Advents of the Spirit, reviewed by Amos Yong
Bradford E. Hinze and D. Lyle Dabney, eds., Advents of the Spirit: An Introduction to the Current Study of Pneumatology, Marquette Studies in Theology 30 (Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 2002), 484 pages, ISBN 9780874626797.
There are two main reasons why I want to encourage readers of the Pneuma Review to read this book. The first concerns my passion that we in the Pentecostal and charismatic renewal movements commit ourselves to the fullness of life in the Spirit, which includes loving God not just with our hearts, but also with our minds. As such, it is incumbent upon us to learn how to think through, reflect critically upon, and communicate articulately our experiences of and in the Spirit of God. If the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us to enable and empower our witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), then should not such witness also be seen and heard in the theological academy and among professional theologians? Arguably, Miroslav Volf’s and D. Lyle Dabney’s essays represent such a voice since both were raised in Pentecostal Churches. However, the current theological identities of both theologians are more mainline and ecumenical than most pentecostals. This is reflected by the editors’ regretting their inability to involve a Pentecostal theologian in this project (p. 23). Rather than trying to fault the editors, this void could also be taken in at least two other ways: either Pentecostals have been marginalized by mainline theologians, or this is an indication that Pentecostalcharismatics have rejected the theological task. While I believe neither is true without severe qualification, I do think that Pentecostals and charismatics need to be sensitive to what should be done to address the issues. One way is to take up the theological task in earnest. One can do no better than by beginning—if one has not already—with this book.
This leads to the second reason why I am recommending this volume to readers of the Pneuma Review. As a Pentecostal, I would have appreciated Pentecostal/charismatic perspectives on the topics taken up in this volume. I am happy to report that there is much we as Pentecostals/charismatics can learn about pneumatology from the non-Pentecostal contributors to this volume. In fact, the back cover blurb stating that the intention “was to produce a set of papers that would serve as an effective introduction to the current state of research in to Pneumatology” has been largely fulfilled. Very briefly, the editors organized a symposium on pneumatology at Marquette University in April of 1998. They invited papers from theologians working in the area of what has come to be known during the last decade as the “pneumatological renaissance in theology.” The symposium papers along with the formal responses combined in this book present “cutting edge” research on the topic of pneumatology.
Advents of the Spirit includes fourteen major papers and nine formal conference responses to these papers divided among the book’s seven sections. “Biblical Perspectives” include one general overview of pneumatological themes in Scripture and an insightful and detailed exegesis of the Pentecost narrative of Acts 2. “Historical Perspectives” includes a revisitation of the Montanist controversy during the second and third centuries in light of the contemporary Pentecostal and charismatic experience; and an introduction to medieval “charismatic” experience. “Contemporary Philosophical Resources” suggests that a fruitful dialogue could emerge between pneumatology and science. “Issues and Debates” presents the significance of pneumatology for theological method and for theological anthropology. Section five on “Spirit Christology and Trinity” takes up perennial debates on the personhood of the Spirit, the Spirit’s relationship to Jesus Christ, and the question of the filioque—whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone (John 14:26) or from the Father and the Son (cf. John 15:26). “The Spirit and the Church” presents historical and ministerial/missionary perspectives on a pneumatologically informed ecclesiology. “The Power of the Spirit in Christian Practices” includes papers on social solidarity and ecological responsibility (sections to which I will return shortly). Such a cursory overview surely cannot do justice to the richness of these essays, but is meant rather as an invitation to the book. Most of these papers were written at a fairly high academic level and may be challenging reading. However, the rewards are the cultivation of an increased sensitivity to the presence and activity of the Spirit of God in our world.
Thus, the essays in the last two sections present much food for thought about how pragmatically-minded Pentecostal/charismatics should go about the business of “walking in the Spirit.” For example, a pneumatological ecclesiology calls attention to the diversity of the charismatic gifts, the gifted and the recipients of those blessings of the Spirit (Volf). What about a pneumatological theology of the liturgy in general and of the sacraments more particularly (Michael Fahey), and might this revolutionize Pentecostal and charismatic views on this dimension of Christian life? Further, can this carry over into human relationships, between the oppressed and their oppressors, for example? Would Pentecostals and charismatics who are usually the first to testify about the Spirit’s blessings in their individual lives also be able to testify about how the Holy Spirit is interested and involved in social reconciliation as well (Anselm Min)? Finally, what might Pentecostal and charismatic experience contribute to a deeper understanding of human embodiment, environmental rootedness, and ecological interdependence in what Mark Wallace calls “an ecocidal era”? In each of these areas, I think, Pentecostals will benefit from experiencing the pneumatological symbols serving different theological functions than what they are used to. Yet at the same time, such experiences which expand one’s horizons can also evoke critical counter-questions just as they could new insights and perspectives. And such, I suggest, is part of what life in the Spirit is all about.
Reviewed by Amos Yong
