In this book, Daniel Castelo’s main goal is to show how Pentecostalism “is decisively not a Protestant tradition generally” and “not part of contemporary evangelicalism particularly” (p. xiii). He moreover argues that pentecostal identity, spiritualty, and theological development are diminished when these foci are largely subsumed under Evangelicalism (p. xiv). He thus suggests that Pentecostalism “is best framed as a modern instantiation of the mystical stream of Christianity” (pp. xv-vi). Hence, “Pentecostalism is best understood as a mystical tradition of the church catholic” (p. xvi). Castelo thus argues that rather than immediately looking to contemporary Evangelicalism, Pentecostals can find far more congruent resources for articulating their identity, spirituality, and theology, in the historical Christian mystical tradition. In the Postscript, Castelo well summarises his purpose for this book: “Its aim has been to facilitate a theological exercise of rethinking Pentecostalism in light of mystical categories for the sake of deepening the connections of this movement within wider Christianity and also as a way of differentiating it from forms of reasoning typically associated with American evangelicalism” (p. 177).

Daniel Castelo

Besides the Introduction and Postscript, the book comprises five chapters. By framing the book’s thrust “within the domains of theological method and epistemology” (p. 1), in Chapter One (“The Challenge of Method”) Castelo substantiates his aims by demonstrating their resonance with past and ongoing pentecostal scholarship that has conceived Pentecostalism as a “spirituality” (pp. 1-6). Castelo devotes Chapter Two (“A Mystical Tradition?”) to identifying thematic aspects of the historic Christian mystical tradition which he believes are most congruent to pentecostal experience and spirituality. Here he argues that convergence can be seen between the pentecostal stress on “encountering God” as the aim of their liturgical practices (pp. 80-83) and the historic mystical stress on movement towards “union” with God (pp. 44, 55-57, 80-82). In Chapter 3 (“The Epistemological Form of Evangelical Theology”), Castelo argues the incongruence of contemporary Evangelicalism’s theological methodological approaches as a ready resource for pentecostal theological method, insofar that Evangelicalism continues its epistemological embedding within its fundamentalist-foundationalist heritage (p. 125).

It should be seen that in many ways, Castelo’s functions as a follow-up to themes and aims earlier pursued by Simon Chan in his book, Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition (Sheffield, 2000). Castelo in fact devotes a section to Chan’s earlier work (pp. 154-157). What primarily differentiates Castelo’s book from Chan’s earlier work however, is the greater analytical depth he gives towards explicating incongruence between pentecostal and contemporary evangelical (particularly North American) epistemological and theological-methodologies. Unfortunately, on this topic (chapter 3), his argumentation is quite dense and seemingly over repetitive.

Son of God: Their Empire, His Kingdom (20th Century Fox). Actors: Darwin Shaw, Sebastian Knapp, Paul Knops, and Darcie Lincoln. Directors: Christopher Spencer. Music by Hans Zimmer.

From producers, Roma Downy and Mark Burnett comes the movie Son of God. Directed by Christopher Spencer (with additional scenes directed by Tony Mitchell and Crispin Reece), Son of God depicts the life of Jesus based on the Gospel of John. This is made apparent to the watcher as John as an old man narrates the beginning and end of the movie. If you are familiar with the mini-­‐series The Bible by the same producers, then one will realize that there is not much new material in Son of God. It is clear and encouraging, however, that the release and editing of this film was a strategic move to gain national and international cinema exposure to the Gospel story.

The film does well in covering the essential and compelling aspects of the Gospel narratives. Beginning with Jesus’ birth and visitation by the magi, our first image of Jesus the man, is as a solitary figure walking the mountaintops of Judea as he gazes down on the Sea of Galilee. This leads to Jesus’ encounter with Peter as Peter laments the lack of fish he able to catch. Peter’s initial skepticism towards Jesus is placated by Jesus asking, “Just give me an hour and I will give you a whole new life.” Peter’s response is, “Who says I want one?” While this exchange is not found in any of the Gospel narratives it unquestionably addresses a modern day dilemma many of us face. After Peter pulls in a miraculous catch of fish, he becomes aware that there is something different about Jesus, something worth following.

