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Book Reviews / Pneuma 33 (2011) 427-466
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Sammy Alfaro, Divino Compañero: Toward a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology (Eugene, Ore.: Pickwick Publications, 2010). xii + 166 pp. $20.00 paper.
Sammy Alfaro’s groundbreaking work, Divino Compañero: Toward a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology, was forged in the crucible of his PhD studies at Fuller Teological Seminary and invites readers to assu-me different lenses through which to view the nexus of Christol- ogy and Pneumatology. By chronicling the development of Pentecostal Christology and marrying that to the liberationist ethos and praxis of Hispanic Christology, Alfaro advances the quest for a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology. Tis work discusses the history, develop- ment, and social implications of a Pentecostal Spirit-Christology as seen through decidedly Hispanic perspectives.
Tere is much to be appreciated in this book. First, Divino Compañero is novel because there is not much scholarly work being done in theology by Latinos/as, specifically with respect to Pentecostal Christology. Two pioneers are Samuel Solivan and Eldin Villafañe, and their contributions cannot be underestimated. Building on their work, Alfaro blazes a theological trail through the thicket of traditionally accepted Christologies, and the presup- positions that surround them. Being genuinely creative, this is not a “Pentecostalized” ren- dition of Christological notions from another theological tradition. Rather Alfaro innovates by systematizing early Pentecostal Christology and viewing it in the light of the five-fold gospel. Tus Alfaro invokes classical Pentecostal theological thought and contemporary voices to frame a thorough inquiry in four chapters.
In chapter one Alfaro orients the reader to the origins, similarities, and disparate charac- teristics of classical Pentecostal Christology as compared to Methodist, the Holiness, and American Revivalist theological understandings. Alfaro’s argument for a Christology that is not so heavily dependent upon traditional, evangelical theological models that were inher- ited by early Pentecostals is both intriguing and challenging. Tis theological approach makes sense given the early Pentecostal impulse toward a practical rather than academic theology.
Further, in the first two chapters Alfaro devotes three sections to an exposition of One- ness Pentecostal Christology as a contributing stream to contemporary Pentecostal Chris- tology. It is shown how the emergence of Oneness Christology encouraged a reactionary return on the part of Trinitarians to a mainstream Chalcedonian model and a move away from the Spirit Christological sensibilities embedded in the movement’s spirituality. By illuminating the socio-historical framework of Latino/a Pentecostalism, readers will more clearly understand and appreciate Alfaro’s desire to liberate Christology from historical and traditional trappings.
Also in the second chapter Alfaro briefly elaborates on the recent shift in Pentecostal theology toward a Spirit-Christology and adds to this his own constructive arguments. He begins by asserting: “For the most part, Pentecostals have traditionally borrowed their theo- logical frameworks from other evangelical traditions and baptized them as their own” (53). Herein is the main point of his own proposal. Limiting Pentecostal Christology to an exclu- sively Chalcedonian Christological model will undermine the potential of a Spirit Christol- ogy by ignoring the centrality of the experience of the Spirit. Tose who have been classically oriented to an exclusively Chalcedonian “two natures” understanding of Jesus will most
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011 DOI: 10.1163/157007411X602790
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Book Reviews / Pneuma 33 (2011) 427-466
certainly be challenged to expand their framework to prominently feature the Spirit into the Christological equation.
In chapter three Alfaro advances his argument by factoring in the socio-cultural dimen- sions of his theological project. Te social location where the Hispanic theological enter- prise occurs is constituted by the lived realities of common Latino/a people. Alfaro focuses his attention on the majority of Hispanic Pentecostals’ socio-economic standing within the United States. He then couches his thesis squarely within the social milieu of poor, working class, first or second-generation peoples of Latin descent.
Within this context, Alfaro layers his Hispanic Pentecostal Christological claims with a liberative dimension. His assertion is that a faithful Hispanic Pentecostal Christology will be a two-fold venture that will include an interpretive process coupled with a transforma- tive praxis that seeks to change how people behave toward and engage with the poor, the marginalized, and disenfranchised of society. It is precisely here that Alfaro’s contribution is most strongly registered in a mimetic Christology that presents itself as an imitative way of studying the person of Jesus rather than an exclusively intellectual or academic approach to talking about Him.
In chapter four, Alfaro concludes by showing how his proposed Hispanic Pentecostal Spirit-Christology is derived from the liturgical practices of Hispanic Pentecostals. Here we see that in a tradition characterized by orality, songs, sermons, and testimonies are some of the principle ways in which theological engagement takes place. Alfaro thus highlights how the whole of the theological enterprise centers on the worship life of the community — thus, lex orandi est lex credendi. Tough the brevity of this text makes for a good, short read, it is a compelling and comprehensive argument toward a central theme: a Hispanic Pente- costal Christology that expresses itself in the narrative of the people and is focused on the liberating presence and praxis of Jesus’ mission in the Spirit.
Alfaro’s proposal for a Hispanic Pentecostal Christology is critical of the historical, Trin- itarian Pentecostal over-reliance on white, evangelical theological assumptions. Since His- panic theology in general is rooted in the common life of poor people of brown and black hue, any theological proposition coming from that community will reflect the need for self-identification and tend toward a liberative theological praxis. Te question is, what are the long-term prospects for this proposal in light of the upward mobility of Hispanic Pen- tecostalism and the assimilationist trends within the Hispanic community?
Finally, Alfaro does engage with some of the historic criticisms that have been leveled against Spirit-Christologies. He attempts to address the issue of downplaying the divinity of Jesus that this model could foster, as well as the reductionist tendencies to viewing the personhood the Spirit as a mere “influence” on the life and ministry of Jesus. Readers will have to judge whether or not the lingering concerns are satisfactorily answered. Neverthe- less, this line of questioning does not diminish the importance of Alfaro’s contribution to Hispanic Pentecostal Christology.
Reviewed by Johnathan E. Alvarado Associate Professor/Dean of the Chapel Beulah Heights University, Atlanta, Georgia [email protected]
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