Pneuma Review: How do you feel the Pentecostal/charismatic church today is doing at understanding and effectively communicating the teachings of the Bible? What can leaders do to improve?

French Arrington: Generally speaking Pentecostal/charismatic preaching and teaching is not substantive in biblical content. In making this observation I must ask, however, what sector is being evaluated—North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, etc.? The different parts of the world are not on the same page when it comes to Christian education. For the most part, there is a dearth of knowledge of the Bible in evangelical churches. It may be that Pentecostal/charismatic churches are farther behind the curve of evangelical churches for these reasons: (1) Extreme emphasis is placed on praise and celebration at the expense of teaching the Word of God. (2) Some churches no longer have Sunday School or use the Sunday School hour to study subjects other than the Bible or Christian doctrine. (3) Many pastors do not preach expository and doctrinal sermons nor sermons that are solidly rooted in the Scriptures. (4) Some make a practice of selecting a few popular issues in which to focus in a year’s preaching rather than providing some balance in their preaching.

I think there are a number of things church leaders can do to help their congregations to be more biblically literate: (1) cultivate a climate of serious Bible study packaged in a way that appeals to contemporary churchgoers. Such a climate begins with the pastor and other leaders who take seriously the Word of God in their preaching and teaching. (2) use visual aids (chalkboard, bulletin inserts, projector, computer, etc.) in preaching and teaching: (3) employ language that is understandable and meaningful to the congregation. I know that language can be a problem, especially in communicating the teachings of Scriptures to a younger generation. (4) encourage the reading of the Bible by distributing a weekly guide for family Bible reading and devotion. (5) teach the people how to study the Bible and how to lead a small group Bible study.

Let me make a few more observations. There is a real need for pastors to be biblically and theologically informed. Such pastors will recognize the importance of following the church calendar or some other guide to ensure that in preaching and teaching the congregation gets a “balanced diet” of the Scriptures. They will be equipped to focus their preaching not only on personal needs in the congregation but also on the great truths of the faith. Furthermore, they will be able to discern heretical teachings masquerading as authentic Christianity and the authority of Scripture being sacrificed on the altar of pragmatism or political correctness.

The first part of chapter eight from Professor Williams’ book, The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today, about the greatest reality of our time.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today: Effects, Part 1 (Chapter 8)

Chapter Eight: Effects, Part 2

Third, still another effect of the gift of the Holy Spirit is that of providing an assurance of God’s act of salvation. The Holy Spirit bears witness to what has been done, confirms the status of sonship and God’s abiding presence and affords an earnest or pledge of what is yet to come.

It is significant that on two occasions (Acts 11 and 15) after the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Caesareans, or the Gentiles, Peter appears before the Jerusalem council of apostles and brethren to argue the Gentile cause. On each occasion Peter refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit which the Gentiles had likewise received as a kind of confirmation or witness. In the first instance the question basically was whether the Gentiles really were included in God’s purpose of salvation, and Peter’s argument was simply that “the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). Further, “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us [believing]¹⁴ in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11:17). This silenced the audience; then “they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life'” (Acts 11:18). The fact that God had given the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles was certification to the apostles and brethren that the Gentiles had indeed been granted salvation. On the second occasion, Peter stands again before the council to argue against the obligation of Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be saved. In the context of this argument Peter speaks of how it was God’s choice that “by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe” (Acts 15:7). Then Peter immediately adds: “And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith”¹⁵ (Acts 15:8-9). Here the gift of the Holy Spirit is described as a witness to the Gentiles themselves that they had indeed been granted cleansing and salvation. Thus to summarize the two accounts: the gift of the Holy Spirit was viewed as both a testimony to others, an external witness, and an internal testimony that “repentance unto life,” cleansing, salvation, had unmistakably occurred.

On the matter of the testimony to others, or external witness, one of the interesting features of the contemporary outpouring of God’s Spirit is the way in which it has caused many people in churches or denominations that have been long separated from and even antagonistic to one another to change their attitude. For example, many Protestants who received the gift of the Spirit in the early to mid 1960s were ill prepared to accept the movement of the Spirit among Roman Catholics that began in 1967¹⁶ for the reason that they (the Protestants) were not at all sure any Catholics had experienced salvation. Then it began to happen among Catholics—exactly as among Protestants—and all the Protestants could do, like the apostles and brethren, was to glorify God and say, “Then to the Roman Catholics also God has granted repentance unto life!”

