (94–95).

Luke does not invent Theophilus to be a mere foil for him to present a theological treatise wrapped in a narrative; rather he gives instruction to Theophilus on what to pray for, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and what to expect in the breath of prayer for his future ministry. The primal mode of biblical revelation subsists in the telling of a story and expecting the readers to respond to the salvation-history event. The story cannot be divorced from the didache.

Elbert’s lengthy essay, presented in 2000 as a Society for Pentecostal Studies conference paper, should have been published much earlier; his argument is persuasive, and he maintains a detailed and frank interaction with other scholars in his footnotes. We have Robert Graves of the Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship to thank for making this seminal essay available to the Church and the academy.

Reviewed by James B. Shelton

The struggle with precise definitions of revival comes from the fact that the nouns “revival” or “awakening” as we use it today, are extrabiblical. What we read in the Bible are active verbs like “revive” in Psalm 85:6 “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (c.f. Habakkuk 3:2, Psalm 119:25), “filled” in Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them,” or “awake/arise” in Ephesians 5:14 “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”[1] There are more related words, but most of them are verbs connected to this idea of God revitalizing his people whether in their religious affections, in their vocational call as witnesses, in their spiritual health, and even in their relationship with God and with their neighbors.

Latham’s typology on the six senses of revival can help us understand the different revival encounters the church experiences today:

R1 A spiritual quickening of the individual believer

R2 A deliberate meeting or campaign especially among Pentecostals to deepen the faith of believers and bring non-believers to faith.

R3 An unplanned period of spiritual enlivening in a local church, quickening believers  and bringing unbelievers to faith.

R4 A regional experience of spiritual awakening and widespread conversions (e.g. the Welsh, Hebridean, East African and Indonesia revivals, and possibly Pensacola in    the 1990s).

R5 Societal or cultural “awakenings” (e.g., the transatlantic First and Second Awakenings).

R6 The possible reversal of secularization and “revival” of Christianity as such.[6]

This typology presents a wide semantic range of the term “revival” which is more appropriate for what’s really going on in the global church. This typology tells us that revivals today come in different shapes and forms, and that most often, what we experience in our Pentecostal churches are results of revivalism, or deliberate cultivation of revival experiences. The Asbury Revival, if we look at it from this semantic range, would fall under R3. Although we have heard testimonies that said they were praying for a revival at Asbury beforehand, it was an unplanned event and it did enliven the students, neighboring campuses, and led to the revitalization of student led prayer movements all over the nation.

A first-hand participant of the Asbury revival, Madison Pierce, testified via Facebook on February 15, 2023. Here’s an excerpt of the testimony:

The movements of the spirit in western evangelicalism always exist in the middle of a cultural moment. A generous interpretation of these movements reveals unique traits for each one. For example, fervor for the great commission at the Mt. Hermon Conference, overwhelming joy in Toronto Outpouring, zeal for the lost in Brownsville Revival, acts of healing at the Kansas City awakening, and manifestation of tongues at the Azusa Street revival. In each move of the spirit, God clearly manifests in a specific way for that generation. I find it interesting that God would mark this outpouring with:

A tangible sense of peace for an [sic] generation with unprecedented anxiety.

A restorative sense of belonging for a generation amidst an epidemic of loneliness.

An authentic hope for a generation marked by depression.

A leadership emphasizing protective humility in relationship with power for a generation deeply hurt by the abuse of religious power.

A focus on participatory adoration for an age of digital distraction.

It feels as if God is personally meeting young adults in ways meaningful to them. My generation was formed differently then [sic] previous generations and so the traits of this revival are different then revivals of old.[7]

For Pierce, the revival was timely for his generation. After a pandemic that brought fear of disease, anxiety, isolation, depression and grief, the younger generation has been asking for authentic encounters with God.

Although I evaluate this revival at the R3 level, we still don’t know its long-term effect. Who knows with the reinvigoration of student led prayer movements and the varied campus revivals around the nation, this revival may reach all the way to R6? We look forward to seeing its long-term effect.

