The Pneuma Review speaks with Lora Timenia, an Asian Pentecostal scholar, about her book, Third Wave of Pentecostalism in the Philippines: Understanding Toronto Blessing Revivalism’s Signs and Wonders Theology in the Philippines, and what she learned about the Toronto Blessing as a classical Pentecostal.

PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers a little bit about your spiritual background.

Lora Timenia: I was born into a Roman Catholic family, though our clan was more folk in our religiosity. I converted to Protestant Christianity in 2002, and then joined an Assemblies of God church in my hometown. I submitted to water baptism in 2003 and received Spirit baptism with the manifestation of tongues-speech in 2008. I would describe my spirituality as that of a Filipino Pentecostal. I believe in the continued work of God in the world through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

PneumaReview.com: How did you become interested in studying Toronto Blessing Theology and Practice?

Lora Timenia: I grew up in a Classical Pentecostal church. At the heart of our spirituality is the continuation of the prophetic ministry of the church. This prophetic spirituality manifested in charismatic worship, tongues-speech, interpretation of tongues, healing miracles, and deliverance ministries. So, my understanding of signs and wonders was within the framework of Spirit empowerment for end-time witness. Since my spiritual worldview was limited to this tradition, I was surprised when a group of Christians espoused what I considered as “unusual” manifestations of signs and wonders. I remembered joining a seminar where the preacher was training the participants to experience group visions and romanticized experiences with Jesus. He taught that signs and wonders included orbs, gold dust, blue fire, red fire, angel feathers and the like. I was confused. My classical Pentecostal tradition never taught me about these “signs.” Moreover, as I comb through the Bible, these “signs” weren’t mentioned. I began a journey of trying to understand where these teachings came from. It was later in my study that I traced the formal origins of the spirituality to the Toronto Blessing revival. Although antecedents of this spirituality came from the global Pentecostal/Charismatic movement, it was the Toronto Blessing of 1994 that brought this particular brand of spirituality together and later spread the “fire” to different parts of the world. Today, the church where the TB phenomena first occurred is called Catch the Fire.

PneumaReview.com: What are some of the different sources you consulted as you gathered information for your research?

Lora Timenia: First off, I had to study the global Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. It’s history, theologies, spirituality and various expressions in the world. I had to particularly understand its history and varied streams in the Philippines. To this end, I am indebted to APTS Press for their publication on Pentecostalism in the Philippines, as well as for their seminal work with Allan Anderson and Edmond Tang, entitled, Asian and Pentecostal. I also consulted Wonsuk Ma’s contribution on the Philippines in the New International Dictionary of Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements. Secondly, I read about the development of what Vinson Synan called the Third Wave Movement. With John Wimber, this group was also known as the Signs and Wonders Movement.  Bill Jackson’s The Quest for the Radical Middle gave me a clear understanding and appreciation of Wimber’s movement. Thirdly, I had to read all the books that discussed the origins, transmutation and global spread of the Toronto Blessing. David Hilborn’s work, “Toronto” in Perspective, was exemplary and particularly helpful. I also read all the works that discussed this phenomenon. I especially appreciated the works of Margaret Poloma, Mark Cartledge, Stephen Hunt, David Pawson, and Gary McGee. Finally, I consulted all the works written by Filipino Third Wavers like Hiram Pangilinan and Apollo “Paul” Yadao. Through their writings, I could understand their theology and spirituality.

PneumaReview.com: Please mention some of the beliefs or practices that the Toronto Blessing Movement shares in common with classical Pentecostalism?

PneumaReview.com: What are some of the things that are different from classical Pentecostalism?

Lora Timenia: Classical Pentecostalism has a distinct theology of Spirit Baptism. We believe that Spirit baptism is distinct from and subsequent to conversion, and that it is an empowerment for eschatological witness. Charismatic manifestations, signs and wonders, and other forms of miraculous intervention are secondary to the proclamation of the Gospel. Basically, our view of the manifestation of signs and wonders is within the framework of evangelism and mission. We preach the gospel believing that signs will follow. In contrast, majority of those in connected to the Toronto Blessing revivalism affirm that supernatural manifestations are epi-phenomena of the kingdom of God and should be expected and sought after in the here and now. This is why it is unsurprising for some of their leaders to encourage their members to purposely seek the manifestation of signs and wonders or to train in signs and wonders ministry. For them, the purpose of supernatural manifestations is for divine reification (manifestation of the divine) and revivalism.

PneumaReview.com: The specific focus of your study concerns the Toronto Blessing Movement in the Philippines. Is there something about Filipino culture that might make this movement particularly attractive to Filipinos?

Lora Timenia: Yes, Filipino religious consciousness has affinity for religions of spirit and power. Our spiritual worldview inherently affirms supernatural manifestation and divine intervention.

PneumaReview.com: Would you say that spiritual manifestations are a significant part of Toronto Blessing Spirituality?

Lora Timenia: Yes, because they have a revivalist spirituality. Their definition of revival is the expansion of God’s kingdom through his “manifest presence.” This “manifest presence” is explained as miracles and supernatural living put on display. Hence, their spirituality leads them to expect spiritual manifestations as reifications of God’s love and power; also, these manifestations mystically connect them to divine reality and provides them with catharsis (e.g. spiritual healing) and a perceived intimate connection with God.

