A few years ago, I was having lunch with a good friend, the editor-in-chief of a flagship evangelical magazine. I knew him well enough to raise a question: “Tell me something: Why do your articles regularly refer to ‘evangelicals and Pentecostals,’ as if they were two separate breeds? You wouldn’t print ‘evangelicals and Baptists’ or ‘evangelicals and Arminians.’ I’m a Pentecostal—and I wholeheartedly uphold the authority of Scripture, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the necessity of personal salvation, the call to spread the gospel … what else do I have to do to be considered a legitimate ‘evangelical’?”

He smiled as he granted that I had half a point. He made no commitment, however, to change his publication’s verbiage.

Granted, he had no time for speaking in tongues, which began blossoming at the Azusa Street Mission just few years before Torrey headed west in 1912 to lead the nearby Bible Institute of Los Angeles (B.I.O.L.A.). The first chapter of Menzies’ book explains why. But Torrey consistently resisted all efforts to submerge Spirit baptism into something purely internal or transactional. Three years after Torrey’s death, when Moody Bible Institute wanted to alter a section of his correspondence course on the baptism with the Holy Spirit, Menzies reports that his daughter Edith was “horrified” and said absolutely not.

In subsequent chapters Menzies draws heavily on the witness of Luke’s writings to establish Pentecostalism’s bona fides as Evangelicals (the author capitalizes the term throughout his book). He affirms that in Luke-Acts, “we find the central and distinctive message of the Pentecostal movement…. For far too long Protestant theology has highlighted Paul’s important insights into the work of the Spirit, but largely ignored Luke’s contribution.” From Jesus’ promise that his Father would “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Lk. 11:13) to his final instruction to “stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high (Lk. 24:49) … to the abundant fulfillments throughout Acts over at least a 20-year span, Luke’s works are not to be sidelined. (Most Christians don’t realize that Luke actually wrote more of the New Testament—37,932 words in Greek—than did Paul, who gave us just 32,408).

Paul’s counsel in 1 Corinthians 12-14 (and elsewhere), however, is not ignored. Menzies spends a whole chapter on the Pauline perspective, unpacking the value and place of inspired speech in the gathered assembly. His treatments of what it means to “pray in the Spirit” and even “sing in the Spirit” are thorough and clarifying.

It’s hard to find any bone to pick with this book. Perhaps, with hindsight, the author’s chapter on “Signs and Wonders” might not have criticized some translations (particularly the NIV 1984) for their renderings of Luke 17:21 (“the kingdom of God is within you,” as if to imply that the kingdom is solely inside the believer, out of sight). He apparently did not notice the NIV 2011’s update, which says instead, “the kingdom of God is in your midst”—something widely visible in the praxis of the early church.

Meanwhile (to extrapolate from 1 Corinthians 14:39), let us “forbid not” to include tongues-speaking Pentecostals as legitimate participants in the Evangelical community of faith. The book’s conclusion says it well: “This notion—that a great gulf of different worldviews separates Evangelicals and Pentecostals—rests on a caricature of both movements…. Pentecostals have a unique contribution to make to the larger Evangelical family; but, if we abandon our Evangelical values, we will lose our way and God will raise up others to make this contribution.”

Reviewed by Dean Merrill

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725267824/christ-centered/

Can Evangelicals unite amid its constituencies’ diverse denominational affiliation? Nine North American religious scholars from the Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal and Presbyterian denominations explain how their own confessional membership supports their corollary belonging as Evangelicals. Of the contributions, seven of all nine professors were presidents and deans of schools in theological educational at the time the volume was published, and so this volume carries implicit weight coming from the personal reflection of senior administrators and leaders in their respective ecclesiastical theological education institutions.

Byron D. Klaus on the cover of his book, And That’s the Way I See It!: Reflective commentary on contemporary issues (2013).

