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Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition
This book deals with the problem of Pentecostal 'traditioning'. Traditioning has been ineffective thus far because the richness of Pentecostal faith and experience has been inadequately captured in the classical Pentecostal doctrines of Spirit-baptism and glossolalia. A more adequate understanding of the key theological symbol of Pentecostalism, glossolalia, emerges when it is interpreted in the light of Christian spiritual tradition. Within this larger tradition glossolalia can be seen as bringing together both the ascetical and contemplative dimensions of the Christian life. Chan thus explores the shape of Pentecostal ecclesiology as 'traditioning community'.
- GenresTheology
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 7, 2020
Here's a ground-breaking book on Pentecostal Theology in the context of the 20th Century's Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Pentecostalism was and still is without doubt one of the most powerful Christian movements that has impacted the church worldwide, bringing fresh vigor and awakening to many traditional churches and Jesus to many parts of the world that have not previously heard the gospel. Like all bona fide works of the Spirit, together with the spiritual advancement comes a fair share of controversies, sidetracks and criticisms as well.
One of the weak points of Pentecostalism as a movement has been the lack of a thoroughgoing theological reflection of its practices. This has led to not only some theological confusions and a poor understanding of the Pentecostal distinctives in relation to scripture as well as the larger tradition of the Church of Jesus Christ, it has also weakened its ability to pass on its tradition to the next generation in a coherent way - what Simon Chan calls 'the process of traditioning'. Taking a leaf from K Barth, he suggests that it is not a matter of getting the new generation to slavishly reproduce the same formula pure and simple but to pass on a living tradition, one that is open to thinking fresh thoughts and allowing the Spirit to take us to a deeper grasp of the truth and remains at the same time rooted within the larger Christian tradition.
The much debated conception of the 'baptism with the Spirit' and 'tongue speaking as an initial evidence of the second work of grace' is discussed and clarified in the light of the biblical narrative and earlier streams of Christian spirituality. He sees a parallel between this experience and the contemplative one that speaks of passing from the phase of acquired contemplation to that of infused contemplation, where there is sense in which one simply lets go and lets God. There is a sense of falling into God's arms and being held by him in a loving embrace. It is a kind of carthartic moment that is often accompanied by involuntary phenomena such as 'ecstasies and visions' which contemplatives speak of or the' ecstastic utterances or glossolalia' described by Pentecostals. This helps one see the kinship between the Pentecostal experience and the larger contemplative tradition. It is in the light of such a relationship, that one can make sense of its own distinctive practices and mature to a deeper appreciation of its place within our life in the body of Christ.
So, rather than speaking of glossolalia as an initial evidence, he helpfully suggests the word 'concomitant' as a descriptor of what is going on. It is not so much a 'proof' of whether one has received the Spirit or not than the sort of thing that often accompanies a genuine experience of being held by God's Spirit. It is like shedding tears when one's sad, but a sad person does not always shed tears! Also, as the contemplative masters have always warned against being too caught up with 'visions and ecstasies' as a sign of great faith, he cautions us against being fixated by these extraordinary experiences, be it 'tongue speaking', 'holy laughter', or being 'slain by the Spirit'. Such a fixation would only hamper the genuine growth of the Christian towards spiritual maturity in faith, hope and love even if these experiences are helpful at certain points or phases of the Christian's encounter with God.
He quotes the Cyprian's adage 'extra ecclesiam nulla salus' favorably in the sense that salvation when understood aright cannot be separated from one's life within the body of Christ. This is in light of Chan's high ecclesiology which is rooted in the logical priority of the church before creation. This is different from the popular view of the church as a sociological entity that results primarily from human actions and aims largely at human ends. It is the Father who elects, the Son who institutes and the Spirit who constitutes the church, to the praise of God's glory. With this human-divine conception of the church, Chan sees the Eucharist as the basic locus for the exercise of the Spirit's charisms such as reconciliation and healing. The gifts of the Spirit should not be abstract from the context of the the body of Christ, which is the firstfruits of the new creation but should rather be seen as part of God's eschatological project in calling forth a people holy and blameless, to the praise of his glory. This is the high point of Chan's ecclesio-pneumatological reflection which is a necessary remedy to today's penchant for private Pentecostal experiences as well as the human pragmatism that often plaques the church's worship and mission.
This is the kind of book that I've been longing for to come out from within the Pentecostal movement. It helps put the Spirit-inspired movement in the broad stream of the Christian tradition and helps Christians nourished by the Pentecostal stream to understand their distinctive practices and to grow towards maturity in Christ as they draw from the larger heritage of Christian spirituality, instead of being tossed to and fro by every new theological fads and novelties that come along.. that are usually touted by teachers who have little acquaintance with historical theology.
