Karl Barth and Pentecostal Theology: A Convergence of the Word and the Spirit, edited by Frank D. Macchia, Terry L. Cross, and Andrew K. Gabriel. London: T & T Clark, 2024.

The book is published in the growing academic book series Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology.

The book is currently very expensive (US$150), but in a year or two the publisher should release a paperback version that will be closer to US$50. That is still expensive, but a little more reasonable for an academic book.

Endorsements:

…Barth aligned himself with the Pentecostal movement. This fruitful connection is fully explored for the first time in this highly interesting book in which expert scholars skillfully tackle its various threads”Eberhard Busch
University of Göttingen

…a deepening proposal to renew the Church’s life aligned with the Triune God infused with Pentecostal insight.”Marty Folsom
Pacific Association for Theological Studies

[The authors’] take on Barth’s problems and prospects concerning the Spirit are anything but rote, filled with surprises and worthwhile avenues for continued research and reflection.”John Drury
Indiana Wesleyan University

Here are the contents:

The post A New Book: Karl Barth and Pentecostal Theology appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Now that some time has passed, both books are available as paperbacks (and ebooks) for around US$40.

T&T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology, edited by Daniel Castelo and Kenneth Loyer.

Just shy of 370 pages, this book contains 37 essays on the Holy Spirit. They cover different section of the Bible, key themes in pneumatology (like the Spirit and science or ecology), essays that highlight the emphases that different church traditions make regarding the Spirit, and perceptions from different ethnicities and different parts of the globe. The multiple perspectives in this rich resource will help people understand things about the Holy Spirit that they one might not have learned from their own church experiences.

I was invited to contribute the essay in this book titled ”Charismatic Perspectives on the Holy Spirit” (available online here). In it, I discuss various understandings of Spirit baptism among Charismatic traditions and how Charismatic Christians think about the spiritual gifts and other experiences of the Spirit. My affirmation of much of charismatic theology comes with a caution that “it would be a mistake to think that God has given gifts of the Spirit only to those within the charismatic movement” (p. 267).

The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey.

While not strictly a book on the Holy Spirit, since the 42 essays in this 465-page volume reflect Pentecostal theology, the Holy Spirit is prominent throughout the book. To me, the most exciting parts are the 14 essays on core doctrines (Part 4) and the 12 essays (part 5) that look at various issues in theology—like art and aesthetics, disability, and ecotheology—all with much focus on the Holy Spirit. Like the above volume, this volume will expand readers awareness of the work of the Spirit.

In this volume, I contributed the chapter on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I observe how Pentecostals affirm the historic Christian doctrine of the Spirit as a divine person—but in their own unique way. Building on this foundation leads me to explain how Pentecostals view the Spirit as the intensifying and eschatological presence of God.

I commend both of these excellent volumes to you for your learning and growth!

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Holy Spirit and Leadership: 7 Biblical and Theological Observations
• What about Tongues? Spirit baptism in the PAOC’s Proposed Statement of Faith
• What’s Wrong with Songs that Worship the Holy Spirit?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Two New and Important Books on the Holy Spirit appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Simply Spirit-Filled has been released! It is now available for online and for purchase in stores.

To coincide with the book’s release, my colleague Carmen Kampman interviewed me live on Facebook. I also answered questions that people posted online during the interview. You can watch the replay below.

Read Chapter 1 or Order Simply Spirit-Filled

“ Check out the interview about Andrew Gabriel’s new book, “Simply Spirit-Filled.”

The post Interview about “Simply Spirit-Filled” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

1. Next Tuesday, February 12, I’ll be going live on Facebook for an online video interview and chat about Simply Spirit-Filled. Tune in and submit your questions! Even if you don’t have a Facebook account, you can watch at www.facebook.com/DrAndrewKGabriel.

To see what time it will be in your timezone, click here.

2. Here is an endorsement video from Dr. Sam Storms, Lead Pastor of Bridgeway Church (Oklahoma City).

The post Join me LIVE on Tuesday for an Online Video Chat about “Simply Spirit-Filled” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Do we always get what we want in life? Do we get to choose the length of our days? Kate Bowler is a wife, mom, friend, daughter, author, professor, and recent recipient of the news she has incurable stage IV cancer. In her book, Everything Happens for a Reason, she reminds us that we don’t. And it’s not because God doesn’t care that we might be dying (we’re all born to die), or that we want to grow old with our spouse, or that we have the most gorgeous, longed-for child.