Familiar scenes to many such as Jesus preaching to the crowds, the healing of the paralytic who comes through the roof, the feeding of the five thousand and the resurrection of Lazarus, are skillfully and artistically conveyed. Two scenes in particular though, stand out as especially powerful and moving. These are the calling of Matthew the tax collector as he realizes his sinful nature and sees the hope that following Jesus offers, and Peter walking out on the water to meet Jesus. Both scenes help to depict the power of humility in acknowledging our sinfulness but also our faith in reaching out and walking towards Jesus.

Also well conveyed and communicated is the tension between Roman rule and the Jewish population. Roman brutality is displayed in several scenes and the scheming and politics that was so rife between the Romans and the Sanhedrin in a bid to retain power, underlies much of the film. This is an important subtly that is not to be underestimated throughout the film. While the resurrection of Lazarus, the cleansing of the Temple and Jesus’ reading of Isaiah 61 are portrayed as the acts that seal Jesus’ execution, ultimately it is both Pilate and Caiaphas’ paranoia of losing power, that leads to Jesus’ death.

Michael L. Brown, Authentic Fire: A Response to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire (Excel Publishers, Dec 12, 2013), 418 pages.

Authentic Fire is Dr. Michael Brown’s response to John MacArthur’s book Strange Fire. MacArthur’s Strange Fire launches a scathing attack on the Christian Charismatic Movement and so it comes as no surprise that champions of the charismatic community should launch a defense to MacArthur’s assertions. Dr. Brown leads the charge with a book just shy of 420 pages that seeks to address MacArthur’s main contentions.

Brown’s tone is always respectful towards MacArthur and even conciliatory at times. It is clear that Brown has ample respect for MacArthur, both as a Bible scholar and brother in Christ. His approach is refreshing when contrasted with MacArthur’s blanket criticisms. Beginning by acknowledging that the charismatic church has made mistakes and has its share of controversy, Brown never shies away from the reality that the charismatic movement is far from perfect. Nonetheless, within the first few pages, Brown make his position clear when he writes, “Pastor MacArthur’s criticisms of the Charismatic Movement are inaccurate, unhelpful, often harshly judgmental, sometimes without scriptural support, and frequently divisive in the negative sense of the word … a strong corrective is needed, along with a positive statement of the truth of the matter.” (p2). And thus the agenda is set and Brown’s mission is clear.

Brown begins by addressing a number of sweeping statements that can be found in Strange Fire. To counteract MacArthur’s claim that the Charismatic Movement ”has made no contribution to biblical clarity … interpretation … sound doctrine”, Brown cites many well-known and respected authors and scholars in the Christian world that blatantly contradict MacArthur’s bold claim. Among these are, A.W Tozer, Oswald Chambers, Craig S. Keener, Ben Witherington, N.T. Wright, Wayne Grudem and many others. Brown addresses MacArthur’s claim to guilt by association (the idea that if one is part of a movement that has involved scandal then one is guilty by association), and rightly points out that the pendulum can swing both ways, observing Luther’s anti-Semitism and Calvin’s draconian rules that led to men and women being burnt at the stake. Both Luther and Calvin are darlings of the theological world that John MacArthur walks in, and so Brown fairly asks if we should also associate MacArthur with such doctrinal errors.