One other Scripture passage related to external witness is Hebrews 2:3-4: “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.” Here again God Himself bears witness to the “great salvation” through the operation and activity of the Holy Spirit. Salvation which belongs to the inward and invisible realm is attested by the outward and visible—signs, wonders, miracles, various gifts of the Holy Spirit. This passage in Hebrews is somewhat different from Acts 11 and Acts 15: the gift (or gifts) of the Holy Spirit is not spoken of as testimony to other Christians that God has granted salvation, but it is rather a testimony to those who have not experienced salvation that behind such divine work stands a living God who brings salvation.

Again, to return to the contemporary scene, it is striking that in many places the proclamation of the gospel of salvation is being given visible certification through “signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The word is preached, God “bears witness,” for example, through miracles of healing taking place, and the message of salvation comes through with powerful effectiveness.¹⁷  Indeed, in a day when people are bombarded by countless words and voices (in television, radio, printed page, etc.) and made innumerable offers, it is increasingly hard to hear the word about salvation and believe without some demonstration of power and reality. Is it really so? Is the message of an internal transformation valid? Does it actually happen? But when that message about invisible things is certified by visible demonstrations of the power of God, then credibility is vastly increased. The gospel truly must be, as is claimed, the power of God also unto salvation.

Does Messiah pay taxes? Journey through the Gospel to the Hebrews with Kevin Williams and find out.

And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter, and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax? (Matthew 17:24).

Throughout this series, the basic premise has been that the gospel of Matthew was written as a witness, a testimony, of the messiaship of Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth. No less is true in the story of the temple tax.

Our companions are in Capernaum, not the temple, so a likely question would be, “why bring up the temple tax here, since they are not even in Jerusalem?” The commandments for the tax in the Torah is the half-shekel, found in Exodus 30:11-16 and summarized later in Exodus 38:26: “a half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward.” Not long after the gospel story setting, the historian Josephus rewrote this summary from the books of Moses, “He [God] laid a tax upon all the Jews wheresoever they were, namely, two drachmas; commanding everyone . . . to bring it to the Capitol as before they had paid it into the Temple at Jerusalem.”

Therefore a question to be asked about the tax in Capernaum—and not Jerusalem—is not so unusual after all.

In our text however, it appears that Yeshua planned to forego the tax.

“Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” And upon his saying, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Consequently the sons are exempt. But, lest we give them offense, go to the sea, and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for you and Me” (Matthew 17:24-27).

Peter’s answer of “yes” may originate from a sense of “don’t be silly, of course he pays the tax.” Perhaps Peter was hoping this was merely an oversight on Yeshua’s part. The text does not really give us an indication.

Yeshua’s answer however, is one that—in not so many words—states that He is the Son of the King—Yahweh, and as such is not required to pay the levy. Nevertheless, Yeshua goes on to say that he—the King’s Son—does not want to offend anyone. This might seem a bit incongruous as many feel Yeshua took every chance he could to offend the Jewish traditions, and these offenses are what earned him so many enemies among the religious and political elite!

Douglas Jacobsen, Thinking in the Spirit: Theologies of the Early Pentecostal Movement (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2003), xvi + 418 pages, ISBN 9780253343208.

This is a book long overdue, and places us all in debt to Douglas Jacobsen, Distinguished Professor of Church History and Theology at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. While a large volume, it is nevertheless very focused and precise. On the one hand, Jacobsen limits his survey of early pentecostal theologies to those articulated during the first twenty-five years or so of the movement. On the other hand, Jacobsen is the consummate narrator and historian of theology in these pages, describing early pentecostal theologies with immaculate detail and allowing the theologians he is presenting to speak with their own voices, all the while keeping his own theological perspective effectively muted. He hopes in the concluding chapter that “this book will help contemporary pentecostal theologians and church leaders engage each other in constructive ways, reminding them that a vigorous diversity of opinion has been part of the pentecostal heritage from the very beginning of the movement” (p. 355). This work accomplishes the author’s objectives admirably, in this reviewer’s opinion. Let me mention three reasons why.

