I expect that attendees at General Conference next month, when the proposed statement will be voted on, will only have about a minute to speak to the motion, so I will give some extended explanation here for why I am “in favour of the motion.”

Eschatology that is More Pentecostal? For sure!

Like much of the proposed Statement of Essential Truths (SOET), the section that focusses on eschatology, with the title “Restoration,” adds some Pentecostal emphases that are not in the PAOC’s current SOFET [now, previous SOFET].

“A passion for the kingdom” is core to Pentecostal spirituality. Consistent with this, the proposed statement affirms “Christ will complete at his second coming the restoration begun when he initiated God’s Kingdom at his first coming.” This emphasis on the kingdom of God that is already coming, but not yet fully here, is core to Pentecostal eschatology.

Another new statement that adds Pentecostal flavor to the proposed statement is the affirmation that at the second coming, Jesus Christ will “defeat all powers that oppose God.”

Though not uniquely Pentecostal, I also appreciate the addition that final “judgement is God’s gracious answer to humanity’s cry for justice to prevail throughout the earth and is consistent with God’s character as loving, holy, and just.”

And the final “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” just makes me want to raise my hands and start speaking in tongues.

Unreasonably Short?

Anyone who compares the proposed SOET to the current SOFET will note that there is significantly less detail regarding eschatology in the proposed version. The proposal has only 169 words on “Restoration,” whereas the current version includes 326 words on “The End of Time.”

In many ways, the proposed, condensed version marks a return to the past. After forming in 1919, the PAOC functioned from 1920-1927 with a “Statement of Fundamental Truths” (SOFT) that included just under 200 words on eschatology.[1] It included an affirmation of “the rapture of believers,” but without an assertion of its timing, and of “the premillenial and imminent coming of the Lord.” This is similar in content to the proposed SOET—though the specific words “rapture” or “millennium” are absent, the 2022 proposal maintains the “imminent return of Christ.”

Over the years, the PAOC added increasingly more detail to its statement on eschatology. In 1928 the PAOC approved a revised version of the SOFT, expanding the eschatology section slightly to 210 words. This revision added a statement that the rapture “takes place before what is known as the Great Tribulation.”

“ Over the years, the PAOC added increasingly more detail to its statement on eschatology.

In 1980 the PAOC further expanded its “Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths” (SOFET). Even though Scripture references were moved to footnotes (reducing the word count), the eschatology section was expanded to 343 words. This version added in numerous details such as Christ’s “victory at Armageddon,”  explicit mention of the land of Israel, and that “unbelievers remain after death conscious of condemnation until the final bodily resurrection and judgment of the unjust.” It also moved to an explicitly pre-tribulation view of the rapture.

In 1984 the General Conference amended the SOFET in a way that marked somewhat of a return to the 1928 position, allowing for either a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation view of the rapture.[2] The paragraph on “The Tribulation” was condensed, but added that the Antichrist would emerge in the midst of the tribulation.[3] Today, as of April 2022, the eschatology section of the SOFET is fairly detailed at 326 words long.

Less Detail on Eschatology is the Norm Among Other Canadian Pentecostals

Most other Canadian Pentecostal denominations include less detail on eschatology than the PAOC, and most do not reference the rapture or even the millennium. This points to the fact that there is nothing inherently Pentecostal about numerous eschatological points that are in the PAOC’s current SOFET.

“ There is nothing inherently Pentecostal about numerous eschatological points that are in the PAOC’s current SOFET.

Despite the reduced length, the PAOC’s proposed 169-word paragraph on eschatology is still more words than all but one Canadian Pentecostal denomination that I looked up:

• The Apostolic Church of Pentecost in Canada’s Statement of Faith includes only 26 words on eschatology.
• The Canadian Assemblies of God belief statement includes 50 words. This includes an affirmation of “the rapture of the Church,” but with no assertion regarding its timing.
• The Fellowship of Christian Assemblies (also Pentecostal) includes only 39 words on the topic.
• The Church of God in Western Canada’s Declaration of Faith has only 53 words in its two declarations on eschatology. Unlike the other statements I looked at, it explicitly affirms the “premillennial second coming of Jesus.” It doesn’t use the word rapture, but implicitly affirms the idea without being specific regarding its timing.
• The Foursquare Church’s Declaration of Faith is the only statement I looked up that gives significantly more space to eschatology than the PAOC. Their document, written by early Canadian Pentecostal evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, is 16 PAGES, yet its four distinct sections on “The Second Coming of Christ,” “Judgement,” “Heaven,” and “Hell” (totaling 560 words) contain no reference to the millennium or the rapture.

