Peter Hocken: The Glory and the Shame
Peter Hocken, The Glory and the Shame: Reflections on the 20th-Century Outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Gildford, UK: Eagle, 1994).
The Glory and the Shame is perhaps the most outstanding piece of Christian historical interpretation produced in recent decades. It covers the major outpourings of the Holy Spirit in the recent century, from Azusa Street to the charismatic movement, to the contemporary expansion of the “non-denominational,” Spirit-filled churches. Father Hocken rightly sees them all as manifestations of the same Holy Spirit. In this he continues the theme developed in his earlier work on the charismatic renewal One Lord, One Spirit, One Body (Gaithersburg: The Word Among Us, 1987) which dealt with the charismatic movement as an ecumenical force.
Fr. Hocken is one of the pioneer scholars of the Catholic charismatic renewal, entering the movement in 1971. He helped edit the Catholic ecumenical journal One In Christ, and also served as Secretary of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. He has written many scholarly articles for its journal, PNEUMA. A devout Roman Catholic, Fr. Hocken has been a long time resident at Mother of God covenant community in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
However, Hocken’s Catholicism does not obscure the deep respect he has for other Christian denominations, nor does it blind him to some of the extremes of Catholic piety. In a passage in The Glory and the Shame that must have been particularly difficult for him to write, Fr. Hocken chides some of the Catholic charismatics:
One particular danger [of the Catholic charismatic renewal]…is the combination among some Catholics of a charismatic emphasis on contemporary revelation and a Marian devotion of a strongly apocalyptic character. In some places, this combination has almost taken over and displaced Catholic charismatic renewal. Its fruits appear to be highly questionable…Instead of their renewal experience opening them to the saving work of Jesus on the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit to transform, they have majored on revelations and messages. (p.188)
Hocken’s gentle by effective critical/prophetic attitude is evident throughout the entire work. He writes in the opening chapter:
It is important to reflect with open hearts and critical discernment upon this extraordinary phenomenon [i.e., the Pentecostal outpourings]. Simply to be critical is to risk missing the glory and the grace; but to be enthusiastic without discernment risks welcoming the viruses that obscure the glory and sully the grace. (p. 11)
Most Christian histories of the Pentecostal revival or charismatic renewal have been apologetic. Their purpose has been to explain the Spirit-filled movements to a skeptical Christian public, or supply basic histories to Spirit-filled readers. Recently I eagerly purchased a new volume by a noted Charismatic historian (best left unnamed) which dealt with an important Spirit-filled para-church ministry. It was embarrassingly hagiographic in spite of the fact that the organization was undergoing considerable decline, and suffering from internal divisions. It was as if the Bible told of King David’s rule without the story of his adultery or the rebellion of his son. Christian historians could do no better than to follow Hocken’s example which evenhandedly describes the grace (glory) of the renewal, but shows also its sin (shame). Glory and the Shame is especially welcome to those us who have been long time charismatics and have been embarrassed by the excesses and scandals of the 1980s.
The insights of this work fill every chapter. Chapter two centers on the “Surprises of the Holy Spirit:” that the Spirit acts in ways that are far reaching and beyond the “received theology” of the Christian community. The original Azusa Street revival was a surprise to the many Methodists and Holiness groups praying for revival. It came in a most undignified place, in an inter-racial, interdenominational setting, and was led by a poorly educated African-American preacher. Similarly, the charismatic revival of the 1960s was a surprise to the Pentecostals of the era as their received theology had argued that the mainline denominations were beyond redemption and renewal. Hocken points to two other “surprises of the Sprit,” the Catholic Charismatic renewal, and the newer movement of messianic Judaism. All these surprises are not without biblical precedent, as the Book of Acts shows how the Apostles were shaken out of their received theology by the surprising work of the Spirit in bringing the Gentiles into the Kingdom (chapter three).
For Fr. Hocken these surprises do not represent caprice on the part of the Sprit, but are the product of the profound wisdom of God (chapter four). The surprises act towards the ultimate goal of creating and perfecting the Church into its final glorious form. Only in historical perspective can we catch a glimpse of the reasons behind the surprises. For example, the Azusa Street revival was rejected by the mainline denominations, and the Pentecostals forced into a exile from Evangelical approval and cooperation. This seems like a tragedy, but in fact can be seen as the Spirit’s providential plan. The period of exile and disdain allowed the Pentecostals to formulate the theology and pastoral practices of the gifts of the Spirit unencumbered by the ill fitting traditions of the mainline churches.
