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FOCUS:
Wesleyan
and
Pentecostal
“Purity
and
Power:
181
Dialogue
Revisioning
the
Holiness & Pentecostal/Charismatic
Movements for the
Twenty-first Century
Barry Guest
L. Callen Editor
There
clearly Wesleyan/Holiness
is an historic and Pentecostal
clear is
relationship
between the traditions in North America.
that is
confirmed
Whether the former birthed the latter or the
relationship
is more that of siblings
than
parent-child
is a matter of some historical debate. What is
that both traditions have a
strong Spirit-centeredness understood to be Bible-based and
wonderfully
in a rich and
in the
Spirit.
This issue of the Journal lights
and
probes
this focus on life in the
Spirit, growing
in part out of
presently
available life
an
historically significant
occasion.
met in an ecumenical
gathering
acquaintance work and
relationships
address
constructively
high-
Studies and Susie
Stanley Society.
From their new
‘
It also could
In 1993 two Christian
leaders,
one from each of these
traditions,
in
Spain. Cheryl Bridges
Johns was then
president
of the
Society
for Pentecostal
was
president
of the
Wesleyan Theological
and
openness
to the
moving
of God and from the crucial
of D. William
Faupel,
there
emerged
the
pro- posal
for a joint meeting of these two academic societies. Such a meet- ing
could
explore questions
of
history
and
theology.
the considerable divide that had come to exist between these two traditions with so much in common. There
surely would be some fresh wisdom
coming
from a
planned
time of inten-
and
thoughtful togetherness.
The historic
meeting
convened in March 1998 on the
campus
of the
tional
‘
program, developed jointly by
the two
societies,
Revisioning
Church of God
Theological Seminary extensive
theme
“Purity
and Power: Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements a concrete
symbol
of the
goal
of this
gathering,
in
Cleveland,
Tennessee. The
had the
the Holiness & for the
Twenty-First Century.”
As
the editors of the
1
182
academic
journals
papers here, therefore, Robert W. Wall, nary
agreed
that
the
academic
society-and been
prophetic bridge-builders of the 1998
joint meeting.
of the societies
(WTJ
and
PNEUMA)
their
spring
1999 issues would
carry
from the Cleveland
gathering
of the
joint plenary
sessions on the conference theme. Included
are
papers by Cheryl Bridges Johns,
Steven J.
Land,
Steven L.
Ware,
and Laurence W. Wood. The first
ple-
session also included tributes to David A. Seamands and R. Hollis Gause,
each
receiving
lifetime achievement
being
celebrated
by
the other. These men have
for
decades,
embodiments of the vision
gested ing
movement
and the issue of ecumenical God’s
Spirit
was and
always
awards from his
respective
challenges
now before God’s
people.
of restorationism
(one
crucial
and Pentecostal
people),
Above
all,
power
A note of
congratulations appearance
qf*Salvation Army Theology the work of
What is the
Spirit saying
to the churches? Several answers are
sug-
in the
plenary papers
noted above.
Apparently
the
Spirit
is
say-
that there is wisdom available from the biblical text and the church’s
past
for the considerable
The
Spirit’s
role in the
phenomenon
among many Wesleyan/Holiness
vocation has been
highlighted.
is the divine
enabler,
the
supreme
source of
wisdom,
the One who defines and makes
possible
the
purity
and
essential for the work of God in the world.
is in order. The fall of 1998 saw the
of the first issue of a new
journal,
Wordy Deed: A Journal
and
Ministry. May
it be a new vehicle for
the
Spirit
of God
today.
2
