From their earliest days, Pentecostals have been committed to the study of Scripture. It was in the study of God’s Word they found validation for the Holy Spirit’s outpouring they were experiencing. For many early Pentecostals, it was this single-minded devotion to Scripture that assured a latter-day restoration of the New Testament church. Therefore, the Spirit-renewed church would be “the church of the Bible.” As the church of the Bible, the Spirit renewed church should reflect the life, doctrine, and polity of the apostolic church. Pentecostals justified their faith and practice by the Bible. Speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit because it was “the Bible evidence.” Converts were to receive water baptism; believers were to partake of the Lord’s Supper and wash the saints’ feet; church members were to practice tithing; the sick were to be prayed for and receive divine healing—all because“it’s in the Bible.”
For Pentecostals, searching the Scriptures is an encounter with the Holy Spirit. One early Pentecostal proclaimed, “This Bible becomes a new book to those baptized with the Holy Ghost” (The Apostolic Faith, January 1907). Theology is not simply an intellectual pursuit, but a life lived in obedience to God. Pentecostal theology is not simply a study of God’s past revelation; it is also reflection upon God’s ongoing revelation. The reality of the eternal Spirit brings together past and present.
Pentecostal theology is more than a creedal confession; it is worship expressed in preaching, singing, and testimony. It is verbally expressed and audibly experienced. Spirit-inspired preaching is prophetic. It is a holy conversation in which the Spirit, through the preacher, speaks to the church. Those assembled to hear the Word respond with shouts of affirmation, tears of repentance, and testimonies to the work of God in their lives.
Pentecostals remain committed to the authority of the Bible as the Word of God. In working through the Movement’s controversies, Pentecostals developed their way of reading, studying, and proclaiming the Bible—a Pentecostal hermeneutic. The Bible is the authoritative written revelation of God. The priority of the Scriptures within the community of faith is assumed. The Spirit guides the study and proclamation of the Bible. The proper place of this interaction between Spirit and Word is the church. This way of theology cannot be sustained by the lone scholar, or by the academic community, because it demands the participation of the entire faith community. The church is a community of interpreters and no single bishop, teacher, or theologian is an authority unto oneself. The preaching and teaching of one is subject to the discernment of the community of the faithful (1 Corinthians 14:29, 32; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 John 4:1)
The community of interpreters may be understood as the “great cloud of witnesses” which surrounds us (Hebrews 12:1). These witnesses include the historic fathers and doctors of the church to whom we must appeal for the sake of orthodoxy and continuity that is the great tradition of the church. These witnesses also include the present community with whom we worship and study the Scriptures together. These witnesses include the generations of the faithful who will succeed the present generation. It will be the “cloud of witnesses” of future generations who will pass final judgment upon the proclamation of the present community of interpreters.
Many Pentecostals may object, “But we don’t appeal to the tradition of the church as authoritative.” Early Pentecostals viewed church tradition as contributing to the demise of the charismata (they were correct to some degree). So then, how do we resolve the tension between the authority of the Scripture and the value of tradition? Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because their traditions were more authoritative than Scripture: “You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition” (Matthew 15:6). Peter warned that human redemption does not depend upon “aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Paul warned, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). However, the tradition of the church can be helpful in the study and interpretation of the sacred text and the proclamation of the gospel. Tradition must be a faithful reflection of the inspired Word of God. Paul encouraged the church to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught” (2 Thessalonians 2:15; also 1 Corinthians 11:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6).
Maybe Pentecostals can come to appreciate tradition if it is understood as testimony. Testimony is the way Pentecostals reflect upon their encounter with the Word and Spirit in worship. Testimony is the story of faith. Pentecostals do not view testimony as authoritative, but as informative and inspirational. The ultimate authority is the Word of God. Testimony is the narrative that explains the various encounters along the way of salvation. For Pentecostals, testimony of divine encounter shapes theological reflection. The Pentecostal “full gospel” is shaped by Pentecostal testimony. Pentecostal theology is not simply a creed to be confessed, but it is a reflection of the testimony of those who have encountered God at the altar. So, when Pentecostals appeal to the church fathers, or the writings of the men and women of faith throughout the centuries, they are not appealing to a tradition with binding authority, but to the testimony of the faithful. Because of Protestant propaganda and anti-Catholic prejudice, some Pentecostals are suspicious of the early church fathers. However, because Pentecostals view themselves as a restoration of the early church, the testimony of the early church fathers can be an important source for Pentecostal theological reflection. Many early Pentecostals often referred to the writings of the church fathers to support their Pentecostal proclamation.
When believers gather together as the church to study the Word, the Spirit is present as teacher. This way of Pentecostal theology is a seamless interaction involving the Spirit, the Word, and the church. The Spirit proceeds from God, the church is born of God, and the Scriptures are the Word of God. The Spirit inspires the Word and forms and inhabits the church. The Word is the canon and expression of the Spirit and church. The Word guides the church in discerning the Spirit. The church is the incarnation of the Spirit and the Word. The Spirit and the Word perfect the church so that she may be presented to Christ without blemish. This Pentecostal hermeneutic can be described as Spirit and Word in/over the church. Pentecostals are very careful to maintain the authority of the Spirit and the Word over the church as the interpretive community.