Readers will learn about navigating denominational identity, evangelical affiliation, and how their dual traditioning relates with the historic Christian faith. The last essay in the volume reviews the historical developments, the contemporary challenges, and the global opportunities for the renewing denominations. Baptist David Dockery explains how those who seek to renew their denominations do so by their emphasis not so much on theological distinctives but by their anchor and practice on denominational polity, liturgical practice. Indirectly, Dockery’s essay also encourages the traditions to become more trans-generational and transcontinental while maintaining fidelity to the historic Christian faith in doctrine and in its gospel-centered mission (pp. 209-232).

When: Friday, March 23, 8:00 a.m. through Saturday, March 24, 1:00 p.m.

Where: Grace Bible College in Wyoming, Michigan (Wyoming is a suburb of Grand Rapids).

To register, and for more information: 2018 ETS Midwest Meeting Overview

Read David Bradnick’s review of Amos Yong’s 2014 book, The Future of Evangelical Theology: Soundings from the Asian American Diaspora.

Amos Yong says Western dominance of theology cannot continue to be the trend.

Amos Yong begins this monograph by emphasizing the global diversity of Christianity. He argues that, in terms of demographics, we can no longer view it principally as a Western religion. After all, the growth of Christianity is occurring most rapidly within the Global South. Yong emphasizes that this global feature is not new; rather, Christianity began as a multi-cultural movement – consider those present at Pentecost. Too often, however, evangelical theology has failed to embrace indigenous voices. Yong suggests that this failure may result from a fear that local voices will “dissolve” the biblical narrative (46) or that it will result in an uncritical syncretism. He maintains that contextual theology need not succumb to these dangers. Asian theology, for example, can be both deeply evangelical and open to Asian sensibilities (56). So, while evangelical theology has been dominated by Western theologians, this should not be the continued trend, and for Yong, Western dominance cannot continue to be the trend. Global voices, including Asian ones, have a valuable perspective to offer. He argues “the vitality of evangelical theology going into the middle of the twenty-first century depends on its contextual inputs” (33). Evangelical theology, if it is going to thrive, must be informed by local, or contextual, dynamics.

Reviewed by David Bradnick

Publisher’s page: https://www.ivpress.com/the-future-of-evangelical-theology

In Preserving Evangelical Unity, editor Michael L. Meiring brings together a variety of voices from within the Evangelical community to discuss an assortment of theological issues for which there is no uniformity in belief. He maintains that the early Church can be characterized by its harmoniousness but this type of solidary is lacking within the contemporary context. According to the editor, theological dissidence could be the most significant problem facing the Church today. Meiring argues that Christians can disagree on certain non-essential beliefs, while still enjoying common fellowship, but he warns against “extreme evangelical fundamentalists” who say that one must conform to a certain standard – typically their standard – in order to be considered a Christian. However, Meiring insists that three beliefs are imperative for all Christians to hold: the Trinity, original sin, and salvation by grace. Beyond these beliefs, he argues that Evangelicals can be united despite their differences.

The bulk of this volume is dedicated to exploring a number of non-essential topics that include divine sovereignty (a Calvinist view versus an Arminian view), baptism (infant versus believer’s baptism), dispensationalism, charismatic gifts (a cessationist versus a Pentecostal perspective), and women in leadership. Each topic is given attention from two different contributors, mostly having very divergent views and often from different backgrounds. After each contributor presents their opinion on one of the aforementioned topics, their counterpart provides a counter response. On several occasions a reply to the counter response is offered as well. This format allows for extended conversations to occur between the contributors and for readers to analyze the nuances and particular concerns raised by the contributors.

