Spirit Baptism and the Intensity of the Spirit
All of the experiences of being filled by the Spirit (and Spirit baptism in particular) may be expressed with the metaphor of the intensity of the Spirit.
Book review: “Justified in the Spirit” by Frank Macchia
Macchia, Frank D. Justified in the Spirit: Creation, Redemption, and the Triune God. Pentecostal Manifestos. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010. 345pp.+x. $32US. You can read my full review here in the Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity 3.1 (2013): 150-154. In Justified in the Spirit, Frank Macchia attempts “to develop a pneumatological theology of justification inspired […]
Updating the PAOC Statement of Faith: Gender and Language
We should update the PAOC statement of faith. I’m sure other people have thought this. However, I haven’t heard too many people talk about the fact that our statement of faith contains much gender exclusive language. Gender exclusive language uses terms like “mankind” and “policemen.” Gender inclusive language uses terms like “people” or “police officers” […]
Was the God Silent between the OT and NT?
For most of the 1900’s, scholars (and hence pastors’ popular teaching) have followed Hermann Gunkel’s conclusion (from 1888) that God was silent during the intertestamental period. However, many people aren’t aware that biblical scholarship has moved away from that view.
Pentecostals and Divine Suffering, Again: My Response to Castelo’s Response to Me
In a previous post I noted a response I published to Daniel Castelo regarding divine impassibility (especially concerning the possibility of God suffering). Castelo has since published a response to my article: Daniel Castelo, “Toward Pentecostal Prolegomena II: A Rejoinder to Andrew Gabriel,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 21 (2012): 168-180. (Due to copyright, I can’t […]
Horizon College and SEMINARY: Regarding PAOC Graduate Training
As the name indicates, Horizon College and “Seminary” (PAOC school in Saskatoon) offers seminary courses towards a graduate degree. I mention this because we are often overlooked and forgotten even in PAOC circles. In fact, Horizon was the first PAOC school to have a partnership with a Seminary, starting way back in the 1960’s in […]
I’m an Arminian and I believe in Divine Election and Predestination!
Arminians believe in divine election/predestination. We have to. It is in the Bible! The question is whether or not predestination is based solely on God’s will (Calvinists= unconditional election) or whether there is some basis upon which God preordains people (Arminians= conditional election). God’s Foreknowledge Arminians typically have argued that God’s condition for predestination is […]
Book Review: “Beyond Pentecostalism: The Crisis of Global Christianity and the Renewal of the Theological Agenda,” by Wolfgang Vondey
Wolfgang Vondey, Beyond Pentecostalism: The Crisis of Global Christianity and the Renewal of the Theological Agenda. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010. xiii + 267 pp. $32.00 paperback. Thanks to Brill’s (a publisher) generous author agreements, I am able to post my review here for those interested. You can view the table of contents on amazon.com. My review was […]
Bring the “Testimonies” back to Church!
Back in the “good old days” of pentecostalism, testimonies were common (i.e., an autobiographical story of how God had worked in a person’s life). At the Azusa Street revival testimonies were not only shared regularly by people in attendance, but they would also sometimes read letters during their meetings from people who had been inspired […]
Church in the Power of the Spirit
Reflections from a journal article (see below for full information): 1/ The church should be a “fellowship in the Spirit” (p. 156ff.). This means that the church is not just gathered together by the Spirit (a fellowship created by the Spirit), but that, “In the Pentecostal model of church, the key and defining thing is […]