Andrew Davies

A New Teaching without Authority: Preaching the Bible in Postmodernity

Abstract The response of the citizens of Capernaum to Jesus’ proclamation in Mark 1:21-28 highlights the ‘paradigm shift’ that his ministry inaugurated in the sphere of preaching. In comparison with the teaching of the scribes, Mark tells us, Jesus taught with authority. This paper uses this underestimated pericopc as a springboard to explore the concept of authority in preaching, particularly in the light of the postmodern distaste for external authority, and seeks to assess the need for a further remodelling of the preaching paradigm, in terms of its very conception as much as with respect to its style. Does reconceptualizing power structures in society in general mean the death of the teacher-pupil and preacher-listener binary oppositions? Is the concept of authority now so firmly embedded in our concept of preaching, not least as a result of the ministry of Jesus, as to make it inherently ‘modern’ and doomed to irrelevance? If so, can literary criticism and the postmodern emphasis on story offer a useful model for non-authoritarian preaching (presuming the latter is both possible and desirable)? On the way I will address the question of whether cultural-critical approaches and the present focus on literary and iconic reception of the biblical texts have been the primary contribution of academic biblical scholarship to the present poor health of expository preaching before concluding with some practical suggestions for the way ahead.

The Spirit of Freedom: Pentecostals, The Bible and Social Justice

Abstract This paper briefly considers something of what the Bible has to say about the role of the Holy Spirit in social justice, observing that the Spirit creates, refreshes, renews and restores; that his presence brings, and inevitably results in, freedom; that he holds together and builds both our community and our individual character; that as the source of our wisdom and inspiration, he provides the intellectual and emotional resources we need for the task entrusted to us; and that as the source of our power he anoints us and equips us for that service. These distinctive aspects of the role of the Spirit which relate directly to the area of social justice and the fact that the role of the Spirit in liberation is such a fundamental part of his ministry suggest that Pentecostal theology should have something to say on such issues, and that Pentecostals should feel passionately about social transformation, despite their poor record on such issues in the past.

Pentecostals and social and political engagement

Throughout the history of the academic study of Pentecostalism as a global movement, it has been necessary to preface any discussion of Pentecostalism and society with the rider that ‘Pentecostals don’t really do social engagement’. That probably was once at least generally true, though there have always been prominent counter-examples (perhaps the best of them being Pentecostal involvement in the US Civil Rights movement, though Pentecostals in the global South have often taken a different view of the quest for political power, too). I hope, though, that this special edition of JEPTA will go some way to ending this narrative of Pentecostal disinterest once and for all, because it is clear from the research and the interventions presented here that it is no longer valid. The story here is that social engagement is alive and well and prospering under the hands of new generations of Pentecostal leaders in both academic and ecclesiastical contexts. The ‘progressive Pentecostals’ are leading the way and are making a difference. This issue is, perhaps, a little more Brit-centric than normal, rescued from the UK’s jurisdiction principally by Rich Adekoya’s study of Nigeria and Matthew Murray’s account of the missionary development work he and his wife Becky lead. Nevertheless, I hope that the variety of interests of JEPTA’s readership will be piqued by a creative series of papers which offer, I believe, original and provocative accounts of emerging belief and practice in the contemporary Pentecostal church. Perhaps the surest confirmation of the trend towards social and political engagement is that it is increasingly a field of study for doctoral candidates, and I’m honoured to open the issue with contributions from three of the best emerging thinkers in this field who are presently pursuing doctorates at Chester, Birmingham and Roehampton respectively. Trevor HomfrayCooper asks us to reflect upon the necessity of a theology for the poor in a country that has a state welfare system and invites critical theological analysis of the need for grace and mercy for those in need. Selina Stone returns to traditional Pentecostal spirituality to reinvent for a new world the concept of ‘discipleship’, calling upon the church to recognize the call to justice inherent in the work of the Spirit. Pious Nyandoro’s paper then focusses upon the theological motivation behind the huge increase in food bank provision in the British church in recent times, connecting Pentecostal thinking here to some of the core traditions of Catholic social teaching. With the final two papers, we move more directly to politics, with Adekoya’s paper then offers a theoretical framework through which we can consider the issue of political engagement and applies this to the experience of Nigerian Pentecostals, before my own contribution seeks to address the challenge of the public understanding of religious belief and the failure of policymakers to appreciate the significance of faith as a motivation for action by highlighting a problematic specific example. I wanted to ensure that we included some insight into current practice among Pentecostals, too, and so something of an innovation to this issue is that it incorporates three short case studies to show something of the immense diversity of activities that Pentecostals are now engaging with. The three churches represented in the studies have in common that they are all based in the Midlands of England; that they are all

Reading politics through scripture: International relations, the Bible and Conservative Christianity

ABSTRACT Whilst the rise of secularization in the West is evident and well documented, the importance of religion and its power as a motivating force for people of faith cannot be underestimated. Taking as an example a narrative commonly espoused by conservative Christians around the status of Israel, this paper identifies some key lessons for policymakers in engaging with faith communities and argues for the inclusion of theological reflection in the policy toolbox.

Texts, Themes, and Theologies: A Response to John Goldingay’s The Theology of the Book of Isaiah

This review offers a critical reading of John Goldingay’s The Theology of the Book of Isaiah from the author’s perspective as a Pentecostal literary critic and exegete. Focussing on Goldingay’s distinction between meaning and significance, it commends Goldingay’s attention to the difference between the theologies in the book of Isaiah and a variety of theologies which might be seen as arising from the book, and draws out some fundamental questions which Goldingay’s observations pose more broadly for Pentecostal interpreters.

Reading in the Spirit: some brief observations on Pentecostal interpretation and the ethical difficulties of the Old Testament

This essay begins by considering the Pentecostal understanding of, and relationship to, Scripture, arguing that Pentecostals have always adopted an engaged and ‘agendad’ model of reading the biblical text. It then proceeds to consider how some of the ethical challenges posed by the Old Testament in particular might be addressed by a pneumatic model of reading which seeks to invite the Spirit’s guidance throughout the interpretative task, and thereby to dig beyond the surface meaning of the text.