Table Of ContentPentecostal Experience
An Ecumenical Encounter
P D. N
ETER EUMANN
PENTECOSTAL EXPERIENCE
An Ecumenical Encounter
Princeton Theological Monographs Series 187
Copyright © 2012 Peter D. Neumann. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications
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Cataloging-in-Publication data:
Neumann, Peter D.
Pentecostal experience : an ecumenical encounter / Peter D. Neumann.
Princeton Theological Monographs Series 187
xii + 374 p. ; 23 cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 13: 978-1-61097-692-3
1. Pentecostalism—Doctrines. 2. Chan, Simon. 3. Macchia, Frank D., 1952–. 4. Yong, Amos. 5. Theology
—Methodology. I. Title. II. Series.
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To Sharon,
whose love and sacrifice made this book possible
Preface
I P ,
WAS RAISED IN THE ENTECOSTAL TRADITION APPRECIATING THE VIBRANCY OF ITS
spirituality and openness to the experience and activity of the Spirit in church
and personal life. This spirituality also included, among other things, an
emphasis on Scripture as the authority for Christian life and practice, and this
emphasis was only reinforced when I went to train for pastoral ministry at
Eastern Pentecostal Bible College (now Master’s College and Seminary). Later I
began graduate work at Wycliffe College within the ecumenical atmosphere of
the Toronto School of Theology. There I was exposed to people and ideas from a
number of other Christian traditions, which began to help me value the diversity
of ways that Christians approached their faith and experience of God, as well as
their understanding and interpretation of Scripture. In particular, courses with
David A. Reed on Pentecostal and charismatic theology, and Brian J. Walsh on
postmodernism served to challenge me to think more critically about the
relationship between Pentecostal experience, Scripture, and the function of
authority within Pentecostalism. Still later, during my doctorate work at Wycliffe
College, I was introduced to postliberal theology in the work of George A.
Lindbeck and the late George P. Schner. Through this I grew in appreciation for
the ways in which theological understanding and doctrine, and indeed
experience of God, is shaped and mediated by the traditions and (sub)cultures in
which we find ourselves.
All of these factors led me to begin asking deeper questions about the nature
of Pentecostal experience and the authority it bears within Pentecostal theology.
I knew that Pentecostals looked to Scripture as their authority, but also that their
experiences with the Spirit reciprocally influenced the ways in which they
understood Scripture. Now, however, things were becoming even more complex!
It began to dawn on me that the very Pentecostal theological and spiritual
tradition in which I had been raised actually served to shape the ways that those
within that tradition were experiencing the Spirit. I had grown up assuming that
experience of the Spirit was more or less direct or immediate, but now it was
becoming clear that other theological and cultural factors were influencing my
experience of God. Further, it appeared that these factors were operating more or
less unacknowledged, but nevertheless authoritatively, within my own
Pentecostal tradition and the shaping of its theology and doctrine. I began to
wonder whether a more nuanced view of experience of God—one that more
explicitly acknowledged the mediated nature of experience—might produce
some theological fruitful results for Pentecostalism itself, in particular its ability
to grow in its self-understanding and interaction with the broader ecumenical
Christian community. All of this has served as impetus for the focus of this book,
which is a slightly revised version of my PhD thesis (successfully defended in
2010 at the University of St. Michael’s College), entitled, “Encountering the
Spirit: Pentecostal Mediated Experience of God in Theological Context.”
In completing an undertaking of this sort, there are a number of people who
deserve acknowledgment and thanks. David A. Reed, who was my thesis
director, has been a theological guide and mentor to me for many years. From
him I have learned not only a greater appreciation for my own Pentecostal
tradition, but also the value of patiently taking the time to really listen to what
those from other traditions are saying, and how they are saying it, in order to
move toward understanding. His thoughts, questions, and keen eye for detail
have been extremely valuable in helping me complete this project. Harold G.
Wells suggested that I should consider expanding on a paper submitted in one of
his courses, comparing Pentecostal and Jürgen Moltmann’s respective
approaches to the experience of God. That encouragement factored significantly
in the formulation of my PhD thesis (and ultimately this book). Additionally, I
want to thank my friend, Randall (Randy) Holm, for reading over the manuscript
of this book, and offering encouragements as well as suggesting possible
directions for future explorations based on this study. I am, of course, also
deeply indebted to the three Pentecostal theologians—Frank D. Macchia, Simon
K. H. Chan, and Amos Yong—whose work served not only to provide respective
case studies for this book evidencing a growing sophistication within Pentecostal
theology, but has also inspired and challenged me to imagine new possibilities
for theology rooted in the Pentecostal tradition.