Perhaps one of the real gems of Authentic Fire is chapter 6 in which Dr Brown addresses the theological debate regarding cessationism versus continuationism. Documenting his own journey into cessationism and back out into continuationism, Brown observes, “The more I read the Word wanting to prove cessationism true, the more I became convinced that it was exegetically impossible. The scriptures did not teach cessationism” (p165). Brown proceeds to do a convincing job of highlighting the major flaws of cessationism, insightfully noting that often this theological viewpoint is arrived at via subjective experience rather than biblical objectivity. The true value of this chapter, though, is the exegetical work Brown does in examining the miracles of Jesus and New Testament evidence to support the biblical argument for continuationism. No matter one’s position on this theological issue, Dr Brown’s treatment of the subject is worthy of attention to anyone serious about an honest biblical treatment.

Daniel J. Treier, Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture: Recovering a Christian Practice (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), ISBN 9780801031786.

Daniel J. Treier, associate professor of theology at Wheaton College, has written a timely and definitive introduction to the latest theological craze among evangelical theologians and scholars—the so-called “theological interpretation of scripture” movement. Although the writing is clear throughout, the book’s unrelenting polemic against historical criticism is a serious drawback. I say that in spite of the fact that it scarcely could have been written any other way: the theological interpretation movement is all about hostility towards historical criticism.

Treier refers to the approach of the theological interpretation movement as a “new, yet old, way of engaging the Bible” (p. 11). This understanding of the movement’s approach as something “new, yet old” seems to underlie much of the movement’s justifying rhetoric. For Treier, as for others, theological interpretation is both forward-looking (in that it seeks an escape from a certain malaise) and backward-looking (in that it seeks to reconnect with exegetical practices of the past). Implicit in this bifocal approach is a distrust of the historical-critical view of Scripture, a view that theological interpretation proponents associate with Enlightenment ways of thinking. Treier inscribes the forward-looking aspect of the approach in the title to the volume’s introductory chapter (which refers to postmodernism), and he inscribes the backward-looking aspect in the title of chapter one (“Recovering the Past: Imitating Precritical Interpretation”).

Treier outlines some broad hermeneutical rules for what he considers “theological” reading, mostly having to do with maintaining connections with how the church, at one point or another, has read Scripture. In this context, “church” does not seem to signify the whole church, but rather a select set of practitioners of figural reading strategies, reading Scripture through a heavy-handed appeal to the rule of faith.¹ In other words, Treier uses the term “church” mostly to signify alternatives to the historical method. This is problematic, of course, given the fact that the historical method, in contradistinction to figural reading, embodies the propositionalist understanding of truth that grounds the gospel message. Treier justifies this “churchly” hermeneutic by calling the church the “community of the Spirit”, as if the Spirit’s role within the church has been to guide its reading practices.

Given what I have just written, it is difficult to judge this book. On some levels, it works as an introduction—for example, the writing is always accessible. On other levels, however, it is a real letdown—for example, its rhetoric against historical criticism can hardly be considered fair. I therefore recommend it as an introduction to the theological interpretation movement, but not as a general guide for reading Scripture.

Reviewed by John Poirier

Notes

¹ I call this appeal to the rule of faith “heavy-handed”, because it marks a distinct departure from the intended use of the rule of faith. In place of using the rule to ensure that one’s overall interpretation of the central aspects of the faith is on target [viz. doctrinally orthodox], Treier and others use it in a special way—as a guide for how one reads up front, viz. as a warrant for reading figurally.

Pastor Daniel Isgrigg speaks with Pneuma Review about his tribute to Dr. Howard Ervin, “Pilgrimage Into Pentecost: The Pneumatological Legacy of Howard M. Ervin” and his book of the same title.

Pneuma Review: In what ways has Dr. Ervin had an influence on your life?

Daniel Isgrigg: The book and paper came about after I took Dr. Ervin’s famous Pneumatology class that he taught every year of his forty year teaching career at ORU. Prior to this, I was not familiar with him and didn’t understand how important he was to Pentecostal theology. Once I heard him teach and was exposed to his class material and books, I knew I had found something special. As a young aspiring Pentecostal scholar, I had not yet found an example that I could follow of being both academic and Pentecostal. Most scholars to me were either not academic enough or not Pentecostal enough. Dr. Ervin was able to articulate for me a reasonable Classical Pentecostal theology with unquestionable excellence in theology and exegesis that I could call my own. Though he was thoroughly Pentecostal, he exemplified scholarship, dignity and reverence for God. He became the standard to me of what a scholar should be.