First, as Jacobsen notes, is the very important reminder regarding the diversity of pentecostal theologies even among the earliest thinkers of the movement. The six chapters present twelve theologians: the “original visions” of Charles Fox Parham and Richard Spurling (later influential in the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee); the Azusa Street era theologies of William J. Seymour, George Floyd Taylor (later of the Pentecostal Holiness Church), and David Wesley Myland (a convert to pentecostalism from the Christian Missionary Alliance); the Finished-Work theology of William H. Durham and the Holiness Pentecostal theology of Joseph Hillery King; the Oneness theologies of Garfield T. Haywood and Andrew David Urshan; the Afrocentric and anti-racist theology of Robert Clarence Lawson; and the “boundary” theologies of independent evangelist Fred Francis Bosworth and mystical thinker Esek William Kenyon. The plurality of early pentecostal theologies should be evident simply given this listing. Jacobsen’s gift to contemporary pentecostal theologians and church leaders is to provide a coherent narrative demonstrating the interconnectedness of these various ideas and systems of thought without compromising their distinctive contributions and perspectives. Here, as in the day of Pentecost, we have a plurality of voices giving testimony to the wondrous workings of the Spirit of God.

French L. Arrington, Encountering the Holy Spirit: Paths of Christian Growth and Service (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 2003), 546 pages.

One hundred and four years ago (as of the time of this writing), two births took place: the birth of the twentieth century, and the birth of the Pentecostal movement. And in a little more than a century, that movement has become a global phenomenon, growing in size to the point where more than half of all Christians worldwide consider themselves to be Pentecostal/charismatics. This growth has helped to reawaken interest in and exploration of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and Arrington’s new book is a welcome addition to that exploration. The recently retired professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at the Church of God Theological Seminary, Dr. Arrington expresses the importance of the Third Person of the Trinity very succinctly: “The critical element to the life, vitality and growth of the Christian church has been, and remains, the presence and power of the Spirit” (p. 19).

French L. Arrington

Arrington, no stranger to Pentecostal scholarship, presents us with an excellent volume on the subject of pneumatology, focusing mainly on the work of the Spirit in each believer, as well as in the local congregation and the Body of Christ as a whole. This focus occurs in an examination of seven main (and fairly comprehensive) topics (p. 20):

1. The Spirit in the Old Testament.

2. The Spirit’s role in conversion and the Christian walk.

3. Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

4. The relationship of glossolalia to baptism in the Spirit.

5. The results of baptism in the Spirit.

6. The gifts of the Spirit.

7. The challenge of living the Spirit-filled life in the church and in the world.

He concludes his book with a chapter filled with accounts of individuals’ experiences with the Spirit.

Martyn Percy, Power and the Church: Ecclesiology in an Age of Transition (London and Herndon, Va.: Cassell, 1998), xv + 239 pages, ISBN 9780304701070.

Widely published in the area of conservative religion in general and conservative Christianity in particular, theologian Martyn Percy turns in this book to questions concerning the nature of power in the church. Whereas chapter one discusses various models for understanding power in religion, chapters two and three proceed to analyze power in the New Testament. Two controversial arguments are advanced: first, that the healings and miracles of Jesus are intended not first and foremost as benefits for believers (as understood by upper middle class Euroamerican Christians in general and by Prosperity Gospelers specifically) but as signs of the gospel directed toward the outsider, the poor and the needy—the “politically, socially and religiously disadvantaged” (p. 28) as Percy puts it; and second, that apostolic power in the early Church is understood best in terms of wisdom and weakness.

Other chapters proceed to analyze the notion of power in as it operates in fundamentalistic Christianity (of which Percy includes—even if finally problematically in this reviewer’s perspective—Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement); the nature of power expressed as violence in new religious movements; the idea of pilgrimage as seen in the Toronto Blessing phenomenon, particularly the ways in which spiritual power becomes a commodity that is acquired through certain practices in this framework; the bureaucratization of power in Anglicanism (Percy’s own church); the embodied, somatic and even erotic nature of power as experienced in Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity in general and in the Pentecostal-charismatic worship experience in particular; the uneven and gendered distribution of power in the increasingly pluralizing Anglican tradition; and the perpetuation of power in experiential religion through the ideology of anti-intellectualism which discourages critical questioning in order to support the status quo.