Every contributor is gracious and respectful of their dialogue partner, yet they are not reserved in pointing out their disagreements. Pentecostals may be particularly interested in the chapters concerning the charismatic gifts, but each chapter raises theological issues that are both common within Evangelical circles and deserving of attention. In my opinion one of the best chapters is Eric Severson’s essay on infant baptism. If one cannot devote themselves to reading the entire book, I highly recommend his chapter. This book can be credited with displaying heterogeneity among Evangelicals, which has many benefits, but I would have appreciated more content dedicated to promoting their unity. Two pages within the appendices are given to a document entitled “Our Unity in the Essentials,” which was also “signed” by each contributor. However, nothing is said about the manner in which this document was constructed and how it came to be adopted. My other concern is that Meiring insists on establishing the Trinity as an essential belief, but many Christian, including Oneness Pentecostals, are likely to have concerns about this standpoint. Thus some of his essentials are contestable and possibly not so indispensable. In conclusion, this volume may benefit those who are looking to explore diversity within Evangelical theology, but I question how much it promotes or even preserves unity. It seems Meiring intends to do so by rejecting dogmatism and modeling collegiality among some Evangelicals, but, in the very least, I think that a concluding chapter to assist the reader in thinking through these contentious issues would have been helpful.

Reviewed by David Bradnick

Publisher’s page: http://wipfandstock.com/preserving-evangelical-unity.html

The Thesis

In J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life, Leland Ryken aims to not merely recount the life events of leading evangelical scholar J. I. Packer, but also to show who he is as a man. Packer has served in various vocations and several areas of the world and has experienced significant setbacks and accomplishments. However, in his ever-changing external circumstances, amidst critique and admiration, his internal drive has remained the same for many decades: that is, to teach and represent to the world and the church an evangelical Christian worldview. Underlying his distinctives as an Anglican and a specialized academician has flowed a continual commitment to basic gospel truths, articulated with precision and applied to the church.

The Method

The uniqueness of Ryken’s book is his method, which he calls a “combination of chronological biography and thematic biography” (p. 10). He uses this method for the purpose of integrating plain facts on a timeline with charming stories about more intimate details of Packer’s life, which results in a display of Packer the man. To achieve this, Ryken separates his book into three sections, titled “The Life,” “The Man,” and “Lifelong Themes” and alerts the reader to certain signposts to look out for as they read.

The Content

At attempt to summarize the content of this book would only prove to obscure the complexity of that which is a Spirit-empowered human life, such as J. I. Packer’s. However, it is useful to mention some themes that stand out, namely, Packer’s 1) continual work in the institutional Anglican Church despite his Puritan convictions, 2) instincts as peacemaker and yet his involvement in many controversies, and 3) equally strong emphases on academic excellence and practical church ministry.

First, Packer has maintained both his commitment to Anglicanism and his Puritan convictions for a long time. His unabashed love for and specialized scholarship on the Puritans as well as his definitively Reformational theology are clearly seen in his written works, public addresses, and personal stories, as explained by Ryken. However, at various forks in the road during his lifetime, he chose to remain within the institutional Anglican Church, even when other viable (and, some may argue, significantly better) options were open to him. Ryken’s recounting of Packer’s professional life in England returns again and again to this theme: Packer was one of the foremost evangelical forces in the Church of England during his time, always working to garner support for this cause regardless of what role he was filling (and this included many, such as faculty and later principal at Tyndale Hall, warden and librarian at Latimer House, and leader on the Keele Congress). Furthermore, even after his expulsion from the Anglican Church of Canada, he found a way to remain within Anglicanism. Though Packer’s influence has spread beyond Anglicanism, much of his personal efforts have been directed towards the institutional Anglican Church.

Falling Under the Power of the Spirit

The phenomenon of falling under the power of the Spirit occurred in the revivals of Jonathan Edwards. His assessment was that a person may “fail bodily strength” due to fear of hell and the conviction by the Holy Spirit or due to a “foretaste of heaven.”[1] John Wesley recognized falling to the ground as a manifestation from God, and records many such instances in his ministry. In fact, George Whitefield criticized Wesley for permitting the phenomena until it began happening in his own meetings.[2] The Kentucky revivals of 1800-1801, which involved Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians, was replete with similar demonstrations.[3] In the early 1800s, the revivals led by Methodist circuit riding preacher Peter Cartwright (who was converted in the Kentucky revivals) were often accompanied by people falling under God’s power, including some Baptists.[4] Finney’s ministry also frequently manifested fainting or swooning, what he called “falling under the power of God.”[5] The Welsh revival of 1859 was accompanied by swooning as “waves of power often overwhelmed” people.[6] In the 1860s, Andrew Murray’s church started to speak out against people who began to shout and cry and swoon in a revival in his church, until a visitor from America told him about similar manifestations in American revivals.[7] Decades before holiness evangelist Maria Woodworth-Etter’s involvement in the Pentecostal revival, many people in her meetings fell under the power of the Spirit, including Carrie Judd (Montgomery), an early leader in the C&MA.[8] Moody’s associate R.A. Torrey testified of people falling under the power of God due to conviction of sin.[9] Torrey himself fell under power of the Spirit when baptized with the Holy Spirit.[10] Presbyterian missionary Jonathan Goforth makes reference in his book By My Spirit to the phenomenon occurring in his revivals.[11]

