Click to join the conversation with over 500,000 Pentecostal believers and scholars
| PentecostalTheology.com
PNEUMA 37 (2015) 3–5
Global Perspectives
and Multidisciplinary Methodologies Appreciating the Past and Looking to the Future
Peter Althouse and Robby Waddell
The publication of this issue marks a change in editorial oversight of Pentecostal Theologyfrom the capable hands of Dale M. Coulter and Amos Yong to Peter Althouse and Robby Waddell. Times of transition are great opportunities to reflect on historical developments and share future hopes. As the new editors we are most grateful for the quality leadership provided by our predecessors, William W. Menzies, Cecil M. (Mel) Robeck, Jr., Murray W. Dempster, Frank D. Macchia, and most recently Amos and Dale. We are indebted to them for their years of service and visionary leadership as they have expanded the quality and influence of the journal. We are humbled by their contributions and challenged to continue in their footsteps. We also appreciate Nestor Medina for his years of service as the Book ReviewEditor.YolandaPierceatPrincetonTheologicalSeminaryisnowserving in this capacity, and weare excitedabout the directionshe will bring tothis role. We also want to thank Danielle Banzon for agreeing to be the new managing editor, and we are grateful for her administrative capabilities.
The transition to the new editorial team has been relatively easy, due in large part to the professionalism of Mirjam Elbers and Iedske van Coevorden at Brill and the reliable and careful eyes of the journal’s long-term copyeditor, Nancy de Flon. It has been vital to have such a competent team to support us during the editorial changeover. We would like to thank the Executive Committee of the Society for the trust they have placed in us by selecting us to be the new editors, and we are especially appreciative of the substantial and generous support we are receiving from President Kent Ingle at Southeastern University.
The new editorial team is committed to the continuation and expansion of Pneuma’s influence as a world leader in pentecostal and charismatic scholar- ship. Under the tutelage of Amos and Dale, the journal developed in multidis- ciplinary directions with an interest in capturing global perspectives. We want to continue to develop each of these gains and strengthen the quality of pub- lications in diverse disciplines as they take account of pentecostal-charismatic
© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2015 | doi: 10.1163/15700747-03701023
1
4
althouse and waddell
Christianity. Peter’s specialization in systematic theology with an interest in the social sciences and Robby’s specialization in biblical studies should place the new editors in a position to do just that. Reflecting the variety of scholarly interests represented by the interest groups of the Society for Pentecostal Stud- ies, we will actively seek to publish articles that speak to the Society’s interest but that also have potential to inform its members about recent scholarly and methodological developments.
As we reflect on this issue, we are struck by the fact that Pentecostalism is a global phenomenon. While Pentecostalism is global in the sense that its various manifestations are found throughout the world, it is also particularized in local settings. Both the global and the local tendencies need to be accounted for if we are to understand Pentecostalism as a religious expression. We also note that Pentecostalism in its various forms links to other social spheres such as world religions, politics, economics, health care, and so on, links that are noted in the following articles.
Several articles in this issue capture that global breadth of Pentecostal- ism. Katherine Attanasi explores the relationship between pentecostal healing beliefs and practices in the context of hiv/aids among black South African women. Healing narratives in the context of a nation’s struggle against the cri- sis of hiv/aids can both enhance and hinder women’s flourishing. On the one hand, South African women have less power than men to negotiate safe sex practices; on the other, prayer groups can provide emotional support and med- ical resources even if these women do not subsequently test negative for hiv. Further, the same healing theologies can reinforce guilt and self-blame for lack of healing faith and, at the same time, offer prayer strategies for protection that sometimes thwart other preventative strategies.
Hans Olsson’s article is another example of the global characteristics of Pen- tecostalism. He explores intercontinental migration to Zanzibar and the ways in which Pentecostals negotiate socioeconomic and cultural worlds within a Muslim-dominated context. Zanzibari Pentecostals assume a dualistic world- view between the forces of good and evil. They have developed strategies to reinforce belonging and maintain control over their social setting, while at the same time navigating the uncertainties of migration in a Muslim milieu.
Rubia Valente investigates the diminishing role of women in the Congre- gação Cristã no Brasilin São Paulo. Although women once held leadership roles and were able to hold ministerial credentials (except for ordination of elder) in the early development of the church, over time routinization, combined with an assumption that Scripture favors male ministry, has strengthened patriar- chal systems. Valente’s analysis provides empirical support for Max Weber’s theories that distinguish prophetic charisma, which allow for women to be
PNEUMA 37 (2015) 3–5
2
global perspectives and multidisciplinary methodologies
5
active participants in religious leadership, and priestly charisma, which sup- port the development of patriarchal structures in the process of routinization.
The next two articles are theo-historical in orientation. The first, by Gregory Kane, examines the Spirit of Christ teaching of George Jeffreys, founder of the Elim Pentecostal Church in the United Kingdom. Unique to Jeffreys’ teaching was the idea that the Spirit of Christ indwelled the believer in regeneration, whereas reception of the Holy Spirit occurred in the baptism in the Spirit; the Spirit of Christ as the second person of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit were not synonymous. Although this teaching has since disappeared, it gained a certain amount of traction as an alternative model of Spirit baptism in the 1920s and 1930s and had some—albeit controversial—influence on other pentecostal bodies, such as the Assemblies of God.
Finally, William Kay provides a valuable resource to the readers of Pneuma by documenting the life and work of Roman Catholic charismatic Peter Hocken. Hocken is both a participant in and a scholar of the Catholic Charis- matic Renewal; he served as president of the Society for Pentecostal Theology in 1986 and Executive Secretary for the Society between 1988 and 1996. Based on a series of interviews with Hocken, Kay has documented the contributions of this scholar-priest to the world of Pentecostalism.
We are honored by the trust you the readers have placed in us and we hope to live up to that trust. We are excited byPneuma’s future as the premier journal for the study of Pentecostalism and are eager to bring you top-quality and cutting-edge research.
PNEUMA 37 (2015) 3–5
3