Pneuma Review: How is this paper different from your book?

Daniel Isgrigg: The SPS paper was written to draw attention to Dr. Ervin and the basic scope of the book. It talks about his pilgrimage into Pentecost from his time as a Baptist Pastor to his retirement from forty years of teaching. The paper contains selected excerpts of his biography, his works and his impact on the Pentecostal and charismatic world. Many of the biographical details were glossed over in favor of highlighting Dr. Ervin’s ecumenical impact on the Pentecostal/charismatic movement. The book goes on to offer comprehensive look at Ervin’s pneumatology; presenting his view of Spirit baptism, tongues as evidence, spiritual gifts and other related matters. The book also offers a rebuttal to Ervin’s critics over his view of Spirit baptism which is not in the paper. The goal of the both the paper and the book is to offer to young Pentecostals, like this author, an advocate of Classical Pentecostal theology to help inform and shape the next generation of scholars.

Pneuma Review: What have you learned writing and presenting this tribute?

Daniel Isgrigg: First of all, Dr. Ervin taught me that “your theology is only as good as your exegesis.” Many in Pentecostal scholarship are busy moving on to grander ideas in pneumatology, but they have failed to comprehend the basics of good exegesis from Luke-Acts. I have also learned that each generation has a responsibility to stand on the shoulders of those who went before us. Dr. Ervin provided a strong apologetic for Pentecost; one that Pentecostals can build on to bring a greater understanding of Pentecostal theology. Finally, I have learned the value of Pentecostal and charismatic history. Dr. Ervin not only wrote about the Holy Spirit, he led thousands into that experience. His life was more than ideas; it was changed lives. I continue to get letters from people who say how much Dr. Ervin has impacted their lives. His story needed to be told. His story inspires me as a minister to help people find the freedom and power of being baptized in the Spirit. His theology gives me confidence that this experience is grounded in the Word of God and sound theologically. Because he was able to minister to Protestants and Catholics, his life shows me that Pentecost is the vehicle that God wants to use to truly bring unity to the body of Christ.

Daniel Harrell, “The 30-Day Leviticus Challenge: One church’s experiment in living the most arcane book of the Bible” Christianity Today (August 2008), pages 30-33.

Many years ago I had the rich experience of visiting the historic Park Street Congregational Church in Boston, Massachusetts. I was amazed to sit in one of America’s early churches with such a sense of legacy. The cemetery outside—the final resting place for such notables as Benjamin Franklin, Mother Goose, and other names—would make the pages of high school civics class come to life.

Two decades later I find myself writing about another historic civics lesson: this time about God’s constitution with his people, Israel—or more specifically—the book of Leviticus. What does a church in Boston have to do with Moses’ Leviticus?

Curiously, they intersect at something called the “The 30-Day Leviticus Challenge” as Pastor Daniel Harrell and Park Street Congregational attempted to spiritually touch what the ancient Israelites lived.

Fundamentally, to better grasp the realities of such everyday Christian themes as “sacrifice, atonement, holiness,” and more—the very essence of the book of Leviticus—Harrell challenged the members of his church to not merely read the words of this book of the Pentateuch, but to become engaged in living its pages, to participate in what he refers to as an “interpretive challenge.”

As New Testament believers, there were some givens: namely that the sacrifices and high priestly duties were “fulfilled” by the Messiah’s atoning work on the cross. Other than that, the congregants were at liberty to live Leviticus as they saw fit. In the article you’ll read some interesting stories of how they interpreted what Moses had written and how to apply it literally, symbolically, and more importantly—spiritually—all these thousands of years later.