I am however unaware of how this unique contribution has been received by Pentecostal teachers and theologians since its publication. If the price of this slim volume can be lowered or perhaps a more popular version can be written to reach a wider audience, the church at large will stand to benefit from Simon Chan's fresh and insightful take on the subject. May the Spirit continue to guide us into all truth!
One of the weak points of Pentecostalism as a movement has been the lack of a thoroughgoing theological reflection of its practices. This has led to not only some theological confusions and a poor understanding of the Pentecostal distinctives in relation to scripture as well as the larger tradition of the Church of Jesus Christ, it has also weakened its ability to pass on its tradition to the next generation in a coherent way - what Simon Chan calls 'the process of traditioning'. Taking a leaf from K Barth, he suggests that it is not a matter of getting the new generation to slavishly reproduce the same formula pure and simple but to pass on a living tradition, one that is open to thinking fresh thoughts and allowing the Spirit to take us to a deeper grasp of the truth and remains at the same time rooted within the larger Christian tradition.
The much debated conception of the 'baptism with the Spirit' and 'tongue speaking as an initial evidence of the second work of grace' is discussed and clarified in the light of the biblical narrative and earlier streams of Christian spirituality. He sees a parallel between this experience and the contemplative one that speaks of passing from the phase of acquired contemplation to that of infused contemplation, where there is sense in which one simply lets go and lets God. There is a sense of falling into God's arms and being held by him in a loving embrace. It is a kind of carthartic moment that is often accompanied by involuntary phenomena such as 'ecstasies and visions' which contemplatives speak of or the' ecstastic utterances or glossolalia' described by Pentecostals. This helps one see the kinship between the Pentecostal experience and the larger contemplative tradition. It is in the light of such a relationship, that one can make sense of its own distinctive practices and mature to a deeper appreciation of its place within our life in the body of Christ.
So, rather than speaking of glossolalia as an initial evidence, he helpfully suggests the word 'concomitant' as a descriptor of what is going on. It is not so much a 'proof' of whether one has received the Spirit or not than the sort of thing that often accompanies a genuine experience of being held by God's Spirit. It is like shedding tears when one's sad, but a sad person does not always shed tears! Also, as the contemplative masters have always warned against being too caught up with 'visions and ecstasies' as a sign of great faith, he cautions us against being fixated by these extraordinary experiences, be it 'tongue speaking', 'holy laughter', or being 'slain by the Spirit'. Such a fixation would only hamper the genuine growth of the Christian towards spiritual maturity in faith, hope and love even if these experiences are helpful at certain points or phases of the Christian's encounter with God.
He quotes the Cyprian's adage 'extra ecclesiam nulla salus' favorably in the sense that salvation when understood aright cannot be separated from one's life within the body of Christ. This is in light of Chan's high ecclesiology which is rooted in the logical priority of the church before creation. This is different from the popular view of the church as a sociological entity that results primarily from human actions and aims largely at human ends. It is the Father who elects, the Son who institutes and the Spirit who constitutes the church, to the praise of God's glory. With this human-divine conception of the church, Chan sees the Eucharist as the basic locus for the exercise of the Spirit's charisms such as reconciliation and healing. The gifts of the Spirit should not be abstract from the context of the the body of Christ, which is the firstfruits of the new creation but should rather be seen as part of God's eschatological project in calling forth a people holy and blameless, to the praise of his glory. This is the high point of Chan's ecclesio-pneumatological reflection which is a necessary remedy to today's penchant for private Pentecostal experiences as well as the human pragmatism that often plaques the church's worship and mission.
This is the kind of book that I've been longing for to come out from within the Pentecostal movement. It helps put the Spirit-inspired movement in the broad stream of the Christian tradition and helps Christians nourished by the Pentecostal stream to understand their distinctive practices and to grow towards maturity in Christ as they draw from the larger heritage of Christian spirituality, instead of being tossed to and fro by every new theological fads and novelties that come along.. that are usually touted by teachers who have little acquaintance with historical theology.
I am however unaware of how this unique contribution has been received by Pentecostal teachers and theologians since its publication. If the price of this slim volume can be lowered or perhaps a more popular version can be written to reach a wider audience, the church at large will stand to benefit from Simon Chan's fresh and insightful take on the subject. May the Spirit continue to guide us into all truth!
March 21, 2024
Simon Chan writes accessible theology with insight . I loved this book. His thoughts on what Pentecostals need to do to make sure our distinctive is traditioned to the next gen rang true. His discussion as the Eucharist as the center of worship uniting the church gave me great hope. His framework of Pentecostal experiences as play will have me thinking for a long time.
December 19, 2019
This book addressed some essential questions about Pentecostal theology and how it connects with the wider church and spiritual tradition. It's well written and intriguing.
April 5, 2014
Important thought on some issues for those leading the Pentecostal church.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews