Thoughts From The Incoming Book Review Editor

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133

BOOK REVIEWS

SPS

Thoughts

from

Book Review

the

Incoming Editor

Amos Yong

Many

of us have

anticipated

the

year

2000 as the arrival

perhaps

of the

apocalyptic, perhaps

the

exotic,

or at least with a sense that some-

new is on the horizon. I am unsure whether or not Gus

Cerillo,

thing

book review editor for this

journal

from

1994-1999,

correlated his res- ignation

from this

position

with the arrival of this

year,

and it remains to be seen whether or not

my

tenure as book review editor will be apoc- alyptic, exotic,

or even novel!

Regardless,

it is

surely

the case that many

of us have been

tremendously

served

by

the work Gus has done as book review editor for PNEUMA these

many years.

I myself recall the fact that

my

first

published

academic

piece

was a double book review in this

journal

at Gus’ invitation back in 1996.

And,

as a

sign of his commitment to the

quality

of the

journal

and to Pentecostal scholarship,

Gus did not leave me

high

and

dry

for the issue

you

have before

you,

but has walked me

“through

the

ropes”

in a

professional and

yet collegial

manner.

Gus,

I am sure I speak for

many

within the Society

of Pentecostal Studies: thank

you

for

your work, your time, your scholarship,

and

your

life. You will be

sorely

missed as book review

editor,

but we

expect your ongoing

contributions to Pentecostal scholarship

to continue

prodding

the rest of us

along.

As I reflect on the state of Pentecostalism and the

academy

at the turn of the

century,

I can’t

help

but think that ours is now a movement come of

age.

David

Bundy’s

exhortations to us at this

past

annual meeting

of the

Society

at Northwest

College

in Kirkland are a case in point.

He is convinced that the time is at hand for Pentecostals to con- tribute

creatively, critically,

and

significantly

to the

larger theological conversation.

My

sense is that this is the case not

only

for the theo- logical

conversation

specifically,

but also for conversations across the range

of academic

disciplines.

Whereas in the distant

past

we

might have been reluctant to

acknowledge

the Pentecostal convictions and perspectives

which have

shaped

our

contributions, today

such convic- tions and

perspectives

have been

recognized

as

important

and have been welcomed. Whereas

perhaps

even more

recently

we

might

have been reluctant to even think that there

might

be such a

thing

as a

1

134

“Pentecostal

anything…” (e.g.,

Pentecostal

hermeneutic,

Pentecostal theology,

Pentecostal

epistemology,

Pentecostal

pedagogy), today

the emergence

of such

“things” points

to the

vitality

and

creativity

of Pentecostal

scholarship.

With

Bundy,

I see that Pentecostals have been undergoing

a process of maturation that has

catapulted many

members oaf this

Society

into

significant engagement

with the

larger

academic world and has

placed

us in positions where our voices are

expected

as essential to the

ongoing

discussions.

I wonder, however, whether or not we even realize that this is just the

beginning. Certainly,

it is not

just

the biblical or

theological

disci- plines

which have been

impacted by

the maturation of Pentecostal scholarship. Many among

us

today

are

wondering

about what a more robust Pentecostal

engagement

with culture and the world at

large might

look like. We are fast

developing

critical skills to

engage

the larger ethical, aesthetic, social, political, economic, scientific,

and humanistic

questions.

In other

words,

we are now immersed in a larg- er number of

disciplines

than ever before. This

is,

I think, the direction that life in the

Spirit

will continue to take

us,

since it is the

Spirit

who sustains our

in-depth engagement

with

every

dimension of life. As a corollary,

of

course,

our

being

led

by

the

Spirit

means that we will not shrink back from

fully engaging

the entire

spectrum

of academic disci- plines,

and do so in a truly collaborative and

cross-disciplinary

fashion. This raises

questions,

of

course,

about the

viability

of a Pentecostal approach

to culture in all of its

complexities,

to worldview

issues,

to communications, perhaps

even the natural

sciences,

and so on.

Since

my

own

background

and

training (in theology, religious

stud- ies,

and

philosophy) severely

limits

my ability

to

successfully

serve as book review editor across the

many

fields of

inquiry

we now find our- selves

in,

I appeal to

your expertise

and welcome

your participation

in this

process.

The former will enable us to

identify important

books that need to be

brought

to the attention of this

Society’s members,

while the latter will enable critical interaction with such material. I therefore

bring

the

following

two

requests

before

you.

First,

in order for the

quality

of book reviews to measure

up

to the swiftly expanding

roles that

many

Pentecostals find themselves

playing in the

academy,

each of you need to ask

questions

of new books in your field with an

eye

toward

your colleagues

in this

Society.

Ask certain questions,

like:

Why

and how is this book

important

for fellow Pentecostals

doing

research in

[your discipline

and/or

(a)

related disci- pline(s)] ?

How does this book

challenge

Pentecostal self-understand- ing

and

practice?

Does this book deal with an issue or a

subject

mat- ter wherein there is a relative vacuum of Pentecostal reflection and engagement?

How

might

Pentecostal

insights

and

perspectives advance the conversation to which this book contributes? I will there- fore be

depending

on each

of you

to say to me, “Amos, this is an

impor- tant book in this

field,

and needs to be reviewed-for the

Society.”

2

135

Second, then,

is

your willingness

to contribute to

writing

such cre- ative,

critical and

engaging

reviews. PNEUMA’s book reviews should be a

place

where all the standard

things

about book reviews

(e.g., descriptions, summaries, recommendations)

continue to occur. Further,

we will

surely

maintain our commitment to

highlight Pentecostal authors or books

by

non-Pentecostals that are

directly

rel- evant to us. In addition to

this, however,

I would also like to see this as a forum where Pentecostals can

critically

reflect on and

respond

to the much

larger interdisciplinary

conversation from

distinctively Pentecostal

perspectives.

In other

words,

I want us to not

only

free feel but

perhaps

also to feel some sort of

obligation

to

engage

the authors and books we review from our location within the Pentecostal orbit.

We should

certainly

ask what we as Pentecostals can learn from those outside our confessional

community.

As

important, however,

is to reflect on what

they

can

they

learn from

us,

and on how our

insights can

supplement, correct, challenge,

or even extend theirs. In

short,

let us take it

upon

ourselves to

engage

“the best and the

brightest”

in the various fields of

inquiry

wherein each one of us do our

work,

and to do so with the confidence that a Pentecostal voice in the midst will be meaningful

and beneficial.

Having

said all of

this, many

of

you

will observe that

so,

this

increasingly

is

precisely

what the book review section of this

journal

has been about. For

that,

we have Gus

Cerillo, chiefly, to thank. However, reminders are

important

less we

neglect

or overlook our

calling; so, please

take this as a formal invitation for

your participation

in this

por- tion of the work for this

Society.

If indeed it is the who leads us into all then it

Spirit

truth,

is incumbent on each and

every

one to the

recognize

importance

of our roles in the collaborative and

interdisciplinary inquiry

of a global

community

after the truth. I come to this task with the sense both of

deep appreciation

for those who have carved a for all of

path

us,

and of

great anticipation

of the extensive and

ground- breaking

work that is beyond all that even we can

thank for the of

imagine.

I therefore

you privilege serving

in this

capacity

for this season- so

long

as it seems

good

to you and to the

Spirit

of God.

3

136

Keith

Warrington,

Paternoster, 1998).

x + 222

pp .

ed.,

Pentecostal

Stephen Charismatic England:

Hunt,

Hamilton, Christianity: Sociological

1997).

236

pp.

Malcolm

Macmillan,

Reviewed

by

Mark J.

Cartledge

Perspectives

(Carlisle,

UK:

and

Tony Walter, eds.,

Perspectives (London,

sical Pentecostal

Brewster,

Pentecostal Doctrine, according

the

Warrington,

The first book is a useful collection of essays

by contemporary

scholars. Since the classic

published

clas-

book edited

by

P.S. in 1976 there has

been,

Therefore these dif-

groups.

terized Pentecostalism

cern the historical issues

surrounding denominations.

ical context to

subsequent

Church.

various characters,

son of

George Jeffreys.

relation of Elim to British

Israelism, also narrated.

no

comparable study.

ferent

essays

are a timely indication of the state of the art of

theology among

different British classical Pentecostals

While the

remaining chapters

consider issues which have charac-

almost

universally,

intellectual) of Christ

synonymous

empirical postscript

from

chapters

one and two con- the two main British Pentecostal

the Elim Pentecostal through portraying

is described.

The

changing

In chapter

two,

with the rise

Kay

concludes

by adding

an

Together

Pentecostal ration and

authority. alongside

In the

former,

Malcolm R.

Hathaway gives

the histor-

discussions

concerning

He describes the

origins

of Pentecostalism

in particular the

emergence

of Elim

through

the

per-

The

development

of

theological education,

the

and

Jeffreys’

schism with Elim are

A useful section on the

impact

of the Charismatic Renewal and the House Church Movement

distinctives of Elim are

explained

in terms of social

(revivalist

and anti-

and doctrinal

(initial evidence, healing, eschatology, Spirit

with

Holy Spirit) perspectives.

William

Kay

deals with the historical

questions

associated

of the British Assemblies of God. He describes the

early history

before 1939,

as well as the later

post-1939 period,

and offers both

theological and

sociological analyses

of both

periods.

a

survey

of Pentecostal ministers.

these two

essays certainly

elucidate an

important

British historical the- ology

of the two main Pentecostal denominations.

The next

chapter by

Richard D.