The members of my family have also been immensely supportive during my
doctorate work and the completion of this book. I am thankful for each one, and
love them very much. My son, Nathanael, and daughter, Mikayla, are truly
blessings from God (and growing up far too quickly!). Sharon, my wife, has my
deepest gratitude. Her love, sacrifice, and encouragement (and patience!) has
made this project possible, and I am honored to be sharing life together with her.
Finally, I am immensely thankful for and overwhelmed by the graciousness of
the Lord for enabling me to undertake and complete this work. It is my sincere
hope and prayer that this study will serve to contribute to the building up of the
church, to the glory of God.
Introduction
The Question of Experience in Pentecostal Theology
T G
HE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK IS TO EXPLORE THE APPEAL TO EXPERIENCE OF OD WITHIN
contemporary Pentecostal theology. There is, of course, tremendous diversity
encompassed under the catch-all term “pentecostal.”1 Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen has
rightly suggested that we should speak of “pentecostalisms,” rather than one
pentecostalism.2 So, at the outset it is necessary to identify whose theology we
are intending to study. In an effort to simplify things somewhat, our focus will be
on Classical Pentecostalism, one sub-tradition of the variety of pentecostalisms
globally.3 In brief, then, the goal here is to investigate how the appeal to
experience currently functions within this narrower tradition through an
exploration of Pentecostal theology and spirituality in general, but even more
particularly, in the works of three of its notable contemporary theologians, Frank
D. Macchia, Simon K. H. Chan, and Amos Yong.
The Ubiquity of the Appeal to Experience
This is an important study for at least three reasons. First, the appeal to
experience has become more or less ubiquitous in contemporary Christian
theology in general. Harvey Cox, in Fire from Heaven, remarks that the concept
of, and appeal to experience has played an increasingly significant role in
Christian theology (as well as many other areas of life). He notes, for example,
contemporary liberation and feminist theologies as having a particular
“penchant” for experience as an authoritative resource for theological
construction.4 Cox goes on to suggest that the appeal to experience tends to
become a catch-all source of authority, used to validate just about any type of
ideology or claim—“virtually anyone can claim anything in the name of
experience. The results are often exciting but confusing.” Cox cites several
theologies by way of example, each adhering to apparently contradictory
positions, yet all the while mutually appealing to “experience” as an authority in
support of its claims. Complicating matters further, these varying theologies may
be appealing to different concepts of experience—the very term “experience”
being a notoriously slippery one.5
That the concept of experience has become ubiquitously significant in
contemporary theological dialogue is widely acknowledged, its emergence and
growth in Western philosophical and theological traditions being historically
linked, in many respects, to the Enlightenment and the so-called “turn to the
subject.”6 This fascination with the role of experience in theology was elevated
significantly by Friedrich Schleiermacher in the nineteenth century,7 and
continued to evolve in the twentieth century,8 in the latter half becoming
associated with the growing debates and skepticism surrounding foundational
epistemology.9 Schleiermacher’s appeal to an interior, immediate, self-conscious
experience of God as foundational for theological knowledge has been met with
considerable doubt concerning the trustworthiness of interior appeals, as well as
the universal applicability of appeals to experience in general.10
Experience as an authoritative appeal, then, is connected to the realm of
theological epistemology; experience is frequently called upon to justify
theological claims and beliefs.11 Francis Schuessler Fiorenza observes, however,
that the postmodern critique of foundational epistemology has challenged the
“transcendent” authority of the appeal to experience, largely due to its assertion
that experience is contextually mediated—enmeshed in the language and culture
in which the appeal to experience occurs.12 One inference from this is that there
is no such thing as raw, pure, or “innocent” unmediated experience.13
The recognition of this mediation—that human experience is determined, or
interpreted, by and through a particular context—is widely acknowledged; but
there is not consensus concerning the extent to which language and culture
determines experience. As David Brown notes, theologians skeptical of the
appeal to experience tend to “overdetermine” the linguistic and cultural context,
whereas others may choose to view God as informing theology (revealing
Godself) through all sorts of general human experience (including “religious
experiences”).14 So, while the mediatedness of experience is generally
acknowledged, there is disagreement among theologians as to how (i.e., the
extent to which) the nature of mediation applies when it comes to the appeal to
experience of God.15 Should accent be placed on the possibility of experience of
God mediated through the world and various common human experiences? Or,
should the accent of mediation fall on the particular “cultural-linguistic” (or
“faith”) context, raising suspicion as to the reliability of experience as a
revelatory resource for theology?16 Especially in the latter case, the
mediatedness of experience also raises doubt concerning the possibility of God
