Here I interview Dr. Peter Neumann from Master’s College and Seminary in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. I ask him about what a theology of experience is, what it means for Pentecostals, and what difference these ideas make for the average Christian.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #2: “Spiritual = Eccentric and Strange”
• 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 Pentecostal Theology of Experience appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

“ Could spiritual gifts manifest at a group level?

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Gifts of the Spirit are not Limited to Charismatics [Video]
• There is No Such Thing as Spiritual Gifts (Kind of)
• Is Speaking in Tongues Only for a Few? Only for the Gifted?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 Are Spiritual Gifts Only for Individual People? [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In today’s video, I interview theologian Dr. Mark Cartledge from Regent University (Virginia). I ask him about what makes Pentecostal and Charismatic theology of worship unique and what implications this has for worship leaders.

“ Check out this video on Theology of Worship in Pentecostal-Charismatic theology.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• What’s Wrong with Songs that Worship the Holy Spirit?
• Pentecostals and Altar Calls: An Evaluation
• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology of Worship [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In today’s video, I interview theologian Dr. Chris Green from Pentecostal Theological Seminary (Tennessee). I ask him about how Pentecostals historically and in current scholarship have thought about the Lord’s Supper and what implications this has for when we participate in communion today.

“ Check out this video on The Lord’s Supper in current Pentecostal Theology.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Pentecostals and Altar Calls: An Evaluation
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia
• 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 The Lord’s Supper in Pentecostal Theology [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In my last post, you may have noticed that I have started a YouTube channel. I plan to post a new video every couple of months.

In today’s video, I interview theologian Dr. Peter Althouse from Southeastern University, Florida. I asked him about how Pentecostals have historically thought about eschatology (last days / end times) and about how Pentecostal theologians are thinking about eschatology in current scholarship.

“ Check out this video on eschatology in current Pentecostal theology.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia
• The Holy Spirit and Eschatology (The Last Days)
• The Changing of the PAOC’s Statement of Faith … Again

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 Eschatology in Current Pentecostal Theology [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

As I noted in my previous post, contemporary Pentecostal systematic theologians are discussing Spirit baptism in ways that include, but go beyond, traditional Pentecostal emphases.

Amos Yong, a member of the Assemblies of God (USA), is arguably the most prolific Pentecostal theologian today. While he has not written a book solely devoted to Spirit baptism, he has discussed the topic in a number of places.

Full Experience of Salvation

In The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh (2005), Amos Yong describes Spirit baptism as “a New Testament metaphor for the full salvific work of God” (SPO, 119). Given that Yong understands Spirit baptism in this expansive way, he asserts that “the one baptism in the Holy Spirit … demands a variety of experiences” (SPO, 119). This includes one’s experience of the Spirit in conversion, sanctification, and empowerment, along with the “experience of the full baptism of the eschatological Spirit resulting in union with the triune God” (SPO, 106).

In other words, in this book Yong presents Spirit baptism as encompassing the I “was saved,” I “am being saved,” and I “will be saved” aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation.

Baptism of Love

In his book Spirit of Love (2012), Amos Yong emphasizes that “the baptism of the Spirit is also the baptism of holy love.” And he draws out the implications of this “for the life of holiness and for pentecostal witness” (SL, 60).

Yong finds the connection between Spirit baptism and divine love in the testimonies of early North American Classical Pentecostals. In addition, he sees the connection in Jesus’ experience of baptism. On this occasion, Jesus received the Spirit as the Father affirmed his love for the Son (SL, 100).

Among other passages of Scripture, Yong also appeals to 1 John 3. This passage explains that the love of God dwells in believers (verses 10, 14, 17) through “the Spirit he gave us” (verse 24).

This leads Yong to speak of a “missiology of love” (155) where Spirit-filled believers witness not only with their minds, but also with their hearts and hands—or, not only through what they say, but also through loving actions.

Expansive Doctrine of Spirit Baptism

Amos Yong further develops his theology of Spirit Baptism throughout his Renewing Christian Theology (2014). Like in his former books, he presents Spirit baptism as the Spirit’s work in saving, sanctifying, and empowering believers for witness (Renewing, 93, 100).

In this book, Yong bases his conclusion primarily on his proposal that “the life of Christ is paradigmatic for what Spirit-filled and Spirit-empowered ministry ought to be” (Renewing, 57, cf. 93). And, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ ministry focuses on “the renewal and restoration of Israel” (Renewing, 95).

According to Yong, then, Spirit baptism includes one’s reception of the Spirit at conversion. But it “also involves a subsequent work of grace available to all…, involving the full scope of the saving work of God so that each encounter with God—each infilling of the Spirit—deepens the Christian life and intensifies its witness” (Renewing, 98). This includes even one’s encounter with the Spirit through water baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Renewing, 159).

Tongues and Spirit Baptism

For Yong tongues remains the normative sign of Spirit baptism (like most Pentecostal scholars, he prefers “sign” over “evidence”). He expresses some concerns regarding the initial evidence doctrine. Nevertheless, he suggests that the doctrine does well in that it encourages the “expectation that whenever the Spirit descends, the gift of divinely inspired speech should be expected to manifest itself” (Renewing, 97).

