The Spirit of Atonement: Pentecostal Contributions and Challenges to the Christian Traditions

Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology

by Steven M. Studebaker, Daniela C. Augustine (Editor), Wolfgang Vondey (Editor)

Steven M. Studebaker proposes a Pentecostal approach to a major Christian doctrine, the atonement. The book moves Pentecostal theology of the atonement from a primarily Christological and crucicentric register to one that articulates the pneumatological and holistic nature of Pentecostal praxis. Studebaker examines the irony of Classical Pentecostalism relying on the Christocentric of Protestant evangelical atonement theology to articulate its experience of the Holy Spirit, as well as the Pneumatological nature of Pentecostal praxis. He then develops a Pentecostal theology of atonement based on the biblical narrative of the Spirit of Pentecost and returns to re-imagine an expanded vision of Pentecostal praxis based on the theological formation of the biblical narrative.

The result is a Pentecostal atonement theology that shows the integrated nature of pneumatology, creation and Christology in the biblical narrative of redemption. It gives theological expression to not only the pneumatological nature of Pentecostal praxis, but also the fundamental role of the Holy Spirit in the biblical narrative of redemption. The book challenges popular western atonement theologies to re-think their Christocentrism and crucicentrism as well as their atomistic tendency to separate soteriology into objective (Christological) and subjective (pneumatolgical) categories.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2021

About the author

Steven M. Studebaker (PhD, Marquette University) is the Howard and Shirley Bentall Chair in Evangelical Thought and associate professor of systematic and historical theology at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

He is the author of A Pentecostal Political Theology for American Renewal: Spirit of the Kingdoms, Citizens of the Cities, and From Pentecost to the Triune God: A Pentecostal Trinitarian Theology, as well as several other books on Jonathan Edwards's trinitarian theology and Pentecostal theology.

