Pentecostal and Postmodern Hermeneutics

Comparisons and Contemporary Impact

Noel

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781498271882
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Pentecostal and Postmodern Hermeneutics seeks to explore the relationship between Pentecostal hermeneutics and Pentecostalism's ability to connect with and evangelize North American youth. As a Postmodern ethos makes its presence increasingly felt in the Western world, no Christian movement should be better positioned to bring the message of Christ to youth and young adults eager to experience the God of miracles and wonders. Recent trends in Pentecostal hermeneutics, however, may actually make the task more difficult. No historical movement has thrived in the long term that has not carefully considered the place of youth and young adults in the vision for the future. While Pentecostalism has been at the forefront of youth ministry in the last several decades, we must also connect Pentecostal academia with evangelism efforts among youth and young adults. This work calls Pentecostal scholars to thoughtfully consider the implications of their work for future generations.

1

Defining the Issues

As a postmodern paradigm increasingly dominates the thinking of our culture in general, any hermeneutic which cannot account for its loci of meanings within that postmodern paradigm will become nonsensical and irrelevant. If for no other reason than that, we must move beyond the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy to explore the possibilities of a Pentecostal hermeneutic in a postmodern age.1

Timothy B. Cargal

A strict adherence to traditional evangelical/fundamentalist hermeneutical principles leads to a position which, in its most positive forms, suggests the distinctives of the twentieth century Pentecostal movement are perhaps nice, but not necessary; important but not vital to the life of the Church in the twentieth century. In its more negative forms, it leads to a total rejection of Pentecostal phenomena.2

Mark D. McLean

Get your learning but keep your burning.3

J. O. Patterson

Problem Stated

The preceding quotation by Timothy Cargal clearly expounds the importance of recognizing the prominence of Postmodernism/Postmodernity4 in today’s culture.5 As is suggested, Postmodern6 values are becoming increasingly tied to the values and attitudes of the Western World. The ultimate arbiter of truth for increasing numbers of people is no longer scientific thinking and reason, as was the case during the centuries following the Enlightenment.7

The focus of this work is Pentecostalism, and in particular the relationship between Postmodernity, the hermeneutics of Pentecostalism, and the youngest generations of Western youth. Changes to culture directly impact Pentecostalism, for it has been a spiritual movement of the people. Indeed, Pentecostalism’s tremendous growth8 can be attributed in no small part to its common touch, for the Pentecostal message has spoken a word of truth sorely needed among the outcast and oppressed. The many histories of Pentecostalism testify that from its beginning, it has thrived where other representations of Christianity have struggled, simply by meeting the everyday spiritual needs of the world’s most ordinary people.9

Postmodernism is an important topic for Pentecostals, for it represents a significant shift in the presuppositions of Western society.10 The Modern era,11 ushered in with the Enlightenment, promoted scientific rationalism, humanism, and, in the first part of the twentieth century, logical positivism.12 Modern thinking believed in human reason coupled with science as the final arbiter of truth, and with humanity elevated to the apex of the universe, felt unbridled optimism in the abilities of human reason and science to bring positive change to a world marked by decay and destruction. The children of Modernism often challenged the truth of Christianity based on those cherished presuppositions.13

As the twentieth century drew to a close, these assumptions of Modernism were increasingly abandoned. Postmodernism is taking its place. It will be demonstrated that many scholars view as very sobering the basic presuppositions of Postmodern thought, although it is somewhat varied in scope and interpretation. For individuals soaked in the Modern mode of thought, the interpreted values of Postmodernism may be considered shocking; truth, meaning, and individual identity may not exist. These may simply be concepts created by humanity and celebrated in the Modern era. Human life may have no special significance; no more value than plant or animal life. In many Postmodern minds, Relativism14 reigns supreme. For Pentecostals, who uphold the revelation of God in Scripture as absolute truth, complete with the Gospel message of the worth of humanity and the divine plan of salvation, the challenges associated with Postmodernity are many.

Essential aspects of Christianity are again being challenged, but on a different front. The Modern era may be said to have rejected the more supernatural15 claims of Christianity (such as the doctrine of the Virgin Birth, miracle stories, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ) because of the difficulty in validating these claims empirically. In many of its forms, Postmodernism rejects the Christian claim to have the truth. Both historical Christianity and Modernism believe in absolute truth. From all indications, many Postmodern thinkers do not.16

Definitions and Limitations

Although I will define each term as it is used, a framework for understanding the core concepts used in this work is beneficial.