Massey

attitudes to the Bible with

respect

to the

concepts

of

inspi-

The

key

issue of prophecy is therefore considered

Pentecostal attitudes to

Scripture.

debate is described as it has influenced British

Pentecostals,

with the use of the Bible in preaching. Prophecy is considered

through the contributions of

Harper, Wimber, (Nigel) Wright, Hocken, Pytches,

is a

survey

of the

The

infallible/inerrancy

together

4

useful

summary

137

Pawson, Hill, Grudem, Turner,

Carson and

Cartledge.

of

popular

and

scholarly contributions, the

subject

of the nature of

Scripture,

an

engagement

John

Goldingay

would have been

timely.

In

chapter four, Siegfried

Pentecostal views

of giftedness

takes us

carefully through

the

terminology

S. Schatzmann in Pauline

pneumatology.

lous and

supernatural.

distinction between

There is a

helpful engagement

polarization

which

I,

for

one,

found

helpful. bunch!

As such it is a

although,

on with the work of

examines the British

Schatzmann of pneumatikos and charis-

categories

of miracu-

between the

gifts

understanding

of the ,

.

in Pentecostal

thought,

strong

defense of the and initial evidence.

he is alive to the

‘

mata as used

by

Paul as well as the Pentecostal

He

explains

the

relationship

and the

baptism

in the

Spirit

and

judges Jeffreys’

the

Spirit

of Christ and the

Holy Spirit

as error.

with the Elim Statement of 1994 in terms of the

purpose

and function of the

gifts

and a

critique

of the

of the natural and the

supernatural

This

essay

is

probably

the

pick

of the

,

David Petts’

chapter

is a

characteristically

classical Pentecostal doctrines of

subsequence

Petts states the doctrinal

position

of the British Assemblies of God and

to it. In

particular,

precipitated by

Gordon Fee and

responded

to

locates Acts 8 as the

key passage

to be defended

if

(in my opinion) misguided

defense of

Petts’

argument

revolves around the notion that

of what took

place,

therefore evidential tongues

must be

implicit. (However,

since it could be

argued

that the whole of the Acts narrative

essentially

involves selection and

thereby some

omission,

such an assertion

regarding

the nature of one

particu- lar

passage

is a case of

special pleading).

with reference to 1 Cor. 12.13 and

12.30, arguing

for

harmony

between

and Paul. Petts

finally

offers

pastoral guidelines

for those whose

to fit the classical Pentecostal

paradigm.

deals with the

challenges hermeneutical discussion by

others. He

rightly and articulates a

robust, Pentecostal doctrine. Acts 8 is not a full

description

Luke

experience

fails

The next

essay

aims to understand

He

supports

his

argument

millennialism. This is achieved

by

first

considering

why

Pentecostals embrace

pre-

the alternatives of James J. Glass then

explains

the

amillennialism and

postmillennialism. Pentecostal

adoption

hermeneutics, theology

dropped

the

premillennialist position

of

premillennialism by

means of Pentecostal

and ethos. He observes that in 1994 Elim

from the statement of faith

perspective

Chapter

cerned with

healing

in

because

they

wished to no

longer prescribe

on the exact

eschatological

that Elim members should be

expected

to

adopt.

seven

by

Keith

Warrington

describes the main issues con-

the movement. He discusses the reasons which people give

for the lack of

healing,

looks at New Testament

issues,

5

138

considers the

anointing

with

oil,

the

laying

on of

hand,

the role of

faith, prayer,

the

gift

of

faith,

the use of the name of the

Lord,

sin and suf- fering,

the atonement of Christ,

gifts of healing,

and exorcism. He con- cludes

by summarizing

the constants in divine

healing:

the

ministry

of the

Holy Spirit through

the Church within the will of

God,

a balancing Pentecostal

theology

of

suffering,

and that exorcism needs to be

sup- plemented

with a

greater

awareness of

psychiatric, psychological

and psychosomatic

issues.

Chapter eight

contains an historical

summary

of British Pentecostal worship.

D. Neil Hudson looks at the Pentecostal

pioneers,

the

period of

stagnation (1950s-1960s)

and the

period

of renewal and restoration (1960s-1980s).

This is followed

by

a

description

of black Pentecostal worship

in Britain and a

catalogue

of

typical experiences

to be found in Pentecostal

worship

in

general.

These include: the role of the wor- ship leader, physical expressions

in

worship (dance,

raised

arms), reflective

worship containing prophecy

and

tongues,

the Lord’s

Supper, preaching, prayer

and

ministry.

Hudson then identifies

contemporary issues,

which include musical

styles (the problem

of

homogeneity)

and the

specific theological

issues of

triumphalism, spiritual warfare,

the location of Pentecostalism in

history, intercession,

and individualism. He concludes

by observing

that Pentecostalism on the matter of wor- ship

needs to

engage

with the issues of

pragmatism, communion,

and theological maturity.

In

particular

he

argues

that Pentecostalism needs to articulate a theology of the cross in the context of the

sovereignty

of God.

A discussion of the Pentecostal

understanding

of the ordinances of baptism

and the Lord’s

supper by

Richard Bicknell follows. Bicknell discusses whether the

terminology

of ordinances or sacraments should be used.

Questions concerning

the nature of

baptism

are identified and Pentecostal

responses

noted. The same

procedure

is used for

questions on the Lord’s

supper.

Bicknell also discusses Elim’s

special

ordinances of the

laying

on of hands and

anointing

with oil. This is followed

by an overview of the nature of Pentecostal debate on these matters in relation to

evangelicalism

and sacramentalism.

(He

assumes that Alexander

Boddy

was a sacramentalist because he was an

Anglican – this is unfortunate in

my opinion

because it

displays

an insufficient understanding

of the nuances

of Anglican

sacramental

theology: Boddy could have been a

Calvinist).

The

chapter

closes with a

summary

of the areas of

difficulty

for Pentecostals. These include the

theology

of reaction

(e.g.,

versus Roman

Catholicism),

the

marginalization

of the Lord’s

supper

in some churches and the

relationship

of

baptism

to the issue of salvation.

6

139

On the

whole,

this collection of

essays

is

very

useful

collection, which will serve to chart the concerns of the British Pentecostal move- ment towards the end of the 1990s. Pentecostals will share

many

issues identified in this volume

universally. However,

it is the

particular British flavor of the

essays

that will be its lasting

significance.

So what can we ascertain about British Pentecostalism at the end of the Twentieth

century

from these

essays?

British Pentecostalism is becoming more confident and much more articulate in its

theology.

It has a good grasp of its

past

and a desire to identify

and

engage

with

important

issues in the

present.

This is most obvious in the

essays by

Keith

Warrington

and Neil Hudson. There

is, however,

an

aspect

of this collection which I find

disconcerting.

The collection,

on the

whole,

draws its material from either British histori- cal material or British

contemporary (charismatic)

material. It does not engage

with the

very

creative Pentecostal

theology

to be found in the pages

of the Journal

of Pentecostal Theology

and the Asian

Journalfor Pentecostal

Studies,

for

example. Indeed,

I would

say

on the basis of these

essays

that British Pentecostal

thinking

is about 10-15

years behind American

thinking. This,

I

feel,

is unfortunate and a

greater engagement

with US and Asian Pentecostal

theology

can

only

encour- age

British

scholarship.

The second book is the more

scholarly

of the two

books, involving both those who are

sympathetic

and those who are critical towards the Charismatic Movement. It represents the current state of British soci- ology

of

religion

in relation to Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement. The information which is contained within the volume is impressive

and covers

important topics

such as classical Pentecostalism,

the Charismatic Renewal

(Douglas McBain;

Paul Chambers,

the House Church

(Nigel Wright)

or New Church Movement

(Stephen Hunt; Philip Richter),

the Jesus

Fellowship (Keith Newell),

charismatic involvement in politics

(William Thompson),

and charismatic

evangelicals

in Latin America

(Paul Freston). Therefore, the book

provides

an

important

reference tool for scholars

working

in the field.

The

sociological

ideas used

by

these writers relate to the

questions of

modernity

and

postmodemity, fundamentalism, pilgrimage

under- stood in economic

terms, globalization,

church schism and charismatic community.

A full

range

of

sociological perspectives

from macro to micro

concepts

is used

energetically.

This means that for

anyone

wish- ing

to

get

a social

understanding

of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements,

there is

probably

no better

place

to start than here. However,

from a confessional charismatic

position,

this book also needs to be read with some critical awareness.

‘

7

140

hermeneutics Charismatic

When

reading

this

text,

as with

any

other

text,

there is a question of

involved. How much does this book tell me about the

Movement? Or how much does it tell me about the

peo- ple

who have written these

essays? Does

the book function in terms of a window on to charismatic social reality or does

it function in terms of

a mirror,

reflecting

the

concerns, does both.

should itself

Cox.

Pentecostalism

mentalism

values and beliefs of the writers? But its critical stance means that it

or

Actually,

it

probably

be read

critically. My reading

of the text has observed that the

opening

and

closing essays, by

Andrew Walker and

Martyn Percy respectively,

are based on the

analysis

of Pentecostalism

by Harvey

This

analysis suggests

that in the context of

hyper-modemity postmodemity

is

fighting

within itself between funda-

on the one hand and

experientialism

Walker and

Percy agree

that Neo-Pentecostalists

experientialists

and should be more

properly

be situated in the line of

tradition that follows Friedrich Schleiermacher,

Christian liberalism who Schleiermachian

emphasized inclusio

(chapters

this

analysis

is that it is

polarized

rientialist.

Experientialist?,

Religion

The use of

sociological

describing

the

pilgrimage engagement.

ing positions?

on the other. Both are

predominantly

the father of feelings

and emotions. This one and

ten)

indicates the

impor-

and forces the

analysis

into

or it is expe-

I have

argued

that

positions,

for

example

the eco- as used

by Philip

Richter for

proper

critical

position

over other

compet-

of the

participants?

