{"id":23619,"date":"2023-06-08T17:53:03","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T17:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/perspectives-on-spirit-baptism-five-views\/"},"modified":"2023-06-08T17:53:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T17:53:03","slug":"perspectives-on-spirit-baptism-five-views","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/perspectives-on-spirit-baptism-five-views\/","title":{"rendered":"Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Chad Owen Brand, ed., Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views<\/i><\/a> (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2004), 338 pages.<\/b><\/p>\n

Perspectives on Spirit Baptism<\/i> is a collection of five scholarly essays that define Spirit Baptism from five traditions: Reformed (Walter C. Kaiser), Pentecostal (Stanley M. Horton), Charismatic (Larry Hart), Wesleyan (H. Ray Dunning), and Catholic (Ralph Del Colle). Each view is formatted as a chapter, which concludes with responses from the remaining four scholars. The space afforded each view differs widely in some cases. For example, the Reformed view is only 22 pages, whereas the Charismatic view is 64 pages long; the difference (42 pages) is longer than the Catholic view (39 pages). The Pentecostal and Wesleyan views are 48 and 49 pages, respectively. Regarding the responses, there is again a disparity. Horton’s responses total only six pages, while Del Colle amasses just over 14 pages (the average was 10 pages).<\/p>\n

All of the contributors to this volume are terminal-degreed scholars, but were they the most qualified<\/em>? What brings this question to mind are the credentials of Kaiser and Horton. These are highly distinguished scholars, but their forte is the Old Testament, whereas Spirit Baptism is a New Testament phenomenon. Both men are venerable patriarchs (Horton will soon be 90) of their denominations and have high degrees of name-recognition (which publishers desire), but I sensed a lack of edge and freshness in their presentations and responses.<\/p>\n

Kaiser starts things off with a historical summary of the responses to Pentecostal theology by John Stott (1964) and James Dunn (1970). Mysteriously, forty years after Stott’s dividing of Scripture into didactic and historical, Kaiser makes the same mistake, favoring Paul’s “didactic” passages over Luke’s “narrative.” Kaiser ignores three and a half decades of scholarship, beginning with I. Howard Marshall (1970) and continuing to this day, that corrects the misguided notion that Luke was merely a historian.<\/p>\n

Neither does Kaiser fare well in the department of fairness. In his attempt to connect Spirit baptism with conversion, he quotes Pentecostal scholar R. P. Menzies in order to counter him with a quote from J. B. Shelton (also a Pentecostal), but he unfairly ends the Shelton quote at a point that serves his purpose. Had he continued with the same sentence<\/em>, it would have destroyed his point. Here is Kaiser’s quotation from Shelton: “[Although] Luke is not averse to associating the Holy Spirit with conversion. [Kaiser even omits the ellipsis that indicates an omission.]” Here is the omitted clause and next clause: “\u2026this is not his major pneumatological thrust. Some misunderstanding has arisen when the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering for witness is confused with conversion.” But as serious as this violation of scholarship is, it pales in significance to Kaiser’s later mischaracterization of Larry Hurtado’s position on tongues as the initial evidence of Spirit baptism. He quotes Hurtado approvingly when the latter confirms that the NT does not raise the question of the initial evidence of Spirit baptism. Then he chastises Hurtado for not thinking that this renders the doctrine invalid and for thinking that experience “can fill in the needed evidence here!” (30). Kaiser has grossly misread Hurtado, whose last clause of the quoted essay reads, “\u2026the doctrine of initial evidence, whatever its historic significance for institutionalized Pentecostalism, should be set aside as a sincere but misguided understanding of Scripture.” Was Kaiser so desperate to compare the supposed experience-based<\/em> Pentecostal view of Spirit baptism to Evangelical rationalism that he totally misread Hurtado? Whatever the case, Kaiser turns Hurtado into a tremendous strawman, and he owes Hurtado an apology, since Hurtado seems to be on Kaiser’s side. Hurtado is not a Pentecostal but appears more like a Lukan cessationist who does not believe Luke intended to teach Theophilus anything about the relationship between tongues and Spirit baptism even though Luke, following contemporary Greco-Roman rhetorical conventions, strategically linked them in pivotal scenes that demonstrate the programmatic Christ sayings of Luke 24:45-47<\/a> and Acts 1:4-8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In his response to Kaiser, Del Colle gently raises the question of the theological import of Kaiser’s Evangelical doctrine of Spirit baptism, since it did not exist before the Holiness\/Pentecostal movements (41). In other words, it was only because of the Pentecostal challenge that Evangelicals formulated a counter-doctrine. (In fact, as a Pentecostal scholar-friend commented to me, this book<\/em> would not exist if it were not for the Pentecostal movement.) Del Colle also questions Kaiser’s use of a single scripture\u20141 Corinthians 12:13a<\/a>\u2014whereby all other Spirit-baptism-related verses are interpreted (43).<\/p>\n

Kaiser, taking his cue from Stott, uses this verse at least 14 times in structuring his Reformed position of Spirit baptism or rebutting the Pentecostal position. I was disappointed that Horton did not take him to task for his heavy dependence upon a single verse. His entire argument hinges upon a two-letter Greek word, the preposition en<\/em>, which, according to him, must be translated in<\/em> (“in<\/em> one Spirit we were all baptized”) and must be univocal in meaning with the other six non-Pauline occurences. Furthermore, this Pauline baptism in the Spirit<\/em>, once asserted, must be the one passage that controls the other six. Hence, the one-verse soteriology of Paul trumps the prophetic empowerment contexts of John the Baptist, quoted by Jesus, who was in turn quoted by Peter (and all by Luke).<\/p>\n

