Academic literature on the topic 'Pentecostal theology'

This study develops a political theology for Black Pentecostal Churches in Britain. The Black Church as a part of Black Atlantic cultural and political traditions is influenced by a plethora of spiritual, political and social forces. These include histories of oppression and resistance. By taking seriously the traditions of resistance, the Black Church is provided with resources for developing a holistic theology that engages explicitly with the social and political world, that is, what I have called a liberating theological praxis. Such a political theology takes seriously the cultural, theological and political issues raised in African Caribbean resistance. One African Caribbean resistance tradition is the concept of dread in Rastafari. Traditions of resistance are exposed from within Black Pentecostalism by 'imposing' a reformed concept of dread upon aspects of Black Pentecostalism. This conjunction produces a theological paradigm called dread Pen tecostalism. Dread Pentecostalism as a theological system nurtures the theological sensibilities found within liberating theological praxis, that is, emancipation fulfilment. One product of dread Pentecostalism is its hermeneutical focus known as dread hermeneutics. Dreadhermeneutics is the basis for a political re-reading of the Bible from a Black Pentecostal context. This political focus is demonstrated in a reevaluation of Christology in order to construct a dread Christ.

This doctoral thesis comprises a critical comparison of the theme of concursus, the way in which God and humanity interact, in the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions. The comparison is literature-based<br>similarities and differences in the theological literature of each tradition are compared in order to determine the extent of compatibilities and incompatibilities. The hypothesis is that similarities in the literature sufficiently leverage differences. The first chapter includes a statement of the problem, namely that the global expansion of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements necessitates interaction with more academically and philosophically oriented theological traditions such as Process- Relational theology. The second chapter comprises an historical survey of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements, including key dogmas and practices. Chapter three comprises an historical survey of Process-Relational theology, including its philosophical, metaphysical, and scientific orientations. Seminal Process- Relational theists such as Whitehead, Hartshorne, and Cobb are surveyed. Chapter four consists of a broad historical survey of the theological theme of concursus, including the notions of causation, free will, and determinism in both philosophy and theology. Further, the fourth chapter includes a broad historical survey of pneumatology, which is framed as the basis for a comparison of concursus. Chapters five and six comprise surveys of concursus in the Pentecostal- Charismatic and Process-Relational traditions respectively. Chapter seven entails an extensive analysis of differences and synthesis of similarities between the Pentecostal-Charismatic and Process-Relational notions of concursus. Four differences and four similarities are identified. Differences and similarities are ranked and compared for compatibility...

This thesis is an investigation into the nature of Christology among ordinary Pentecostals in India. Pentecostalism is growing rapidly among Tribal-groups, Dalits, lower castes and ordinary people. However, the movement has not articulated its theological identity in order to consolidate and further its development. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the ordinary Christology using qualitative research methods such as interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. It is argued that their Christological understandings have been formed and expressed in challenging circumstances and given extraordinary energy through Pentecostal phenomena associated with revivalism. Ordinary Indian Pentecostals understand Jesus as the healer, exorcist, provider and protector in the context of poor health-care, a spirit worldview, extreme poverty, caste-system and religious persecution. Their Christian experience enables them to acknowledge Jesus as the Saviour, Lord and supreme God. These Christological themes are consonant with the larger Pentecostal tradition, theology and indeed the New Testament testimony. The argument critically engages with scholarship in Pentecostalism and the broader Christian tradition to propose a modification of these Christological categories.

This dissertation examines the ecclesiology of the early writers of the Apostolic Church in the United Kingdom, and seeks to build upon this largely neglected body of Pentecostal thought for the contrastive work of contemporary Pentecostal systematic theology. A particular emphasis is placed on the thought of D.P. Williams as the most significant Apostolic writer of the early years of the movement. Connections between Apostolic ecclesiology and the Pentecostal distinctive of the baptism in the Holy Spirit are examined, as well as the role of Trinitarian theology in early Apostolic ecclesiology. Attention is then given both to distinctive Apostolic themes, including the 5-fold ministry and the Eternal Purpose, as well as their approach to other ecclesiological doctrines including the Totus Christus and the Lord’s Supper, before moving on to a constructive synthesis.

Orientador: Elda Rizzo de Oliveira.<br>Banca: Renata Medeiros Paoliello.<br>Banca: Denis Domeneghetti Badia.<br>Resumo: O tema desta Dissertação é a glossolalia. O dom de línguas - como a glossolalia é conhecida entre os pentecostais - é um modo de orar em que o fiel, em êxtase, se expressa através de uma linguagem aparentemente ininteligível, acompanhada por expressões corporais que produzem sentimentos de alegria, transbordamento, choro, riso, saltos e gestos. Esse dom é de importância central na Teologia Pentecostal por ser considerado, pelos crentes, a irrefutável evidência do batismo no Espírito Santo. Trata-se de um dom institucional e ritualístico, que se apresenta durante culto e se desenvolve na instituição - distintamente dos dons que ocorrem em processos relativamente autônomos, como é o caso das benzedeiras e curandeiros. Analiso o processo de aquisição e desenvolvimento da glossolalia dialogando com a Antropologia do Imaginário. Da compreensão de um mundo pautado por uma imponderabilidade, que motiva os fiéis pentecostais à uma busca de sentido para suas vidas em diversas agências religiosas, no modelo biomédico, entre outros, até as relações que o fiel desenvolve com um cosmo intencional, lugar mítico no qual o crente concebe a si mesmo como um eleito, alguém que se diferencia dos demais por possuir um dom e uma missão específica no mundo. Como parte da categoria dos eleitos, eles integram o mundo dos iniciados.<br>Abstract: The theme of this Dissertation is the glossolalia. The gift of tongues - how the glossolalia is know among the pentecostals - is a kind of pray that the belivers, in ecstasy, express themselves by means of an aparent unintelligible language, followed by body expressions of the sentiments of happiness, overflow, weeping, laughing, jumps and gesticulation. This gift is very important in the Pentecostal Theology because it is considerated, by the believers, the irrefutable evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism. It’s a ritualistic and institucional gift, that occurs durind the cult and develop itself in the institucion - it’s a distinctive form of gifts that occurs in relatives self-suficients process, like the faith-realers and the witch-doctors. I analyse the process of aquisicion and development of glossolalia dialoging with the Anthropology of Imaginary. That extend itself in a comprehension of an imponderable world, this world motivates a search for purpose in the diverses religious agencies, in the biomedic model, and others until the relations that the belivers develop with an intencional cosmos, mythic place on which the beliver conceives himself as a chosen one, somebody who is diferent from the others for having a gift and a specific mission in the world, and as part of the category of the chosen ones, he integrates the initiated’s world.<br>Mestre

This thesis undertakes the task of developing and articulating an authentically Pentecostal theology of the Lord's Supper, one that is purposively attuned to early Pentecostal spirituality and in harmony with the witness of Scripture and the wider Christian spiritual-theological tradition as well. Having comprehensively reviewed the current state of scholarly Pentecostal treatments of the Lord's Supper, the study provides a detailed examination of the early Pentecostal periodical literature, uncovering the basic contours of the sacramental thought and practice of the movement's earliest days, and engages in a Pentecostal reading of key scriptural texts. Informed by these discoveries, the study produces a robustly Pentecostal constructive account of the Eucharist- event, including exploration of the theological and practical issues and concerns that matter most to Pentecostals. The final chapter draws out some implications of this study and provides a few suggestions for further research.