Pentecostal Eschatology Outside Canada

If we look at Pentecostals outside of Canada, we also see little detail regarding eschatology:

• The Pentecostal World Fellowship’s Statement of Faith includes only 36 words on the topic.
• The World Assemblies of God Fellowship’s (WAGF) Statement of Faith includes 113 words on “the End of Time.”
• The Assemblies of God’s (USA) Statement of Fundamental Truths comes in at 232 words.

Clearly, the amount of detail regarding eschatology within the PAOC’s current SOFET is not the norm among Pentecostal statements of faith.

Dispensational Eschatology ≠ Pentecostal Eschatology

Beyond that, most Pentecostal theologians and historians would say that dispensational eschatology, which has led to the significant detail in the PAOC’s SOFET, is actually contrary to Pentecostal theological intuitions. For example, Amos Yong claims that dispensationalism is not “conducive to pentecostal spirituality.”[4]

Similarly, Matthew Thompson maintains that “Pentecostalism in North America…lost its distinctive core due to its lack of theological consistency in adopting evangelical theologies,” by which he specifically means “Pentecostalism’s ill-advised adoption and adaptation of Scofieldian dispensationalism”[5]

Some ways that Pentecostalism conflicts with dispensational beliefs are

1. Pentecostals experienced the dramatic and miraculous gifts of the Spirit, whereas dispensationalism was characterized by cessationism—dispensationalists believed that the gifts of the Spirit ceased after the age of the apostles.
2. Pentecostals believed Christ was coming soon and that they were empowered by the Spirit to lead an end-of-time revival before his return, whereas dispensationalists believed that each dispensation would end with a time of apostasy, including the Church age which would precede the return of Christ.
3. Pentecostals emphasized the already/not yet of the kingdom of God, meaning that as the Spirit is active today, the kingdom of God is already present, even though it has not yet fully come. By contrast, dispensationalism makes a sharp line between the Church age and the kingdom age.[6]

The system of dispensationalism does not fit well with Pentecostal theology and experience. Given this, Peter Althouse notes that “Pentecostals had to modify the dispensational script significantly to include their own theological distinctives.”[7]

“ The system of dispensationalism does not fit well with Pentecostal theology and experience.

But not all Pentecostals have held to dispensational eschatology. Larry McQueen’s study of Pentecostal history reveals there was a variety of views regarding eschatology in early Pentecostalism.[8] Quite clearly, dispensational eschatology ≠ Pentecostal eschatology. McQueen adds, the more one “takes Pentecostal theology and spirituality into account, the less dispensational it [Pentecostal eschatology] appears to be.”[9]

A Rejection of the Past?

As noted above, the condensed eschatology section of the proposed SOET is similar to the SOFT that the PAOC had prior to 1928. So, in some sense, the PAOC is returning to its roots.

At the same time, the absence of language like “rapture” or “Armageddon” or “Antichrist” does not indicate that the PAOC is rejecting these ideas that are currently in the SOFET. Indeed, the proposed SOET still allows for pastors within the PAOC to continue preaching these ideas.

By analogy, the phrase “the new heaven and the new earth” is absent in the proposed SOET, but surely no one would conclude this means that people in the PAOC cannot or should not believe in such an idea!

At the same time, the reduced detail in the eschatology section does allow for a variety of views within the PAOC regarding some eschatological issues.

The Aim of a Statement of Faith

If I were to write the statement of faith for the PAOC, it would look different than it does. Each member of the PAOC’s Theological Study Commission feels this way.

This is a good thing. Because a denomination’s statement of belief is not meant to reflect the theology of one individual. Given this, it makes sense that it would allow for some diversity of eschatological thinking, just like the PAOC did in its earlier years.

What About the Rest of the SOET?

In my next blog post, I intend to explain 7 ways that the PAOC’s refreshed SOET is more Pentecostal in nature than the current SOFET. In the meantime, I encourage you to read the proposal for yourself (if you have access to it) and consider which ways you think the SOET reflects Pentecostal emphases.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Pentecostals and the Trinity: On the PAOC’s Refreshed Statement of Faith
• The Changing of the PAOC’s Statement of Faith … Again
• The Holy Spirit and Eschatology (The Last Days)

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.

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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.

In the article I first outline the biblical connection between the Holy Spirit and eschatology, I then explain how this can shape one’s understanding of Spirit-empowered ministry and Spirit-inspired hope, and finally I argue that the eschatological nature of Pentecost (Acts 2:17, “in the last days”) means that Spirit baptism must be understood in light of more than just the book of Acts, but rather in light of all of the Old Testament’s eschatological expectations regarding the coming of the Spirit and their fulfillment as understood throughout the New Testament.