Because of Kaiser’s misuse of 1 Corinthians 12:13a<\/a>, I took a closer look at it and the other six that mention Spirit baptism, This is what I found: (1) Paul’s clause contains 11 words, of which seven do not occur in any of the other six passages (actually eight, since kai<\/em> is not used in the same sense); (2) Of the 15 different words that are used in the other six, Paul matches only two of them identically<\/em> (“in,” and “Spirit”), and even then, not by order; (3) Two words that Paul uses (“one body”) that are critical to his intent and Kaiser’s view do not occur in any of the other six passages; (4) Two of Paul’s words that are common to all the verses are separated by another critical word, “one,” transforming the critical phrase “in the Holy Spirit” in the six, to “in one Spirit,” which is balanced semantically by “in one body,” a phrase totally foreign to the six; (5) The verb in Paul’s verse (“were baptized”) occurs in a tense and person not found in the six.<\/p>\n

Apparently, Luke and Paul were not describing identical Christian experiences, but I don’t come to that conclusion because of the grammatical differences. The greater point is made not with grammar but with contexts. John the Baptist’s statement, later quoted by Jesus, is adequately explained by Jesus (through Luke); it occurs in Acts 1:8<\/a>, where Theophilus learns that this baptism, yet to come to the disciple-believers, will be for power to witness<\/em>\u2014elements not in view in 1 Corinthians 12:13a<\/a>. (Furthermore, Kaiser jettisons his argument from authorial intentionality, knowing that it doesn’t help his cause at all here, for Paul does not intend to teach that Spirit baptism effects salvation\/conversion here or in any other passage, neither does any other New Testament writer make such a statement. Also, his argument for a univocal en<\/em> is weakened, in my mind, by his argument for an equivocal disciple<\/em> in Acts 19:1<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The chapter by Horton begins with nine pages of interesting Pentecostal history and personal anecdotes, but I question the propriety of that genre in this volume. Does it not reinforce the perceived Pentecostal shibboleth of placing experience above scripture? Horton does cover the relevant Lukan passages, but much of it (at least 10 lengthy quotations) comes from his previously published works. One of his assertions will, no doubt, serve only as a distraction, i.e., that tongues are always foreign languages. He bases this on Acts 2<\/a>, where tongues are indeed foreign languages, but that is the only place they are so identified, and the only place where their occurrence is logical, occurring before an international gathering<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Larry Hart capably represents the Charismatic view, which he considers a “dimensional perspective,” as Spirit’s activity” (112). Evangelicals and Pentecostal are both right\u2014”both the regenerational\/indwelling and empowering dimensions of the Spirit’s work are included in Spirit baptism” (118). Unfortunately, in this view, Spirit baptism becomes so many things that it becomes nothing and, ultimately, obscures the genius of Luke-Acts.<\/p>\n

Ray Dunning’s chapter representing the Wesleyan perspective was an eye-opener. I was unaware of the undercurrents of resentment that swirl in the tradition against the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. It appeared to me that, at every convenient place he could find, Dunning tried to distance Wesleyanism from these movements. God forbid that adherents of these movements use the sacred writings of Wesley to defend their errant doctrines! Dunning caps off his presentation contra<\/em> Pentecostalism by quoting C. H. Dodd and James S. Stewart in their assessments of the value of Paul’s contribution to the understanding of the Spirit. “It saved Christian thought,” writes Dodd, “from falling into a non-moral, half-magical conception of the supernatural in human experience.” According to Stewart, Paul saved Christianity from reverting to “the cruder conceptions of the Spirit,\u2026in such phenomena as speaking in tongues. It was Paul who saved the nascent faith from that dangerous retrogression” (228). This is appalling\u2014all the more so because its source is the tradition that emphasizes entire sanctification and perfect love!<\/p>\n

Ralph Del Colle, a charismatic Catholic, displays exemplary knowledge of the history of the Pentecostal\/Charismatic movement within Catholicism. He recounts the history and theology of early and later leaders such as the Ranaghans, Clark, O’Connor, Gelpi, Suenens, Baumert, and McDonnell. In reading Del Colle’s contribution, Evangelicals and Pentecostals will experience something akin to culture shock, since, for the Catholic, it is not scripture that is the touchstone for doctrine, but the church. In other words, the Catholic need not bring exegetical concerns to the table. For Del Colle and these other Charismatic Catholic leaders, it becomes a matter of fitting their Pentecostal experience suitably into Catholic tradition. Nevertheless, Del Colle’s presentation is performed with intelligence and graciousness.<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Robert W. Graves<\/em><\/p>\n

This review was originally published on the Pneuma Foundation’s In Depth Resources page on August 21, 2006. Later included in the Spring 2023 issue<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chad Owen Brand, ed., Perspectives on Spirit Baptism: Five Views (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2004), 338 pages. Perspectives on Spirit Baptism is a collection of five scholarly essays that define Spirit Baptism from five traditions: Reformed (Walter C. Kaiser), Pentecostal (Stanley M. Horton), Charismatic (Larry Hart), Wesleyan (H. Ray Dunning), and Catholic (Ralph…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2883,"featured_media":23620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6896],"tags":[3606,6910,3711,6911,6912,2891,6850,2808,6913],"ppma_author":[4719],"class_list":["post-23619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thespirit","category-spring-2023","tag-baptism","tag-larry-hart","tag-perspectives","tag-ralph-del-colle","tag-ray-dunning","tag-spirit","tag-stanley-horton","tag-views","tag-walter-kaiser","author-robertwgraves"],"authors":[{"term_id":4719,"user_id":2883,"is_guest":0,"slug":"robertwgraves","display_name":"Robert Graves","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RobertGraves_ttfps_crop.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/RobertGraves_ttfps_crop.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2883"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23619"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/km7.a6a.mytemp.website\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=23619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}