Physical healing is a gift of God in the here and now, not a divine right (p. 16). It remains a mystery to those of us suffering as to why we don’t receive healing even though we are appealing to God for it. Kate harrowingly reminds us we’re not on trial before God, that sickness is not necessarily a result of one’s sin or unfaithfulness to God, which those who subscribe to the prosperity gospel believe, and that a suffering believer “is [not] a puzzle to be solved” (p. 16 and 170).

“ Physical healing is a gift of God in the here and now, not a divine right —CARMAN KAMPMAN

Various Lies

We’re “a people addicted to self-rule” (p. 87). We want God to move now—not tomorrow, not the next day, but right now. Why? Because we’ve anchored our lives to our “well -laid plans” (166), believing the lie that we are “the centre that must hold it together,” that is, the love in our marriage, and the happiness and safety of our children (p. 80).  And we’ve not yet realized that we’re not the anchor that holds all of life together, and as Kate articulates, our “little plans are crumbs scattered on the ground” (p.165).

Begging, pleading, and bargaining with God are all part of the human journey at times, and for many the appeal to the Prosperity Gospel (something that Kate has spent over a decade of her life researching) is this: “Believers [want] an escape from poverty, failing health, and the feeling that their lives were leaky buckets” (p. xiii).

Ever feel that way? Ever feel like life was more than you could bare and that your divine right as a Christ follower is to be healed…now? Ever found yourself saying, “I believe, therefore God you should…”?

Responding to Suffering

Kate’s unvarnished look at her noncurative cancer journey reminds us to be present with others in their suffering without trying to fix it, to mine for its rationale, or to discover the lessons God is trying to teach a person. She dispels the lie that says everything happens for a reason and we are entitled to know why things happen (pp. 106-125).

She reminds us to be physically present in our lives by embracing ordinary time because, we’re not entitled to all our dreams, contrary to the lie we may tell ourselves (p. 121).

As a pastor, wife, and mom, there were times when reading this book that I found myself pleading for God to spare this woman’s life, to give her more time with her husband and son. It feels unfair to me that this woman—without a divine miracle—will not grow old with her husband and will not live to see all of her son’s firsts. At other times when reading, I found myself laughing out loud, such as the time she took up swearing for Lent (p. 126).

Wisdom Says…

By the end of the book, I realized I had encountered a woman who exuded wisdom, for those of us willing to listen. Wisdom that says, even in the shadow of death, we must learn to live in “ordinary time,” the time where God is at work in our midst (p. 156). Wisdom that says there are not always definitive reasons for our current suffering, despite the stories we tell ourselves or the lies we believe. And wisdom that reminds us to live in the present because the someday you believe will happen, may not.

“ Live in the present because the someday you believe will happen, may not. —CARMEN KAMPMAN

If you’re wanting a behind-the-veil view of a Christian woman facing incurable cancer whose wrestled with some of the lies we tell ourselves, and if you’re wanting to know how to be a decent, loving human being to those enduring unimaginable suffering, then this insightful read is for you.

Full Publication Information

Kate Bowler, Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved (New York: Random House, 2018).

Review copy provided by Random House Publishers.

Guest post by…

Rev. Carmen Kampman is VP of Advancement at Horizon College & Seminary. Ordained with the PAOC, she is a steward of God’s call to women in ministry, and the founder of LEAD Women. Through study, discipline, and passionate encouragement, Carmen cultivates the deep wells of God’s grace and invites others to journey with her, to discover for themselves who they are and how God is calling them to where they want to be. Check out Carmen’s blog at www.carmenkampman.com.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Shouldn’t Faith Always Result in Healing?
• Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t
• What Jesus Really Says about GREAT FAITH

The post Everything Happens for a Reason…and Other Lies I’ve Loved appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Lewis Brogdon has produced an excellent work on the prosperity movement, offering more nuance to his evaluation of the movement than most, in that he is both critical and appreciative of the movement.

First, Brogdon challenges the common historical narrative that the prosperity movement has its roots in New Thought metaphysics and Christian Science, and suggests that its origins go back to the Pentecostal tradition, especially to the teachings of healing evangelists A. A. Allen and Oral Roberts.

Second, Brogdon suggests that in many cases Pentecostalism has shifted from emphasizing empowerment from the Holy Spirit to a narrative of success and prosperity.

Third, he surveys critiques of the movement (a helpful resource), including those of visible minorities who caution that “prosperity teachers give an insufficient amount of time talking with their congregations about [oppressive aspects of] economic, political, educational, criminal justice, and religious systems” (70).