Unfortunately, due to contract stipulations, I am unable to post the journal article on my blog.

Yesterday I received my copy of Third Article Theology: A Pneumatological Dogmatics (Fortress Academic, 2016), edited by Myk Habets.

The book is filled with essays by authors from a variety of Christian denominations, including a handful of Pentecostals, that engage all areas of systematic theology from the perspective of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (hence, “pneumatological dogmatics”).

My essay in the book (chapter 3), “Pneumatological Insights for the Attributes of the Divine Loving,” continues the work I began in my book The Lord is the Spirit by further exploring how the Christian understanding of the Holy Spirit should shape how one understands the attributes of God.

You can read my essay in full on googlebooks here.

The post My Two New Publications on the Holy Spirit 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.

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*Posted here with permission.

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• Read more about the study here.
• The initial report, “Highlights from the 2014 Survey of PAOC Credential Holders,” is now available to view online.

The report is not that long (and mostly tables), so I encourage you to read it.

Personal Reactions

• Although I have already seen this in previous research, I was once again struck by the fact that the majority of current PAOC credential holders are over 50 years old, meaning we will need a lot more leaders soon when this age bracket eventually retires.
• While I expected a slight shift, I was surprised by how significant the shift was in understanding the relationship of tongues to Spirit Baptism. In 1985/86, a strong majority of PAOC credential holders insisted that someone who has not spoken in tongues has not been baptized in the Holy Spirit. In contrast, just under half of credential holders today would make the same claim (although they still affirm initial evidence).
• Given conversations during sessions where eschatology was discussed at the May 2014 PAOC General Conference, I was surprised at how high support remains among credential holders for the eschatology currently expressed in the PAOC’s Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths, especially with respect to the rapture.
• I was surprised by how significantly views have shifted regarding Christians drinking alcohol and also by how many credential holders have had one or more drinks in the past year.

Additional Features of the Report (the report covers many other issues too)

The report answers questions that some credential holders had about:

• How we maintained confidentiality.
• The rationale behind the questions that were included in the questionnaire.

Again, the initial report, “Highlights from the 2014 Survey of PAOC Credential Holders,” is now available to view online.

The post What do Pentecostal Clergy Believe? Observations Regarding the 2014 Survey of PAOC Credential Holders appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

“ Theology is found not only in textbooks—it is also found in places like art and music.

With respect to worship and music specifically, it is important for us to be thoughtful about the theology that is conveyed in the songs that we sing in church (if worship leaders don’t feel equipped to do this, they might enlist the help of a pastor). People are more likely to remember the latest Chris Tomlin worship song that the church has been repeating for a few weeks, than they are to remember the sermon from last Sunday (even if the three points in the sermon did all start with the letter “c”).

The songs that are sung in a church say a lot about the theology of the church, or at least the worship leader. Do they focus on feeling God? Do they focus on the love of God? The majesty of God? So, for example, it should come as no surprise that a church that emphasizes the “prosperity gospel” would sing a song that talks about expecting a “new season … of power and prosperity” (It’s a New Season, by Israel Houghton).

Some songs can be theologically problematic. While I deeply appreciate most of the lyrics in the song “Eagles Wings” (by Hillsong Church) the song asks God, “abide in me, I pray” and the chorus similarly requests, “come live in me, all my life take over.” However, Scripture makes clear that if you are a believer, then God already dwells within you by the Spirit (1 John 4:13)—even though the Spirit might come in a more intense manner (see here). A little adjustment can easily fix the theologically problematic statement—“you live in me” rather than “come live in me.”

Besides ensuring that the songs we sing are theologically correct, we should also sing a variety of songs that communicate the key teachings of the Church. I don’t mean to imply that a song isn’t worthy of including in a worship service if it doesn’t significantly address a key theological topic—there is a place for some songs that express our feelings to God and songs that are prayers to God can also be very powerful. However, since songs can serve as a means of reinforcing good theology, then over time we should plan to sing songs about various foundational Christian beliefs as well.

Singing a song with a catchy tune and that rhymes “fire” with “desire” isn’t always good enough. (Keep reading below after this hilarious video…comments regarding lyrics begin at the 1:12 mark)

As I said, we should plan to sing songs about various theologies to help reinforce the key teaching of the Christian faith. It is easy to find hymns about various theologies since most hymnbooks list their songs by topic (check the index and table of contents). And many hymns are still “cool” when “cool” people sing them (e.g., This is My Father’s World, as performed by Gungor).