These brave few volunteers, about 21 in all, lived Leviticus for the rest of the church to see, and opened a social network account to support one another, bounce ideas around, and form a community. This began to spread the Word—and its practice—all around the world as other Facebook members read and experienced this 30-Day Challenge through the eyes of those participating.

A natural concern is that “all this Leviticus going on” would lead people down the path toward legalism. Apparently that was not the case. Approaching the book with a clearly held belief in Jesus only served to enrich the living-text experience, drew the men and woman engaged in the challenge closer to God and His Word, and had the unexpected result of drawing out curious onlookers. In short, their faith became more vivid and their organic opportunities to witness increased.

Daniel Tomberlin, Encountering God at the Altar: The Sacraments in Pentecostal Worship (Cleveland, TN: Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care, 2006).

Since the beginning of the Pentecostal movement, experiencing the Spirit of God has been central to Pentecostals in both private and corporate worship. When it comes to congregational worship, Pentecostals have critiqued what they deem to be dead ritualism devoid of a personal experience of the Holy Spirit. As a result, Pentecostals have questioned many traditional practices relating to the sacraments (often viewed as theologically or historically suspect because of their relation to the Roman Catholic Church) and have opted for the term “ordinances” instead. The latter is often seen to be more of a faith-based means rather then a works-based means of experiencing the Spirit.

Daniel Tomberlin, pastor of Bainbridge Church of God (Bainbridge, GA) and chairman of Ministerial Development for the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) in South Georgia, has authored a book that will raise some eyebrows. In it, Tomberlin claims that Pentecostalism and sacramental worship are not mutually exclusive. Rather, he provides a stimulating discussion of how he believes Pentecostal worship is sacramental. This volume, which aims to provide an introduction to the subject for Pentecostal church leaders, is possibly one of the first educational resources of its kind published by a classical Pentecostal denomination.

Cover from the updated 2010 publication of Pentecostal Sacraments: Encountering God at the Altar.

Encountering God at the Altar touches on topics such as Pentecostal worship and spirituality. Tomberlin develops a Pentecostal theology of the sacraments and also explores the practice of the sacraments in Pentecostal worship. In following Church of God theologian Kenneth Archer, Tomberlin argues for the retrieval of the term sacrament over the term ordinance, claiming that the ordinances are sacramental—a “means of grace” where one encounters the Holy Spirit (p. 24). The author rightly points out that Pentecostal spirituality is centered on encountering the Holy Spirit. “Therefore,” Tomberlin states, “the center and focus of Pentecostal worship is the altar” (p. 19).

When addressing whether life in the church and the sacraments are essential to salvation, Tomberlin identifies the church and sacraments as “secondary salvific gifts,” compared to the Son and Spirit as “primary salvific gifts” from the Father. At the same time he ultimately admits “that participation in the sacramental life of the church may not be absolutely essential to salvation due to God’s prevenient grace” (p. 27). While being open to other sacramental means of encountering the Spirit of God, Tomberlin only addresses the significance of the three institutional ordinances his own denomination recognizes: water baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and foot washing. With a Pentecostal theology of the sacraments in place, Tomberlin then provides practical instruction and advice on how pastors can to implement the sacraments in the context of Pentecostal worship.

Daniel R. Jennings, The Supernatural Occurrences of John Wesley (Oklahoma City: SEAN Multimedia, 2005), 155 pages.

This is a book I wanted to write but never did. In seminary in the 80s, I realized with increasing clarity and conviction contemporary Pentecostalism’s unspeakable debt to the incredible career of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley. I determined then to someday identify and extract from his amazingly exhaustive Journals occurrences of Pentecostal-like phenomena in his meetings and ministry. Alas, but other things crowded out this well-conceived intention and I failed to follow through. Rev. Daniel R. Jennings, a graduate of John Wesley College and theological student at Liberty University, a church planter and campus pastor as well as an international speaker, has succeeded in succinctly summarizing “supernatural occurrences” that Wesley reports over the course of his protracted and prolific ministry at the center of one of the greatest revival movements in Christian history. How enriching and uplifting to discover that the Oxford don intellectual and able organizer of Methodism was also intimately acquainted with the inner workings of the spiritual realm and the trans-natural world. Supernatural Occurrences will be a boon to all students of revival, Wesley, and Wesleyanism as well as those who simply desire a practical and proven pattern for powerful ministry.

