I spent this past week taking a seminary class on Ephesians with several very fine young people. The class discussions were very insightful regarding the past and future of Pentecostalism. There were two primary criticisms offered by my younger colleagues that I wish to address.
First, there were serious conversations regarding the nature of salvation, particularly in regard to the security of the believer in Christ (perseverance) and the nature of sanctification. Some of these young Pentecostal scholars favor the Reformed theology of John Calvin over the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition they were previously taught. I understand their concerns. As a young man, I too jettisoned much of the received Pentecostal tradition from my early rearing. I vividly remember being a teenager in a revival in which the evangelist was preaching on sanctification. Instead of offering hope, he preached me to despair. After listening to him for a few nights I became convinced that I was not saved, nor could I be saved. The total victory over sin and temptation that he proclaimed did not reflect the war raging within me. My salvation came in the form of a small book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, written by a Church of God scholar, Dr. Donald Bowdle. He presented the gospel as God’s initiative (predestination and effectual call) and sanctification as the believer’s status in Christ and ongoing walk in the Spirit. From there, I began to seriously question and re-evaluate the preaching I heard as a youth. I came to realize that much of the preaching and teaching I heard in Pentecostal pulpits was not a well-informed Wesleyan-Pentecostal presentation. Instead, it was a brutal and legalistic form of Pelagianism – a heretical teaching that salvation is a result of human freewill and works, rather than the grace of God. I came to understand that sanctification is the work of Christ and Spirit in my life as I daily yield to the grace of God. The grace of sanctification empowers the believer in love, and strengthens the believer in the ongoing struggle with sin. Sanctification is not glorification, it anticipates glorification.
Second, some of these young scholars challenged the traditional Pentecostal doctrine of baptism in the Holy Spirit and the initial evidence of tongues-speech. One student remarked, “I have many friends who do not speak in tongues, but have many evidences that they are Spirit-filled.” Other students responded with concerns of many abuses associated with Pentecostalism. Again, I have sympathy with their criticisms. I have been in Pentecostal churches all of my life, and a pastor for more than three decades. Are there abuses and bizarre behaviors in some Pentecostal churches? Yes! The fact is that there are many people in our churches who speak in tongues, but are as mean and cold-blooded as rattlesnakes. Further, I have many friends and colleagues in ministry who do not speak in tongues, but are powerful witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ. With that said, I remain fully committed to the Pentecostal doctrine of Spirit-baptism. I find it ironic that even as many young Pentecostals seek to distance themselves from their tradition, many non-Pentecostals are affirming the powerful effect of the Pentecostal movement upon the universal church. Pentecostalism has planted the seeds of spiritual renewal in churches from every Christian tradition – Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed, Anabaptist, Anglican, and Wesleyan. From its inception, the heart of Pentecostalism is the subsequent salvific encounter of Spirit-baptism. I believe that Pentecostalism has restored a robust Trinitarian theology to the faith of the Church. Even as I confess the various problems associated with Pentecostalism, I remain convinced that Spirit-baptism is a treasure that has enriched the universal church. With that said, I also believe that we must hear the concerns of young Pentecostals. Spirit-baptism is more than tongues-speech. Paul declared that “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5); and, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1). That’s exactly what the young Pentecostals are saying. They have heard too much noise and seen too little love.
Throughout the class I tried to offer some words of counsel to my younger colleagues. Be diligent to study. Don’t reject the Pentecostal theological tradition without first going deeper. Yes, we have suffered from poorly informed preaching. But the heart of the Pentecostal tradition is deep, wide, and rich. Also, read and learn from the vast cloud of witnesses of every theological tradition. Hear their voices. Allow their voices to inform and enrich your faith. Finally, there are many very fine contemporary Pentecostal theologians. Hear their voices and dialogue with them.
Finally, I offer this counsel to our Pentecostal elders. Don’t fear the voices of this new generation. They are passionate and smart. They are asking serious questions. They want serious answers. If we dismiss them, we will lose them; and if we lose them we will suffer.