Reviews

[Ryan Kerrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What might pneumatology have to do with the atonement? Can Classical Pentecostalism offer something unique to the discussion concerning the atonement? These questions and more are asked and answered in the volume, The Spirit of Atonement: Pentecostal Contributions and Challenges to the Christian Tradition by Steven M. Studebaker.
This volume is part of the Pentecostal Systematic & Charismatic Theology Series. This series by T&T Clark serves as an environment for Pentecostal and Charismatic perspectives to engage in constructive and critical theology. Studebaker identifies a landscape within Western atonement theology that is more hierarchically informed than others. In its current state, it is Studebaker’s view that it centres nearly exclusively on the work of Jesus on the cross and is not pneumatological at all. Studebaker contends that Classical Pentecostalism, in particular, must establish its own atonement categories and narrative centres – or risk dissolution. A proverbial “David in Saul’s armour” when conceiving of a more authentic theology for those whose primary organising theological schema is informed by Spirit-baptism. Studebaker’s prolific contributions in the area of Pentecostal theology over the last 20 years situate him as a significant voice in the broader field of literature – particularly his probing analyses concerning systematic theologies extant within Pentecostal theology and practice.
This volume consists of two key sections. Part One, “Theology of Atonement”, is predominantly a constructive theology seeking to locate the atoning work of God inside the broader story of redemption and trinitarian participation. Five key chapters constitute this section, which are reflected in Part Two. These chapters are “Pentecost”, “Incarnation”, “Crucifixion”, “Resurrection” and “Eschatology” (Chapters 2–6, respectively). Part Two functions as a reflection of the former: “Empowering All People”, “Renewing Embodied Life”, “Living in the Way of the Cross”, “Waking to New Creation” and “Going Home” (Chapters 7–11, respectively). Part One is the theoretical data; Part Two discusses the embodiment and contextualised praxes of Studebaker’s proposed theology. In his goal to identify harmony among them, Studebaker assumes a synergy between the two sections employing the event of Pentecost as the centralising systematic idea, with a view for praxis. For Studebaker, Pentecostal praxis is an essential component of the broader narrative of atonement – though it does not constitute atonement in and of itself. Instead, a Pentecostal atonement theology is incomplete, without due consideration for praxis. These movements are non-sequential – instead, they reticulate or methodologically “assume a feedback loop between pentecostal praxis & theology” (p. 13).
The components underlying Studebaker’s arguments in Part One see Pentecost as an integral lens through which Christology must be viewed. Additionally, the volume draws heavily on the concepts involved in pneumatologically informed praxis, established in Studebaker’s own 2012 work and by other voices such as Ralph Del Colle, Steve J. Land, and more recently Amos Yong. Within this context, Studebaker argues against the emergence of a supposed dilemma leaving theologians to choose between a Word (Logos) Christology and Spirit Christology. He suggests that “although some forms of Spirit Christology may obscure the distinctions of the Son and Spirit, not all do so” (p. 86). This is a welcome and tonally appropriate contribution to this discussion.
Studebaker aims for the heart of particular atonement traditions that Pentecostalism has inherited and offers a critical evaluation of the often one- sided judicial aspects of contemporary Western atonement discussions. The subsequent proposal is a holistic Pentecostal vision of atonement and salvation which emphasises pneumatology without substituting “Christocentrism for pneumacentrism” (p. 12). After this evaluation, Studebaker proposes a vital and participatory vision of Christ’s life, crucifixion and resurrection when glimpsed through the lens of Pentecost. For Studebaker, “Pentecost, not the cross is the telos of redemption” (p. 18).
A significant and encouraging aspect of this volume is its illumination of the Holy Spirit’s role in the atonement. Not only is the agency of the Spirit in the incarnation concerning Mary’s conception explored, but more excitingly, the scope and intent of the atonement are expanded. This includes the Spirit’s cre- ative and sustaining activity present from Genesis 1 through to Acts 2. According to Studebaker, “the pneumatic foundation of human life in Genesis points toward the Spirit of Pentecost” (p. 24). For humanity, this means the recognition and participation within a post-Pentecost reality, a call to understand Christ as the life-giving, eschatological offering for all spirit-breathing people.
Moving swiftly through the broad biblical narrative, from Pentecost to the eschaton, Studebaker portrays Pentecost as the culminative and penultimate focal point of scripture. He establishes an alternate construction of atonement theology, one that is neither forensic nor judicial in essence. This is achieved by gathering the threads of his 2012 volume in which the concept of “Spirit telocity” was established. The closing chapter of Part One, “Eschatology”, possesses exceptional explanatory power concerning the agency of the Spirit. The Spirit is revealed as the guiding superintendent of the redemptive narrative, and ultimately the one who through Christ inaugurates the Spirit-filled life to be participated in by believers in the coming age. The strength of this section is its unrelenting pursuit to relocate the atonement as a continuing and pneumatological work of the trinitarian God, not a purely Christocentric ordeal.
Part Two, as mentioned above, develops the theology constructed in Part One; however, the focus in this section is the meaning of this theology when embodied by empowered and redeemed communities. Situated in the global diversity of Pentecost, Studebaker explores contributions from early Pentecostal churches in India during the early twentieth century through to emergent Pentecostal enclaves in Cameroon and Vietnam. There is also a noteworthy aside onto the subject of healing and the atonement. This rich, albeit brief detour yields an insightful contribution to the oft-troubling discourse in Pentecostal communities surrounding divine healing and suffering. In his closing chapter, Studebaker brings his volume to its natural conclusion, an invitation to conceive of the atonement as eschatological, participatory and transformative. For Studebaker, “Atonement deals with the theological predicament of the human condition. The Spirit of Pentecost reconciles human beings to the life for which they were created; thus, the Spirit of Pentecost is a Spirit of atonement” (p. 179). This section is Studebaker at his most lyrical – something that is welcomed by this section and discloses the ministerial perspective that motivated this work, as explained in its initial pages.
Anyone interested in Pentecostal theology, constructive theology or atonement theology will find this volume insightful and valuable. Studebaker makes audible many of the murmurings of Pentecostal theologians as they twitch uncomfortably within their atonement tradition. However, it is my view that there were points in which the repetition of the macro-argument occupied too much space. There could have been a further exploration of the agency of the Spirit concerning the resurrection and a more notable presence of global theological voices. Additionally, while much of the theology constructed is identifiable and distinct, it is not always uniquely Pentecostal. This is often a struggle for constructive Pentecostal theology – the primacy of the Spirit’s activity and agency are brought forward in the discussion, but they also exist within other traditions, namely Eastern Orthodox and neo-Charismatic communities. Narrative construction, Spirit-filled eschatology, pneumatological priority, “resurrectional cruciformity” and restorative atonement are legitimate emphases within Pentecostal theologies; however, they are not exclusive to it.
For such a concise volume, the engagement is deep, and as such, it will appeal to Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal scholars and postgraduate students alike. When one picks up this book, one must be aware of the theological waters into which one is wading. Overall, Studebaker has contributed a meaningful, considered and insightful volume to this series and to the field of Pentecostal theology.