There are many helpful web pages (like here and here) that can help you find contemporary worship songs by topic (although the songs listed are sometimes only tangentially related to the theme that the songs are listed under).

Below I will include a list of example songs that clearly address a key theological topic (each with a link to the lyrics in the title).

REVELATION

“Cannons,” by Phil Wickham

TRINITY

“Praise the Father, Praise the Son,” by Chris Tomlin

GOD’S ATTRIBUTES (this is an easy category to fill up, so I’ll just offer a couple examples)

“Holy is the Lord,” by Chris Tomlin

“10,000 Reasons,” by Matt Redman, especially verse 2

HOLY SPIRIT (historically, most songs on this topic are prayers for the Spirit to come)

“Holy Spirit Breath of God,” by Keith and Kristyn Getty

*Note: This song also contains the problematic statement “come abide within.” Otherwise, it is quite rich.

JESUS CHRIST

“We Lift You Up,” by Brenton Brown

CREATION

“Glory to God,” by Steve Fee

DIVINE PROVIDENCE

“Every Good Gift”, by Clayton Brooks, especially in verse 2 and the chorus.

HUMANITY

Hmmm…I can’t think of any songs that deal with theological anthropology. I’d welcome suggestions! I suppose it is natural that we usually aren’t singing about us when we worship.

SIN

“Lord, I Need You,” by Matt Maher

SALVATION (another category that easily fills up quickly)

This is Amazing Grace, by Phil Wickham

CHURCH

I can’t think of any songs about ecclesiology, but, again, it is natural that in worship we would not be singing about ourselves, but rather focusing on God and the works of God. Nevertheless, I’d welcome suggestions!

ESCHATOLOGY

“Sing to the King,” by Billy Foote

The post Theology in Worship and Music: Please Think About What We Sing appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

There are many places where Old Testament authors expect a future outpouring of the Spirit (for example, Ezekiel 39:29, Isaiah 32:15, Joel 2:28). These eschatological expectations are fulfilled in the New Testament on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit is poured out (Acts 2). As a result, Luke confirms in Acts that it is “the last days” (2:17) and Paul states that “the promise of the Spirit” has come (Gal 3:14). The coming of the Spirit represents eschatological fulfillment.

The presence of the Spirit also represents eschatological anticipation as we live in what theologians call the already/not yet of the eschaton or kingdom of God. For example, with respect to anticipation, Paul explicitly states that God “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Cor 1:22, similarly 2 Cor 5:5; Eph 1:13-14, and 4:30).

The coming of the Holy Spirit, therefore, means that we live in the “last days” but that there is still more to come in God’s final work. As a person has “shared in the Holy Spirit,” that person experiences “the powers of the coming age” (Heb 6:4-5).

Our experience of the Spirit reminds us that we are in the last days and, therefore, that we are to look forward to the return of Jesus Christ. I am not arguing for a frenetic urgency, which might lead to failure due to a lack of planning or preparation for the future (one can maintain patience with eschatological anticipation). Rather, the eschatological presence of the Spirit serves as a necessary reminder to those who are quite comfortable in this world that this present state is not the end. Early Pentecostals emphasized that we were living in the last days precisely because of their experience of the Spirit. They did not need someone to give a prophetic interpretation of the political situation in Israel to convince them that they were living in the last days; they already knew that, because they had received the Spirit of Pentecost who was poured out “in the last days” (Acts 2:17). Given this recognition, Christians must continually “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Mat 24:44). So also, as believers are “looking forward to this, [one must] make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with” God (2 Pet 3:14).

In the meantime, I echo Paul’s prayer for the Romans, “that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).

This blog entry is based on parts of a paper I presented at the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) called “Interpreting the Holy Spirit Eschatologically—With Implications for Ministry and Spirit Baptism.” The paper was subsequently published in the Journal of Pentecostal Theology. See here for more info.

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In the section on Christ as savior, Jeromey Martini and Brandon Malo do a fine job of describing the variety of ways that the Scripture describes salvation. They also emphasize that salvation is not just about reaching heaven and God no longer seeing us as sinners. Martini may overstate the fact that what changes in salvation is us (rather than God—p. 16). He is correctly reacting to views of salvation that present the “nice” Jesus as saving us from the “angry” God who must punish us for our sins. However, it seems to me that our salvation does bring about a change in God (consider Romans 5:9), albeit this is largely on account of the change God affects in us.

Regarding another point, I am a little more optimistic than Brando Malo regarding Pentecostal preaching on salvation, because it seems to me that most Pentecostals (and other evangelicals) have largely moved away from emphasizing salvation as “an escapist…mentality” (p. 25), with a focus on getting to heaven, to preaching salvation as having a relationship with God.