Empirical

data

tance of this theme which runs

though

the book. But the

problem

with

an either/or scenario: either Pentecostalism is fundamentalist

But should we be forced to

accept

this

analysis

as a given? I think not. Elsewhere

(‘The

Future of Glossolalia: Fundamentalist or

28.3

[1998] 233-244)

while the

analysis

is useful as a

starting point,

in

reality

the

picture

is much more nuanced. Therefore such

polarities

should be seen for what there are:

polarities

at the end of a spectrum.

theoretical

nomic based ‘Rational Choice

Theory’

to

Toronto,

is done without

Why

choose this theoretical

On the surface it seems

very useful,

but how does this actually

relate to the

perspectives

from Toronto

participants

is lacking and we are left with a kind of soci-

fiction. More to the

point,

this

sociological

fiction is funda-

religion

is reduced to economic

theory.

The dis- missal of the Pentecostal counter-cultural that these authors are

deeply

embedded within Western

post-Enlightenment

This means that the

paradigms

they accept

are

essentially

derived from secular humanistic beliefs and

ological

mentally

reductionist:

rationality.

values.

another front.

The book

primarily

worldview also tells us

of

ontological reality

that

on

intends to offer a series

The use of sociology within this book could also be

problematic

of socio- logical readings

of the Charismatic Movement while

paying

attention

8

to

theological wags

the

theological

141

tail

definitely

also

themes. In these

essays

the

sociological

dog.

While a number of these

sociologists engage

in theological analysis, it is always

secondary

and

supportive

to

It never

critiques

it from the

perspec- tive of the Christian

faith, despite

the fact that the

majority

of contrib-

the

given sociological position.

utors are also Christian

theologians. logical theory thereby

The values of the secular socio-

sources. Therefore the to be bleak. Of

course,

become the metavalues which sift out

any offending

beliefs and values from

theological

is perceived

depends

on whether

you accept

these

premises

in the

of these

essays

is not so much to do with whether

they

are

true,

as to whether

they

are useful.

and concerns that are

important

future of charismatic

Christianity that

prediction

first

place.

The

importance

so far as

they

raise

questions Pentecostal and charismatic scholars.

They

are useful is

for Indeed,

there are

gems

to be dis-

covered, provided

that one can discern the window from the mirror.

Samuel

Solivan,

The

Spirit, Hispanic

Pentecostal

Theology, Supplement

Series 14

(Sheffield, Press, 1998).

160

pp. $13.95, paper.

Pathos and Liberation:

Journal of Pentecostal

England:

Sheffield

Toward an Theology Academic

Reviewed

by

Bro.

Jeffrey Gros,

FSC

This

important

volume can

Its thesis is that the

are the

be

said,

compassion

places

to

identify author is to

provide development, grounded

It is sometimes said that “The Pentecostal churches do not have a social

program they

are a social

program.”

in

many ways,

to

verify

this

hypothesis.

of God and the

suffering

of the human communion

as a

starting point

for

theology.

The

purpose

of the

a

theological perspective,

a basis for a

systematic

in the context of US

Hispanic

Pentecostals.

In

doing

this he finds it

necessary

Pentecostals over

against

the

Anglo-Pentecostal

theologies-Pentecostal

evangelical classical Pentecostals

to summarize US

Hispanic

community

and its communities,

Catholic and

and other. He

ethos of Pentecostal ori-

away

from the roots to a more

Reformed,

.

faith

bases;

the wider US

Hispanic Protestant;

and Latin American takes account of the conservative gins;

the move of

Anglo,

Wesleyan,

Pentecostal hermeneutical inerrancy orthodoxy

National Association of

Evangelicals;

in the context of its ecumenical contacts in the

received

orthodoxy

for the

Hispanic

Pentecostal

the conservative

While

recognizing orthodoxy

of

Hispanic

Pentecostals,

and therefore the limitations of

community.

character,

and fundamental he

critiques

the

propositional

9

142

emphases

of dominant too abstracted,

Princeton

Theologies

Theology-rooted evangelicalism

as

of Liberation

divorced from the ethical

imperative

of the

Gospel

and in need of corrective. He is informed

by

the

orthopraxis

of Latin

America,

but also finds them deficient for his

sys- tematic

project

because their focus on the

option

for the

poor

and ethi- cal

praxis

can become exclusive. In the US the interest on economic

leads to a form of critical elitism that identifies social

change

more than with the life and

suffering

of

believers,

which are the

Hispanic

Pentecostal commu-

analysis

often

communities nities.

with of the concrete

is,

but it is to

provide

a third

leg

to He sees both the

compassion

His

systematic option

is not

against

either

orthodoxy

or

orthoprax-

the

theological stool, orthopathos.

and

suffering

developed biblically

and

systematically,

sufferings

of the human

community,

ological approach

that have distanced

Christianity human

suffering,

emotional and

passionate

of God in Jesus

Christ,

and the identification with the to be an

important

corrective to

In developing this the-

from a view of God as

engaged

with his or her own

basis for a wide

facing

of a

theology the

Hispanic

the other two

legs

of the

theological enterprise.

he

surveys

the historical Greek and Stoic influences

in

and the Christian as

engaged

life and with the

Holy Spirit

in the

dynamic ways

characteristic of classical Pentecostalism.

brief

volume, promising

a

methodological

and

productive

in a

variety

of

areas,

the author also takes

of critical issues to the

development

by orthopathos

and critical issues

in the US. His

theology

takes

up

the

questions

of

of Scripture and

religious experience,

the role of the

Holy Spirit,

and a

contemporary

for a culture of

universality.

For the US churches he lifts

up

the

challenges

both a viable social ethic

beyond

the

passivity

In this

exploration up questions

informed

Pentecostal churches the

relationship

of

orthopathos,

pretation of glossolalia

ing, developing often characterizes

Pentecostalism,

the

starting point

inter-

of multicultural liv-

that and an

understanding

of a spiritual-

directions in all of these

challenges, er and more extensive contributions

ity

of exile. The nature of the volume limits the author to

suggestive

but

they

also

auger

well for

deep-

Pentecostal

in the future.

suggestions

community

in America here,

while

thoroughly contextual, tematic

theological investigation

This will be a useful book to

help

understand the US

Hispanic

reality,

its

history

and context. It is even more

interesting as a

theological project

for an

important

dimension of the Christian

and the world. The

theological

wider

ranger

of

sys-

to take the

proposition

seriously,

and to hear its

critique

of other

theologies,

textual.

can

challenge

a

of orthopathos classical and con-

10

143

(Urbana

and

Edith L.

Blumhofer, Pentecostal Currents Chicago: University

Russell P. Spittler, and Grant A.

Wacker, eds.,

in American Protestantism

of Illinois

Press, 1999).

259

pp. $19.95, paper.

Reviewed

by

Dale T. Irvin

mansions.

There is an old joke about a group of visitors on a tour of heaven’s

Along

the various corridors of

eternity

are

separate rooms, the

story goes,

each one

occupied by

members of one of the denomi- nations that made

up earthly

Christendom. As the visitors

pass

one

par- ticular

hallway,

their

guide

cautions them to silence:

“Shhh,

this is the room for denomination X.

They

still think

they’re

the

only

ones

up

here.”

exclu-

tury.

In

scholarly

churches have been

represented

The

joke plays upon

the

spiritual

elitism that denominational sivism often breeds here on earth. But a similar

pattern

of thinking has dominated North American church

historiography

a cen-

works too numerous to

detail,

mainline Protestant

for more than

Whole sectors of

religious

life have been

under-appreciated

dered

invisible,

to the detriment American

religious history.

as if

they

were the

only

ones here.

and ren-

of our overall

understanding

of

done so

by charting Pentecostal Currents streams” of American chart the

multiplicity

In recent

years

a number of efforts to address this

inadequacy

have

what Russell P. Spittler, in his

opening essay

in

in American

church

history.

of

religious

Protestantism,

calls the “side-

We find

increasing

efforts to and cultural traditions that are

The value of Pentecostal

Pentecostal and charismatic “mainline” Protestant communities evangelicals).

methods:

congregational

ethnographic

(the

contribution

an

interesting,

focused on the “outsiders” who have

played

a significant role in

shap- ing

the North American

religious experience.

Currents is that it does not

simply

offer another

catalogue

of outsider experiences (in

this case of various Pentecostal and charismatic indi- viduals and

groups

over the

past century).

communities

Rather,

it seeks to examine

as

they

have related to more (including

fundamentalist and

employs

a

variety

of

It makes for

and charismatic

movements

really spelled Pentecostals

To this end Pentecostal Currents

case

studies,

statistical

analysis,

historical and

research,

and even an

opening essay

in biblical

theology

by Spittler

that was referred to

above).

if somewhat

disjointed,

book.

All of the authors seem to

agree

that Pentecostal

belong together

as two currents of 20th

century spiritual renewal, although

how

precisely they

are

historically

out. What is even

and later charismatics

related is never less clear is how the earlier are related to Protestantism in

11

144

general. American tion tend that has

(including Protestants) linked

often

experience

other Christians

are

(Spittler’s opening essay), Pentecostal-Protestant

The title of the volume

suggests

that

they

are currents within

Protestant

Christianity.

Yet most of the

essays

in the collec-

toward

emphasizing

their

distinctiveness,

and the

animosity

been

historically generated by

these movements that have sought

to revive, and thus in some sense to

evangelize,

in America. In several

essays

charismatics

with

Pentecostals,

but not with other biblical renewal move- ments within Protestant

churches; yet

it is

precisely

this latter

linkage that I think is

necessary

for

understanding

the tension charismatics

within their denominations.

The book is divided into four sections.

Part II takes

relations in the first half of the twentieth centu- ry.

