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book reviews
303
Jay Beaman and Brian K. Pipkin, eds.
Pentecostal and Holiness Statements on War and Peace. Pentecostals, Peacemaking,
and Social Justice Series 6 (Eugene,or: Pickwick Publications, 2013). xx + 291 pp.,
$34.00, paperback.
“We do not wish this book to be an act of nostalgia … [but] to ask the hard question of why these beliefs disappeared” (5). Though a longtime scholar of peace movements, Jay Beaman not only laments the growing loss of Pente- costal pacifism, but also maintains that many Pentecostals are not even aware of their vibrant peace heritage. Indeed, Beaman elaborates on the many con- versations he has shared with various denominational leaders and an all-too- common response. Insiders regularly inform him in no uncertain terms that Pentecostals have never had such a heritage. Beaman then shocks them with doctrinal statements in their denominational publications (I must confess sim- ilar unawareness when I first agreed to teach a Pentecostal history course at Evangel University in 2001 only to see “pacifism” as a topic on previous syllabi).1 It is this kind of historical amnesia that makes this work immediately rele- vant.
The organization of the book (according to the editors) is not ideal. They begin with two short chapters that address various Anabaptist and Antebel- lum peace statements in order to demonstrate their respective impact upon the emerging Pentecostal movement. Many early Pentecostal pacifists looked to Mennonites, Quakers, and Brethren in Christ as “step-parents” for scriptural training in peace theology. Subsequent chapters and indeed the bulk of the book consist of documents compiled alphabetically according to the respective Radical Holiness and then Pentecostal Statements. The editors maintain that Holiness and Pentecostal movements must appear together not only because of their shared legacies of resistance to war, but also due to the broader dna link between many early Pentecostals and their Holiness predecessors. While many participants among these movements shared and struggled over doc- trines such as tongues or healing, they generally agreed that Jesus calls follow- ers to peace and not war. A final (and admittedly) incomplete chapter com- bines Holiness and Pentecostal statements from neighboring Canada to Europe (Britain, Switzerland, Russia) and around the world from Australia to South Africa, and Peru to Palestine. While the editors might have organized the mate-
1 See my “Finding Peace: A Personal and Vocational Narrative,” posted on Renewal Dynamics:
Regent University School of Divinity Blog in 3 Parts, 2011 (http://renewaldynamics.com/
author/mittelstadtm/).
© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2015 | doi: 10.1163/15700747-03702013
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rial according to content (forms of pacifism, response to government, etc.) or date, the method of choice provides quick alphabetic access to statements by denomination.
The import of this work is found in the middle chapters where Beaman and Pipkin provide readers with the first collection of this kind, the primary documents of American Holiness and Pentecostal groups that advocate resis- tance to warfare. What is more, Beaman challenges the inadequate conclu- sions derived by the late and influential Arthur Piepkorn, who discovered a peace position among approximately two-thirds of Pentecostals groups. To the contrary, Beaman argues this number is too small; instead, nearly every early Pentecostal group shows some early evidence of pacifism. The editors pro- duce irrefutable data, namely the primary documents that serve(d) as official statements for approximately one hundred Holiness and Pentecostal denomi- nations.
This work should prove valuable forPneumareaders, particularly of the Pen- tecostal/Charismatic tradition. I suggest at least four reasons. First, while I and others remain grateful for the scholarly efforts by Paul Alexander and an ear- lier work by Beaman, the cumulative effect of primary literature should cause readers to reflect carefully upon the official decisions of our ancestors.2 Sec- ond, readers should consider the number of peace statements typically dot- ted with Scripture only to be changed via advocates of reform who defer to conscience. Given Pentecostal devotion to Scripture as the rule of faith, this warrants pause. Third, readers will need to wrestle with the varied sentiments among Pentecostals regarding the often (though not always) strong language concerning loyalty to government. Denominations that drop their early paci- fistic impulse tend to begin with a similar impulse that included greater sym- pathies for national loyalty.
Finally, if indeed this is a book of remembering, Pentecostals may need to devote further attention to the sacrifices of Pentecostals who chose not to engage in war. While only seven-tenths of one percent of the draft pool of wwi claimed religious or conscientious objection, two-thirds of the draft pool received exemption to support their families. Sadly, the former often lived with accusations of “slackers” or “conchies” and suffered terrible public wrath (8). It may be that this study provides a new opportunity to reconsider
2 Paul Alexander, Peace to War: Shifting Allegiances in the Assemblies of God. C. Henry Smith
Series 9 (Telford,pa: Cascadia Publishing House, 2009) and Jay Beaman, Pentecostal Pacifism:
The Origin, Development, and Rejection of Pacifism among the Pentecostals (Eugene: Wipf &
Stock, [1989] 2009).
PNEUMA 37 (2015) 281–311
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the name-calling and harassment often targeted toward these folk and instead bring them into a place of honor as people who stood for what we and they believed.
Martin William Mittelstadt
Professor of Biblical Studies, Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri
PNEUMA 37 (2015) 281–311
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