In conclusion, revival is the spontaneous act of God in revitalizing his people and recentering us to his will, his love, and his passion. When the human “I” becomes less, and the eternal “I AM” becomes greater, the result is a restoration of wholeness and witness. The 2023 Asbury revival is just a reminder from God that he is still in control, and he is not done yet.

Let me end this essay by sharing Esther Jewel Holmes Shin’s testimony from her experience at Asbury. She posted it on Facebook on February 22, 2023. Here are excerpts of what she posted:

At Asbury people were delivered from demons, physical healings were taking place, repentance was a real thing, people were being saved. But mostly I heard testimonies of people who are experiencing internal healing.

A sense of belonging to those who feel alone. A sense of peace and hope to those struggling with mental health issues. People are being healed from social anxiety, PTSD, depression, trauma, panic attacks, and internal hurt from abuse of all types (religious, sexual, physical and power abuse.) All without hype or pressure. Just the gentle kindness of God’s love healing and restoring all things…

Truthfully, it was hard to leave…But we had responsibilities at home, and we needed to head out. But the beautiful thing with God is that he is not limited by geographic location. He is with us in our home. And I feel his presence more today than I have in a long, long time. I know everybody cannot drive to Asbury. But I promise you, no matter where you are located, if you will humble yourself and pray, God will be there. God is not pushy. He will not fill a space that has not been offered. But if you will make space for him in your heart (with your affection, thoughts, and time) He will gently, kindly, mercifully fill whatever space you have offered him.[10]

We don’t need to go to Asbury because our homes and our churches can be our sacred spaces. What we need is humility, repentance, and a recognition that we will never stop needing God. Let us not want revival for the sake of revival, but let us want God, desire God, and in humility lay flat on our face and pray: “Lord, have mercy on us. Take center stage in our lives and in our churches. Restore us to wholeness and embolden us to be your witnesses, so that the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water covers the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).”

PR

Notes

[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New International Version (NIV).

[2] Harvey Gallagher Cox, Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century (Addison-Wesley Pub., 1995).

[3] Douglas Jacobsen, The World’s Christians: Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Got There (Chicester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2011).

[4] David W. Bebbington, “What Is Revivalism?,” Christianity Today, 1990, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-25/what-is-revivalism.html.

[5] Mark J. Cartledge, “‘Catch the Fire’: Revivalist Spirituality from Toronto to Beyond,” PentecoStudies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements 13, no. 2 (2014): 225.

[6] Cartledge, “Catch the Fire,” 225.

[7] Madison Pierce, “I’m hesitant to post my thoughts on what’s happening in Wilmore. A few of you may have heard about the “Revival” at Asbury University.” Facebook, February 15, 2023, https://www.facebook.com/madison.pierce.353 (Accessed April 11, 2023).

[8] Zach Meerkreebs, “The Chapel Service that Launched the Asbury Revival 2023,” YouTube, https://youtu.be/VGvvGbgUmMU (Accessed April 11, 2023).

[9] Thomas McCall, “Reflections on the Outpouring-Dr. Thomas McCall,” YouTube, March 11, 2023. https://youtu.be/RSRql64CBTc (Accessed April 11, 2023)

[10] Esther Jewel Holmes Shin, “So why was 4 days of driving to and from Asbury worth it? I will do my best in this post to communicate when I saw and heard during my time at Asbury,” Facebook, February 22, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/esther.j.shin.5 (Accessed April 11, 2023).

Attendees for the CLF came from all over North America and many parts of the world. This year there was a heavy presence of Polish charismatics as well as the usual Brazilians and Italians. It is always a joy to fellowship with these beloved “foreigners” who are brothers and sisters in Christ. I would not be telling readers anything new if I said it is easier talking and enjoying fellowship with a Polish charismatic with a heavy accent, than an unsaved American neighbor.

In a sense “receptive ecumenism” has been going on for quite some time without having a name. I can think of the loving atmosphere of the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International, begun way back in the 1950s be Demos Shakarian. This group was a pre-cursor to the Charismatic Renewal, i.e., mainline Protestants accepting Pentecostal practices.[2] The bond of love and service of this group was not in the least disturbed by its multidenominational membership. Similarly, a half century of ecumenical cooperation to overturn Roe Vs. Wade in various pro-life groups, local and national, led to Protestants of all denomination mingling, cooperating, and loving Catholics – and visa versa. “Receptive ecumenism” was not the primary intention of these groups, but the (providential) result of their meeting together with common goals.

