Roger Stronstad is probably best known for his master’s-thesis-turned-book, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (1985) [Editor’s note: See the review by Dave Johnson], which is considered by some to be the start of a new generation of Pentecostal scholarship and literature, and is possibly one of the most-assigned texts in Pentecostal Bible colleges and seminaries. Stronstad is also well-known for his book The Prophethood of All Believers (1999) [Editor’s note: See Amos Yong’s review of Prophethood].

Spirit, Scripture, and Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective was first published in 1995 as a collection of essays presented by Stronstad in a guest lectureship at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (chapters one, two, six, and seven) and papers presented at three different annual meetings of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (chapters three, four, and five). This updated 2018 edition includes the addition of a new, eighth chapter that investigates how Luke, John, and Paul present the ministry of Jesus (and His Spirit-empowered followers) as the “rebirth of the prophet’s ministry which was born in the leadership of Moses and his associates” (159).

The first chapter, “Trends in Pentecostal Hermeneutics,” provides a historical survey of the hermeneutical approaches practiced by various Pentecostals. Charles F. Parham’s “pragmatic” hermeneutic (also called the classical Pentecostal approach) focuses on the work of the Spirit as empowerment for service. Gordon D. Fee’s “genre” hermeneutic points out that the literary genre of a particular biblical text weighs heavily in how it should be interpreted. Howard M. Ervin’s “pneumatic” approach seeks to deal with the tension between faith and reason, the excessive rationalism that sometimes plagues critical-historical exegesis, and the mysticism of pietistic movements. Finally, William W. Menzies’ “holistic” hermeneutic, which looks at three levels: inductive (scientific exegesis), deductive (biblical theology), and verification (where experience, rather than establishing theology, verifies or demonstrates theological truth).

Chapter two deals with how hermeneutics is applied to Luke’s historiography. Stronstad points out that Luke is first of all a historian, and therefore, both Luke and Acts should be approached as two parts of one history, rather than the first as an evangelistic document and only the second treatise as a history. The similarities of Luke’s approach to that of his Jewish contemporary, Josephus, are examined, as well as the differences between the two writers. Whereas Luke’s contemporary, Josephus, laments the passing of prophetic revelation from the Jewish people, Luke celebrates the renewal of prophecy among faithful Jews that then spills over to Gentiles as they come to accept Jesus and be grafted into God’s people (23). Overall, the author views Luke as presenting the history of Jesus and the early Christian movement as the continuation of the chosen people of Israel.

Although Stronstad gives Pentecostal experience great importance in shaping interpretation, he consistently places primary importance on what the biblical texts actually say. He advocates strongly for using the Bible’s own terms for the Spirit’s activity, as evidenced in the closing paragraph of the fourth chapter, “’Filled with the Holy Spirit’ Terminology in Luke-Acts”:

Luke gives pride of place to the term, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” rather than to the term, “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Thus, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and not “baptized with the Holy Spirit,” is to be the center of our own pneumatology. Our task, therefore, is not to make our pneumatology Reformed, Wesleyan, or Pentecostal, per se, but, to make it biblical. In other words, rather than trying to conform Luke’s pneumatology to ours, we must conform our pneumatology to his. (77-78)

Chapter five, “Signs on the Earth Beneath,” consists of a discussion of hermeneutical method for interpreting Luke-Acts, followed by an in-depth exposition of Acts 2:1–21. According to Stronstad, hermeneutics has three elements: the interpreter’s presuppositions, principles that guide exegesis, and principles that guide application to Christian living today. He then goes on to demonstrate how these factors interact as he walks through the Pentecost narrative. This chapter is a useful guide for taking concepts and principles and making them real by showing them in action in Pentecostal exegesis.

In the sixth chapter, “The Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts,” Stronstad makes the case for Luke having the “most fully developed Christology, in that it is an Old Testament Christology, incarnational, and the most fully Trinitarian” (116). Luke has the fullest presentation of Jesus as the prophet promised by Moses, sent by the Father and anointed and empowered by the Spirit. The Spirit coming on Jesus at his baptism, and the Spirit descending on the disciples at Pentecost, are about anointing for mission, not initiation/incorporation as some interpreters present Spirit baptism (130).

