*excerpt from Chapter 5- Major shift in Globa Christianity*

Making Sense of the ‘Pentecostalization’ of Global Christianity

A. The Prophetic Voices of the Oldest and Youngest Christian Denominations

Kärkkäinen in, Pneumatology names two possible reasons for the renewed interest in the Holy Spirit. The first is “the entrance of the Eastern Orthodox Churches into the official ecumenical organization, the World Council of Churches (WCC)….” He says this “has made the rich pneumatological and spiritual tradition of this ancient church family more easily available to other Churches.” The second reason he gives is what we have already discussed as “the dramatic spread of the Pentecostal movement throughout the world.”

So, from Kärkkäinen’s point of view, the global Church is thinking, theologizing and writing more about the Holy Spirit for two main reasons. First of all, the Eastern Orthodox Church—the earliest Christian denomination—which he rightly considers to have a rich pneumatological tradition has begun to interact more with other Church denominations through global Church platforms like the WCC. Secondly, he observes that the youngest Christian denomination, the Pentecostal Movement, is spreading like wildfire worldwide, stirring both controversies and interest in the Holy Spirit wherever it goes.

Kärkkäinen’s observations are perceptive. First of all, in his statements, he recognizes that the oldest (Eastern Orthodox Church) and youngest (Pentecostal Movement) Christian traditions share a Spirit-centred outlook on our Christian faith and experience. This is significant. It is noteworthy that the oldest and the youngest voices of the Christian faith speak the same thing. We need to listen to what they have to say. And when we do, I believe we will hear their prophetic voices calling out to the present-day Church to investigate, engage and embrace—wholeheartedly and biblically— the multi-dimensional work of the Holy Spirit in renewing his Church as we near the end of the age.

In all, through these new trends in global Christianity, I believe God is calling the present-day Church back where it all began for the Christian movement. Particularly, to the centrality of Jesus Himself, Spirit-empowered ministry, and the Holy Spirit’s prominent place in Christian life and ministry. This, I think, is an act of going back to move forward. When we embrace our Christian foundations, we are more capable of moving forward to what’s next.

Throughout Church history, there have been such men and women of the Spirit who have stood out to remind the Church that victory in our Christian life is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit (Zach. 4:6). For what seemed impossible by human effort, these Charismatic/Pentecostal Christians reminded us that it was possible by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in us.

So, whether it was the story of Gregory Thaumaturgus (ca. 2020-60), the Wonderworker,59 or the accounts of the miracles, signs, and wonders by Antony of the Desert, the Father of Christian monasticism (ca. 251-356);60 or the dramatic visions and prophecies of the female mystic, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179),61 or the life of Pseudo-Macarius “known for exercising gifts of healing and forecasting the future,”62 we are constantly being reminded that the Church has been empowered supernaturally by the Spirit to go beyond what is humanly possible.

With a tendency for men and women to take pride in their own work, accomplishments, military or economic power, such dynamic movements of the Spirit are a needed reminder that God’s empowerment far exceeds ours. And the prophetic voices of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Pentecostal Movement, plus millions of Christians in the history of the Church, are shouting that with depth and clarity.

B. The Latter and the Former Rains?

Another way we could make sense of this sudden interest in the Holy Spirit is by the agricultural imagery of Joel 2:23 and Hosea 6:3—the latter and former rains. The early Pentecostals considered the outpouring of the Spirit they were experiencing in the 1900’s as a “latter rain.” In their estimation, the Church had experienced the “early rain” of the Spirit’s outpouring in the early days recorded in the book of Acts. During that time, the Christian movement experienced supernatural Charismatic dimensions of the Christian faith under the leadership of the early Apostles. In their prophetic perception, the ‘ground’ was then prepared for the Gospel ‘seed’ to be ‘sown’ across the world — as the former rain prepares the ground for seed sowing. And it somehow did; the Gospel spread far and wide through the Spirit-empowered evangelistic work of the first century Church.

And though the Holy Spirit has been active throughout Church history since, now in the 20th and 21st century, this Spirit-phenomenon is, once again, becoming increasingly common. So, as they envisaged, this may constitute the ‘latter rain’ that will prepare the ground for a remarkable ‘harvest of souls’ and the glorious return of Christ Jesus to establish His millennial kingdom. James 5:7 alludes to this. If this is true, we need to embrace its implications for preparing ourselves today for tomorrow’s Church. I believe that this Pneumatic and charismatic restoration, though often plagued with controversies and contradictions (some of which we will discuss later), is the key to the renewal of the Church.

C. The Return of the Forgotten God?

As I’ve already established, even though the Holy Spirit and His charisms (gifts) have been present in the Church since its inception, it is also true that historically speaking, the Holy Spirit has not always been embraced as central to the Christian life.

Seán P. Kealy, a professor of theology for nearly twenty years, called Pneumatology “one of the most elusive themes in the Bible or in theology.”63 And so, just like the first century Ephesian Christians lamented in Acts 19:2, there are many Christians today who are confessing, “We have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Spirit.” To these particular Christians, I think this prophetic call to receive the Holy Spirit’s present ministry should ring loudest. For as Karl Barth, in a satirical tone, warns, churches without the Spirit are “flat-tire churches”64 — movement in God’s mission is hindered.

Also, in the historical development of Christian orthodoxy, the Holy Spirit was, somehow, the last to be received as a legitimate member of the divine Trinity. As my professor, Dr. Swoboda, reminded us, during a class on Pneumatology,

“Historically, it took nearly 300 years for the church to formalize the concept that the Spirit was a divine person of the Trinity. Granted, this theological battle did not come without a fight. In the early church, there were a group of Christians who called themselves the pneumatomachoi—or, “fighters against the Holy Spirit.” They did everything they could to fight against the divinity of the Holy Spirit.” 65

Evidently, the fight for a prominent place for the third person of the Trinity in the theology and practice of the Church has been ongoing for centuries. And so are the present-day pneumatomachoi— Christians and others who continue to fight against all expressions of the Spirit in the Church.

The Eastern Father Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390 CE) also speaks sarcastically of this neglect in his day by calling the Spirit the pneuma agraptos, the “Spirit about whom no one writes.”66 The great Russian Orthodox theologian Nikolay Berdayev also named pneumatology “the last unexplored Theological frontier.”67 Francis Chan, in 2009, added his voice to the long historical lamentation in his book, The Forgotten God, Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. His book’s title says it all. The neglect of the Holy Spirit is, in his words, tragic and needs to be reversed.

Today in places where this awareness is brought, there are mixed responses amongst Christians. Some are saying something like, “I’ve been there, done that, seen that, and I don’t want any of it.” Or “I was burnt once and don’t want to be again!” Others say, “I haven’t been there, but I am honestly not interested, because I’m okay with the way things are with my Church community.” For yet some others, who are vexed in heart for the lack of spiritual vitality they see in their Churches, this renewed interest in the subject on the Holy Spirit is a breath of fresh air. However, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, we need to acknowledge that we have all somehow contributed to maintaining this neglect collectively.

*Excerpt ends*

Official Book launch of Re:New, A Case for Spiritual Renewal in the 21st Century Church on October 30th, 2021.