This is not to say that the CLF meeting was redundant. Good theology identifies and solidifies biblical truths, attitudes, and practices. For instance, bad or absent theology on the gifts of the Holy Spirit prevented Pentecostalism and Spirit-filled churches from forming for centuries even though many Christians spoke in tongues and individually practiced the gifts of the Spirit all through Church history.[3] The flourishing of the gifts of the Spirit in whole congregations had to wait for theologies that explained the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit. All of which is to say, formulating a theology of receptive ecumenism is important for it to further flourish.

The first speaker (session 1) the Rev. Pat Sparrow, made a starting affirmation that receptive ecumenism was the way to fulfill Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that we should all be one. The stumbling point is that most churches interested in ecumenism believe they are the model to show the way forward.

Session 2 was a joint presentation by Dr. David Cole and Mr. Nathan Smith, both heavily involved in Rome with Catholic-Pentecostal reconciliation and dialogue. They reflected that half a century of dialogue produced some progress in raising the respect level for one another. But a new attitude of humility and listening is permeating the situation, and this has resulted in Catholics and Pentecostals praying together, something unheard of decades ago.

Fr. Jim Puglisi brought an interesting historical perspective to the conference in the next session. His talk centered on the Syriac church (important in the Early Church). He pointed out that the Syriac Church valued greatly the Apostle James, brother of Jesus, and the tradition of community as the basis of unity. This is different from the Western church which early on valued Greek philosophy and “right theology” as the basis of unity. This of course led to the bitter division between the Western churches and the Oriental Orthodox churches.[4]

The next two presenters brought further historical perspective to ecumenicism. Fr. Timothy Cremeens talked about the lack of ecumenicism in the early church, as any deviation from established orthodoxy was considered as heresy – no dialogue possible. (Fr. Cremeens is one of the best loved regulars of the CLF. He is rector of an American Orthodox Church and is very charismatic. But his denomination does not look favorably on the gifts of the Spirit today. He soldiers onward.) Anthony Martin then gave us a brief history of the Reformation, and what went wrong to result in wars instead of dialogue between Protestants and Catholics.

Fr. Karol Sobczyk was the speaker for the next session (session 8). He presented a history of the Charismatic movement in Poland where the population is over 90% Catholic. In spite of this, he credited the mission of John Wimber decades ago in Poland for being a major impetus of the charismatic renewal, which is growing day by day.

Scott Kelso, who is the coordinator of the CLF, and very active in the ecumenical movement worldwide, gave an interesting take on how important prophecy is for the ecumenical movement. It moves persons out of their comfort zones and into obedience with God’s will, which is ultimately the unity of the Church. In the next session Dr. John Gresham gave us information about the origins of the term “receptive ecumenism.” It was coined by Dr. Paul Murray of the university of Durham. He organized the first meeting on the topic, and later published a book on it.[5] Gresham suggested several other seminal sources of receptive ecumenism.[6]

The next presentation was by two persons, a layman, Isias Carniero and Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela, described the ongoing successes of ecumenism in Latin America. Brazil is an especially great example, and this year celebrates 50 years of dialogue and ecumenism between Evangelical and Catholics. For those of us like myself, who were born into pre-Vatican II Catholicism, this is a miraculous change. Well into the 1960s, Protestant missionaries in various parts of Latin America were harassed and even murdered by Catholic vigilantes who believed they were protecting the true faith.

At noon the attendees were bussed to Ascension Lutheran Church for an Ash Wednesday service. After lunch there were presentations by leaders of two covenant communities, Word of Christ and Alleluia, both describing how they managed and lived out their receptive ecumenism. Both communities were predominantly Catholic but Catholics in these communities cherished what they had learned from their Protestant brothers and sisters. Especially in the early days of the 1970s, the classic works of the Pentecostal and Charismatic renewal such as the Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, and the cassettes of Derek Prince were seminal.