By Pentecostals, I am referring to Classical Pentecostals, who trace their roots to the turn of the twentieth century and the Azusa Street Revival. Essentially, Pentecostals believe that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the 120 believers at Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2, should be normative for all Christians. Further, the key sign associated with this Spirit Baptism is glossolalia, as it was in Acts.17 “Classical” was added in about 1970 to distinguish Classical Pentecostals from Charismatics.

Charismatics are those believers who have received the Pentecostal experience of Spirit Baptism, usually with glossolalia, but have remained in one of the mainline Protestant denominations or Roman Catholicism.18 Charismatic refers to “all manifestations of pentecostal-type Christianity that in some way differ from classical pentecostalism in affiliation and/or doctrine.”19

Richard V. Pierard defines Evangelicalism as “[t]he movement in modern Christianity, transcending denominational and confessional boundaries, that emphasizes conformity to the basic tenets of the faith and a missionary outreach of compassion and urgency. A person who identifies with it is an ‘evangelical,’ one who believes and proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ.”20 As such, it is important to note that while Pentecostals are themselves Evangelicals, most Evangelicals would not consider themselves Pentecostal.

The principles used to interpret Scripture properly are one’s hermeneutics. All those who seek to interpret Scripture have some manner of hermeneutical principles, though they vary in presuppositions. This work focuses in particular on Evangelical Hermeneutics. In general,21 Evangelicals interpret Scripture from the assumption that authorial intent is significant when determining the original meaning of the text. Substantial study of both the grammatical content of the text itself, and the historical background of the text, author, and original audience, may in part determine this intent. This process is termed the grammatico-historical approach to hermeneutics or the historical-critical method of interpretation. Only when this process has been followed, and authorial intent determined, might one begin to offer an exposition of the text from the pulpit, seeking modern application for the people of God.22

Postmodernism is at best a broad term. As such, this work focuses on the facets of the movement which most directly impact Pentecostalism. Although coined in the 1930s to denote the beginning of a major cultural shift, the word did not gain prominence until the 1970s, when it was first used to describe changes in architecture and English language theories. Today it is used to describe a broader cultural phenomenon that is essentially a rejection of the key tenets of Modernism. The Enlightenment brought the quest for absolute truth into the scientific laboratory. Believing that knowledge is always good, and attainable through proper scientific method coupled with reason, the Enlightenment thinkers strove to unlock the secrets of the universe through Rationalism. All knowledge gained elevated human freedom, and promoted the individual as the autonomous self, separate from any tradition or community.23

Postmoderns no longer believe in the supremacy of reason as the arbiter of truth. Other valid paths to knowledge include experience, emotions, and even intuition. Contra the Modern view that knowledge is inherently good and progress is inevitable, some trends within Postmodernism are pessimistic. Today’s generations are no longer confident that humanity will be able to solve each problem that faces the human race. Individuality is dethroned in favor of the shared stories of communities and traditions, within which the truth may be found.24

For the purposes of this work, description will need to be given for the youngest generations of North American youth. Taken from Douglas Coupland’s best-selling novel of the same name, “Generation X”25 is a moniker applied to the children of the Baby Boomers, born between approximately 1965 and 1984. This generation has commonly been viewed as having reacted to the financial and career success of their parents, in light of the devastating levels of divorce and family instability of the Boomer generation. Those born since 1985 are often referred to as the Millennials.26 They have grown up in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, coupled with dramatic advances in technology. Unlike those of Generation X who resist change and seek stability, the Millennials seem to thrive where change occurs.27

Pentecostalism and Postmodernity:A Desirable Partnership?

With the Pentecostal penchant for abandoning rationalistic Modern principles, some Pentecostal scholars debate whether Pentecostalism should develop a dis...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Defining the Issues
• Chapter 2: Postmodernity: A Summary
• Chapter 3: The Role of Experience, Rationalism, and Narratives in Early Pentecostal Hermeneutics
• Chapter 4: Late Twentieth-Century Pentecostal Hermeneutics:More Evangelical than Pentecostal?
• Chapter 5: Postmodernity, Pentecostalism, and Rudolf Bultmann
• Chapter 6: Pentecostal Hermeneutics for the Twenty-first Century:Kenneth J. Archer’s Proposal
• Chapter 7: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Hermeneutics:The Pentecostal Edge?
• Chapter 8: Conclusion and Contribution
• Bibliography