Jennings’s approach is simple and straightforward. After the briefest introduction to the life and career of Wesley, he immediately proceeds to list extraordinary phenomena from Wesley’s Journals. A chapter each is dedicated to spiritual warfare, miraculous healing, slaying in the Spirit, holy laughter, speaking in tongues, and other “unusual manifestations” of the Spirit, as well as prophecy, visions and dreams, divine retribution against enemies, experiences with angels, and supernatural answers to prayer. Generally, Jennings lets Wesley speak for himself, himself only extracting and organizing for readers the relevant material. Wesley, himself an adept editor and extractor of others’ writings, would probably be pleased. Occasionally, Jennings adds concise and non-cumbersome footnotes for explanatory purposes where modern readers benefit from attention to historical context. Sometimes Jennings includes his own non-intrusive interpretative analysis. The clear consequence of reading Supernatural Occurrences is an unmistakable impression that Wesley’s revivalist ministry was commonly characterized by what are today almost universally recognized as charismatic type encounters, events, and experiences.

The cover from the 2012 reissue of The Supernatural Occurrences of John Wesley.

Jennings continues with chapters surveying Wesley’s interpretation of baptism with the Holy Spirit and his opinion on miracles. Setting Wesley’s views on Spirit baptism in an Anglican hermeneutical context, Jennings argues that he thought of it in terms of conversion-initiation with an emphasis on sanctification. Recent dialogue in Pneuma: the Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies,between acknowledged Wesley experts Donald Dayton and Larry Wood, each taking opposite sides in this discussion, should warn readers against oversimplifying or underestimating Wesley’s belief and experience on Spirit baptism. Personally, I probably favor the view that Wesley’s dynamic and developmental pneumatology encompassed conversion-initiation with a focus on sanctification along with space for subsequence and empowerment themes. Of course, Jennings is correct that Wesley supported the possibility of speaking in tongues but never taught the doctrine of initial evidence.

Daniel A. Brown, What the Bible Reveals About Heaven: Answers to Your Questions (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1999), 239 pages.

I know Dan Brown. He had recently left the staff at Church on the Way when I joined that group sixteen years ago. In the years since then, I have watched him establish and grow a fine church in Aptos, California. If I remember correctly Dan’s Ph.D. from UCLA is in English, and his skills in that field are evident when you read one of his books.

His most recent is a pleasant and well-reasoned treatise about Heaven. Dan takes the reader through eight steps which provide a straightforward description of most of aspects of our eternal destiny or reward. While it is written to a wide audience, I think pastors will enjoy it. It answers many of the everyday questions that seem to haunt someone in ministry.

Here are examples of those questions: Will my dog go to Heaven? What will Heaven be like? Do we have guardian angels? What about near death experiences—are they real or reliable? Where is Heaven anyhow? What will we do there? Will we recognize our loved ones and friends? Will I be able to sing in Heaven (I can’t here)? What kind of relationship will we have with our enemies in Heaven (Not that any of us have an enemy that might make it to Heaven and surprise us there by popping up one unexpected moment)?

Daniel A. Brown.

In a personable, story-telling style, Dan goes on to teach about Heaven, where it is and who lives there. This is followed by a discussion on the supernatural and how that world affects us here in the natural. Then he gets into death and what it is like to be dead, our life in that state—the place called Heaven. He also has a chapter about the new Heavens and earth, and since Dan is dispensational in his theology, much of his thoughts are framed in that dimension.