Summarizing his position, Yong writes, “The point is that those filled with the Spirit get to speak in tongues, not necessarily have to speak in tongues right there and then. Understood in this sense, tongues-speaking is normative for Christian spirituality in general in terms of signifying the Spirit’s presence and activity” (Renewing, 97).

Overall

Yong’s theology of Spirit baptism shares many features of Frank Macchia’s expansive theology of Spirit baptism. And both of these Pentecostal theologians represent a shift in how Pentecostal systematic theologians are thinking about Spirit baptism.

“ There’s been a shift in how Pentecostal systematic theologians are thinking about Spirit baptism.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia
• “Why do PENTECOSTALS care so much about SPIRIT BAPTISM?”
• 3 Ways People Misunderstand Tongues as “Initial Evidence” of Spirit Baptism

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Touched by God: Experiencing the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Contemporary Pentecostal systematic theologians are discussing Spirit baptism in a way that includes, but goes beyond, traditional Pentecostal emphases. Historically most Pentecostals have emphasized that any believer can be baptized in the Spirit, that this experience empowers believers for witness (Acts 1:8), and that the experience is accompanied by speaking in tongues.

The Growth of Pentecostal Scholarship

Many people would say that Pentecostal scholarship did not really come into its own until after 1970, when James Dunn published his critique of Pentecostal theology. Dunn argued that Spirit baptism occurs at conversion. In other words, whenever someone becomes a believer, they receive the Spirit as a Spirit baptism (consider 1 Corinthians 12:13).

Pentecostal biblical scholars, like Roger Stronstad and Robert Menzies, responded to Dunn by focusing on the books of Luke and Acts (both written by Luke). They first argued that even though Luke primarily presents historical narrative, Luke is still a theologian, not just Paul. They continued by arguing that Luke presents Spirit baptism as a post-conversion experience where the Spirit empowers believers for witness.

Pentecostal Systematic Theology Today

As time has passed Pentecostal scholarship has matured as scholars have engaged many topics and disciplines. You can see this in academic book series like Pentecostal Manifestos and the more established Journal for Pentecostal Theology Supplement Series.

At the same time, Pentecostal scholars have continued to think about Spirit baptism. Today, every Pentecostal systematic theologian publishing on the issue is expressing an expansive understanding of Spirit baptism, which includes, but is not limited to, the common classical Pentecostal emphasis on a post-conversion experience of Spirit baptism as expressed by Luke.

“ Every Pentecostal systematic theologian publishing on the issue is expressing an expansive understanding of Spirit baptism.

Frank Macchia on Spirit Baptism

Frank Macchia, an Assemblies of God theologian, is one of the most influential Pentecostal systematic theologians on this issue. In his book Baptized in the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal Theology he presents Spirit baptism not as a one-time experience (or even a repeatable experience), but rather as a process identified with the coming of the kingdom of God.

That is, according to Macchia the process of Spirit Baptism began at Pentecost, continues still, and will continue until the full consummation of the kingdom of God. For the individual believer, this means that Spirit baptism encompasses one’s reception of the Spirit at conversion, any post-conversion sanctifying or empowering experience of the Spirit, and even one’s being raised by the Spirit at the return of Christ.

Macchia believes he is justified to integrate the diverse biblical voices (e.g., Luke and Paul) that utilize the metaphor of Spirit baptism on account of the metaphor’s connection to the expansive concept of the kingdom of God. For example, in Acts 1:3 Jesus appeared to the apostles and “spoke about the kingdom of God.” As he did this, Jesus told them, “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (verse 5). (Consider also Matthew 3:2, 11.)

Tongues?

If Spirit Baptism is, as Macchia proposes, a lengthy process of the coming of the kingdom of God, then what link is there between Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues? Macchia describes tongues as the “characteristic sign of Spirit baptism…because they symbolize God’s people giving themselves abundantly in a way that transcends limitations and creaturely expectations” (p. 281). In this sense, tongues serves as the decisive sign that confirms the experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Subsequence?

Macchia emphasizes that one cannot divide and fragment the work of the Spirit as though the Holy Spirit only does one thing at a time. This means that Pentecostals cannot claim that non-Pentecostals (in as much as they too have experienced the Holy Spirit) have not been empowered by the Holy Spirit to any extent, as though this only occurs when one speaks in tongues. At the same time, Macchia affirms that Pentecostals are “justified in calling Christians to a Spirit baptism [subsequent to conversion] as a fresh experience of power for witness with charismatic signs following” (p. 60).

Empowerment

Macchia believes Spirit baptism is about more than just receiving power for witness if that only means inspired speech. Instead, the Spirit’s empowerment includes sanctification, as the Spirit enables believers to witness through sanctified lives.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong
• “Why do PENTECOSTALS care so much about SPIRIT BAPTISM?”
• 3 Ways People Misunderstand Tongues as “Initial Evidence” of Spirit Baptism

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Touched by God: Experiencing the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and 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 Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 1 – Frank Macchia appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.