Grant A. Wacker details the

emergence

ily split occurring

in the decade between

that the

animosity

expressed

toward Pentecostals were so close in

many respects. Pentecostals

Daniel

Bays, although

be contentious.

gaining acceptance

in his

essay. According Pentecostal

theological expression,

common

doxy, emerged during

the last half of

Following

a short Part I up

selected themes in

of Pentecostalism as a fam- 1906 and 1916. He

suggests (later

called

fundamentalists)

reading

of two

major

on fundamentalism but

sharing

of Protestant

ortho-

their own ranks.

radical

evangelicals

came in

part

because the two

groups

There was less

animosity

bctween

and Protestants on the mission field in

China, suggests

the issues of enthusiasm and

tongues

tended to

Wider social

dynamics played

a

part

in Pentecostals

in New

Hampshire,

Kurt O. Berends demonstrates

to

Douglas

Jacobsen’s

systematic

works from the

period

of

1930-1955,

a distinct

not

dependent

aspects

of 19th

century understandings

this

period.

Part III takes

up

the

subject

of Pentecostal-Protestant encounters in

the twentieth

century.

Here Pentecostals are

joined by charismatics who are often

engaging

Protestant churches from within

An

essay

written

collectively by

Corwin E.

Smidt, Lyman

A.

Kellstedt,

John C.

Green,

and James L. Guth

reports

on their

of Pentecostals and charismatics

Christians in the U.S. R. Marie Griffith examines

to other Protestant and Catholic

women,

survey

of

percentages

Women’s

Aglow Fellowship while Albert Frederick Schenkel

among the attraction of

Baptist responses

to the Charismatic Renewal.

Nancy

L.

Eiesland,

of a Methodist

tionship

to First

Presbyterian Turner’s

essay

on the historical

ic

renewal,

and

by

Frederick W.

Jordon,

of

Kathym

Church in

Pittsburgh,

examines American and Southern

Specific

case studies

by congregation

divided

by

charismat-

Kuhlman’s rela-

follow. Helen Lee non-encounter

of Southern

Baptists

with Pentecostals and charismatics concludes Part III. The book itself

12

The

genesis

Protestant

community

represented

Church of

Pittsburgh regarded

volume,

essays,

one

gets

the

impression

Pentecostal

Seminary,

145

and herein lies one of

my

con-

Throughout

its

There is a subtle- and fundamentalists more

of the

past century

has

would have themselves been

giants

of American

(I

will avoid

naming

Reading through

and

ends with a single essay in Part

IV, an overview of Pentecostal histori- ography provided by Augustus

Cerillo.

of Pentecostal Currents was a project by the Institute for the

Study

of American

Evangelicals,

cerns about the conclusions to which the book leads.

pages,

a number of the authors seem to

accept

the characterization of Pentecostals and charismatics as

“sidestream,”

while the rest of the

is regarded as “mainstream.”

ness to this move that renders

evangelicals

“mainstream” than most church

historiography

them to be. Robert Lamont and the First

Presbyterian

that he

pastored

as

marginal by many

of the intellectual

church

history

who dominated the last

generation

names out of deference to those whose work I still

admire).

Misrepresentation through

silence is another

major problem

for this

which is

my

second

major

criticism. these

that Euro-American Pentecostals charismatics are the

only

ones in here. The African-American

presence

is almost

entirely

absent from the

book,

save for a

passing

reference here and there that found a

way

in. No one com- mented on the

presence

of James A. Forbes first as a Professor at Union

and then as the Senior Pastor of the Riverside Church in New York. Yet how much more

engaged

a Pentecostal

get?

There is no mention of the charismatic

currently taking place among

African American

that identified with Paul Morton of Greater St.

Stephens

Full

Gospel

in New Orleans. What about the

growing Hispanic Pentecostal

presence

in North America which is now

challenging

Protestant

identity,

I found

myself wondering?

Latinos and Latinas were not confined to south of the border in Pentecostal

Their

impact

on other Protestant

felt.

African, Asian,

and Caribbean

American Protestantism could

as Ministries

Anglo

over much of the

past century. churches is

being increasingly Pentecostal currents are

similarly

of reference the

diversity

of the movement

in the mainstream of

revitalization movement

Baptist

churches such

history

flowing through

North America

a more

global

theoretical frame

that is a

problem

in the

of Pentecostal diversi-

ty ume

Protestant churches

today, demanding

than this book has been able to offer. In the end it is not

represented

book,

but the lack of an adequate representation

that

hampers

it.

Perhaps

the editors will soon have a follow-up vol-

in print that addresses some of these

questions.

13

146

Against

His Will: Gerritt

Roelof

in the

Netherlands,

Studies

NJ and

London, England:

Cornelis van der Laan, Sectarian Polman

in

Evangelicalism,

The Scarecrow

and the Birth

of Pentecostalism

no. 11

(Metuchen,

Press, Inc., 1991).

364

pp.

Reviewed

by

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen

In

popular “Pentecostalism” Pentecostal,

opinion, and “ecumenism”

Pentecostals

twentieth

Century

Movement Luntem.

in Holland

are anti-ecumenical. does not seem to match. If you are

you

are narrow-minded and exclusivist. If this caricature has

any validity

in our

day,

for sure it was dominant at the turn of the

when Pentecostalism arose. It is this

question

that Cornelis van der Laan’s

study

addresses.

Dr. van der Laan has served in the

leadership

of both the Pentecostal

and the Pentecostal

theological college

in

That

college

is one of the few Pentecostal

which is accredited

by

the national

government.

at

Birmingham University

as did his brother Paul, whose

study

was also on ecu-

Dutch Pentecostalism.

ished his doctorate

Hollenweger,

menical issues

concerning

The

study places

Pentecostalism

Pentecostal

training

institutions Dr. van der Laan fin- under Prof. Walter J.

in context:

“…religious

revivals are

it is from America or from heav-

The

plan

of

torical and

religious

context nineteenth

Century,

Pentecostalism,

first

internationally,

not just

the

product

of export, whether

en. Revivalistic movements

always

arise within a historical context and as a rule are reaction

against

the status

quo

in church or

society” (1).

The

study

looks at the birth and

early development

Movement over

against

the social and ecclesiastical ic. The focus is on the founder and

undisputed

during

the formative

years

of

1907-1930:

the book is

straightforward.

in Holland

starting

from the middle of the

van der Laan describes the

origins

of

of the Dutch

mosa-

leader of the movement Gerrit Roelof Polman.

After

introducing

the his-

and then in Holland.

Looking

try

of the

early

Pentecostals in Holland. nizes

theological developments leaders of the

movement,

charismata, ecclesiology,

through

the lens of Polman’s life and

ministry,

van der Laan

carefully sets the

emergence

of Dutch Pentecostalism in major areas of the coun-

in historical context. He looks also at the

impressive

mission work

The latter

part

of the book scruti-

by

Polman and other

Van der Laan concludes

by

how the Pentecostals stituency.

as understood

such as the doctrine of

Scripture, salvation,

and

eschatology.

looking explicitly

at how other churches reacted to the new comer and

defined themselves

vis-a-vis the ecumenical

con-

14

assembly

he founded

147

leader with an internation-

The Pentecostal

Pentecostal minis-

Polman was an

original

and charismatic

al

reputation among

the

early

Pentecostals in Europe.

at Amsterdam was a model and a

catalyst

for many others,

not

only

in his own

country,

but also in surrounding areas. The book does not hide the

personal

controversies of Polman as an ille- gitimate

child nor his

struggles

as an

open-minded

ter over

against

his more sectarian brothers and sisters.

Van der Laan

presents undisputed

dilemma: the fact that Polman had “an ecumenical

tarian head.” Polman’s vision in

April.

1908 reflects the

early

ecu-

menical orientation of Pentecostal

blessing.

Christ did

evidence of the book’s main

heart” but “a sec-

ecclesiology:

(267)

We love

everyone

and do not

try

to divide the churches or to

separate the

people

of God from each other. We wish that

they

all receive the

not die for a church or

sect,

but for

all;

and

all, what His death has

assured,

is meant for all.

Hallelujah.

Dr. van der Laan has been able to utilize hitherto unknown sources which shed

light,

not

only

to Dutch

Pentecostalism,

He has

meticulously

an

amazing array

of documents on Pentecostalism in

public records,

the testimonies of eyewitnesses, church

periodicals,

European developments.

private collections, and

early

Pentecostal

publications,

On ceptual –

i.e.,

but also on wider searched for and found

all derived from several

European

of sever-

languages.

As

such,

the

study

contains invaluable silhouettes

al

early

Continental leaders.

the basis of relevant

sources,

the book

argues

for the non-con-

narrative – nature of

early

Pentecostal

theology,

thus establishing the

fact that that has been the

major

feature of

emerging Pentecostal

theological reflection,

not

only

in the Two-thirds

world,

but

Laan also

explicates

the fact

that,

unlike

American-based white Pentecostal

have been reluctant to formulate

standing

of

Spirit-baptism –

the hallmark

neat doctrinal format

(e.g.,

the

question

also in the West. Dr. van der most

European

movements

denominations,

several

their under- of Pentecostalism – into a of

tongues

in relation to the

it is critical that the

reception

of

Spirit-baptism).

For the

understanding contribution of

European into the

light.

Until

of global

Pentecostalism,

Pentecostalism in all its

variety

is

brought

recently,

Azusa Street.

the

emergence

of

European

from the

viewpoint

of

(e.g.,

Thomas B.

Barratt overlooked. the Azusa Pentecostalism

Pentecostalism was looked at too

narrowly

The fact that Pentecostalism took

rootage

in several European

countries as a result of national

leadership

in

Scandinavia)

rather than North American has too often been

This

is,

of

course,

not to

deny

the decisive

importance

of

Street revival in

giving

globally.

birth to the

expansion

of

15

148

more focused ecclesiology

discussion on and the reasons

The

only

wish to the author of this remarkable work would be a

the

developments

of

early

Pentecostal

that

eventually

led to the frustration of its mission to

carry

“A Universal

Message

for a Universal Church”

(a

fit- ting chapter

title on

page 266).

at the turn of a new millennium.