Roger Stronstad begins the section on Christ as baptizer (in the Holy Spirit) by summarizing his excellent work on this topic as he emphasizes the prophethood of all believers and how believers can be empowered to carry on the ministry of Jesus by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The next two essays by Peter Cusick and Karen Reed continue to a good job of emphasizing the importance of Baptism in the Holy Spirit. At the same time, however, I am puzzled by how these latter two essays focus so much on speaking in tongues. For example, Reed discusses the importance of praying (and how to pray) in tongues (p. 49-51). Similarly, Cusick writes that Roger Stronstad’s essay in this booklet “is helping us to see tongues as something more than initial evidence.”

I am worried that this focus on speaking in tongues is an indication of how so many people in the PAOC view (and preach on) baptism in the Holy Spirit. In contrast to these two essays, Stronstad’s essay actually says little about speaking in tongues. Rather, he emphasizes our anointed ministry. In fact, Stronstad mentions tongues only a few times when he says that baptism in the Spirit is “attested by speaking in tongues,” that the “sign” of Spirit Baptism is speaking in other tongues, and that speaking in tongues was “the invariable sign” of Spirit Baptism for the believers in the book of Acts (p. 32-33 & 36).

On another note, I observe that Stronstad never explicitly refers to tongues as “the initial evidence” of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, so I wonder if he represents those who are unsure if the terminology of “initial evidence” is the best way to express the relationship of tongues to the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

In the section on Christ as healer, William Sloos and Brandon Malo reaffirm the consistent Pentecostal belief that God still heals people today. To me, their most important points are: 1) that when a person is not healed, it does not mean they lacked faith (p. 58 and 70) and, 2) that healing isn’t meant to be confined to circles of believers; rather, it should go hand in hand with evangelism (p. 65-66 and 71).

In the section on Christ as coming King, both Van Johnson and Peter Cusick discuss eschatology in terms of living in light of the kingdom of God which is “already” coming (but “not yet” fully here). Related to this, they both express dissatisfaction (which seems to be common in the PAOC these days) with building “an entire prophetic calendar” (p. 80) or having a “fascination with the rapture and prophetic charts” (p. 79, compare p. 84). Doing this, they say, can hinder us from living in light of the kingdom of God (by doing what needs to be done now) as we await (and expect) the imminent (any time) return of Christ.

Overall, this booklet makes me proud to be a part of the PAOC. I have been impressed with the leadership of the PAOC to allow and encourage open discussion on doctrine as the commission has met across Canada (including at the recent national conference). Further, Van Johnson writes that the booklet “was not written to make definitive statements” noting that “we have our differences within the committee” (p. 3).

I am also impressed by the fact that the PAOC (and its leadership) recognize the importance of theological discussion. This is illustrated by the fairly new existence of the PAOC theological study commission as well as this booklet.

Ignoring theological discussion only allows misunderstanding to grow as well as poor ministry practice. David Well’s expresses this well when he writes, “Good lives and good ministry always flow from good theology” (p. 7).

The unfortunate thing is that many (including myself) often think we already have our theology all figured out, and, hence, we can be prone to shy away from (or react over-defensively to) a theological discussion which may challenge us and even correct us. This is not the case with this booklet.

I encourage everyone in the PAOC to take a few hours to read the booklet…it isn’t long…you can order a copy at orderdesk@paoc.org or by calling 905-542-7400 (ex. 3223). It is only $3 plus shipping.

The theological study commission started a conversation and continues it now with the publication of Authentically Pentecostal. I have NOT attempted here to offer a complete summary of the book. Rather, I offer the above thoughts and reflections to continue the conversation. As always, I invite you to join the conversation by commenting below.

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I started off a new sermon series last Sunday: “Seeing Clearly: Understanding the Signs of the Times.” In my sermon I discussed how the ‘signs’ of the end of the world and the return of Christ (Matthew 24) have all been around since Jesus’ day, but they do serve to remind us that Jesus is coming back. One of those signs is that there would be people claiming to be the messiah. People continue to be deceived. Many of you have probably heard of Jim Jones, David Koresh, and the like. Well, even today people are following a fellow by the name of José Luis de Jesús Miranda who claims to be the Christ. His ministry has a ‘nice name’ (“Growing In Grace International Ministry”) and he is a former Pentecostal turned Southern Baptist minister. Matthew makes it clear that it will be obvious when Jesus Christ returns again (Matt 24:27 and 30). Here is the man in question:

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