John Christopher Thomas

Women, Pentecostals and the Bible: an Experiment in Pentecostal Hermeneutics

Given the community orientation of Pentecostalism, on the one hand and the excesses of a somewhat rampant individualism among interpreters generally, on the other hand, reflection on the place of the community in the hermeneutical process appears to be a natural next step in the development of a Pentecostal hermeneutic. This chapter explores one possible paradigm, which is derived from the New Testament itself. This approach is that revealed in the deliberations of the Jerusalem Council as described in Acts 15.1-29. The proposed Pentecostal hermeneutic built on Acts 15 has three primary components: the community, the activity of the Spirit, and the Scripture. In order to gauge the usefulness of this paradigm, it is tested by addressing a particularly difficult issue facing the church. Perhaps one of the most significant current debates within the ecclesiastical world is that regarding the role of women in the ministry of the church. Keywords: Acts 15; churchs ministry; Holy Spirit; Jerusalem Council; New Testament; Pentecostal hermeneutic; Pentecostalism; Scripture; women

'An Angel From Satan': Paul's Thorn in the Flesh (2 Corinthians 12.7-10)

* John Christopher Thomas (PhD, University of Sheffield) is Professor of New Testament at the Church of God School of Theology, Cleveland, TN, USA. The relationship between the Devil and disease, sickness and sin, healing and forgiveness, exorcism and deliverance continues to intrigue interpreters of the New Testament at both scholarly and popular levels. Whether the challenge presented by this issue is the greatest one facing the Pentecostal and charismatic movement or not, many of those in the tradition would agree that a proper understanding of this topic is one of the movement’s greatest needs. This study, which seeks to contribute in a small way to that goal, is part of a more comprehensive investigation of the relevant New Testament texts which reveal something about the relationship between the Devil and disease, sickness and sin, healing and forgiveness, exorcism and deliverance.’ 1

‘Where the Spirit leads’ – the development of Pentecostal hermeneutics

This article traces the development of Pentecostal hermeneutics by focusing on the touchstones in this emerging discipline. Whilst the literature devoted to this topic is enlarging at an astounding rate, and not all worthy pieces can be cited, this article focuses especially on approaches that appear to be most constructive. This study acquaints the reader with significant figures in this discipline and with some of the major contours and characteristics of this hermeneutical approach.

'Pentecostal Explorations of the New Testament': Teaching New Testament Introduction in a Pentecostal Seminary

Originally prepared for the Society of Biblical Literatures section devoted to the Academic Study of the Bible, this article explores the contours of a distinctively Pentecostal approach to a graduate level course on New Testament Introduction. Written in the form of a narrative, this study seeks to lead the reader through the reasons for rethinking the task of teaching such a course in a Pentecostal context, to propose an approach to the study of the New Testament that utilizes a variety of methodological approaches which resonate with the tradition in various ways, and to offer some evalua tion of this approach based upon the classroom experience.

The Charismatic Structure of Acts

This study surveys major attempts to understand the structure of Acts and proposes a structure based upon insights gained from textual markers in the text and the significant role of the Holy Spirit. Building upon the work of a number of others, including Roger Stronstad in particular, this article proposes that the primary theme that holds the document together is the charismatic and/or the prophetic activity of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, the proposal offered takes account of a full spectrum of defining emphases in Acts: the major individuals in Acts, the book’s emphasis upon missionary expansion, the literary markers in the text, and the strategic role of the Holy Spirit throughout the narrative.

A Critical Engagement with Craig S. Keener’s Spirit Hermeneutics: Reading Scripture in the Light of Pentecost (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016)

Seeking to construct the implied readers of Keener’s volume, the author focuses upon Keener’s rather vague discussion of the role of the Spirit, his view of original meaning as the key to hermeneutics, the book’s rhetorically charged tone, and a certain imprecision that occurs throughout. The second part of this essay concludes with the identification of several areas in which the work missed opportunities for significant engagement within this area of hermeneutics, including the absence of original Pentecostal source materials, the absence of intentional engagement with the origins and development of contemporary Pentecostal hermeneutics, and the absence of specific examination of several NT texts that reveal much about concrete ways in which the Spirit functions in interpretation.

An Appreciation and Critique of Craig R. Koester, Revelation (ayb 38A; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2014) with Special Reference to Revelation 15.6–22.21

This review article is devoted to Revelation 15.6–22.21 in Craig R. Koester’s ayb volume on the Book of Revelation. The volume is praised for its exhaustive research, prudent judgments, and textual sensitivity. Among the issues raised are the topics of Revelation’s pneumatology, the commentary’s somewhat restrictive use of the Johannine literature, the issue of works and grace, and the significance of the kings of the earth in New Jerusalem and the conversion of the nations.

Frederick J. Gaiser, Healing in the Bible: Theological Insight for Christian Ministry (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010) - An Appreciative Engagement

This review article offers a brief overview of Pentecostal views on healing and engages Gaiser’s Healing in the Bible first by offering an assessment of the book’s many contributions and then by raising various methodological, theological, and issues of praxis to facilitate dialogue with regard to this most important topic.

A Celebration of and Engagement with James D.G. Dunn's Baptism in the Holy Spirit Forty Years On

This short study offers a celebration of and engagement with James D.G. Dunns Baptism of the Holy Spirit forty years after its first publication. Specifically, this article focuses upon the sections of Baptism of the Holy Spirit devoted to the Johannine literature, posing questions for further reflection and discussion.

Healing in the Atonement: A Johannine Perspective

This study advances a fresh approach to the doctrine that physical healing is provided in the atonement of Jesus—a belief common among Pentecostals around the world, but often supported by a small number of proof-texts (esp. Mt. 8.16-17 and 2 Pet. 2.24). Specifically, the study explores the ways in which the Fourth Gospel affirms the connection between healing and salvation and suggests additional ways to reflect upon this issue, thereby making a small contribution to the revisioning of this doctrine. This study includes the following components. First, it offers a reading of the accounts of healing found within the Fourth Gospel in order to ascertain the level of explicit connection between healing and salvation within these stories. Second, it explores the significance of the narrative location of the signs of healing and their relationship to explicit textual referents to Jesus’ exaltation upon the cross. Third, it offers a couple of observations on other portions of the Fourth Gospel that might be of some relevance to this topic. Fourth, it explores this topic further by listening to readings (‘testimonies’) from early Pentecostalism that see some connection between healing in the atonement and the Fourth Gospel. Finally, this study attempts to make explicit the modest implications of this discussion for a Pentecostal theology of healing in the atonement.