Fourth, he asks, “Is prosperity teaching good news to the poor?” Here he both challenges prosperity teaching, but (unlike most critiques of the prosperity movement) also notes ways that aspects of prosperity teaching escape popular critiques of the movement. Where most studies of the prosperity movement focus on famous televangelists rooted in cities, he offers a case study on a small rural congregation of black people to illustrate how aspects of the prosperity gospel hold potential for the poor, particularly the message that “God cares about the poor and marginalized, God can change their situation, God’s work provides the ground for an alternative life, and committing one’s life to God, in faith, can lead to progress and change” (89).

In the final chapter, Brogdon wonders if prosperity could be the new Pentecostal message, arguing that it shouldn’t be, in its popular forms. He suggests that while the prosperity message could hurt global Pentecostalism, if it undergoes change, it has the potential to revitalize it.

Brogdon concludes his final chapter by observing how Prosperity teachers have missed “the importance of shared blessing” (100). He suggests that “Prosperity teaching can become a message about sharing God’s wealth with all creation and rebuking the social tendency of the few who are rich to hoard wealth for themselves” (101).

I appreciate how Brogdon both critiques and affirms (aspects of) prosperity teaching. If, however, prosperity teaching shifts in the way the Brogdon proposes, and drop the aspects that Brogdon critiques, I wonder if we could still actually call it prosperity theology.

Publication Info:

Lewis Brogdon, The New Pentecostal Message? An Introduction to the Prosperity Movement (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2015).

The post Review: The New Pentecostal Message? An Introduction to the Prosperity Movement appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Pentecostals and Experience

There is no doubt that at the core of Pentecostalism are experiences of the Spirit (p. 48-51) and that these experiences are vital to success in mission (71-72). In light of this I was challenged and challenge you to consider:

• Do Pentecostals today sufficiently prioritize experiences of the Spirit (68, 103)? A return to Sunday evening services with a focus on the altar call probably won’t happen anytime soon; however, if Pentecostals cannot find new ways of facilitating and encouraging people to be open to experiences of the Spirit as Pentecostals gather in community or in everyday life (80, 104-6), will they still be able to call themselves ‘Pentecostals’?
• Historically the experience of the Spirit brought unity and community among Pentecostals (43). But, are Pentecostals making sufficient space in leadership for all who have experienced the Spirit? One author observed, in the past and today “the path for Pentecostal women in leadership was neither easy nor uncomplicated” (53), and I’m sure this is also true of indigenous people, immigrants, and visible minorities within Canadian Pentecostalism. If I have learned anything about leadership (FYI—I prefer learning about theology ), it’s that a team with diversity (racial, gender, personality types, ages) is usually stronger than a homogeneous team.

Eschatology and Charts

Similar to comments that were made in the earlier PAOC book, Authentically Pentecostal (see my observations here), I found again in NEXUS an uncertainty regarding dispensational eschatology and was reminded that eschatology is not about end-times charts (58), unless it is, perhaps, a simplified chart (see p. 66). Rather, eschatology offers a source of hope as we look to the future (57, 59) and an explanation of our current experience of the supernatural as the age to come (the ‘not yet’) is manifested in the present (the ‘already’) (64-66).

Real and Ideal Pentecostalism

At times I got the feeling that authors of the essays in NEXUS may have been too optimistic about Pentecostals, writing more about what they desired Pentecostalism to be, rather than what it currently is. I suppose these are just signs of Pentecostalism’s good days and bad days. For example:

• Pentecostals and the Mind: I read signs of Pentecostals who value theology and study as guides for mission ( 74), and I read that Pentecostals can hold an experiential faith without abandoning the intellect (50). However, I also read of a history of Pentecostals who read the Bible without adequately considering biblical scholarship and commentaries (13-15) and whose default approach to interpreting Scripture is sometimes simply asking for divine help (“Lord speak to me”—p. 12).
• Pentecostals and Community: I read about how Pentecostals value community (40-43) and of the value of this community for guiding and discerning legitimate interpretations of Scripture (26-27). However, I also read that among Pentecostals the place of the community in interpreting Scripture has been “all too frequently set aside in favour of the private interpretation of a persuasive individual” (16).

Music and Theology

Finally, and on an entirely different note, I receive this challenge: “If we agree that there is a growing gap between ‘theology’ and ‘music,’ I would love to see pastors and theologians be the ones who take up the leadership challenge of building bridges with our artists” (96). So, in closing, I ask, can we be intentional about encouraging, equipping, and empowering the musicians and worship leaders among us (98)?

NEXUS is available (only $4) to order from Wordcom online or by calling 905-542-7400.