After dinner on Tuesday, there was a reception at an outdoor fire pit with several other Christian groups who were also present at the Alleluia community – alas, without marshmallows. The next morning opened with a powerful prayer and praise session which became a healing service. Many healings occurred and I personally received a healing for my hearing. This was followed by the last session, and my favorite.

The Catholic Bishop of Portland, Oregon, Peter Smith, spoke. He is noted for his orthodox theology and charismatic beliefs, and he jokingly introduced himself as the bishop of the “People’s Republic of Portland.” He noted that he created a rumpus in Oregon when he mandated that children in Catholic schools under his jurisdiction must be addressed by their birth names. What surprised me especially was his comment that when he hears confessions, he often says prayers of deliverance over the supplicant. This is a situation where deliverance prayer can be very effective, especially in sins of addiction.

The 2023 CLF was a great conference, and if you have a leadership position in any church or para-church organization, please join us next year.

PR

Notes

[1] For a better description of the CLF and the Alleluia community, see posting of the 2020 CLF in The Pneuma Review (March 30, 2020). /charismatic-leaders-fellowship-2020/

[2] William De Arteaga, Marvels and Signs: Quintessential Essays From an Anglican Pentecostal (Lee’s Summit: Christos, 2022) chapter 10, “Did the Charismatic Renewal Begin in 1950?”

[3] See Judith Tydings, Gathering a People (Plainfield; Logos International, 1977).

[4] On this tragic division see the work of Philip Jenkins, Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years (New York; HarperCollins, 2010).

[5] Paul Murray, Receptive Ecumenism as Transformative Ecclesial Learning (Oxford: Oxford University, 2022).

[6] See Andrew Wilson, Spirit and a Sacrament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018). [Editor’s Note: See the review by Rick Wadholm Jr.]

They Recognized Their Experience As Foretold In Scripture – Peter said in Acts 2:16, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh’ (Acts 2:16; King James Version [KJV])” Everyone present at the Pentecost Festival had no doubt this was real because it had been predicted by Joel the prophet (Joel 2:28-32).

When the Day of Pentecost Came…

They Knew It Was An Answer to Prayer – All of the 120 people assembled on this special day had waited patiently for the descent of the Spirit while they prayed. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was present, along with Jesus’ brothers (Acts 1:14), and they were all together in one accord, in one mind, and in one place (Acts 2:1). When people are in one accord, having the same mind and spirit, and are assembled in one place in Jesus’ Name, marvelous things will always happen.

When the Day of Pentecost Came…

They Knew Beyond Doubt The Holy Spirit Had Come – All those who had assembled on this day to experience the descent and infilling of the Holy Spirit, recognized the reason for His descent. But some of the unregenerate people who witnessed the event said, “They must be drunk.” This is the way it is with those who are not spiritually minded—they will always criticize what they don’t understand. But Peter understood what was happening, and responded by saying, These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only 9 a.m. [in the morning]; this is the outpouring of the Spirit of God as promised in the prophecies of Joel; ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh—that is, mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:15-17; New Millennia In-Depth Bible [NMIB]). When people are full of intoxicating wine, they act crazy and babble, but the incoherent language was God’s way of infusing [and binding] people together through languages, since the Tower of Babel experience (Gen. 11:9) had confused and diffused people through languages. At this outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the assembled believers were not sure of what would happen, but without doubt they had the assurance in their hearts that the Holy Spirit was in their midst. The “Baptism of the Holy Spirit” is the consuming fire and a real Biblical empowerment available for all Christians to experience today, just as it was for the 120 in the upper room. Further, this “baptism” is for every period of time, every generation, and for every person until Jesus returns. This means it’s for you and me. It comes to us [and to all believers] according to fervent faith and prayer.

Pray today that God will give you a fresh “baptism of fire” from above, because Jesus said, “If you then [who hear My words], being evil— [that is, incomplete and immature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13; New Millennia In-Depth Bible – [NMIB]).

PR

Adapted from the May 2022 issue of Grapevine from the Association of Evangelical Gospel Assemblies. Used with permission.