Karteikarten
HORTON SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1 Historical Background HFST 1
Karten in diesem Stapel (35)
- 1Someone once remarked that Pentecostalism is an’experience looking for a theology, as if the movement lacked roots in biblical interpretation and Christian doctrine.Throughout the history of Christianity, there have always
been individuals seeking for “something more” in their spiritual
pilgrimage, occasionally prompting them to explore the
meaning of Spirit baptism and spiritual gifts. - 2The first Historical occurred in England (beginning in 1830) during the ministry Hackground of Edward Irving and the second in the southern tip of India (b e gi.nning around 1860) through the influence of Plymouth Brethren theology and the leadership of the Indian churchman J. C. AroolappenIn part, the conclusions of this research correct the belief
in some quarters that the charismata necessarily ceased with
the Apostolic Era, a view most forcefully proposed by Benjamin
B. Warfield in his Counte@eitMiracZes ( 1918). - 3With the coming of late seventeenth- and eighteenth- CHAPTER century revivalism in Europe and North America, Calvinist, 1 Lutheran, and evangelical Arminian preachers emphasized repentance and piety in the Christian life.5Any study of Pen- Historical
tecostalism must pay close attention to the happenings of this Background
period and particularly to the doctrine of Christian perfection
taught by John Wesley, the father of Methodism, and his associate
John Fletcher. Wesley’s publication of A Short Account
of Christian Perfection ( 1760) - 4This teaching spread to America and inspired the growth of the Holiness movement.” With the focus on the sanctified life but without the mention of speaking in tongues,Pentecostal
imagery from Scripture (e.g., “outpouring of the Spirit,”
“baptism in the Holy Spirit, ” “the tongue of fire”) eventually
became a hallmark of Holiness literature and hymnody. - 5Those who sought to receive the “second blessing” were taught that each Christian needed to “tarry” (Luke 24:49, KJV) for the promised baptism in the Holy Spirit; this would break the power of inbred sin and usher the believer into the Spiritfilled life.TWEEDE GENADE
Belief in a second work of grace was not confined to the
Background
Methodist circuit. For example, Charles G. Finney believed
that Spirit baptism provided divine empowerment to achieve
Christian perfection’ at the same time that his theology refused
to fit comfortably in either Wesleyan or Reformed categories. - 6among them Dwight L. Moody and R. A. Torrey. Even with this enduement of power, however, sanctification retained its progressive nature.” Another pivotal figure and former Presbyterian, A. B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, strongly emphasized Spirit baptism and had a major impact on the formation of Assemblies of God doctrine.‘OSimilarly, the Keswick conferences in Great Britain (begun
in 1875) also influenced American Holiness thinking. Keswick’s
teachers believed that baptism in the Holy Spirit brought
an ongoing victorious life (the “higher,” or “deeper,” life),
characterized by the “fullness of the Spirit.” - 7GENESING In nineteenth-century Germany, ministries that highlighted prayer for the sick (especially those of Dorothea Trudel, Johann Christoph Blumhardt, and Otto Stockmayer) ‘Appeal to this promise effectively laid the foundation for women to preach, and serve in other ministries. For rationales for this interpretation ’ see Donald W. Dayton, ed., Holiness Tracts Defending the Ministry of Women (New York: Garland Publishing, 1985); Joseph R. Flower, “Does God Deny Spiritual Manifestations and Ministry Gifts to Women?” 7 November 1979 (typewritten). BJohn L. Gresham, Jr., Charles G. Finney’s Doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987). 9Edith L. Waldvogel (Blumhofer), “The ‘Overcoming Life’: A Study in the Reformed Evangelical Origins of Pentecostalism” (Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University, 1977). Tharles W. Nienkirchen, A. B. Simpson and the Pentecostal Movement (Peabody, Mass.: Ilendrickson Publishers, 1992). “Dayton, Theological Roots, 104-6. The Continuance of the Charismata 13 gained attention in America.Healing advocates such as
Charles C. Cullis, A. B. Simpson, A. J. Gordon, Carrie Judd
Montgomery, Maria B. Woodworth-Etter, and John Alexander
Dowie based much of their belief on Isaiah 53:4-5, as well
as New Testament promises of healing. Since Christ was not
only the “sin-bearer,” but also the “sickness-bearer,” - 8But when the radical Wesleyan Holiness preacher Benjamin Hardin Irwin began teaching three works of grace in 1895, trouble lay ahead. For Irwin, the second blessing initiated sanctification, but the third brought the “baptism of burning love” (i.e., baptism in the Holy Spirit).MISSIONS