Chapter seven is about “Unity and Diversity: Lucan, Johannine, and Pauline Perspectives on the Holy Spirit.” Whereas Protestant interpretation has often tended to emphasize the unity of these authors, Stronstad here examines how each of these biblical authors have a unity around the Christ event, yet at the same time their diverse religious backgrounds give them diverse perspectives. Luke deals with the Holy Spirit in terms of service; John writes about the Spirit’s role in service and salvation; and Paul involves the Spirit in service, salvation, and sanctification (155).

Chapter eight, “The Rebirth of Prophecy: Trajectories from Moses to Jesus and His Followers,” is the new material added to the 2018 edition of this work. Here Stronstad discusses how the ministries of John the Baptizer and Jesus restored the prophetic function to God’s people. He especially focuses on the parallels between Jesus and Moses (the Mount of Transfiguration as an echo of Sinai, and Jesus’ impending exodus in relation to Israel’s national exodus). Just as prophesying was the sign that the elders of Israel had received the spirit that was on Moses, inspired prophetic speech at Pentecost is the sign that the disciples have received the Spirit that anointed Jesus (171).

In conclusion, Spirit, Scripture, and Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective is an informative read on the subject of Pentecostal hermeneutics by one of the foremost writers in the classical Pentecostal tradition. It takes themes that Roger Stronstad first addressed in his classic The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke and further develops them. This updated edition of the book brings Stronstad’s insight to a new generation of readers in the Spirit-empowered tradition.

Reviewed by Brian Roden

Wipf & Stock page (N. American distributor): https://wipfandstock.com/9781532680311/spirit-scripture-and-theology-2nd-edition/

Pastor, scholar, businessman Larry Taylor shows that there is no need to fear theology and answers that there is a great need for a Biblical theology today.

Pascal, never known for his affection for the rationalism of his day, once said that faith “is captured by the heart.”¹ He was referring to his belief that God must be experienced in ways the human mind cannot fully comprehend. Recently, a minister was heard encouraging his congregation to “let God speak your heart not to your head,” as if to echo Pascal. As catchy as these words seemed, I could not help noting how they expressed but little appreciation for the mind, even the mind transformed by God. Instead of denouncing any particular philosophy or theological system, the minister seemed to imply that the mind is an enemy. It seems that the value of the reasoning process has been widely discounted within full-gospel ranks, and that theology has been overtly condemned as a hindrance to fidelity to God.

We may laud Pascal’s condemnation of “modern rationalism,” the exaltation of abstract reasoning as the source of truth. Reasoning however, is crucial to the formulation of sound Biblical ideas. The questions addressed in this article is: Do full-gospel ministers need to do theology which, by definition, requires intellectual inquiry into, and reasonable explication of, their beliefs? Our proposed solution may be found in the following propositions: (1) that full-gospel ministers have had misconceptions about the meaning and function of theology; and (2) that theology has a practical role in communication the teachings of Scripture to the church.

I. A Lesson From History

Anyone acquainted with the efforts of men like Augustine, John Wesley, Martin Luther, or Charles G. Finney knows that these were champions of the faith. They were also men of expert learning, skilled at wielding the sword of truth against the attack of agnostic or heretical contemporaries. These men never questioned the relationship between their faith and their capacity to reason, because they believed God embraces both. They were abreast of their times, educated and, most importantly, devout students of the Word. At critical junctures in church history, they successfully guided it along a steady course.

On the other hand, other successful spiritual leaders were not known for being theologically lettered. Billy Sunday, for instance, and in the early years of the Pentecostal movement Charles Parham and William Seymour experienced tremendous evangelistic success with little emphasis upon the value of education or theology. Yet, in the founding years of the Pentecostal revival, a “full-gospel theology” was already emerging which would ultimately become a dividing factor, spawning the first Pentecostal denominations.² Paradoxically, it was theology which divided the movement but it was also theology which facilitated the effective organization of these factions, leading to further church growth in this country.

The independent bodies continued to develop their “revival doctrines,” teachings on the tabernacle, and the “mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit.” In this important aspect, all full-gospel bodies, whether denominations or independent churches, have clearly adopted particular “theologies.” For whenever there are explicit teachings on the nature of Jesus Christ, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the church and its government, theology is present!