Instances of falling under the power of the Spirit also occurred periodically at C&MA meetings for two decades before Azusa Street. In 1885 A.B. Simpson, the founder of the C&MA, received what we would call today a “word of knowledge” that someone was resisting the Lord. A woman responded, saying it was her. She came forward, and as Simpson anointed her for healing, she was overcome, falling under the power of the Spirit seemingly unconscious for about half an hour, and she received a healing.[12] In 1897 at a joint C&MA/Mennonite camp meeting in Allentown, Pennsylvania, C&MA General Field Supt. Dean Peck preached six services in three days and described: “At service after service . . . I saw people fall as dead under the power of God.” He said it was a genuine revival from God and talked about such things happening among the Methodists 50-60 years ago, but are not frequent now because many revivals are of human manufacture.[13] Manifestations of falling also occurred during the 1907 revival at Simpson’s Gospel Tabernacle, apparently with his approval.[14] Presbyterian Greek professor T. J. McCrossan, who joined C&MA in 1923, while serving as interim president of Simpson Bible Institute, wrote in his book Bodily Healing and the Atonement: “Hundreds are healed, who do not fall under this power, because they simply trust God’s promises; and it is the prayer of faith that heals. Going under this power seems, however, to bring an extra spiritual blessing. . . . This power is not hypnotism. . . . This is not devil power.^”[15] McCrossan spoke out of the experience of his own life, for not only did he frequently assist Charles Price in laying hands on the sick with people falling, but he himself fell under God’s power and was enraptured with visions when he was baptized in the Spirit in 1921 through Price’s ministry.[16]

Beth Snodderly and A. Scott Moreau, eds., Evangelical and Frontier Mission: Perspectives on the Global Progress of the Gospel (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011), 312 pages, ISBN 9781870345989.

To the Pentecostal/charismatic readers of The Pneuma Review this work’s title may not seem all that relevant. However, here are some reasons why this collection of twenty articles grouped in six topics is an important work for any evangelical/pentecostal person interested in the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. In particular, the book puts the focus on the progress of mission organizations in evangelizing the frontier “unreached” people-groups that can be found in every nation, including ones in the West.

First, the work is comprehensive in surveying the past one hundred years of Protestant missions. The first essay by A. Scott Moreau focuses on this historical survey of evangelical missionary efforts. The impetus for such a review came from the World Council of Churches 2010 Edinburgh conference as well as the evangelical Lausanne conferences of 1974, 1989, and the recent the 2010 Cape Town and 2010 Tokyo gatherings.

Second, while not the major focus, this volume does not neglect Pentecostal missions. Assemblies of God (AG) missionary to Thailand, Alan R. Anderson contributed a balanced critique of his own mission agency that has seen tremendous growth in Africa, Latin America, and Korea. Today there are over twenty fraternal Assemblies of God organizations with which American AG missionaries work. Such success can also stir up conflicted aims and purposes between the parent mission agency and these national churches. Also, success in parts of the world create questions as to why other areas have not seen similar growth in Christian converts and churches (e.g. South Asia and the Islamic world). Anderson suggests that a “theology of the hard work” is needed. Another renewal-influenced contributor is pastor-theologian Gregory A. Boyd whose article is on spiritual warfare, a theme that resonates with Pentecostals worldwide.