An introduction and a conclusion round out this volume of previously published and collected essays. In the conclusion, Percy devotes a section to suggesting an alternative theological account of divine power than that discussed in the book: process theology’s emphasis on God working through luring rather than directly. But this complicates Percy’s task and raises questions about who his intended audience is. Mainline Protestants sympathetic to the process theological vision are going to have to work hard to get through all the chapters on the Pentecostal-charismatic movement, and Pentecostals and charismatics who may stand to gain something from Percy’s analyses will be put off by his recoursing to process theology at the end. The other critical question concerns the “ecclesiology” (doctrine of the church) in the book’s title and subtitle, which does not receive substantive elaboration. Percy’s focus ultimately falls on attempting to understand power in religion, and he does not set out a coherent statement about power in the Church as readers are initially led to believe. Hints in the conclusion are that Percy advocates embracing some sort of postmodern identity for Christianity, and hence also for ecclesiology. Is this simply because of the preference for plurality and diversity? What does this mean for the future of Roman Catholic Christianity, then (mentioned only in passing in a few places in the volume)? Here would be material for case studies which would have complemented the volume. But perhaps that could be the topic of a future book on religion and power.

It is clear that Percy is at home with sociological and phenomenological analyses as he is with theological assessment. But do not be mistaken: there is plenty of theological meat in these pages for perceptive theological readers. While readers of this journal will certainly note even from this brief summary that Percy’s perspective and agenda with regard to the Pentecostal-charismatic world is a critical one, they will benefit from it if they have some theological background and are willing to be learn from an outsider’s viewpoint. Of course, there is always the other side to any story, even if the other sides to Percy’s subjects are not sufficiently acknowledged. But if good books are discussion starters, then my guess will be that this book will prove to start many, given its provocative take on the wide spectrum of the Pentecostal-charismatic experience.

Reviewed by Amos Yong

Publisher’s page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/power-and-the-church-9780304701056/

James R. Goff Jr. and Grant Wacker, eds., Portraits of a Generation: Early Pentecostal Leaders (Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 2002), 430 pages.

The introduction to this book tells us that no real compelling interest existed in the 20 people whose lives are described therein for the first 50 years of the 20^th Century. These were people who had lived in the late 19^th and early 20^th Century and were on their way to being forgotten—they did not matter anymore, and may never have truly mattered until the church began to grow and grow world wide in the last half of the 20^th Century.

As most of you know, all kinds of interest and publication has followed this explosive growth. Why has it happened? Who started it and where and how? There has been much study on the more prominent leaders who became intertwined by what happened at Azusa Street in Los Angeles. However, until this book, many have remained unknown to most of Christendom. You might have heard of some of the people who are included in this book, but I doubt that you know them all. I did not know them all, and I have been a student of our movement for 40 years.

Contributors to this volume include many well-known Pentecostal/charismatic historians including Edith Blumhofer, Cecil M. Roebuck, Vinson Synan, and Gary McGee.

I learned much and I met some new personalities that I did not know. Portraits of a Generation is an excellent reference book that is written well and in an enjoyable style.

Reviewed by H. Murray Hohns

Paul L. King, “The Christian and Missionary Alliance: Higher Life Movement of Missions, Holiness, and Healing” Refleks: med karismatisk kristendom i fokus 2-1 (2003), pages 21-30.

Professor King introduces readers to A. B. Simpson and the Christian and Missionary Alliance in this Finnish and English journal of theology and Pentecostal/charismatic history. This article explains where the C&MA fits in relation to the proto-Pentecostal and early Pentecostal movement.

After being miraculously healed and given a vision for worldwide outreach, in 1883 Simpson started a Bible institute that eventually became Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary. He also founded a parachurch organization that became the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination many decades later.

Summing up Simpson’s connection with the charismata and the historical Pentecostal movement, King says:

On matters of faith, healing, and supernatural manifestation, Simpson has been considered a forerunner to the Pentecostal movement and has become known as a “apostle of balance.” He believed in and encouraged the supernatural power of God and the gifts of the Spirit decades before the Pentecostal movement, but when the movement arose in 1906 he also exhorted believers to exercise discernment (p. 24).

This call for discernment has been a mark of the C&MA, even though it seems apparent that there was a waning of the supernatural in the denomination many decades ago. The fellowship also never insisted that tongues were the initial evidence of the Baptism in the Spirit, to the disappointment of many early Pentecostals.

The C&MA maintains belief in the gifts of the Spirit, but continues to deny that tongues is the initial evidence of the filling of the Spirit, and also maintains some distance from the charismatic movements, not wanting to identify with all of its beliefs and practices (p. 27).

Although the C&MA “still teaches holiness and healing” (p. 29), “the healing emphasis is not as strong or radical” (p. 27) as in the early movement. Still today, “its greatest emphasis is on missions” (p. 29).