Pentecostals

Stanley

M.

Horton,

This is a critical

question

to all

ed., Systematic Theology,

rev. ed.

(Springfield, MO:

Logion Press, 1995).

703

pp. $34.95,

hardback.

Reviewed

by Henry

I. Lederle

This

sturdy

volume

of eighteen essays

on the traditional loci or doc- trines of

Systematic Theology represents

Classical Pentecostal

scholarship. produced by

Pentecostalism Christian

communion,

volumes

Foundations of view. Still

Pentecostals

a

significant

advance in It is not the first

Theology

handbook

three slim

work,

of them Gone is the era when

teaching, merely

exegetical,

historical distinctly

shows

something

are

theologians

of North American

Colleges.

(which

now ranks as the second

largest

behind

only Catholicism). Myer

Pearlman’s work dates back to the 1930s. Ernest Williams

published

entitled

Systematic Theology

in the fifties.

Later, Guy Duffield and Nathaniel Van Cleave wrote a more extensive

of Pentecostal Theology (1983),

from a

Foursquare point

further afield Francois Moller

produced

a multivolume theology

for the Apostolic Faith Mission in South Africa. What sets the current volume

apart

is that it is the most

distinctly

Pentecostal all! This is both its

strength

and its weakness.

timidly repeated Wesleyan

or Reformed

adding

extra

chapters

on the

Spirit

and the charismata. Here

thorough

and doctrinal

scholarship

is taken

seriously

and a

Pentecostal contribution is valued.

of a

global perspective-but

from

Singapore

and India as well as from a broad

range

The list of contributors not

enough.

Included

is to be

theol-

we are confronted with a specific

denomination: the

a

heavy preponderance

of

applauded.

so

overwhelmingly

ogy

has become

increasingly handbook written Assemblies of God. writers from

Springfield. Pentecostals,

pendent charismatics, Pentecostal

thought.

That Pentecostalism is

coming

into its own

doctrinally

However this reviewer finds it unfortunate that this book is

denominational. In an era where

systematic

ecumenical,

by

and for one

And, further,

there is

More involvement and

dialogue

with other

as well as with denominational

would

certainly

be beneficial to the

maturing

of

charismatics

and inde-

16

149

.

Contributors

nized in

evangelical

But one looks in vain for contributions God authors such as Gordon Fee, Murray Dempster,

menist,

Mel Robeck.

include Assemblies of God scholars

widely recog-

circles such as

Gary

McGee and Frank Macchia.

from

prominent

Assemblies of Edith

Blumhofer,

Russ

Spittler,

renowned Pentecostal ecu-

trained in

or the

internationally

These authors

may

not be

specifically

Systematic Theology

but that also

goes

for half of the list of contribu-

tors.

and a prolegomena

with few

surprises.

the

Trinity

but

neglects . social Trinity.

Pentecostalism

perceptively

manner

Kerry

McRoberts controversies

regarding

an excursus

on Oneness rather than a

by referring

to his century

in southern

The volume starts with an excellent historical overview

by

McGee

by Benny

Aker

(and Railey).

All the

major

themes of Christian doctrine are dealt with in an orthodox,

evangelical

The standard is pretty

even,

the

analysis thorough, and there is more attention

given

to biblical and

exegetical

issues than one

commonly

finds in recent

systematic theologies.

presents

an

impressive synopsis

of historical

the

contemporary

discussion of the so-called

Instead he

presents

described as a

simultaneous,

successive “trimanifestation” of God

.

(173).

Macchia enlivens his

essay

on the demonic

research on the Blumhardts of the

previous

He outlines the

dangers

of

becoming

fascinated

by

the

devil, rejects

the notion of satanic

rights

as found in the “ransom

theory”

of the

atonement,

while

clearly acknowledging

evil. He

points

to the work of darkness even in societal contexts such

and

patriotism.

Mark McLean has done

thorough

research on

pneumatology

Germany.

as

racism,

false

religiosity

even

briefly

takes on

contemporary

the

reality

of

supernatural

and ‘liberals’ such as Sallie

McFague

and Gordon Kaufman. He sees the core

purpose

of the

Spirit

as escha- tological :

“the

Holy Spirit

is the

deposit guaranteeing

itance in Christ”

(393).

He

presents

a coherent

apologetic

for

Spirit-baptism

our future inher-

doctrine of

Spirit-baptism.

position.

He

needed

John

Wyckoff

deals with the distinctive

for the Assemblies’

does not seem to see

any danger

in

using

the term “conditions”

but then diffuses the issue

by maintaining

that these conditions “are not in addition to conditions for salvation”

(453).

With

regard

to divine

healing,

Vernon

Purdy

finds solid

exegetical grounds

for

“healing

in the atonement” and maintains that the

language

reserved

exclusively

for the

unregenerate.

He coun- ters the view that all sickness is caused

by

demons. When

healing

does

is endorsed: the

saving power

of the Kingdom

is not

yet universally operative.

of demonization

is

not

occur,

Ladd’s

explanation

17

150

Issues of interfaith

dialogue, and sexual orientation

feminist and womanist

perspectives,

redemptive

survey

of

eschatological

are absent from the discussion. The volume ends with an innovative

portrayal

of the Church as the vehicle of God’s

mission

by Byron Klaus,

and an evenhanded but extensive

views

by Stanley

Horton.

Ian

Cotton, Christians

(Amherst, $26.95,

hardback.

The

Hallelujah

York: Prometheus

New

Reviewed

by Margaret

Poloma

British

journalist

at times his

descriptions

enable readers across Christianity”

Revolution: The Rise

of

the New

Books, 1996).

242

pp.

Cotton’s The

Hallelujah

that

Pentecostal scholar.

tural

imperialism,” calling churches

postindustrial, postspecialist movement-‘do-it-yourself’ role-modeling” (ix).

While

perhaps movement in

England

Ian Cotton tells a story of neo-Pentecostals in the United

Kingdom

with a flair that fits the

subject

matter.

Although

seem

whimsical,

Revolution is filled with

insight

on “the rise of the new Christians” is sure to titillate even the most

sophisticated

Originally published

in

England,

the American edition has a preface to

the

Big

Pond to

compare

British

“happy clappy

with its American cousins. Cotton denies that the move- ment in the United

Kingdom

is

simply

another

example

of “U.S. cul-

the

eruption

of the “new” or “house”

a “local,

self-generating process” having

“more to do with the

instincts of the world

religion,

in this case-than with

any

U.S.

Christianity”

ing movements,

‘do-it-yourself’

the interchange

with

This “new ‘reconciliation’,”

an

and

postmodemity

(and away

not a clone of U.S. neo-Pentecostalism,

is involved in

Pentecostal/charismatic Christians around the

globe.

involves “cross-denominational

adoption

of an

increasingly

liberal

face,

and a holistic mode of thought which

points

toward

postindustrialism

from “‘Fordist’

Christianity”).

Cotton traces its roots to the countercul- ture of the 1960s and

attempts

to connect it with broader

trends,

includ-

the rise of

postindustrial “irrationalism,”

the New

Age

and Green

the information

revolution,

and the

uncertainty

of

post- . modem societies.

Recognizing

the

supernaturalist perspective

of its

Cotton

provides

a

template

to assist the secular reader in

his accounts when he

notes, “[H]owever confusing

events

at

first,

a divine

pattern always

seems to

emerge

at

last,

(xix).

Cotton himself moves with abandon to make sense of the stories he has

encountered,

followers, interpreting may

seem given thought”

although

he often uses a

grid

18

151

that would be unfamiliar to neo-Pentecostal adherents and

perhaps

many

scholars as well.

utterly extraordinary Christianity.”

ed

supernaturalism, center-stage,

and

reflecting

which

goes

back

only

to

author’s

journalistic

late

twentieth-century that these believers were

position

in

society

to

history

of the movement

in the U.K.

Unfortunately

the

Cotton weaves himself into the narrative as he shares his

early encounters with charismatics and how he “first

began

to grasp just how

was their

new-look,

Slowly

he came to understand

part

of a world-wide revival with three

key

characteristics: a reinvent-

a move from a

fringe-like

an international culture “linked

by comput- er, jet

and fax”

(2). Despite

his truncated

the

1960s,

it does set the

stage

for the unfold- ing

of the

story

of “new Christians”

flair does little to explain the

growth

of this move- ment in western societies

despite

the

panorama

in

the

“mystic

west”

(Chapter 3),

for

example, Cotton invokes a wide host of authors to flavor his

presentation

includ-

and

philosophers

like Oswald

Spengler

and Karl Polanyi; popular writers,

Tom Wolfe and Marshall

McLuhan;

femi-

each

chapter.

In discussing

ing

social historians

nists,

Germaine Greer and Naomi Margaret Thatcher;

and

sociologists,

of names

dropped

Wolf; politicians,

Al Gore and Max Weber and Daniel Bell. The

concluding paragraph

for this

chapter

reflects the

titillating

but incon-

clusive nature of Cotton’s

style:

quantum theory.

ture,

small-within-big-is-beautiful, (51 ).

Early in the century scientists used to talk about “getting into the spirit” of In the

Nineties, you can get into the spirit of quantum cul-

too. And at the heart of it lies that

experiential,

both/and, Evangelical/Charismatic revival

An

interesting observation, preceded

this conclusive comment.

but not well

presented

them

given’by

organization, of the social

the

in the

chapter

that

most of

are at opposite ends

churches like

them,

.

The next three

chapters

contain

interesting testimonies,

members of

Roger

Forster’s Icthus and Gerald Coates’s Pioneer “new churches.” The reader

gleans

that

Icthus,

an

inner-city

and

Pioneer,

suburban

congregations,

class

spectrum.