A third helpful aspect of this book is the representative profile of contributors both in terms of roles (academics, pastors, missionaries, and mission directors) and perspectives (gender, geography, and ideas). Some like Ralph D. Winter and Renè Padilla are well known while others such as Yalin Xin are not. Both Winter and Padilla argue for a wider purpose of the gospel of the kingdom that includes a holistic approach to Christianity. Xin contributed a biographical essay on Deborah Xu who has been instrumental in the Chinese house church movement.

Lastly, the net result in reading this work will be to expand one’s understanding of key concepts at the center of mission work today. Most notably is the “missional church” model that should apply to all Christian churches and mission agencies. This emphasis is often summarized in the maxim, “From everywhere to everywhere.” Unimaginable to those who gathered at Edinburg in 1910, the secular societies of Western culture by 2010 have become as missions-needy as those many in the Majority World. Missions is no longer defined by political geography but by cultural ethnicity. Padilla’s article states this emphasis in four statements and serves as a final word and challenge: (1) all churches send and all churches receive, (2) the whole world is a mission field, and every human need is an opportunity for missionary service, (3) every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ and to be committed to God’s mission in the world, and (4) mission is life both on the individual and communal levels.

Reviewed by Malcolm R. Brubaker

Atlanta, Georgia
Image: Brett Weinstein / Wikimedia Commons

The 62nd Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society convened November 17-19, 2010, at the Atlanta Hilton in Atlanta, GA. The conference, attended by over 2600 persons from around the globe, had “Justification by Faith” as its major concern. N.T.. Wright, from the University of St. Andrews, and Bishop of Durham in the U.K. spoke on “Justification Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” at the plenary session on the morning of the 19th. From the morning of the 17th through the 19th, every hour from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. were filled with parallel sessions which included Study Group programs on Bioethics, Global Christianity, Christian Ethics, Spiritual Formation, and “Other Voices of Biblical Interpretation,” to name a few. Affiliated Societies, as the Near Eastern Archaeological Society, the Adventist Theological Society, and the Evangelical Philosophical Society were also present and held their sessions. In one way or another, justification by faith was dealt with in one way of another: how it appears in the New Testament, in the preaching of St. Paul, in the preaching of the early Church Fathers, its contrast to the “theology” of other religions, justification’s appearance in the Prophets, the Synoptic Gospels, 17th century preaching, and how it relates to the practice of pastoral care, just to name a few. Since I am part of the “Other Voices of Biblical Interpretation”, my focus was on “The Nickels Mine Massacre (2006) and the Amish Understanding of the Atonement and Discipleship.” I, naturally, touched on justification as it is part and parcel of the Cross of Christ, and how it effects the extension of forgiveness. Forgiveness was my principle theme as I drew from the forgiveness extended by the parents of the slain and injured children of the Nickels Mine Amish School to their killer’s family. I spent a year reading in Menno Simons’ works (16th century) and the works of Mennonite and Amish writers into the late 19th and 20th centuries to be thoroughly knowledgeable of Anabaptist theology touching upon the atonement, justification by faith, and forgiveness. It was interesting to me that the “forgiveness” motif appeared in other sessions of the ETS meeting in Atlanta. I attended a session on Spiritual Formation led by John Auxier from Talbot School of Theology in which forgiveness was the major concern. He raised the incident of the Nickels Mine Massacre in his talk and referred also to Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower in which the Jewish author related his experience at the bedside of a dying Nazi soldier. I, too, in my presentation, made reference to Wiesenthal.

