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Book Reviews / Pneuma 33 (2011) 427-466
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Paul E. Pierson, Te Dynamics of Christian Mission: History through a Missiological Perspec- tive (Pasadena: William Carey International University Press, 2009). 368 pp. $15.96 paper.
In view of the explosive growth of Pentecostalism, especially in non-Western regions, the Pentecostal missionary movement deserves a fair share of attention in contemporary histo- ries of Christian mission. Te readers of Pneuma will not be disappointed by Paul E. Pier- son’s recently published Dynamics of Christian Mission, as it affords Pentecostalism a major role in the overall narrative of Christian mission.
During seventeen years as a missionary, Pierson served as president of Presbyterian Seminary of the North in Recife, Brazil, and professor at the Evangelical Seminary of Lisbon, Portugal. He held the position of Dean of the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Teological Seminary from 1980 to 1992 and professor of mission and Latin Amer- ican Studies from 1992 to 1997. He is the author of Emerging Streams of Church and Mis- sion (2004).
Te aim of this work is to extract “dynamics” (recurring principles) of effective cross- cultural mission from church history. Pierson attests that this work is not a comprehensive history of the church or the Christian missionary movement. Rather, he selects pertinent episodes for analysis and commentary. As far as its place in the world of scholarship, this work is similar to David Bosch’s Transforming Mission (1991) and Andrew Walls’ Missionary Movement in Christian History (1996). Yet, in contrast to the academic tone of Bosch and Walls, Pierson’s style is more colloquial, probably because his book originated as lectures prepared for his classes at the Fuller School of World Mission in 1990. With the publica- tion of this material, Pierson evidently intends to reach a wider audience of readers with an interest in the history of Christian missions.
Pierson advances a significant thesis concerning the link between renewal and mission. He proposes that mission flows out of renewal and revival movements which tend to appear at the periphery rather than the institutional center of the church. He defines renewal rather loosely as “a fresh touch of the Spirit in an individual or group, which leads them to seek God’s face and His will in their lives. Te result is serious discipleship — a desire to see God’s will done in one’s own society and in the world beyond. Te logical consequence is mission” (39). According to Pierson, renewal movements are accompanied by theological breakthroughs; charismatic leadership; new patterns of selecting and training leaders; spiri- tual vitality; contextualization; and the creation of new mission structures. Pierson does not systematically explicate these dynamics, but rather weaves them through the tapestry of his running commentary on episodes of success and failure in the history of Christian mission. He argues that without the constant renewing work of the Holy Spirit, the vitality of the church’s commitment to mission tends to decline. Te historical reality is that every renewal movement tends to become institutionalized, suffers from vision slippage, and loses its vitality, for which the only antidote is another wave of renewal.
One of Pierson’s major contentions is that Pentecostalism has made a major contribution to the vitality of Christian mission in the last century. He credits Pentecostalism as the “most rapidly growing branch of the Christian faith in the world today” (314). He attri- butes the success of Pentecostalism to its rediscovery of the active role of the Holy Spirit, an
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011 DOI: 10.1163/157007411X602899
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Book Reviews / Pneuma 33 (2011) 427-466
experiential orientation, a growing emphasis on social ministries, and an urgent mandate for global mission. He expresses concern over a trend toward cultural adaptation, as reflected in an increase in racial separation, decreasing opportunities for women in ministry, the popularity of a prosperity gospel, and growing institutionalization and authoritarian leader- ship. While Pierson rejoices in the growth of Pentecostal scholarship and excellent theo- logical institutions, he questions whether this development may close the doors of future leadership to those on the periphery and the poor. Tis point is worthy of studious consideration.
Pierson gives due attention to the expansion of the church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He rightly critiques the ethnocentric western perspective of church history with its disproportionate focus on Europe and North America. Furthermore, he reflects seriously on the critical issue of Christianity and culture, noting that some peoples turn away from the Christian message because the missionary movement has historically been closely asso- ciated with Western culture. Pierson believes that we are undergoing a critical shift and moving into a new period in which the Christian gospel will no longer be viewed as part of Western culture. It will be seen as a valid faith apart from the West, largely because of the rapid growth of the church in the majority world and the emergence of new forms of church, often quite different from Western forms.
Perhaps the chief objection one might have to Te Dynamics of Christian Mission is that the author attempts too much on the one hand, but yet too little on the other. A book of thirty-five chapters makes for onerous reading. In terms of academic convention, the book exhibits a lack of consistent documentation of sources. A more substantive critique is that the author does not interact with current missiological discourse. While he addresses the problem of Western ethnocentrism, he does not engage with the postmodern critique of Christian missionaries who make ideologically totalizing claims to universal truth. Opening the door for further work, Pierson states that theologies that are unclear on issues of Christology and salvation by grace through faith, and theologies that are legalistic, can cut the nerve of revival. It is immediately apparent that this statement overlooks pneu- matology, although in other passages Pierson asserts that the work of the Holy Spirit is essential to the vitality of renewal. Pentecostals could fill in the gap left by Pierson by reflecting critically on the interrelationships between pneumatology and renewal. While Te Dynamics of Christian Mission is flawed in some respects, Pierson has con- structed a historical narrative and running commentary that resonates with the Pentecostal emphasis on renewal and brings Pentecostalism to the fore in the remarkable expansion of world Christianity.
Reviewed by Eric N. Newberg Associate Professor of Church History Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma [email protected]
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