Hocken’s attitude towards denominational differences is another major insight of this work. Rather than imagining some sort of ultimate amalgamation of Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity, he sees the Unity of Church as in the heavenlies. This is reflected in the glorious moments of worship common to many interdenominational meetings and conferences. Fr. Hocken does not dismiss the serious doctrinal differences that exist among denominations. Rather, he sees the Spirit moving in each denomination, whether from the old churches (Catholic or Orthodox), the Reformed family of churches, or the newer Pentecostal/charismatic groups, to affirm their original grace of foundation and insight, while chipping away at their exaggerations and errors. Thus the Spirit both constantly affirms what is good and corrects what is amiss. Fr. Hocken writes:
Each church grouping has a responsibility before God for its own faithfulness to the Word of life. Each body or network of believers has a responsibility to preserve at all costs, and to live as deeply as possible, all that the Spirit of God has given. Each Church body has a responsibility to repent for its infidelity to the Lord. This means seriously seeking the sifting of the Spirit of God to make clear what in its inheritance is of the Spirit…and what is a defilement for which to repent. (p.194)
Hocken was led to this insight by his discovery of little known French Pentecostal prophet and pastor, Louise Dalliere. In the 1930s Dalliere foresaw that Pentecostalism was a grace to the whole church, and that the old churches and Reformed denominations would eventually all be touched by it. But rather than a new amalgam being formed, the grace of Pentecost would restore the best of their original grace and eliminate the elements of sin and pride (chapter eleven).
Fr. Hocken’s focus on two new groups need to be mentioned as part of his graced insights. Hocken sees the non-denominationals – independent charismatic churches, and such loosely knit groups as the Vineyard and World Harvest churches, as a special grace to the universal church (chapters nine and twenty-two). Hocken sees the non-denominationals as a prophetic model to the rest of the Church, demonstrating an evangelistic fervor and Spirit empowerment that the other churches lack. That the Spirit raised up such entirely new bodies is an indicator of the sin and lack of repentance of the older denominations. The older denominations have both refused to take seriously the outpourings of the Spirit, and have not moved to curb their destructive traditionalism.
No less insightful but perhaps more significant is Fr. Hocken’s analysis of the rise of Messianic Judaism. The formation of these congregations, that for the first time since the First Century enable Jews to be Christian without diminishing their Jewishness, have far reaching implications. These congregations are mostly Spirit-filled and naturally liturgical. Hocken believes that this combination will enable these churches to lead the other denominations to unity so that the unity on earth will approach that in the heavenlies. Hocken’s analysis is based on a careful exegesis of Romans 11, which predicts a reincorporation of the Jews into the body of Christ after the fullness of the Gentiles. Similarly, the re-establishment both of Jewish Christianity and of the of the state of Israel are keys to coming parousia (chapter 20).
Fr. Hocken’s understanding of the relation between revival and parousia answers a repetitive theme of revival groups throughout history – they have all believed in the imminent return of Christ. Hocken suggests that the reason for this is that if the Church were truly obedient to the grace of revival, any single revival could so heal and perfect the Church that the parousia would then occur. It is the disobedience and opposition of the churches, and the sin response of the revival leaders, which prevents any one revival from fulfilling this potential. This is a conditional understanding of history not usually found among orthodox theologians, but increasingly considered as an option within orthodoxy. Recently such evangelical scholars as John Sanders (The God Who Risks, Intervarsity, 1999) have elaborated just such a conditional understanding of scripture (see the critical discussion of Sanders work in Stephen Williams’ “What God Doesn’t Know,” Books & Culture, (Nov./Dec. 1999, 16-18).
Aside from this controversial insight, The Glory and the Shame will have nothing to disturb the sensibilities of the most conservative of readers. This work really is “must reading” for Pentecostal and charismatic scholars. It is not an easy read, but neither is it as difficult as most academic books. With guidance it would find a most useful place in adult Sunday school and college classes.
Reviewed by William L. De Arteaga