CLICK ON THE MENU TO SUBSCRIBE.

As requested, her is a picture of the table of contents.

The post Reflections on the PAOC book, “NEXUS: Where Theology and Mission Meet” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

The book was a joy to read. One of the final chapters was my favorite, which recounts the “testimonies” of individual’s healings and miracles from people that the author interviewed as a part of his research. For example, one lady recalled how at a church service God healed her husband of back pain that he had suffered with for many years. The book isn’t written to be an inspirational book though.

Aside from simply enjoying the read, the book was also fantastic because it offers many things to think about to many readers like myself who might read this book not as sociologists, but as people interested in and/or part of the Pentecostal tradition in Canada.

The Changing Nature of Pentecostalism in Canada

Stewart’s main hypothesis is that “Canadian Pentecostal identity is transforming from traditionally Pentecostal to generically evangelical categories” (p. 20). By generically evangelical, Stewart is thinking of “churches that, above all else, filter their religious content through a therapeutic, individualistic lens, which encourages the purging of traditional, denominational features in favour of a kind of lowest-common-denominator, homogeneous version of evangelical identity, belief, and practice” (p. 85). Many people that Stewart interviewed at PAOC churches were not even aware that they attended a Pentecostal church and, similarly, many weren’t sure what “Pentecostal” meant.

To further illustrate the “generically evangelical” shift, people at the PAOC churches Stewart studied were not committed to traditional Pentecostal understandings of Spirit baptism. Rather than describing Spirit baptism as an experience subsequent to conversion, the majority of interviewees identified Spirit baptism with conversion or water baptism. Even among those who did believe Spirit baptism is an experience subsequent to conversion (only 40% of those interviewed), none of the interviewees believed that “speaking in tongues is the unique evidence of Spirit baptism” (p. 110, 114). Furthermore, most described Spirit baptism primarily in individualistic and therapeutic terms (in keeping with generic evangelicalism), such as contributing to their personal spiritual development, rather than describing Spirit baptism as something to empower believers for witness (p. 129-130).

Questions to Ponder

Since this is a book in sociology of religion, it presented me with many new ways of thinking about how a church looks and runs. However, with respect to the central focus of the book, some questions many PAOC readers will be left asking are:

1. Is the shift toward “generic evangelicalism” a good thing or a bad thing? What would qualify this change as good or bad?
2. How should people in the PAOC (lay and credentialed) respond to this shift toward generic evangelicalism?
3. Should PAOC churches increase emphasis on traditional Pentecostal beliefs and practices at the risk of alienating many of their members?
4. To what extent do the people who lead PAOC churches value traditional Pentecostal beliefs and practices? (We actually do have some answers to that question from research Stewart and I have done…see here.)
5. In an effort for the PAOC to grow its membership as a part of the PAOC’s “2020 Initiative,” will the PAOC grow primarily by adding more evangelicals from other denominations to its churches, or will it (also) be able to grow by reaching those who are not already Christian?

“But it was Such a Small Sample!”

On a few occasions now, people I have discussed this book with have remarked how Stewart had a small sample (implying, I suppose, that the research might not be that true to the PAOC at large). Indeed, Stewart did field observation, surveys of, and interviews with the attendees of (only) three PAOC churches, all of which were around the region of Waterloo, Ontario.

Stewart is clear that his research does not prove anything about Canadian Pentecostalism “on a national scale” (p. 166). Hence, for example, Stewart never makes the claim that no lay people in the PAOC affirm the doctrine of initial evidence (which was true of the people he interviewed). Rather, Stewart’s research illustrates change.

Stewart is clear that his objective was to “explain the decline in Canadian Pentecostal affiliation recorded by Statistics Canada—nothing more, nothing less” (p. 10). That is, in a time when Pentecostalism was booming worldwide, Statistics Canada indicated a drastic 15% drop of those who identified as “Pentecostals” in Canada between 1991 and 2001 (p. 2). It appeared that Pentecostalism in Canada was declining faster than the mainline denominations in Canada. How, then, is it possible that the PAOC self-reported an increase in members between 1991 and 2001? Stewart is successful in presenting a case study that illustrates the most probable explanation of these seemingly contradictory numbers—many people attending Pentecostal churches in Canada have generically evangelical beliefs and identity.

Overall, Stewart has offered readers much to ponder about the changing nature of Pentecostalism in Canada.

Full book information:

Adam Stewart, The New Canadian Pentecostals (Editions SR, 37; Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2015).

CLICK ON THE MENU TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG.

