Beyond The Individual And Into The World A Call To Participation In The Larger Purposes Of The Spirit On The Basis Of Pentecostal Theology

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Beyond

the Individual A Call to

Participation

in the

Larger on the Basis of Pentecostal

Jeffrey

T. Snell*

polemic

of cessationism Ruthven concluded Significantly,

43

and Into the World:

Purposes

of the

Spirit

Theology

Recently

in these

pages,

Jon

Ruthven,

Assistant Professor of

System- atic

Theology

at

Regent University,

addressed

Benjamin

Warfield’s

of the charismata.

Contrary

to

Warfield,

that the

gifts

of the

Spirit

are alive and well.

Ruthven noted that the charismata serve to

validate,

or fulfill,

the

Spirit’s eschatological

tional boundaries of the

inner-person placed

on the

Spirit’s

Professor of Christian

Philosophy Ethics at Fuller

Theological Seminary,

Similarly,

Richard

Mouw,

role, moving beyond

the more tradi-

work.1

and

among

others, has earlier

area

within

pneumatology,

the

“new” line of

thought of new

insights

within Pentecostal

developed

another non-traditional Spirit’s

broader

activity seems

responsible

theology.

Let us continue fulfillment of the Old

“poured

out

upon

ning

with those

32 ;

cf. Acts

2:4, 38).”3

in the world.2 This

for the

majority

to

explore,

then, the ramifications of the

Testament

promises

that the

Spirit

would be

all

eschatalogical generations

who

believe, begin- in the New Testament era

(Isa. 47:3, 59:21;

Joel 2 :28-

ministries

onymous

area of

pneumatology,

and for our

the

Church for

ministry forms of Pentecostal

of the ond,

we

In

keeping

with this

expanding

purposes

here, it is my

contention that new, non-traditional Pentecostal

can

emerge

as a result of a closer examination of the

Spirits’ broad role in

carrying

out the work of the

atonement,

an

aspect syn-

with the

eschatalogical

work of the

Spirit.

First,

attention will be

given

to the role of the

Spirit

in equipping

to the world,

going beyond

the more common

ministry

exercised within the household of faith (including

the use of those

gifts which, traditionally,

are

representative

Pentecostal distinctives

[tongues, prophecy, healing, etc.]).

Sec-

will turn to the

larger

task at

hand; examining the role of the

*Jeffrey

T. Snell has

completed

work on his MTS degree at Gordon Conwell

Theological Seminary.

Benjamin

1 Jon Ruthven, “On the Cessation of the Charismata: The Protestant Polemic of

B. Warfield,” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 12:1 (Spring, 1990), 14-31.

2Richard Mouw, “Life in the Spirit in an Unjust World, Pneuma: The Journal the

of

Society for Pentecostal Theology 9:2 (Fall, 1987), 109-128.

3Ruthven, “On the Cessation of the Charismata,” 19. Emphasis original.

1

44

Spirit

in

renewing

creation as a fulfillment of the

atoning

work of Christ,

and the inclusion of the individual believer in

completing

this role,

especially

as a Spirit-filled agent of renewal.

Finally,

a brief invi- tation will be extended to all who celebrate the Pentecostal

tradition, to reconsider

what, historically,

has been the the

relationship

of the Pentecostal believer to the world. It is hoped that the

Spirit

will then be additionally perceived

as an

equipper

and

empowerer

to

engage

the world, instead of

solely

as an

agent specializing

in the conservation of individual

piety

and the conservation of sanctification.

a.

Beyond

the Household of Faith:

Spirit Empowerment

for

Ministry

to the World

The

goal

of the

Holy Spirit,

in terms of carrying out the

atoning

work of

Christ,

is more than the

purification

and

preservation

of the

heart, soul,

and faith of the believer.

Rather,

the

Spirit

calls and enables believers to demonstrate that

they

are now new creatures in Christ

by empowering

them to do acts of

love, mercy,

and service

through

the imparting

of various charismata.

The foundation for the observance of

gifts

that allow the world to “behold a new creation” has

already

been laid within Pentecostal theology.

Three

representative

Pentecostal writers include in their respective

lists of

spiritual gifts,

the “service

gifts”

described below. G.

