The Living Tradition Of Pentecostals And Charismatics

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PNEUMA 37 (2015) 173–175

The Living Tradition of Pentecostals and Charismatics

Nostalgias, Shibboleths, Histories, and Identities

Pentecostal and charismatic forms of Christianity are geographically, theolog- ically, and socially diverse, making simple identification and categorization of their histories, doctrines, and practices difficult. In fact, attempting to estab- lish a singular origin or history of the modern pentecostal movement is mis- guided. Although the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles remains arguably one of the most influential of these early events, especially in the usa, histo- riographers continue to discover data from around the globe about numerous revivals occurring in the nineteenth century or in the first decades of the twen- tieth century. In many cases these revivals not only predated the events of Charles Parham in Topeka, but many of them were also independent of Azusa Street. While the various revivals held in common a renewed emphasis on the teachings about and manifestations of the Spirit, they also exhibited a range of theological opinions on how to understand these phenomena. Thus, the vari- ous catalysts that contributed to the development of early Pentecostalism are not so easily reducible.

Scholarly evaluations of the movement have been well aware of this diver- sity, which, incidentally, continues to expand. Nevertheless, this has not pre- vented the reification of overly simplified summaries. These abridged histories frequently occur in popular-level assessments and may include caricatures that exaggerate certain aspects of the movement, such as the emotionalism of its adherents, their economical deprivation, and their lower than average educa- tional levels. Equally misleading are some nostalgic histories that presuppose that all early Pentecostals held univocal views on distinctive theological doc- trines and practices—views that are assumed to be identical to those of the contemporary classical pentecostal denominations. At best these reductionis- tic theories fail to appreciate the rich and thick diversity of the movement, and at worst they have the effect of calcifying the tradition into a short list of embat- tled shibboleths.

Scholarship on Pentecostalism, therefore, including the critical tradition within the movement, is vital for the continued health of the tradition. Accord- ing to Alasdair MacIntyre, ongoing arguments are essential for living tradi-

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tions. “A living tradition,” writes MacIntyre, “is an historically extended, socially embodied argument, and an argument precisely in part about the goods which constitute that tradition.”1When a tradition becomes fixed or static, “it is always dying or dead.”2It should be noted that scholarly assessments are not immune to the ailments of codification. Received academic views that are accepted as the definitive account are rarely interrogated and can be treated as though they were unassailable.

In the spirit of perpetuating a living tradition, the articles in this issue con- tribute to the ongoing argument concerning the history and theology of mod- ern pentecostal and charismatic Christianity. Jon Bialecki, lecturer in social anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, opens the issue with an analysis of the effects of global Pentecostalism on the development of the missionary theories and practices of the so-called “Third Wave.” Although a significant amount of work has been done on the influence of North American Pente- costalism on global Christianity, less work has been conducted on the influence of global Pentecostalism on movements in theusa. Utilizing existing literature, interviews, and archives, Bialecki identifies that leaders in the Fuller School of World Missions, particularly C. Peter Wagner, adjusted their thoughts and pedagogy regarding missionary strategies after witnessing the growth of global Pentecostalism vis-à-vis evangelical missionary efforts in the same geographi- cal regions. Special attention is given to John Wimber’s role in actualizing the renewal and revitalization of Third Wave church growth theory.

David M. Gustafson, associate professor of mission and evangelism at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, offers an intriguing contribution to the pre-Topeka historiography of a distinctly pentecostal form of American Christianity. He focuses on the life and work of August Davis, a leader of a group of Swedish Americans known as the Free-Free—an early branch of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Gustafson notes that Davis taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a second work of grace and that he and his devotees were known for exhibiting a variety of pentecostal-like phenomena. Davis’s ministry had other hallmarks of early Pentecostalism, including the approval of female ministers. All of this occurred between 1885 and 1900. Furthermore, Gustafson highlights a chain of influence from Davis to certain Swedish-American Pente- costals in Minnesota and South Dakota.

Venturing into the much-chartered topic of the life and thought of William H. Durham, Christopher Richmann challenges the received wisdom of pente- costal historiography on this seminal figure. Although he acknowledges

1 Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue, third edition (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2007), 257. 2 Ibid.

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Durham’s influence as a major proponent of a non-Wesleyan theology of sancti- fication, Richmann questions the accepted timeline for the development of the finished-work doctrine. He argues for an alternative timetable and contends that the accepted timeline has had the side effect of obscuring the influence of another early leader, namely, A.S. Copley. Lastly, he argues that the attention given to Durham’s Christology due to its influence on the development of One- ness Pentecostalism has overshadowed and even caused inaccurate depictions of Durham’s contributions to soteriology. Reconsideration of a watershed figure such as Durham is certain to elicit the kind of dialogue that keeps a tradition lively.

In the next article, Brandon Kertson analyzes testimonies and sermons con- cerning the baptism in the spirit that were published between 1918 and 1922 in the Pentecostal Evangel, a periodical of the Assemblies of God. He compares these perspectives with the official doctrinal positions of the denomination regarding spirit baptism, namely, statements five and six of the 1916 Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths. Kertson contends that the periodi- cal literature suggests a diverse and dynamic experience and understanding of spirit baptism. He concludes that the doctrinal statements should be under- stood as a “lowest common denominator” and that early dynamic views on the topic are quite in line with modern pentecostal theology of spirit baptism.

In the final essay, Derek Geerlof contributes to the living tradition of pen- tecostal scholarship in the area of theological hermeneutics by identifying Augustine as an exemplar for how Pentecostals should read the Psalms. Geerlof contends that Augustine read the Psalms both historically and christologically, which enabled him to respect the historical narrative and its prophetic capacity to express Christ’s own experiences. Using Augustine’s reading of Psalm 142 as a case study, Geerlof demonstrates how Augustine’s figurative reading is able to resist the temptation to relegate the Old Testament to religious history by inter- preting the psalm as the twofold history of David and Christ. Geerlof concludes that the goal of Christian interpretation ends not with historical identification but, rather, “in the present transformation and encounter of the church with the triune God.”

It is to be hoped that Pentecostalism in all of its varieties will continue to live as a vital expression within the larger tradition of Christianity. The critical tradition expressed in the Society for Pentecostal Theology and in this journal is one of the important contributions to the ongoing arguments about the histories and identities of pentecostal and charismatic Christianity.

Robby Waddell and Peter Althouse

Whit Monday (a.k.a. the Day of the Holy Spirit) 2015

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