The post The New Canadian Pentecostals: A Fantastic New Book! appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

MAPPING MODERN THEOLOGY: A THEMATIC AND HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION,

Most books on contemporary theology trace key themes in theology or focus on the contributions of influential theologians. While these approaches are helpful, it can be easy to miss how contemporary developments in theology have influenced each of the traditional topics in systematic theology. We can be grateful that Mapping Modern Theology helps us to see how this is the case.

Mapping Modern Theology is not technically a book on “contemporary theology” broadly speaking, however. Rather, the authors focus specifically on how theologians in the last couple hundred years have responded to modernity. The book begins with an essay by Bruce McCormack which introduces the concept of “modernity” within a theological context. He suggests that “modern” theology emerges when “church-based theologians ceased trying to defend and protect the received orthodoxies of the past against erosion and took up the more fundamental challenge of asking how the theological values resident in those orthodoxies might be given an altogether new expression, dressed out in new categories of reflection” and that philosophically  there was a “shift from a cosmologically based to an anthropologically based metaphysics of divine being” (p. 3).

The remainder of the essays by various evangelical (broadly defined) authors each focus on a different topic in systematic theology (e.g., creation, Christology, Holy Spirit, the Church), primarily from a Reformed Christian perspective. The chapters will be helpful for both non-specialists (although those who have never studied theology would be easily lost) and specialists. For example, the chapter on the Trinity (a topic in which I am well-versed) helped me to better grasp the impact of the “historical” approach to the Trinity in contemporary theology.

This book serves as a good reminder of the impact our philosophical assumptions can have on our theology, even when we are not conscious of them (or even deny them). The book will also serve well anyone who wants to know how the various topics in systematic theology have been influenced by modernity.

Mapping Modern Theology could serve as a helpful textbook to a course on systematic theology or contemporary theology. At the same time, the strength of the book could also be its weakness, as far as being used as a primary rather than supplemental textbook. That is, in the systematic approach of the book, one could miss the ‘big picture’ changes happening in theology today and might not get a good sense of who the most influential theologians have been in contemporary theology. This would not be an issue if the course lectures took a different approach than the book. Another concern (which is true for many books) is that readers might get the impression that theology is only about debates where theologians disagree on things, and readers might therefore miss the depth of the historical consensus of the Church on doctrine. While being aware of these concerns, readers will benefit greatly from the contributions in Mapping Modern Theology.

This book was provided for review courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favorite bookseller from Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The post Book Review: “Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction,” edited by Kelly Kapic and Bruce McCormack appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

The PAOC has published another booklet:

I am encouraged to see that the PAOC recognizes that discipleship includes more than just telling people to read the Bible and pray—among other things, it also includes helping people to form proper attitudes and actions.

This small book directs people towards valuing and practicing generosity by providing ten short chapters that include stories and teachings about generosity that both motivate the reader and provide practical guidance toward creating a culture of generosity in the spheres that we find ourselves in. Despite the inspiring stories in the book, if the statistics on p. 39 are of any indication, this book is needed because we in Canadian churches could be more generous.

Here are a few quotations that I found particularly impacting:

• “God takes special note of every act of generosity” (with reference to Acts 10:2)—p. 12, David Hazzard
• “In the Old Testament, generosity is listed as differentiating the righteous from the wicked” (with reference to Psalm 37:21)—p. 35, Stephen Hertzog
• “And by witnessing hungry children share their food selflessly, I saw extreme generosity.”—p. 74, Carol Froom
• “Generosity comes from a transformed heart, one that has moved from worship of mammon to devotion to God.”—p. 88, Ron Davis
• “So Paul urges the Corinthians to express this virtue [of generosity] with the same excellence with which they pursue other gifts they value: faith, speech, knowledge, complete earnestness, and love.”—p. 108, the remarkable Rob Lindemann

And a few challenging questions to consider:

• “Is there a generosity goal for the congregation?”—p. 77, Carol Froom
• “Are we creating an atmosphere of generosity, celebrating it, and reproducing it consistently in our midst?”—p. 123, Judy Hearn
• “In what specific ways can we determine that generosity is being nurtured in our churches, in our families, and in our nation?”—p. 127, Judy Hearn

2 Corinthians 9:11~ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Generosity Changes Everything is available for $4 + shipping from the PAOC head office order desk at 905-542-7400, ext. 3223 or email orderdesk@paoc.org.

Stay tuned for a blog post on “What is discipleship?” (coming in a few weeks)…

The post The PAOC Book, “Generosity Changes Everything” appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.