King briefly discusses the beliefs of the C&MA. He also notes some leaders that have connections to the C&MA including A. W. Tozer, Billy Graham, Watchman Nee, Kathryn Kuhlman, John MacMillan, T. J. McCrossan, Charles Price, David Rambo, R. G. LeTourneau, and Ravi Zacharias.

While Missions is still the C&MA’s middle name, those interested in the history of holiness movements, healing, and charismata in the church will not want to miss this article by historian Paul King.

Reviewed by Raul Mock

Paul King and Raul Mock at the Society for Pentecostal Studies symposium in March, 2014.

Rick Warren in 2004.

Rick Warren, “Pastors Who Lead the Way” Enrichment 9:1 (Winter 2004).

“The good news is that while we may never achieve excellence in administration, we can learn to lead the way.”

In this article, Rick Warren states that he knows his leadership style. He is the big picture, vision-casting leader. Details do not appeal to him so he surrounds himself with staff and volunteers who gifts will compliment his giftings.

He reminds the reader that there is nothing wrong with being a vision-casting leader. What the leader needs to do is recruit team members that will enhance and supplement the leader’s style.

“There is tremendous power in cooperation. We do our best work when, instead of jockeying for position or trying to build a base of power, we work together—building on each other’s strengths and shoring up each other’s weaknesses.

He uses Nehemiah as an example prayer from a leader’s heart in Nehemiah 1.

Secondly, “Must a Pastor Lead?” He quotes from Ephesians 4:11-12 and states that by definition the pastor is a leader. Then he refers to Jesus statement to Peter in John 21:17, “Do you love me? … Feed My sheep” that a pastor must show love and care for his people.

Love being introduced into the picture you will not feel coerced into leadership but rather do what we gifted to do and lead willingly. Leadership is guiding and being an example rather than controlling and being a boss.

Third, Rick Warren discusses, “Can leadership be earned?” “We may know our gifts are clustered in the areas of preaching and teaching, not administration.”

Even though we may not achieve in excellence in administration we can still be effective leaders. He says that we need to practice habits and that habits can be learned. This will enhance effectiveness in the pulpit, in staff meetings, and in interactions with the church board.

“Leading with limited resources” is the fourth principle that he deals with in this article. Rick recognized the need for administrative leadership at Saddleback. The church was in the position in which they were able to hire someone for this position.

In this chapter from the Rightly Understanding God’s Word series, Craig S. Keener explains more interpretation principles for understanding the biblical context.

As appearing in Pneuma Review Summer 2004.

Take a course on biblical interpretation with New Testament scholar, Professor Craig S. Keener.

We should briefly survey some other context principles: context of author; anticontext methods to avoid; and the value of outlining Scripture to catch the flow of thought.

Context of Author

In some cases, we have additional help in understanding a passage or statement in the Bible because we can look elsewhere at the particular author’s style. Paul says that God inspired the Scriptures “through” people (Rom 1:2), which suggests that the author’s point corresponds with God’s point. It is therefore important to understand the author’s point. Understanding inspiration recognizes that God inspired different writers in their own basic styles. Jeremiah and Isaiah and Ezekiel all heard God’s message, but each has a very different style. God even gives Ezekiel a special nickname, “son of man.”

Sometimes the author’s style is relevant within the book. For example, when some people today claim that “abundant life” in John 10:10 refers to material prosperity, we should note that this is not what John means by “life” anywhere else (1:4; 3:15-16, 36; 4:14, 35; 5:24, 26, 29, 39-40; 6:27; etc.) If this were not enough, however, one could also note references to “life” by the same author in 1 John (1:1-2; 2:25; 3:14-15; 5:11-13, 16, 20). Some argue that Jesus healed everyone on the basis of Matthew 4:23. But does “all” mean every individual in the whole region? Matthew also says that they brought him “all” the sick in the whole province of Syria (which included Galilee and Judea); if he meant that literally, no one would have needed healing after this point (against the testimony of Acts and even the rest of Matthew’s Gospel). Jesus did not heal everyone who was sick near him (13:58), although there were reasons for this and the text indicates that Jesus normally healed people. When we read Isaiah and the Psalms, “salvation” has a broader meaning than it usually bears in the New Testament, and we should respect the context of Isaiah’s and the psalmists’ usage and not read other texts into these.