DISCO D: BACKUP / TEOLOGIA / HISTORIA / IPENTECOSTALISMO

It's tempting to think that the modern Pentecostal movement was created ex nihilo. We imagine God invading Topeca, Kansas and Los Angeles, California in order to restore the New Testament church in a completely new and unanticipated fashion. This comforting origin story, however, is simply untrue.

Just as the Spirit of God moved over the surface of the deep in Genesis one, he moved across the theological and doctrinal landscape of early twentieth-century America to accomplish his work. In Theological Roots of Pentecostalism, Donald W. Dayton examines the doctrinal landscape to uncover the antecedents of early Pentecostal doctrine. He finds the roots of Pentecostal doctrine in the Methodist Holiness tradition.

Early Pentecostals spoke of the "full" or "foursquare" gospel. Dayton quotes Amiee Semple McPherson in describing this:

Jesus saves us according to John 3:16. He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4. He heals our bodies according to James 5:14-15. And Jesus is coming again to receive us unto Himself according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. (21)

Jesus is our Saviour, Baptizer, Healer, and soon coming King. The roots of all four of these doctrines can be found in the Methodist Holiness tradition with a few notable changes.

Where Methodists emphasized Sanctification as an act of grace subsequent to salvation, Pentecostals emphasized the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Some Pentecostals held on to Sanctification as well as Spirit Baptism which created a five-fold doctrine.

The other curious change is the Pentecostal emphasis on Pre-Millennial Dispensationalism which drives so much mission work. "Methodist and Holiness traditions have historically had little interest in eschatology or have inclined toward a postmillennial eschatology" (146). Dayton roots the rise of Pentecostal Pre-Millennialism in John Fletcher's doctrine of Dispensations.

Theological Roots of Pentecostalism is a detailed and fascinating look at how Pentecostal doctrine evolved and has served to drive a powerful worldwide movement. ( )

Dayton's book has long been considered a classic in the field of Pentecostal studies, and I wholeheartedly agree with that designation. The book is a very enlightening look at the theological "pre-history" of Pentecostalism (mainly focused on the middle-to-late 19th century), using as its organizing theme the "four-fold Gospel" of Christ as Savior, Sanctifier/Spirit Baptizer, Healer, and Coming King.

While some would rightly be skeptical of using such an "artificial" organizational principle, I would only observe that Dayton, who is NOT a Pentecostal, did a good enough job to convince me that he is exactly right. And I AM a Pentecostal!

Church history is not my academic area, so I was at times both out of my depth in some of his discussions (especially of the complexities of Wesley's writings) but also impressed at his self-evident command of very complex bodies of literature. (The concluding bibliographical essay is an EXTREMELY useful feature of the book.)

Again, occupying that strange middle ground between novice and expert (more connossieur than dilettante), I'm not sure that I would recommend this as the FIRST book to read on Pentecostalism. I really think something like Harvey Cox's "Fire From Heaven" might be better. However, anyone who desires to understand Pentecostalism clearly will have to know this book, and the sooner the better, I would think.

As with most historical studies, many of Dayton's insights helped to shed light on some of the current debates raging within even my own denomination. This DNA of Pentecostalism that Dayton has defined continues to define our "dominant traits." And I think Dayton's work will continue to elucidate such shifts for several more decades to come. ( )