Other than

that,

it is difficult to

get

a feel for either these two

groups

or other

independent

except

that

they

were

light years

distant from

“right wing

fundamen- talism.”

Through

the stories recounted within the

chapters, however,

reader does

get

a sense of how

many

followers are

guided by charisma and live

by

faith in a religious world that intertwines the

spir-

with modem

rationality.

Stories of conversion are used as a backdrop to discuss the conversion

process.

Studies are selective-

chosen to frame the

“leap

of faith” in terms of stress or the “uncer- tainty

factor” which is then tied to

neurological

itual dimension

ly

research

linking

such

19

152

stressors to

specific operations ing

observation

ing,

within his

larger grid:

of the brain. Cotton makes the follow- as he

places

charismatic

movement-despite dependence Nineties-speak, mind-body

experiences,

especially

,

heal-

ceptible ing (136).

But then all these manifestations-primal scream, EST, drug

abreactions, Charismatic conversions, the entire transcendental language of the New

their

Age

differences, are crucially alike, above all in their

on the twentieth-century rediscovery of the “unconscious”

the

(in

“right

dualism. It is thus to be hemisphere”)

and the

parallel collapse

of

expected that a Western culture which has become ever more obsessed with the possibility of sudden mental trans- formation (whether religious or secular) should also become ever more sus-

to the associated notion of sudden physical transformation, or heal-

Cotton’s

and

Chapter

12,

“God

of these

national initiatives”

ing

experiences

with the

figures

on the

growth the 1990s which he

accounts of what is

happen-

of attention to

halting attempts

to link charismatic

human brain

(see especially Chapter 11, “The Left and the Right

of

It,”

in the

Brain”)

is

perhaps

the most

interesting sections of the book.

Cotton concludes his narrative

by dropping

“new churches” in the U.K.

during

describes as “the endless

spawning

of those amoebalike cross-denomi-

(22 I ).

This work is certain to whet the

appetite

of Pentecostal scholars for more

systematic

in the neo-Pentecostal movement in the U.K. and how it is inter- twined with similar movements around the

globe. Although

was left unconvinced with the

accuracy

and/or

appropriateness

the

descriptions, analyses,

and

conclusions,

Cotton’s book does call

how Pentecostalism is

being

reinvented as we

begin

this new millennium.

this reader

of some

Life (Downers $15.99, paper.

Simon

Chan, Spiritual Theology:

A Systematic Study

of the

Christian

IL:

Inter Varsity Press, 1998).

300

pp.

Grove,

Reviewed

by

Edmund J.

Rybarczyk

issues have caused

evangelicals behind

Is the Reformation over?

Many

who

study

the

history

and the- ology

of Christendom have been

asking

that

question

for

years.

Several

to re-evaluate the institutional cleft left

by

the Reformation: the Roman Catholic

Vatican Council and its

unprecedented

the

impact

of the Ecumenical

Movement;

that the world is a

global village; and,

the

growing

awareness

that the vast

sweep

of Christian

notion

among evangelicals

Church’s Second statements toward

Protestants;

the

technologically inspired

history may

not

20

have been so

spiritually

153

“dark” as has been

stereotypically purported. In this

book,

Simon

Chan,

an Assemblies of God

professor

at

Trinity

Theological College

in

Singapore, important

notion with

regard Catholicism

and counsel about

spirituality.

it has taken an Asian Pentecostal

Chan

(Ph.D., Cambridge,

charismatic

spiritualities

offers a

simple,

but nonetheless

in

general,

and

and disdain for

.–

Pentecostal,

and the cultural

mainstream,

to

Christianity

in specific: the Church historic is sated with wise

guidance

Such an idea would be

starkly

obvious were it not for Pentecostalism’s historic ambivalence

Christian

history

and tradition.

Perhaps

we should not be

surprised

that

Christian,

one more

naturally

accus- tomed to respect the

teachings

of one’s

forebears,

to hearken us back to some of the wisdom of the Christian

ages.

1986)

writes to address the

gaping

theo- logical

lacuna that characterizes much of

evangelical,

(85). Following

those

groups

have

begun

to substitute Christian

theology

with shallow

an

the individual’s conversion

(he

is not

opposed

to

psychological

does not believe it can

fully

heal

people, 227-8).

a

re-integration

of Christian

spirituality

makes a

knowledgeable sweep

of Christian writers

including

church

growth philosophies, over-emphasis upon pop-psychology

business

believes,

is

from

Catholicism, Anglicanism, Traditions,

Eastern

Orthodoxy, evangelicalism,

corporation methodologies,

experience,

and

counseling,

but

The

answer,

Chan

with

theology.

He

those the Reformed and

Anabaptist

‘

in

impor-

Puritanism, Lutheranism, Methodism,

and Pentecostalism. Even the ancient desert fathers are consulted. And, Chan reasons, all of these have contributed

of

spirituality

that is suffused

by

theolo-

Chan

employs

the broad

spectrum

of Christendom in

a

“particularly

modem

us from

being

more

sympathetic

tant

ways

to an

understanding gy. Furthermore,

order to break

away

from “historical sin” which has

“prevented

past” (69).

salvation

and

spiritual

growth,

(a

concern for

pride,”

toward the

necessary

doctrines

for

1-5).

On

‘

theology,

which informs

manifes-

tation. “Without

“Christian

praxis

is reduced

ing

As to

outline,

Chan first

establishes the

spiritual theology:

the Trinitarian doctrine of God, fallen human

nature,

and

ecclesiology (chapters

pages

19-20 he makes distinctions between

systematic theology (the quest

for

precise

terms to define the Christian

faith), practical theology

life in relation to the

world),

and

spiritual theology (con- cern for the

development

of life in relation to

God). Spiritual theology, Chan

believes,

is situated between

systematic

spiritual theology,

and

practical theology, spiritual theology’s

the mediation of

spiritual theology,”

Chan

says,

to mere activism”

laid,

Chan delineates the

spiritual

life: the

centrality

of prayer,

practic-

the

presence

of

God, reading

and

meditating

on

Scripture,

(20).

His foundation

21

154

of

spir-

its,

and

by els of

theology-itself

impacted by

the different branches sacramental model better facilitates Christianity,

Chan

says, “Present-day

spirituality

vis-A-vis the world, the rule of life, the discernment

the need for

spiritual

direction

(chapters 6-12).

Chan is

heavily

influenced sacramental and incamational mod-

an attestation of how Pentecostals

older models

spirituality that has to

Rather,

it

encapsulates

tion that the mainstream the biblical

precedent,

toward our

specific

Francois Fenelon,

he avoids and

grace,

and other discussions

for this:

Catholic,

and sacramental

are

being of Christendom.

Arguing

that a the

corporate

characteristics of Protestantism must return to its

Tradition. is not

just

a twentieth

century reality

it has become so

widespread.

of the Christian tradi-

and direct us

Bernard of Clairvaux,

like John

nature

to cast those categories),

the over-

sacramental

heritage

if it hopes to discover an authentic

spirituality

that goes beyond

individualistic

piety” (109). However,

his reliance on

does not lead him to

disparage

the Pentecostal

He

says,

“Pentecostal

be reckoned with because

an essential

component

largely ignored

ii1 the

past” (39).

Based

upon

Chan believes we must allow God to be sover- eign,

to

surprise

us

(especially through

the

charismata),

vocations within the

body

of Christ

(234).

Chan argues

that Catholics like Francis of Assisi,

and Teresa

of Avila,

as well as Protestants

Calvin,

Richard Sibbes, and John Owen, were all aware of God’s

inti- mate and

surprising

charismatic nature.

Although

the Catholic

terminologies regarding

and mortal and venial sins

(instead preferring

in personal and existential

all tone of Chan’s book is

quite

Catholic. There is an

important

reason

Puritan

(86, 214-20),

ascetics have had centuries to process how it is that Christians best

progress

in devel- oping

the fruit of the

Spirit. Specifically,

he

urges

us to

adopt

a rule of

around which we should structure our

time, prayer,

church calen- dar,

and habits for

living.

The rule is not to be observed as a kind of legalistic

measure

(190),

nor is it to be

pursued

as an end in itself

(191)

the rule

necessarily produces spiritual

fruit.

Instead,

to

help

us

disciple, discipline,

and regulate

ourselves

(191). Pentecostals,

fall

prey

to the secular calendar. Aware of that, Chan

life

as

though keeping

the rule of life is followed in order

liturgical calendar,

because

they

have

virtually

no

the other

way

ing, fasting, practicing and

worship.

The “asceticism

growth

in

grace,

and

keeps charismatic interventions. should be both a

argues

that Christians “need to fit secular work into our rule rather than

around”

(190).

Elements of this rule can include

journal-

the

presence

of

God,

Bible

reading, meditation,

rule should enable Christians both to

practice

an

of small

steps” (207, 239),

which leads to

discipline

and

Christians

open

to God’s

surprising

and

In all of

this,

Chan

says, “every

Christian

charismatic and an ascetic”

(39).

22

within a

corporate understanding Because of his Asian

background

155

of Christian

living.

fact,

he

intermittently

and shows how and

why Christianity

If a rule of life is critical for

spiritual formation,

it must be practiced

and

experience

Chan is able to discuss elements of corporate living

and

thought

which will be

insightful

to Westerners.

(In

describes

Christianity

within an Asian context

must be understood

of assimilation

tends to be

processed

in

specific

(158-59). pastors

will find

ways

within Asian

cultures.) Every

Christian

activity, including prayer,

as

being

done in concert with the

larger body

of Christ. Chan clarifies, “Even in private reading we

engage

in a process

into the Christian tradition instead of

merely gleaning spiritual

lessons for our own individual

wellbeing”

It is on this

corporate-communitarian

level that Pentecostal

Chan

especially helpful.

