This collection of essaysan updated and expanded edition of a book originally published in 1986is like a good strip-mall buffet. Despite plain design, eclectic content, and uneven presentation, this fine missiological meal satisfies on two levels. First, it is a celebration of church growth, and second, it is a critical engagement with Pentecostalism's perennial tension between the Spirit and human mechanism.
The strong seasoning of triumphalism has certainly been addedparticularly in some of the earlier, historical chapters. But as you move along the buffet, you find many dishes fresh with humility and self-criticism. You also begin to see less of the heavy Western fare and more authentic cultural contextualization, which reflects a growth within the movement.
The book's topical organization ("Historical Perspectives," "Theological Motivations," "Strategic Issues," and "Future Choices and Challenges"), helpful introductions, and brief author profiles not only make it easy to navigate, but also give us the sense of listening in on the conversation of a living community.
True, you'll find the flies of disappointing editing buzzing all along the buffet. But don't let this keep you from this fine introduction to Pentecostal missions. I recommend this restaurant without reservation.
Our Anti-Intellectual Heritage | The history and beliefs of the Pentecostal movement, often shared by evangelicals, hold the seeds of a bias against the life of the mind. (March 30, 2006)
A Wind that Swirls Everywhere | Pentecostal scholar Amos Yong thinks he sees the Holy Spirit working in other religions, too. (March 29, 2006)
Africa's Azusa Street | East Africa has experienced Pentecost continually for nearly 80 years. (March 28, 2006)
Christian History Corner Romanticism Gone to SeedPart II | Have the holiness and Pentecostal movements really been "hyper-vertical" and "anti-domestic"? (Oct. 01, 2004)
God's Peculiar People | Historian Grant Wacker explains why Pentecostals survived and even flourished. (March 18, 2002)
Are Pentecostals Sex-Crazed? | John Steinbeck and Robert Duvall have portrayed them that way, and such criticism even came from inside the movement. But was it ever warranted? (Sept. 11, 2001)
Christian History Corner Explaining the Ineffable | In Heaven Below, a former Pentecostal argues that his ancestors were neither as outlandish as they seemed nor as otherworldly as they wish to seem. (Aug. 31, 2001)
Should We All Speak in Tongues? | Some say speaking in tongues is proof of 'baptism in the Holy Spirit.' Are those who haven't spoken in tongues without the Holy Spirit? (March 6, 2000)
A Peacemaker in Provo | How one Pentecostal pastor taught his Congregation to love Mormons. (February 7, 2000)
Christian History & Biography devoted an issue to The Rise of Pentecostalism. More on Pentecostalism from CT sister publications include:
Whither Pentecostal Scholarship? | The overlap between "people with the Spirit" and "people with Ph.D.'s." (Books & Culture, May/June 2004)