Although nineteenth-century evangelicals generally adopted
amillennial or postmillennial views, it was the latter that caught
the spirit of the age. Writers of all kinds, from Charles Darwin
to John Henry Newman to Charles Hodge, saw the positive
values of progress in science, formation of doctrine, and eschatology,
respectively. - 9Premillennialists’ gloomy assessment of the immediate future generated serious concerns among those committed to world evangelization,FOUR SQUARE GOSPEL
The blending of the themes of Christ as Savior, Baptizer
(Sanctifier), Healer, and Coming King, described as the “full
gospel” or the “fourfold gospel,” reflected the desire to restore
New Testament Christianity in the last days. - 10The widespread interest in the Spirit’s baptism and gifts convinced some that God would bestow the gift of tongues to outfit them with identifiable human languages (xenohlia) to preach the gospel in other countries, thereby expediting missionary evangelism.1889-1890 TOPEKA KANSAS YMCA
Passing through New York City, they visited A.
B. Simpson’s headquarters, where they heard his views on
healing and became confident that the simple faith life and
the power of the Spirit would prepare them for whatever lay
ahead. - 11“two of their main principles were Faith-healing, and Pentecostal gifts of tongues; no medicines were. to be taken, no grammars or dictionaries made use of; the party was attacked by malignant fever; two died, refusing quinine.“*In 1895, the widely read Holiness author and editor W. B.
Godbey predicted that the “Gift of Language” was “destined
to play a conspicuous part in the evangelization of the heathen
world, amid the glorious prophetical fulfillment of the latter
days. - 12Another advocate of this missionary use of tongues was Frank W. Sandford, founder of the Holy Ghost and Us Bible School at Shiloh, Maine, in 1895By the turn of the century, the Holiness movement had
become preoccupied with the “Pentecostal reformation of
Wesleyan doctrine” and the four themes of the full gospel - 13Also hoping that they too would receive the power of the Spirit to quickly evangelize the world were the Kansas Holiness preacher Charles Fox Parham and his followersParham reported a remarkable revival
at the Bethel Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, in January 1901.23
Most of the students and Parham himself rejoiced at being
baptized in the Spirit and speaking in tongues (i.e., xenolalia).
Just as God had filled the 120 with the Holy Spirit on the Day
of Pentecost, they too had received the promise (Acts 2:39). - 14Parham’s distinctive theological contribution to the movement lies in his insistence that tongues represents the vital “Bible evidence” of the third work of grace: the baptism in the Holy Spirit, clearly illustrated in the pattern of chapters 2, 10, and 19 in Acts.Topeka contributed to the later internationally significant
Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, California ( 1906-1909). - 15Its foremost leader was the African-American William J. Seymour, 26 and news of the “latter rain” (of Joel 2:23) quickly stxead overseas through Seymour’s newspaper, the Apostolic F’aith, and the efforts-&f m&y who traveled from the Azusa Street meetings across North America and abroad.DDIVISIONS OVER THEOL DIFFERENCES
- 16Theological differences did not evaporate in the excitcment of announcing the coming of the latter rain. Three major controversies faced the new movement in the first sixteen years of its existence.The first issue to divide Pentecostals arose in late 1906. It
centered on the theological value of narrative literature (Acts
and the longer ending of Mark 16) in building the case for
the doctrine of tongues as the “initial evidence” of Spirit
baptism. - 17That is, tongues in Acts seemed to have the function of being evidence of the baptism; whereas tongues in 1 Corinthians had other functions: for the individual’s prayer life ( 14:4,14,28) and (with interpretation) for the congregation’s edification (14:5,27).Those who believe in tongues as initial evidence of Spirit
baptism have followed the hermeneutical pattern of other
restorationists: elevating factors in the life of the Church to
doctrinal standing. - 18During the years after 1906, more and more Pentecostals recognized that in most instances of tongues, believers were actually praying in unidentifiable rather than identifiable languages (i.e., glossolalia rather than xenolalia).The second debate revolved around the second work of grace, sanctification: Was it instantaneous or progressive?
