title: The Work of the Spirit : The Contribution by American Contemporary  Scholars of Pentecostalism to an Understanding of the Worldwide Pentecostal Movement – the Reasons for its Growth, its Intellectual Challenges and its Potential in Dialogue about Faith in a Globalizing World
creator: Willis, Nigel
subject: ddc-230
subject: 230 Christian theology
description: The growth of the Pentecostal movement from a small assembly gathered together in 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles in 1906 to a worldwide movement having some 525 million adherents invites examination. In order to explore the reasons for this growth this dissertation has adopted a transdisciplinary approach examining the writings of the following four American scholars: (i)Grant Wacker; (ii)Margaret Poloma; (iii)Frank Macchia; and (iv)Amos Yong. The implications of this growth and the challenges which the Pentecostal movement faces in the years that lie ahead have also been examined. Wacker is an historian, Poloma a sociologist, and both Macchia and Yong are theologians, having a Pentecostal ministry.  Within the Pentecostal movement there is a diversity of opinion and forms of worship. These scholars agree that a feature of the Pentecostal movement has been its embrace of pluralism. In addition, an overview of the work of these scholars shows that certain features of worship are commonly and incorrectly considered to be distinctive to Pentecostalism.  There is no single explanation for the rapid, worldwide growth in the Pentecostal movement. Pentecostalism has had a complex relationship with modernity. ‘Sociological’ or socio-economic factors do not suffice to explain the gathering momentum of the Pentecostal movement. The quality of the spiritual experience of adherents may provide an explanation for the growing following within the Pentecostal movement.  The research indicates that Pentecostalism may now be at the cross-roads: a key question is whether Pentecostalism will move away from an emphasis on Biblical literalism towards a more ‘experiential’ theology. It is not possible to predict the route which Pentecostalism will follow.  The obstacles that have so often appeared to stand in the way of closer union among all the peoples of the world may be formidable but there is cogent evidence that these barriers may not be insurmountable.  
date: 2012
type: Dissertation
type: info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
type: NonPeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
identifier: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserverhttps://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/13510/1/PC_Dissertation_for_Library_and_Publication_3_July_2012.pdf
identifier: DOI:10.11588/heidok.00013510
identifier: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-opus-135108
identifier:   Willis, Nigel  (2012) The Work of the Spirit : The Contribution by American Contemporary Scholars of Pentecostalism to an Understanding of the Worldwide Pentecostal Movement – the Reasons for its Growth, its Intellectual Challenges and its Potential in Dialogue about Faith in a Globalizing World.  [Dissertation]     
relation: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/13510/
rights: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/help/license_urhg.html
language: eng