[Monte Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greater key
Of Christ’s atoning mission
Was not the cross but—
Resurrection;

The greater key of resurrection
Is Pentecost.

The greater key of Pentecost
Is new creation.

For it was not God’s wrath
But human wrath
That nailed Christ to the cross.
In this sense, our sins nailed Christ to the cross.

It was not God’s wrath
But human wrath
That Christ experienced on the cross.

On the cross
Christ was not punished for sins
Yet our sins nailed him to the cross.

On the cross
Christ reveals not
A punitive but restorative justice
That saves and delivers
From the powers of
Evil, sin, and death.

On the cross
Christ reveals not God’s wrath
But God’s love for humanity
And the pain God suffers
To restore humans
To right relations
With Himself
One another
And all creation
As a flourishing place
Of peace, joy, and righteousness;
Namely— life in the Spirit of Christ.

The cross was not caused by the Father punishing the Son, but rather— the Son remaining faithful to the Father’s cause for healing the world. Thus, fulfilling all righteousness.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit
God in Christ offered up His blood on the cross to repair the God-human relation.

On the cross, Christ willingly sacrificed his life; making His shed blood a purifying agent that delivers us from the power of sin, cleanses our conscience, and heals our body.

Christ died to work justice for all denied justice in human courts, and justify them as members of God’s family.

New Testament atonement does not mean paying a penalty, but making a way that delivers us from sin and evil; reconciling us to God.

Christ did not go to the cross to appease God’s wrath, but to repair the God-human relationship by making “atonement” (reconciliation) through perfect faithfulness to the Father’s cause for healing the world. He did this “substitutionary,” for what we could not do – fulfil the Father’s healing mission – He did in our behalf.

We might best translate “pistis christou” not as “faith in Christ but as “the faithfulness of Christ.” Romans 3.21: “This righteousness is given through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Thus making the body of Christ on the cross, “a place of atonement” (Rom. 3.

We might best translate “hilasterion” (Rom 3.25) not as “propitiation” (appeasing) but as “expiation” (repairing): God set forth Christ as a site that repairs the divine-human relationship.

As we follow Christ, the Holy Spirit forms us into a cross-shaped people; empowering us like Christ, in faithful devotion to the Father’s cause for healing the world.

The preceding summarizing maxims I derive from closely reading Steven M. Studebaker’s The Spirit of Atonement: Pentecostal Contributions and Challenges to the Christian Traditions (London: T&T Clark, Bloomsbury Publishing Co., 2021).

These maxims thus emerge from how Studebaker situates atonement themes, theology, and doctrine within the broader biblical narrative of redemption. In this narrative, the Holy Spirit both initiates (Genesis chs. 1-2) and consummates this narrative. Hence, “Pentecost, not the cross, is the telos of redemption” (p. 18). For, “The Spirit of Pentecost is the fundamental gift of atonement” (p. 200), Which is Studebaker’s “central theological claim” grounding “this pentecostal theology of atonement” (p. 200).

Studebaker’s work is thus both “critical and constructive” (p. viii). Critical in that it identifies problems with many traditional Protestant atonement theologies that are “overly Cristocentric and judicial,” subordinating to an overextended and thus resulting wrong “penal” construal of the broad biblical theme of atonement, where the stress really lies. Namely, “receiving the Holy Spirit [and this stands for] the ongoing renewal of life” (pp. viii-ix).

I might add reading this brilliant work readily brings to mind similar themes permeating Frank D. Macchia’s, Jesus the Spirit Baptizer: Christology in Light of Pentecost (Eerdmans, 2018). I thus end with Macchia’s stress that, “Rather than say that the Son satisfied the Father’s wrath, one should say that the Son satisfied the Father’s love.” (p. 279)