- 19Predictably, the lines were drawn between those Pentecostals with Wesleyan sympathies (three works of grace) and those with Reformed sympathies (two works).In the sermon “The Finished Work of Calvary” (preached in 19 10 at the Pentecostal Convention at the Stone Church in Chicago, Illinois), Baptist-turned-Pentecostal William H. Durham declared that the problem of inbred sin had been dealt the fatal blow, having
been crucified with Christ on the cross. p19 - 20The third contention among Pentecostals resulted from the restorationist impulse and the heavy Christological emphasis of the full gospel. Questions about the nature of the Godhead manifested themselves at the international Pentecostal camp meeting at Arroyo Seco (near Los Angeles).JESUS ONLY
During a baptismal
sermon preached by R. E. McAlister, he observed that the apostles had baptized using the name of Jesus (Acts 238)
instead of the Trinitarian formula (Matt. 28:19). - 21These believers emphasized the “oneness,” or unity, of the Godhead in contrast to the orthodox Christian view of one God in three Persons.3”Two camps have existed within the Oneness movement from the beginning: those who believe that conversion
and water baptism in the name of Jesus are followed by a second experience of empowerment and those who
maintain that the three elements of Acts 2:38 (repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and receiving the Holy Spirit [speaking
in tonguesj) converge in one act of grace, the new birth.j5 - 22DEVELOPMENT OF ASSEMRLIES OF GOD THEOLOGY p20When the General Council (an abbreviated title for the
General Council of the Assemblies of God) came into being at Hot Springs, Arkansas, in April 1914, doctrinal consensus already existed among the participants, built on the historic
truths of the faith and embellished by Wesleyan Holiness and Keswickian themes. - 23When asked in 1919 what these Pentecostals believed, E. N. Bell, responded These assemblies are opposed to all radical Higher Criticism of the Bible and against all modernism and infidelity in the Church, againstpeople unsaved and full of sin and worldliness belonging to the church. They believe in all the real Bible truths held by all real Evangelical churches.“6Like other Pentecostals, Assemblies of God members have been characterized by five implicit values: personal experi-
Historical ence, oral communication (also reflected in testimonials in Background
church magazines, booklets, Sunday school literature, pamphlets,
and tracts), spontaneity, otherworldliness, and scriptural
authority. - 24PRESERVATION OF DOCTRINE TO 1950 p21When the Oneness issue threatened to split the General Council at its gathering in 1916, church leaders willingly set
aside the anticreedal sentiments of the Hot Springs meeting by drawing doctrinal boundaries to protect the integrity of
the Church and welfare of the saints. - 25When the Executive Presbytery recognized the danger of the anti-Pentecostal annotations in the Scofleld Reference Bible, they banned its advertisement in the Pentecostal Evangel for two years (19261926) before they were persuaded that the edifying commentary outweighed the unedifying.43When
the hermeneutical issue over speaking in tongues as necessary
evidence of Spirit baptism resurfaced in 1918, the General
Council declared it to be “our distinctive testimony.” Furthermore,
it adapted Article 6 of the Statement of Fundamental
Truths to refer to tongues as the “initialphysical sign”
(emphasis added).‘9 - 26Without amending the Statement, the Council passed bylaws as another way of addressing troublesome issues. In the category “Eschatological Errors,” found in Article VIII in the Constitution and Bylaws, several condemned teachings are listed. For example, the doctrine of the “restitution of all things”Another issue had to do with the imminent return of Christ:
Could a minister subscribe to a post-Tribulation Rapture?
