From Jerusalem to Athens: A Journey of Pentecostal Pedagogy in Australia

Abstract

The history of the national training college of Australian Christian Churches (formerly Assemblies of God in Australia) provides a fitting case study for a journey of development in Pentecostal pedagogy. Using well-known city typology, this study argues that various internal and external factors carried this institution on a journey of pedagogical transition. Its missions-orientated origins in “Jerusalem” were driven by a pragmatic need for expansion, a characteristic anti-intellectualism, and a focus on experiential spirituality. Following the charismatic renewal and the rise of “new” Pentecostals, the college transited into a more conscious engagement with the broader community and intentional alignment with government quality assurance mechanisms. Ultimately, “millennial” students encouraged a more transformational approach, typified by the “Athens” model of pedagogy, demonstrating that scholarly acumen and Pentecostal spirituality are a potent combination.

Keywords:

• Pentecostal
• pedagogy
• Australia
• Alphacrucis
• history
• Bible College

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Denise A. Austin

Denise A. Austin, PhD, MA(CS), GradDipA, BA (Hons 1), BMiss, DipMin, Cert IV T&A, is Director of Quality and Standards, Alphacrucis College. She and her family served as Assemblies of God missionaries in Hong Kong, before returning to Brisbane, where Denise received her PhD in history from the School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics, University of Queensland. Her research was subsequently published as: “Kingdom-Minded” People: Christian Identity and the Contributions of Chinese Business Christians (Leiden: Brill, 2011). As Director of the Australasian Pentecostal Studies Centre, Denise recently received a Community Heritage Grant from the National Library of Australia toward archival preservation. Her research interests include Australian Pentecostalism and the contributions of Chinese Christians to Australian society. Denise is an ordained minister with Australian Christian Churches and is Secretary for the Theological Commission of Asia Pacific Theological Association.

David Perry, PhD, BTh (Hons 1), BMin, is Chief Academic Officer, Alphacrucis College. David has studied theology since 1999 and recently received his PhD from Australian Catholic University. His research focused on developing a framework of meaning and theological explanation for the Pentecostal experience of Spirit baptism. As Chief Academic Officer he is heavily involved in academic administration and management, but retains a keen research interest in Pentecostal theology, pneumatology, and the intersection between theology and philosophy. David has been actively involved in Pentecostal churches for most of his life, and continues to fellowship as part of Australian Christian Churches at his local congregation in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

Correspondence to: Denise A. Austin, Director of Quality and Standards, Alphacrucis College, PO Box 337, Parramatta NSW 2124, Australia. Email: [email protected]