As a historian of the persecution that Bulgarian Pentecostals endured under Soviet control, Dr. Dony Donev has much to say about becoming an earnest, Bible-believing community of believers.

The meaning of life is hidden behind the answers of the existential questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What follows next? The narrow road toward discovering these answers leads to unveiling one’s true identity. Such quest is a continuous and perplexed laborintus vitum, in which human destiny turns to a painful or pleasant reality. Failure to discover the answers of the above questions is failure to fulfill one’s purpose of living.

The era of postmodernity and the present ecclesial paradigm have shifted the role of the individual and community in the search for the meaning of life. The essential errand now is not simple identity realization, but identity preservation and intergenerational transmission. Preservation then is a complex process that includes both the quest for rediscovering one’s true identity and the challenge of reclaiming it for the present moment and the future generations. Based on the belief that by rediscovering the original practices and structure of the Early Church community, they would inherit its Spirit and power, a great number of churches have engaged themselves in the quest for the Primitive Church.

Papyrus 46, the Greek text of 2 Corinthians 11:33 through 12:9. It is one of the oldest extant New Testament manuscripts probably copied between 175 and 225 CE.
Image: Wikimedia Commons

This present research will argue for the importance of the preservation of church primitivism as an identity characteristic of the Pentecostal Movement demonstrated through the triangular scheme of prayer, power and praxis. Having shown the original historical context of the Pentecostal message, it will parallel the ecclesiastical paradigm with the spiritual experience, sacramental praxis and communal structure of the Primitive Church. Finally, it will call the church of post-modernity toward neo-primitivism as the way for preservation and intergenerational succession of Pentecostal identity for the future generations.

I. Toward a Definition of Primitivism

Webster’s Dictionary defines the term primitivism as the “belief in the superiority of nonindustrial society to that of the present.”1 The meaning of primitivism can be further expanded to the “belief that the acquisitions of civilization are evil or that the earliest period of human history was the best.”2 The term primitive derives from the Latin word prima, meaning first. In a church context, primitivism is the term describing the story of the First Church. Commonly, this includes the period of 30-100 AD.3

Contrary to the general understanding, the Primitive Church is not only the church of the oppressed, unlearned and weak, as it often is applied in the negative understanding of the title Primitive. It is rather the First Church that had directly witnessed the life and ministry of Jesus Christ; it is the Church that possessed the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit since the day of Pentecost; and it is the Church that represents the true identity of Christianity.

Ever been looking for a hard-to-find book? Whether you find it or not, you’re sure to learn something.

In a recent conversation, I wrote to Darrin Rodgers with a question about some hard-to-find titles by early charismatic authors. Just like the abundant research resources of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center where he is the director, Darrin often surprises me with ready information about something I assumed to be too obscure for anyone to find.

Here is the note I sent to him:

Greetings, Darrin.

We have someone writing to PneumaReview.com asking about publications by the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship. He is looking for a series of books or pamphlets published in the 60s and 70s with titles like, Catholics and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Baptists and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and other denominations.

Here is one title I found: https://kindle.amazon.com/work/catholics-baptism-spirit-jerry-jensen/B004235XLW/B004235XLW

Would you happen to know any more about these? Do you happen to have any of these in the archives?
Thanks,
Raul

By the way, if you are interested in more about the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship, I recommend the article by historian William De Arteaga, “Demos Shakarian and His Ecumenical Businessmen.”

Darrin wrote back:

Hi Raul!

I hope you are doing well.

Yes, we hold that series of booklets, published by FGBMFI in the 1960s and 1970s.

They were relatively common and consist of testimonies of people from various religious traditions and professions (attorneys, physicians, etc.) who were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Does he want to read the booklets? The cheapest way to obtain them is through Interlibrary Loan through a local library. He can probably get them on loan for free. If we make copies from our collection, then we charge by the page. Gary Flokstra has a large Pentecostal used book store here in Springfield if he wants to purchase the original booklets.

Darrin J. Rodgers, M.A., J.D.

Director, Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center

Editor, Assemblies of God Heritage

I asked Darrin more about Gary Flokstra’s bookstore and he pointed me to his ministry, For the World Resource Distributors (also known as 4WRD). Darrin said, “He primarily supplies books to overseas Bible college libraries. However, he has a very large collection of used Pentecostal titles for sale.”

Are you a Bible school struggling to put good books on your library’s shelves? Are you a church that wants to help train pastors around the world? Maybe you should consider connecting with For the World Resource Distributors.

In this chapter from his book, Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter, British Pentecostal scholar Keith Warrington asks, how do you define what the core beliefs of Pentecostal theology are?

Introduction

Clark observes that Pentecostal theology ‘is researched at the researcher’s peril’¹ while Ma observes that it is ‘simply impossible’ to clearly identify what is the best definition of a Pentecostal.² Chan is concerned that Pentecostalism may be ‘in danger of death by a thousand qualifications’³ while Hollenweger writes, ‘I do not know anybody who could convincingly define what “mainstream Pentecostalism” is’, compounded by the fact that despite their differences, ‘most Pentecostal denominations believe themselves to be mainstream’.⁴ The comments of the latter authors indicate the challenge that many feel in attempting to identify the heartbeat of Pentecostalism.