When Benjamin A. Baur applied to the Eastern District in the
mid-1930s for credentials, the presbyters refused his application,
saying that his view diminished the nearness of the
Lord’s return. According to his view, Christians would have
to endure the entire seven years of the Tribulation Period
particularly the last three-and-a-half years, the time of thl
“Great Wrath,” before Christ returned for His church - 27A third reason behind the preservation of doctrine is that Pentecostals have struggled to balance biblical teaching with their religious experience.Detailed doctrinal handbooks, however, did not appear until
the 1920s and 1930s. One of the best known, Knowing
the Doctrines of the Bible (1937), was compiled from the
lecture notes of Myer Pearlman, an instructor at Central Bible
Institute. - 28This began a gradual transition in Bible and theology department personnel: to instructors with graduate degrees in biblical studies, systematic theology, and church history and equipped with sharper skills in hermeneutics, Old Testament, New Testament, theology, and the historical development of doctrine and practice.56Although many had long feared the intellectualizing of the
faith, this new breed of teachers modeled the balance between
Pentecostal spirituality and academic studies. One such
professor, Stanley M. Horton - 29Many of them joined the Society for Pentecostal Studies, an academic society founded in 1970, and have contributed articles to its journal, Pneuma Paraclete (begun in 1967), the denominational journal, has provided another opportunity for scholarly discussion, although until 1992 it was confined to pneumatology.Songwriters continued sharing their gifts for worship and
instruction. One of the best known, Ira Stanphill, warmed the
hearts of churchgoers with songs like “Mansion Over the
Hilltop, ” “Room at the Cross,” and “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,”
designed to provide comfort and the assurance of
God’s grace. - 30Furthermore, at least one paper could be interpreted as a shift from an original understanding in the Statement when it mentions that some “have tried to set divine healing in opposition to or in competition with the medical profession. This need not be so. Physicians through their skills have brought help to many.”By the 1940s many conservative evangelicals realized that
theological agreements with Pentecostals outweighed differences
and began to welcome their fellowship and cooperation. - 31After the election of Thomas F. Zimmerman as president of the NAE (1960-1962) the General Council in 1961 made a few modifications of the Statement of Fundamental Truths. The most significant revision occurred in the section “The Scriptures Inspired.” The 19 16 version reads as follows: “The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason.”For Pentecostals, however, Joel’s prophecy had been fulfilled
on the Day of Pentecost, as evidenced by Peter’s “This
is that” (Acts 216, KJV). - 32Worldwide Mission at Wheaton College in April 1966, he declared the Church to be “the present manifestation of the kingdom of God in the earth, or at least, the agency that prepares the way for the future manifestation of the Kingdom.Some twenty years later, retired missionary Ruth A. Breusch
laid out the implications for Pentecostal ministry in Mountain
Moverq the foreign missions magazine of the Assemblies of
God (again, showing the priority of discipling persons in the
pew). - 33Peter Kuzmie, for example, noted in a recent publication, Pentecostals and charismatics are convinced . . . that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Cor. 4:20), and expect that the preaching of the Word of God be accompanied by mighty acts of the Holy Spirit. . . .. . . In the age of rationalism, theological liberalism, religious pluralism,
Pentecostals and charismatics believe that evidential supernatural
activity of the Holy Spirit validates the Christian witness - 34CONCLUSIONPentecostalism emerged out of the nineteenth-century Holiness
movement. The formulation of the full gospel, concern
for world evangelization in the closing days of history, and
intense prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit precipitated
the revivals at Topeka, Los Angeles, and the many that
followed. - 35—