In both halves of his book he

develops

how it

is a member of the

body

of Christ-both

and universal.

Knowing

that the

corporate emphasis may

be

foreign

to

individualistic he

clarifies,

is that the individual

those reared “Evangelicals

in a

largely often have

difficulty

ness

of worship.” Evangelicals, for

variety

and

relevance,”

historic

context, with

personal discipline

because

switching

to new and

(196-7).

His

message

is not

historically is so

important.

A

glaring

weakness

Specifically,

they

have

difficulty

with

corporate discipline:

the

regularity

and same-

Chan

continues,

“are

always clamoring

so “it is no wonder that in private devotions they quickly get

bored with one method and are

constantly

more

exciting ways

of

having ‘quiet

time’ with God”

it

ifest a

fully apostolic

novel,

and that

may

be

why

concerns

ecclesiology.

theologies

living (something

amid the commu-

spiritual–church (103-112), ment to low-church

Protestantism, question. However,

charismatics

the institutional

point.

This is not a devotional

in Chan’s

argument

if one

employs

sacramental and incamational

one must

carefully clarify

the role of the church institution. The Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox

argue

that in order to have the full sacramental

presence

of Christ within the

church,

and in order to man-

tradition of Christian Chan favors),

one must have the

presence

of Christ’s vicar

nity. Apart

from

making

an

impassioned plea

for a visible-and not just

Chan, revealing

his own

abiding

commit-

essentially ignores

the institutional

if he

hopes

that

evangelicals,

will embrace the kind of

spirituality

question

needs to be addressed and clarified at some

Pentecostals,

and for which he

argues,

.

piece,

nor is it

specifically

tract on Christian

spirituality.

It is

intentionally theological,

for

lobbing

charismatics,

interested and

smiling. No, institutionally speaking,

the Reformation

therefore

dry.

His

penchant hand-grenade

at

evangelicals,

an “how-to”

but it is not

an occasional verbal and Pentecostals

kept

me

is

23

156

not over. At the

theological

cal and Pentecostal

theologians

level, however,

the

great

and divisive cru- cibles of the Reformation are in a process of amelioration. If evangeli-

like Chan continue to take

seriously, interact

with,

and embrace the

teachings

of the historic

church,

the

typ- ically

disdainful and ambivalent attitudes toward the

past

which char-

Protestantism will

increasingly

wane.

And,

matters like Christian

discipleship,

acterize

large segments

of concerning

ter for it.

the church will be bet-

Murray

The Globalization (Irvine,

CA:

Regnum

W.

Dempster, Byron

D.

Klaus,

and

Douglas

of

Pentecostalism: A

Religion

International,

Reviewed

by

Chris Smith

This collection

Contributors

this movement

or six

essays falling

under are each introduced

The book commences

Petersen, eds.,

Made to Travel 1999).

406

pp., $24.95, paper.

a

sweeping

range

of

who and what

editorship

of sixteen

essays comprises

topics

bom of a conference held in San

Jose,

Costa Rica, in 1996.

engage

the discussion of Pentecostalism and its

unprece- dented

growth

into a fourth of the world’s

Christians;

is;

and

whether,

as the subtitle

purports,

it will remain the enviable

“religion

made to travel.” The sizable tome

presents

five

three

loosely-related

sections

which,

in turn,

by

an

editor,

and conclude with brief

responses from a known scholar in that field. This

comprises

the bulk of its pages.

with a forward

by

noted Pentecostal

scholar, Russell

Spittler.

A

brief,

but

helpful general

introduction

follows. The volume ends with an

impassioned plea by Harvard

theologian Harvey Cox,

author of Fire From Heaveni- an important

work that addresses several themes which are taken

up

and reexamined here.

As with

any large

collection

by

its triadic

of

articles, disparity

in

quality

and

effort does little to refute that

to address so broad

unevenness of

scope prevail,

and this

in

attempting

of 21 st century religion and

culture,

and

self-designated

and

of all

stripes who, collectively,

million adherents worldwide.2

Thus,

as the title “Pentecostalism

maxim. Such is

inevitable, however, a

subject

as the

globalization so vast a

group: charismatics, Pentecostals

Spiritzrality

“third

wavers”, constitute an estimated 450

As A

I The apt subtitle is more

revealing

of its contents: The Rise

of

Pentecostal

and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-first Centtrry (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1995).

2Cf. e.g. D. B. Barrett and T. M. Johnson, “Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission: 1999” in International Bcrlletin of Missionary Research 23 (Jan 1999), 24.

24

Global Culture”

suggests, strength

resides in

providing

non,

or even

less, Pentecostalism”

This section’s

wide-ranging

rative

theological

model

157

the

impossible.

Its

sampling,

and

summary

of

“planetary

Section II

attempts

a sense and a

representative

rather than a definitive articulation of the “Global Culture”

phenome-

a

tidy analysis

in its

myriad expressions.3

essays

stretch from

Jungja

Ma’s out- line of cultural and

theological challenges currently facing

Pentecostals in East and South-East Asia to Japie LaPoorta’s case

study using

a nar-

to trace the historical roots of the

Apostolic Faith Mission in South Africa. The latter demonstrates that in South

around the

globe),

Pentecostal

inherently

narrative in both form and structure. As

such,

it appreciates

of faith as more useful than that

normally

Africa

(as

is true elsewhere

the

experiential component found in more

cerebrally-inclined argues-rightly,

vates a more holistic detachment

in emerging countries overview

Catholic

nature,

and current

challenges

theology

is

mainline churches. LaPoorta further

not least because it culti-

rather than

prominent

position,

its

in my view-that Pentecostalism’s narrative

theologi- cal

emphasis

is a

strength,

not a

weakness,

perspective, seeking integration

of the sacred and secular

spheres

of life.

Those unfamiliar with the

history

or current state of Pentecostalism

will find E. L. Cleary’s

brief,

but well-researched

of Latin American Pentecostalism a

worthy

read.

Cleary,

a

scholar,

delineates Pentecostalism’s

in Latin American countries while dis- pelling

various Protestant and Catholic

American

counterparts,

can be described

social

policy,

but

being one

the first section entitled

“Changing

stereotypes along

the

way. Latin American

and,

more

not

only

as

having

a

of Pentecostalism. Three are

particularly

Paradigms

in include discussions of various

para- biblical

studies, praxis

and histor-

notewor- rich article

traces,

with a sense of

biblical studies

by

Unlike their North

recently,

Brazilian

Pentecostals

( 141 ).

The five

essays

of

Pentecostal

Scholarly

Reflection” digm

shifts in theology, missiology, ical

interpretations

thy.

Wonsak Ma’s

bibliographically pride,

Pentecostals

in

emphasis

from

mostly

historical

the unmistakable ascent of

scholarly

in the last

twenty

or so

years.

He accounts for the

change

studies on the Pentecostal move-

trained breed of

ment toward studies of biblical texts

by

a

“newly

(57),

the fruits of whose efforts have

begun

to

Pentecostal

scholars”

“What, then,

Interestingly, Barrett further predicts

that 50% of all

practicing

Christians in the world will be Pentecostals or charismatics by the year 2025. ,

3Ivan Satyavrata says it succinctly in the summarizing conclusion of his essay:

does it mean to be a Pentecostal? Simply stated-different

things to dif- ferent people!” (“Contextual Perspectives on Pentecostalism as a Global Culture: A South Asian View,” 216).

25

158

and crit-

appear

in a number of new forums,

books, theses,

dissertations

ical

journals.

Frank Macchia’s Pentecostal

Theology”, on various Pentecostal

through hagiographic

profiles

compelling,

nonetheless:

as

any

of its celebrated histories from the ‘classical’ Pentecostal

historiographies with critical

methodologies

publication

of

than was conceivable

with

key challenges

ductions to the

sections,

not least

“Shifting

the

Paradigms

in suggestive

considerations

and

Spirit baptism.

majori-

period

to the ‘new’

He echoes historian being

reached with the

( J 979).4

publications

and

enigmatic

‘totalizing’

keynote contribution,

offers

heuristically

distinctives as

tongues

Everett Wilson’s

concluding essay

in this section debunks

attempts

to explain

the

origins

of Pentecostalism on the basis of

any one

model or

of presumed saint-like charter members. His

persistent thesis-though contrary

to some canons of reason-is

the faceless masses of the committed ty were as integral

to the formation and advancement of this movement

clergy.

Wilson

artfully

traces the direction of

largely

‘ahistorical’

which,

since the

1950s,

were more in line

of the

academy.

Augustus

Cerillo’s

analysis

of a new milestone

Robert Anderson’s Vision

of

the Disinherited

Wilson considers the

spate

of innumerable and substantial

that fan out in diverse directions since as further evidence that the task of

defining

Pentecostalism is

certainly

more

ponderous

even one

generation ago.

Section III is the most far

reaching,

if not far

ranging,

as it grapples

ahead for “Pentecostalism in a Postmodem world.” Murray Dempster’s opening synopsis

is

perhaps

the best of the intro-

because the terms

themselves-‘post- modern’, ‘metanarrative’, ‘sub-modern’,

require clarity

of definition.5 The most

straightforward

attention: the role of women in

ministry

and ecu- menism. On the

former,

Janet Powers draws an

enlightening, sobering picture

of recent trends which show a

decreasing place

for

in traditional Pentecostal ministries. She offers

arguments

for its

apparent

causes as well as

steps

toward

possible

solutions. On the

issue,

Cecil Robeck’s clarion call to

unity

is a much need- ed

cry.

Robeck sketches the

ongoing struggles

of Pentecostalism the

quest

for

global

Christian

unity. Along

with the setbacks and chal-

he offers

hope

and motivation for Pentecostals to

engage

in this

sheer numbers alone could shift

with issues

deserving

women

ecumenical

lenges,

crucial task.