Lora Angeline Embudo Timenia, Third Wave Pentecostalism in the Philippines: Understanding Toronto Blessing Revivalism’s Signs and Wonders Theology in the Philippines (Baguio City, Philippines: Asia Pacific Theological Seminary Press, 2020), 192 pages, ISBN ‎9789718942918.

PneumaReview.com: In your book, Third Wave Pentecostalism in the Philippines, you present some criteria for evaluating spiritual manifestations. Please tell us briefly what they are.

Lora Timenia: I offered four open-ended questions:

1. Does the manifestation have biblical precedent?
2. Can the manifestation be used to point to the salvific purposes of God?
3. Does the manifestation glorify God, and not humans or other beings?
4. Does the manifestation conform to Scriptural teachings?

These questions stem from the assumption that manifestations of signs and wonders ought to have biblical precedent, be evangelistic (leads people into the faith), God-centered (not anthropocentric) and not in contradiction with essential biblical teachings.

PneumaReview.com: What can church leaders learn from the Third Wave and the Toronto Blessing?

Lora Timenia: The Third Wave movement and its phenomenon, the Toronto Blessing, is a revivification of mystical Christian spirituality. Their stream has somewhat revived mystic encounters with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They also offer us a form of spirituality that provides cathartic experiences. Their emphasis on the manifest presence of God, bring into the fore the immanence of God. At the verification level of our theologizing, these manifest experiences contribute to a sense of illumination of and relational unity with God and other believers. To a certain extent, their spirituality is a good complement to varied Christian traditions worldwide.

PR

Learn more

Read John Lathrop’s review of Lora Timenia, Third Wave Pentecostalism in the Philippines.

Read Mike Dies’ review of John Arnott, “Living in Revival,” Spread the Fire (2001).

Read articles by Heidi Baker and Randy Clark, two scholars and leaders with connections to the early Toronto Blessing movement.

Read Malcolm Brubaker’s review of Bill Jackson, The Quest for the Radical Middle.

Visit APTS Press for a free sample from Third Wave of Pentecostalism in the Philippines and more books by Asian Pentecostal scholars.

APTS Press and Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies Interview with Lora Timenia about her book (Length: 22:31).

PneumaReview.com author Dave Johnson speaks with Lora Timenia about her book Third Wave of Pentecostalism in the Philippines: Understanding Toronto Blessing Revivalism’s Signs and Wonders Theology in the Philippines

Lora Timenia is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God in the Philippines. She has a Master of Theology degree from Asia Pacific Theological Seminary and serves both in the administration of the school and on its faculty (biographical information on the back cover). The Publisher’s Preface of the book tells us that this volume is the publication of the author’s master’s thesis. It is thus an academic work, a quick look at the table of contents demonstrates this. There is a logical unfolding of the material presented in the book. The chapters cover things such as:  reviews of relevant literature (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5), an explanation of methodology (Chapter 6), presentation of and understanding of findings (Chapters 7 and 8) evaluations (Chapters 9 and 10), a conclusion and recommendations (Chapter 11). Though this book is very academic in format it is not difficult to read, the language employed is clear and straightforward.

The author’s motivations in writing this book are to present a sound academic understanding of Toronto Blessing revivalism, to address the confusion of classical Pentecostals in her own country about this movement, and to provide some guidance in evaluating various manifestations (page ix). She does not wish to criticize this movement in a destructive way (page xvii), though she does have some concerns about it (page 4). The main questions she seeks to answer in this study are: “What is a TB revivalist theology of signs and wonders from a Filipino perspective?” What contributed to the development of this theology in the Philippines?” “And, what are the implications of this theology in the Filipino P/C context?” (page 5). In the previous sentence “P/C” stands for Pentecostal/Charismatic. Timenia is careful to distinguish and define the various classifications of Spirit-empowered movements referred to in the book (pages 6-9).

If you live in the West, do not let the title of this book dissuade you from reading it. While the author has a decided interest in examining the Toronto Blessing movement in the context of her own country, one need not live in the Philippines in order to benefit from reading it. Timenia believes that there is a connection between the Toronto Blessing Movement in her country and in North America (page 5). Because of this, she traces the significant historical developments of the movement and its leaders (pages 23-32). In this section the reader will encounter the names of many well-known leaders in this movement, people like: John and Carol Arnott, Randy Clark, Bill Johnson, and Che Ahn. So if you are interested in the history of this movement you will find it in this book. Her research also contains a survey of relevant sources about revivalism in the Filipino context (Chapter 4). This includes material from Toronto Blessing ministers in the Philippines (pages 49-53; 56-58). Timenia notes that Pentecostal/Charismatic and Toronto Blessing Christianity is attractive to Filipinos and fits in well with their worldview (page 78). She further cites information from Filipino ministers who are part of the Toronto Blessing Movement. I found Filipino minister Hiram Pangilinan’s biblical support for gemstones to be very unconvincing (page 92). However, I found Apollo “Paul” Yadao’s ideas about how to discern what is of God to be refreshing (page 100). Miguel Que’s statements about Scripture and signs and wonders were also good (page 106). In Chapter 8 Timenia identifies common themes that she uncovered in Filipino and American Toronto Blessing Movements.

Reviewed by John Lathrop

N. American Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725294219/third-wave-pentecostalism-in-the-philippines/