Pentecostal theology of mission in the making

Abstract

While Pentecostals are known for productive and widespread mission work, theological reflection has not kept up with praxis. In recent years, however, a number of leading Pentecostal theologians have started to reflect on key issues such as what are the underlying motifs and distinguishing features as well as urgent challenges facing Pentecostal mission, social concern and relation to other religions, among others. This essays attempts to offer a state‐of‐art critical survey based on English speaking literature at the international level.

Notes

David Barrett's statistics in the January issue of International Bulletin of Missionary Research give the most up‐to‐date survey for each year. See also Pousson (1994, p. 8). For global plans among Pentecostals and Charismatics to evangelize the world, see Johnson (1992, pp. 197–206).

See further Spittler (1983, pp. 39–56).

See also Menzies (1998, pp. 3–4).

See further, Kärkkäinen, (2002a, pp. 877–885); and other articles by the author listed in the References and Bibliography (Ed.).

For an evaluation, see McGee (1986, 1989, vol. 2, pp. 157–158).

McGee (1993, p. 43). In the USA, Pentecostals joined the National Association of Evangelicals in 1942 and its mission organization, the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, in 1945 (which changed its name in 1991 to the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies). Pentecostals have also actively participated in the World Evangelical Fellowship and the Lausanne Movement, and later in the AD 2000 Movement.

For informative surveys of Evangelical missiological developments, which have shaped much of Pentecostal missiology, see e.g. Glasser (1993, pp. 9–20); Scherer (1987, pp. 164–195).

Pomerville argues that post‐Reformation Protestant scholasticism has had a negative impact on evangelicalism, since its strong rationalistic orientation ‘has eliminated the “witness of the Spirit” in verifying Christian experience. Biblical theology was, therefore, reduced to the “objective” written Word. Its locus was wrongly conceived as the text of Scripture rather than the witness of the Spirit in conjunction with that written Word in the heart of the Christian’ (Pomerville, 1985, pp. 83–84; emphases in original). Whether one agrees with Pomerville's caricature of Protestantism here (e.g. Calvin had a high view of the role of the Spirit in the reading of the Word), his point is still valid in emphasizing the neglect of a pneumatological approach to theology and, consequently, to mission.

Korean missionary and theologian Wonsuk Ma, teaching in the Philippines, recently tried his hand at developing a specifically Asian Pentecostal theology. He interacts mostly with a model that seeks to find balance between divine revelation and human factors. The article is a valuable starting point for further work in the area. The article, however, is flawed to some extent by rather scanty space devoted to pneumatological issues (Ma, 1998, pp. 15–41).

See also his earlier work (Menzies, 1991).

For an example of a Pentecostal strategy of mission (among the Foursquare International), see Amstutz (1994, pp. 63–80).

Pentecostals have since the beginning given an outstanding opportunity for women missionaries to partake in the common enterprise. See e.g. Cavaness (1994, pp. 49–62).

McGee (1991, pp. 203ff.).

The basic guide to the philosophy of the Church Growth Movement is the book by the Movement's founder, McGavran (1980). For its application to the Pentecostal–Charismatic mission, see, e.g., Wagner (1988).

E.g. Youth With a Mission, Evangel Bible Translators, and an endless variety of ‘ministries’ linked with church and mission leaders. For details see Hesselgrave (1988).

McClung (1994, pp. 11–21). Cf. van der Laan's (1986, pp. 47–56) attempt to discern the main factors that have contributed to the growth of Pentecostal mission, which are quite similar to McLung's view: naive biblicism and eschatology; individualism; total commitment; pragmatism; flexibility; room for emotions; oral tradition; indigenous approach; demonstration of the power of the Spirit; participation of all believers.

For an incisive, balanced theological analysis of the relationship between pneumatology and eschatology for Pentecostal–Charismatic mission, see the article by the Charismatic Anglican Andrew M. Lord (1997, pp. 111–124). See also Bechdolff (1993, pp. 242–255).

Cox also speaks about ‘primal piety’ (pp. 99ff.) and ‘primal hope’ (pp. 111–122) in relation to distinctive Pentecostal spirituality.

For discussion of social concern as part of Pentecostal mission theology, see further Kärkkäinen, ‘Are pentecostals oblivious to social justice? Theological and ecumenical perspectives,’ (see References and Bibliography for various publications with that title: Ed.). See also Kärkkäinen (2000c), pp. 149–177).

See Kärkkäinen (1999a, 2000d, pp. 556–567; 2001b, pp. 16–23).

See also Pinnock (1993, p. 208).

Yong (2003). See also Kärkkäinen (2002c, pp. 500–504; 2002d, pp. 187–98) and Yong (2003, pp. 229–240).