Indeed,

Pentecostalism’s

University Press, 1979)

and the like-

articles deal

but

and

posture composed

4Subtitled,

The Making

of American Pentecostalism (New York, NY: Oxford

cited on p. 113; for Cerillo, cf. to the History of American Pentecostal Origins,” Pneuma 19

“Interpretive Approaches

( 1 997): 29-52. 5cf. e.g. A.K.M. Adam’s, definition: “Postmodemism is not so much a method as a

of malleable and conflicting variables.” in What is Postmodern Biblical Criticism?(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995), 5, italics mine.

26

159

the balance of

power

on

any

number of

issues,

if

only

its

many

con- stituents would come to see the

potency

of active discussion and

ongo- ing dialog

in the

larger

ecumenical contexts

(354).

The

article,

“The ‘Toronto Margaret

as the ‘Toronto

Blessing”‘ servedly

unarguably genuine

revival- ultimately proclaiming

integration

all

accounts,

the

‘Blessing’ experientially,

scripture

as the basis merable accounts

Blessing’

in Postmodem

Society” by

There

may,

of

as “a framework within which

that will

go

down in the

history…

the (378); by uncritically

Blessing

demonstrates a

has all

which is or

any

need of

Poloma’s6)

are

bat-

Poloma left this reviewer a bit unsettled.

course,

be merit to using postmodernism

to understand better the

phenomenon

(363, emphasis mine). But,

to endorse unre-

the

‘phenomenon’ by quoting

sources which

downplay role or even the need of

scriptural

discernment

linking

the

spiritual

narcissism of a seJf-defined ‘

`laughing

revival’ to an

the First Great

Awakening (379);

and

by

that “The Toronto

holistic view of

person” (383,

italics

added)

and further

dubbing

it “an

of

body, cognition, emotions, will,

and

spirit-that but been lost…”

(383,

italics

mine)

is highly questionable. By

virtually

is nothing if it is not understood and defined

in terms of a

quest

for a

spiritual experience

given

tacit

priority

over

reason, spiritual discernment,

of

reality. Conspicuous by

their absence in innu-

of the

‘phenomenon’ (including

explicit

references to God’s word- the love and

deepened

reverence

compared

with the `fruit’ of earlier

Wesleyan

and Edwardsian

However far Pentecostalism ventures into

postmodernist

the

prayer

of

many

is that it not become a new

weapon

by

those

already predisposed

enthusiasts who are in search of a theology.

The final article discussed in this

section, “Pentecostalism,

Hermeneutics”,

account of Gerald

Sheppard’s personal

hermeneutics. One cannot read

anything

that he writes on Pentecostal hermeneutics without benefit.

Sheppard

shares three,

sometimes

humorous,

and at other times

self-critical,

that trace his own

postmodern journey.

reflections and observations draw from sources

beyond

the established

for it-as revivals. tlegrounds, wielded experiential

Globalization,

and Postmodern ing

and

entertaining

reflections on Pentecostal

.

of the Society for

having

to

describing

Pentecostals

as

presents

an illuminat-

and critical

testimonies To his

credit, many

of his

6To her credit, Poloma is less gushing of the sensation in her article “Inspecting the Fruit of the ‘Toronto Blessing’: A Sociological Perspective,” PNEUMA: The Journal

Pentecostal Theology 20 (spring 1998), 43-69, acknowledging on the final page of her concluding observations: “In some ways it

be stuck in an stream of the P/C least in North [The

Blessing] seems to

independent movement (at America

little

impact

on the

larger church or among

the

growing

unchurched in American society.” Ultimately, however, Poloma’s ‘fruit

inspection’ proves insuffi- cient to avert the

seemingly unimpeachable ruling

in her final

proclamation that “…the Toronto

Blessing has indeed produced good fruit.”

27

160

circles one would

expect.

The footnotes document this

and ‘traditional’

well.

Claims

…Pentecostal

scholarship” well be

hyperbolic. Nevertheless, impressive

contribution

that this collection of

essays

(viii)

and is

“ground breaking”

“marks a milestone in

(xv) might this

clearly

is a

noteworthy

and

cultural and reli-

to Pentecostalism and current issues in theolo- gy

and

hermeneutics-especially postmodernism,

ecumenism and world missions. This reviewer

that

any

and all can

profit richly

from this

gious globalization, affirms,

without

reservation, book.

Robert

and Richard

Pierard,

The

(Grand

G.

Clouse,

Robert N.

Hosack,

New Millennium Manual: A Once and Future Guide

MI: Baker

Books, 1999).

222

pp. $12.99 paper.

Rapids,

Reviewed

by Dwight

Wilson

tant,” “indispensable,”

ring breezy popularization. chapter five, “Apocalyptic Adventist

founder,

William

issues, people,

and movements

sary.

In the first

place, Paul

Boyer’s

When Time Shall

nothing

is assumed

“impor- It certainly lives

up

Now”;

proclaims,

“It’s Miller

irenic work that treats the this

coming

millennium.”

is

really

neces-

The back cover of this book advertises itself as

“reliable,”

and

“timely

and

insightful.”

to its billing, and the

scholarly

reader should not be

put off by

the recur-

Chapter

one is titled

“Apocalypse

Bebop”;

and the

picture

label of the

Miller, Jauntily

Time.” I

At the outset the authors observe that “Millennial madness is

upon us,”

and

promise

the reader “a

balanced,

surrounding

One

might

wonder

why

another

history

of

date-setting

it attempts a more

popular,

broader

appeal

than

Be No

More,

and is a concise text of exactly

200

pages.

In

addition,

the

clarity

is

particularly impressive:

and

every

turn in the

labyrinth

of

eschatology

is gently guided.

Another attraction is the multitude of

lively

illustrations. It is a likely candidate for use

by

a study/discussion group.

The authors

give

us a fascinating recap of millenarianism in the his- tory

of the church. This

begins

with the church fathers and moves through Luther, Calvin,

Jonathan

Edwards,

and on into the modem era.

interest to students of the new millennium

by

some. Luther at one time

suggests

The End will arrive in 2040

(86).

Even the

postmillennialist

opts

for the denouement to

begin

in America in 2016

(91).

These will

fodder for the date-setters as the new millennium

Of

particular

century

dates

suggested

undoubtedly provide unfolds.

are the 21 st

Jonathan Edwards

28

postmil,

and

amil-going (Nazi

and

Marxist), Islamic,

movements

161

(Malawian,

secular visions

Rastafarian,

indigenous

pass

the breadth

contribution to the

overwhelming exposition

of Jewish

mysticism

The

study, however,

extends

beyond

the usual discussion

of premil,

into Catholic

millenarianism,

non-western versions

as well as the

cargo cults),

and

contemporary

such as the Third

Wave,

the New

Age,

and the

dawning

of the Age of Aquarius. Trying to sort out this

bewildering

reader

appreciate why

a committee of authors was

necessary

to encom-

of research and

experience

that has added this

unique

Falling

mass makes the

mass of millenarian studies. Their and

cabalistic

concerns

certainly

We Have

for the church

as a whole

(137). Particularly writers who

depict

America this “strikes Christians

arrogant

at worst…”

(142, 186).

A

particular strength Millennium.”

Semitism

(169),

anti-nomianism

opened

new vistas for this reader.

on page 66 of the text is a short list of “Antichrists

Known.” But the

analytic aspects go

far

beyond

the mere

comedy

of errors of the date-setters. The authors

point

out the

tragedy

of disillu- sionment for individual believers and the embarrassment

incisive is the treatment of chauvinistic

as the Chosen in God’s

economy.

All of

in other countries as ethnocentric at best and

issues dealt with are anti-

(185),

and social

bent that Britain and the United States

modem Jews as a

British-Israelism

as heirs of the lost

false Israel

rejected by

On anti-nomianism

vation is cited:

divine

sovereignty,

and

eschatology takes the

significance

out that even those

evangelicals

is the final

chapter,

“The

Meaning

of the

Among

the

many important

(179), pro-Zionism

fatalism

( 190).

The authors

point

out the inherent anti-Jewish

produces by identifying

ten tribes of Israel and

castigating

God.

and social fatalism

Timothy

Weber’s

apt

obser-

“…in the

wrong

hands the doctrines of

providence,

become

fatalism,

and fatalism

antinomian

them

responsible rather to the

prophetic pre-determined

hands.

out of human action”

(179).

One

might

also

point

who were

pro-

Zionist did not

rally

to the defense of the Jews in the Nazi Holocaust because

they

felt it was a God’s

pre-ordained

method of

driving

the Jews back to the

Holy Land.

Therefore, they adopted

a

fatalistic,

“hands off’

approach.

This

stance subverted

any

ethical law that

might

have made

as their brother’s or sister’s

fatalism that assumed it was all in God’s

under

“Eschatological

keepers. They

turned

however,

is described of the

emphasis

on the

the

cal

objectives

The more common error of

pro-Zionism,

Excesses.” Because

restoration of the modem nation of Israel to the

Holy

Land as a sign of

last

days, many evangelical

writers

“uncritically support

the

politi-

(185). They

of Zionism”

ignore

violations of

29

162

international law as excusable fulfillments of

prophetic destiny.

The authors

lay part

of the blame for millennial madness on the Christian media that has

co-opted

the sensationalism of the secular media

(189).

For the bottom line little

hope

is offered. There is not

likely

to develop any

consensus to the

eschatological jigsaw

because there is “too much

speculation” coupled

with too much sensationalism. This attempt,

however,

to

fortify

fellow believers

against exploitation by both charlatans and sincere, sensationalist

speculators

is a noble task

by responsible

scholars. This work is truly a manual for the millennium.

30