Theology

Some have sought to identify Pentecostals on the basis of their beliefs.⁵ A way of identifying the core of Pentecostal theology would be to note its main theological loci. Thus, Land identifies the heart of Pentecostal theology as focused on justification, sanctification and Spirit-baptism⁶ though most Pentecostals view it as comprising Jesus as Saviour, healer, baptizer and coming king,⁷ sometimes to which is added the sanctifying role of Jesus.⁸ These beliefs, that are clustered around Jesus, do not encapsulate all that Pentecostalism stands for, but they do represent some of the emphases traditionally maintained by its adherents. Macchia deduces that the ‘fourfold gospel is important for understanding the origins and enduring accents of emerging Pentecostal theologies’⁹ though Coulter reflects that although this may have represented Pentecostals as they were, it is less valuable as a depiction of their current position which is much more diverse.¹⁰ Complicating the quest for core beliefs is that Pentecostalism is often defined differently in various cultures.¹¹ Thus, for example, Korean Pentecostal, or Full Gospel, theology comprises salvation, healing, the second coming of Jesus, the fullness of the Spirit and blessing, the latter being a distinctive contribution of Yonggi Cho.¹² In it, he argues that God desires prosperity in all aspects of the life of a believer.¹³

That which most distinguishes Pentecostalism is the doctrine relating to the baptism in the Spirit. However, even the baptism in the Spirit has received varied comment by Pentecostals. For example, although many anticipate that a consequence of the baptism of the Spirit will be power, this has various nuances and expectations for different Pentecostals. Many expect to manifest this power in their lives specifically with regard to evangelism. However, the revision to the article defining the baptism in the Spirit as outlined in the AoG Statement of Fundamental Truths also identifies this power as resulting in a greater love for Jesus, while others anticipate that the baptism in the Spirit will result in a greater sense of God’s presence or a more consecrated Christian lifestyle, sometimes resulting in a crisis experience of sanctification. In practice, however, this power has been mainly associated with charismatic gifts.

But there are other divisive aspects related to this apparently central belief of Pentecostalism. The subsequent nature of the baptism in the Spirit to conversion has been a topic that has created a great deal of discussion in recent years. For example, while many assume that the baptism in the Spirit is subsequent to conversion, some disagree. Similarly, the distinctive practice of many Pentecostals has been speaking in tongues but its precise significance has been the subject of disagreement. While many Pentecostals associate the gift of speaking in tongues with the baptism in the Spirit, viewing it as the initial evidence of that experience, others do not; while some believe that when combined with the gift of interpretation they are equivalent to prophecy, others maintain that both are Godward expressions of prayer or praise; while some sanction their corporate use without interpretation, others do not.

There has also been a fluidity with regard to other doctrines during the history of Pentecostalism. Lewis identifies major changes, including the early twentieth century move away from the notion of a crisis experience associated with sanctification to a more progressive understanding of sanctification in the life of the believer, and the development of Oneness Pentecostalism. Other changes resulted from a closer relationship with evangelicals from the 1950s onwards, including less emphasis on pacifism, reduced ecumenical dialogue, restrictions on women in leadership, and a stricter understanding of the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.¹⁴ It is thus much more difficult to identify Pentecostals now on the basis of their doctrines because of the various nuances of beliefs, some of which are significant. However, and as importantly, this difficulty has been compounded by the fact that many aspects of theology once distinctive to Pentecostalism have now also been embraced by others; Pentecostal perspectives are not as distinct as they once were. An alternative emphasis needs to be discovered that best identifies the nucleus of Pentecostalism.

Bill Jackson, The Quest for the Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard (Cape Town, South Africa: Vineyard International Publishing, 1999), 419 pages.

New movements need their stories told and Bill Jackson, pastor of Black Mountain Vineyard Church in San Diego, has told the story of the Association of Vineyard Churches. This is an “insider” perspective because Jackson has been a part of the Vineyard movement since early in its history. Jackson’s book serves as an official history in that it is published by and sanctioned by the Vineyard leadership.

The title is the main theme in Jackson’s portrayal of John Wimber and the Vineyard movement. The middle ground is the attempt to retain the biblical foundation of Evangelicalism and the openness to the Spirit of Pentecostalism. Bill Jackson’s Vineyard history documents the ebb and flow of this challenge to balance the “Word and the Spirit” (p. 39). This “quest” is a difficult one as the history of any revivalistic and renewal movement will attest.

Jackson drew upon personal contacts, letters, interviews, audio and video-tapes, specialized web-sites, religious magazine articles and a few published works. The result is a sympathetic but sufficiently objective look into Wimber’s rich and complex life and ministry and the church renewal movement that he helped to launch.

Bill “Jax” Jackson

How this book struck me as a classical Pentecostal reviewer was to see a series of parallels between Vineyard history and Pentecostal history (and in particular the Assemblies of God of which I am a member). Let me enumerate a few similarities. First, revivalistic/renewal movements fear organizational loss of fervor. Jackson cites Max Weber’s theory of the routinization of charisma of religious movements (pp. 18, 349). As Vineyard moves into a new generation of leadership “who knew not Joseph [John Wimber]” will it sustain its growth and vitality? Second, both Vineyard and Pentecostals are “Jesus” people. For Vineyard it was Wimber’s reliance upon George E. Ladd’s theology of the kingdom as a springboard for doing the works of Jesus today. For Pentecostals it was the adoption of A. B. Simpson’s four-fold gospel of Jesus as Savior, Baptizer, Healer, and Coming King. Third, the educational thrust of both Vineyard and early Pentecostals was upon the training of pastors and church leaders. Vineyard, to this reviewer’s knowledge, has not founded a liberal arts college or seminary but has developed regional training programs for its leadership. Early Pentecostals founded Bible institutes to train its gospel workers. Fourth, God uses flawed people for His glory. For the Vineyard movement it was people like Lonnie Frisbee and Paul Cain. For Pentecostals it was Charles Parham and Aimee Semple McPherson. Fifth, crises that occur early in a movement’s story help to define its subsequent history and mission. For Vineyard it was the prophetic restoration ministries in Kansas City and the unusual spiritual phenomena in Toronto that shaped their middle-ground position of spirituality. For Pentecostals it was the role of glossolalia and the nature of the Godhead.