That was not the only session where forgiveness and justification was more than hinted at as interrelated with each other. Needless to say I found this ETS meeting exhilarating, not only because of the program[s] but also because of the mix of the people present, old friends and new, and the variety of Christian experience. There were others with the Assemblies of God besides me. There were men from Central Bible College in Springfield, MO, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University at Waxahachie, TX. But to mingle with the Mennonites, the Presbyterians, the Methodists, Baptists of different affiliations, Adventists, Anglicans, Brethren in Christ, Lutherans, and whoever else has always been helpful to me. I am somewhat a “High Church Pentecostal.” What is most interesting to me is the extent to which the Holy Spirit affects the entire spectrum of the Christian experience irrespective of denominational membership. For myself, I was with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for many years as a minister before crossing over to the Assemblies of God. My baccalaureate was gained from Texas Christian University. My Seminary training was at Duke Divinity School. My doctorate came from O.R.U. I have preached in predominantly African-American Churches, Baptist and AME, and a Church of the Brethren. On the Walton side are Adventists; on mother’s side are Brethren and Mennonites. I serve “a Kingdom without Borders,” to borrow a phrase from writer Miriam Adeney.

There seems to be a move by some Evangelicals to engage more effectively today’s culture and society. This has been building for some time. Neither do these appear to be isolated incidents. Several Evangelicals are moving in similar directions. “An Evangelical Manifesto: A Declaration of Evangelical Identity and Public Commitment” (see www.evangelicalmanifesto.com) is an especially significant example. First, several stalwart Evangelical leaders and thinkers, including Richard Mouw (Fuller Theological Seminary), Timothy George (Samford University), Dallas Willard (Southern California University), and others not only signed it but also helped shape it. Leith Anderson, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, was one of the charter signatories. Other notable signatories include Kay Arthur, Stuart Briscoe, Leighton Ford, Justo Gonzalez, Mark Noll, and Alvin Plantinga. Pentecostals will notice names like Jack Hayford, Cheryl Bridges Johns, Mel Robeck, Amos Yong, and others. (I just now signed it myself, and I encourage others to do so too.)

Second, among other things, “An Evangelical Manifesto” enumerates concerns for political and social action, ecological awareness, and ecumenical openness and even interreligious engagement – all without sacrificing or apologizing for continuing commitment to historic Evangelical principles regarding Christ, the Bible, or the Church and its mission. Its tone is quite positive, though perhaps just a bit defensive at times, but overall well balanced. Most of all, it is an intelligent and articulate presentation of Evangelical concerns for a wider arena of issues than previously typical. Additionally, it steadfastly resists and repudiates attempts to stereotype Evangelicals, maintaining a firm grip on a moderate posture between reactionary fundamentalism and reductionist liberalism, viewing both as undesirable, avoidable extremes. These Evangelicals see themselves, though perhaps not as “mainline,” yet as moderates, that is, as members of a movement more in the middle rather than to the far left or far right. Significantly, “An Evangelical Manifesto” is biblically and theologically sound while being culturally engaged. The steering committee and participants are to be commended for courageous work of exceptional quality. (NPR also has an interview about this with Mouw that is interesting. See http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90252763.)

Interestingly, there appears to be an expanding and, at times, energetic move among some Pentecostals toward cultural and social engagement that gels well with “An Evangelical Manifesto”. For example, Jerry Redman has written persuasively on “A Theology of Social Action” (http://www.faithnews.cc/articles.cfm?sid=8827) designed for Evangelicals and Pentecostals. Furthermore, Fleming Rutledge, in “When God Disturbs the Peace” (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/june/13.30.html), has connected Pentecostal and Charismatic understandings of the supernatural dimension and spiritual deliverance with social dynamics. Internationally known Charismatic speaker and writer Cindy Jacobs’s emphasis on working to achieve social transformation through intercession and prophetic ministry (The Reformation Manifesto: Your Part in God’s Plan to Change Nations Today [Bethany House, 2008]) comes to mind as well. From a sociological standpoint, the significance of the move toward Pentecostal social engagement has been studied by Donald Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori in Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2007).

“An Evangelical Manifesto” is apparently an emphatic attempt to address contemporary concerns without abdicating traditional commitments. Likeminded Pentecostals can say “Amen!” Faith in Christ and life in the Spirit propels one beyond the borders of individual experience and interest into the wider arena of a needy if sometimes nasty world. Yet one does not forsake the former in favor of the other. Personal piety and social activity are, or ought to be, partners in Christ-centered, Spirit-filled living.