Published at: 06:01 pm - Monday January 11 2010
[Here is the draft of my short article on Pentecostalism that I need to translate into Japanese]
The death of Oral Roberts this last December (12-15-2009) once again brought the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition into the spotlight of the media, a phenomenon that has accompanied the Pentecostal revival since the days of the Azusa Street Mission (Robeck). Roberts’ ministry as a healing evangelist, a prosperity-gospel preaching televangelist and founder of an education institution mirrors many of the facets of the present day Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition. Spiritual gifts with vibrant worship and the preaching of the gospel, albeit not necessarily a “prosperity gospel” and an educational concern that has primarily focused on clergy development are still the hallmark of the tradition.
However, it would be wrong to leave the impression that Pentecostalism has not been changing nor that it is a radically homogeneous movement that can easily be ascertained. In fact a consistent observation by those who study the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition is to note that it is very diverse and has had the ability to adapt to local cultures in many and various ways. This may be why these same observers have begun to note that Pentecostalism has changed Christianity itself, causing a demographic transformation, i.e., the move toward the southern hemisphere (Jenkins). Furthermore, the very future of the Church itself may be the Pentecostalization of Christianity (Allen). With these things in mind I would like to summarize a few points of concern that researchers have noted about the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition today.
First, although classical Pentecostal organizations, like the Assemblies of God, grew worldwide by establishing minister training institutions as part of the their primary mission strategy, there has been a consistent pattern of upgrading these schools. The shift to accredited Bible Colleges, rather than the ad hoc system of Bible Institutes can be noted throughout the world. This was probably necessary because the major growth in Pentecostalism has been in urban settings which require clergy leadership to be at least educationally on par with the laity. The trend since the late 80s and following has been for these institutions to offer graduate degrees (Kay). Contrary to some earlier expectations, this aspect of “redemption lift” has not shown signs of harming Pentecostal growth. In fact, it is more likely part of Pentecostalism’s ability to adapt to changing social and cultural environments. Furthermore, the burden of responsibility in leading a movement that may be as much as a quarter of all Christians, requires Pentecostals to produce ministers who can lead Christianity as a whole.
Second, since communities of faith are shaped by what they believe (Lindbeck), the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition has in recent history begun to re-articulate their beliefs, while at the same time radically influencing the wider Christian religion. In the 80s and 90s this took place in the field of New Testament studies with outstanding Pentecostal scholars contributing to a growing Evangelical literature. Most recently, theologians, both influenced by the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition and those explicitly within it are impacting theology. Scholars such as Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and Amos Yong have enriched for example, Pneumatology, by having it reach beyond the narrow confines of Soteriology and possibly Ecclesiology. At the same time scholars such as Frank Macchia have been at the forefront of fine tuning the meaning of Spirit Baptism for Pentecostals. This does not mean that the works of these pioneering scholars are universally accepted within the tradition. Correlative is a movement to ossify the Pentecostal-Charismatic traditions to its supposed earlier articulations which is a tendency that may be parallel to classical fundamentalism’s proclivity to absolutize their own positions (Schäfer).
Third, historical studies of the development of the Pentecostal movement have been radically reformulated. Early Pentecostal histories were apologetically motivated, tending to hide that which was inconvenient to the movement (Cerillo and Wacker), as can be illustrated in the Parham-centric depiction of which may have reflected a racial bias. The importance of Seymour and Azusa has been a corrective, indicating a networked growth from North America as a powerful force in the expansion of Pentecostalism (Robeck). At the same time others have indicated that Pentecostalism in Africa (Kula), India and Hong Kong (Anderson) had different roots, not specifically tied to North America.
Another area of historical research is the intense search for theological roots of the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition. Hollenweger’s now classic thesis that Pentecostalism is an experiential movement that was strongly oral in nature is still a major interpretation. On the other hand, Dayton’s research indicates that Pentecostalism originally aligned itself theologically with a Holiness understanding that Jesus was savior, Spirit baptizer, healer and soon coming king has gained support. Rather than an either/or solution to this topic a both/and may be the trend of the near future. It is surprising that neither of these positions place glossolalia at the center of the discussion.
Fourth, the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition worldwide has ventured into two new areas of interest: social concerns and politics. In the past, Pentecostals shied away from what was then called the “social gospel,” relating it to a theological liberalism which they had implicitly opposed. However this new movement among so-called “progressive Pentecostals” shows signs of balancing both ministry to physical needs as well as the spiritual needs of the churched and unchurched (Miller and Yamamori).
Along with the new social concerns is the fact that in countries where the Pentecostal population is significantly large, the Pentecostal-Charismatics are now entering politics. In Latin America in general and Guatamala and Costa Rica specifically this transition has been taking place (Steigenga). The results however, have not been all too positive, with allegations of corruption marring their efforts. It has been suggested that political naiveté or the inability to move effectively from local to national politics are to blame.
Lastly, the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition today faces two continuing theological and governance issues. First is the persistent presence of the so-called “prosperity Gospel.” Its presence within the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition has been confirmed in many nations by the 10-country survey of Pentecostals sponsored by the Pew Forum in 2006, as being strongly attested across the board. Although it has been argued that the North American televangelists are to be blamed/credited for its spread (Gifford, McConnell), it is important to note that the message of prosperity has been integrated into the understanding of soteriology by many Pentecostals and thereby made their own (Asamoah-Gyadu).
The second issue deals with the idea that apostles and prophets have once again been given to the Church. This is not a new teaching, since it was a tenet of the Latter Rain movement of the 1940s. Such organizations as the New Apostolic Reformation (Wagner) or the understanding of apostles and prophets in the Assemblies of God in Australia (Cartledge) is influencing an ever widening sphere of Pentecostals (Clark). This new means of leadership recognition attempts to change the style of governance within the Pentecostal-Charismatic world. The New Apostolic Reformation creates a leadership infrastructure separate from a denominational model with elected officers. In fact the international constituency of this relational organization has begun to gain a large power base.
Although the Pentecostal-Charismatic world of Oral Roberts lives on, it has made many alterations and is being changed once again by means of both new and old challenges. Above all its growing numbers and its influence on Christendom itself means that the Pentecostal, both clergy and layperson, must prepare themselves for new leadership responsibilities.
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