Raymond Carlson,

General

Superintendent

of the Assemblies of God, lists the

gifts

of

“giving, showing mercy

and

helps;”

L. Thomas Holdcroft,

former President of Western Pentecostal Bible

College

in Claybm,

British

Columbia,

lists the

gifts

of

“liberally contributing [to others’ needs]

and

showing mercy

or compassion”; and

Stanley Horton, Professor of Bible and

Theology

at the Assemblies of God

Theological Seminary,

lists the

gifts

of

“giving, helps

and

mercy.”4

All three base the inclusion of these

gifts

on a broader reference to all those

passages of

Scripture

which

provide

a listing of the

gifts

of the

Spirit:

1 Corin- thians

12:8-10;

Romans

12:4-8; Ephesians 4:8-11;

and 1 Corinthians 12:28. It is in the Romans

passage specifically

that reference is made to what have become known as “gifts of service and outreach.” In

writing

to the church in

Rome,

after

discussing

salvation

by

faith in

chapters 1-11,

Paul then relates the duties of the Christian in chap-

4G. Raymond Carlson, Our Faith and Fellowship: A Study of the Assemblies God

of

History and Thomas Beliefs

Mo.: House, 1977), 66;

L. Holdcroft, The (Springfield,

Gospel Publishing p.

Holy Spirit: A Pentecostal Mo.: Interpretation (Springfield,

Gospel Publishing House, 1979), p. 144; Stanley Horton, What the Bible About the Says

Holy Spirit (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing House, 1976), the

author’s article “The Gift of

Mercy:

Its Role in

p. 242. Cf.

Formulating

a Pentecostal Theology

of Social Ministry,” Paraclete 24 (Spring 1990): 24-32, where the ical work concerning gifts of service and outreach first appeared. It is

exeget-

reprinted here to

provide the proper background and basis for the

of the

first time.

great majority present arti- cle, the remainder of which is appearing for the

‘

2

45

ters 12-16.

Among these,

he states in

12:4-8,

is the

ministry

of

spiri- tual

gifts:

just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same

function, so in Christ we who are

all

many form

one body, and each member belongs to the others. We have different

to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let

him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is

gifts, according

teaching,

let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is

contributing

to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is lead-

ership,

let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it

cheerfully.

“Serving” (verse 7)

is 8LaKoll{ a.

Beyer

notes that “in the NT ScaKOVla means …

‘waiting

at

table,’

or in a rather wider sense the ‘provision

for

bodily

sustenance’.”5

Despite

this,

Beyer

sees Romans 12:7 as “the

preaching

of the

Gospel,”

but as

Murray demonstrates, “there does not …

appear

to be

any

conclusive reason for

rejecting

the view that this reference is to the diaconate…. It is a ministry of

mercy to the

poor

and infirm.”6 The latter view seems more

accurately

to reflect New Testament

usage.

In Acts 6:1 1 BLaKOl/[a denotes distribution of food to widows; that

is, the

poor

and

needy.

In Acts 11:28-30 it connotes the relief sent to Judea because of a famine

(see

also 2 Cor.

8:4,

8:7 “see that

you

also excel in this

grace [or gift, charity]

of

giving,”

and

9: 1).7 Significantly, the next time Paul uses the term in Romans it refers to his

ministry

of bringing

an

offering

he has raised from the Gentile churches to the poor

in Jerusalem

( 15:26-31 ).

The

spiritual gift fxápLŒf.1a (charisma),

v.

6]

of

serving, then,

has a very precise meaning

as it is used

here;

it means

serving

in an

orga- nized

program

that

provides

assistance to the

needy

on behalf of the Church. This is in contrast to the

“contributing”

mentioned in verse 8. As

Murray notes,

“The

giving

in this instance is that of private

means; it is not the

giving

from the

treasury

of the church. This latter is the responsibility

of the diaconate and there is no evidence to think that this work of

mercy

is in view here This

understanding

of

J.LéTa8[å- {¡)J.LL is confirmed

in

Ephesians 4:28,

“Let the thief no

longer steal,

but rather let him

labor, doing

honest works with his

hands,

so that he

may be able to

give

to those in need”

(RSV). Clearly,

the former thief’s private

means are to be used since she or he must work to earn them.

.

5Hermann W. Beyer, u8LaKOI/£fJJ, 8LaKol/{a, 8{aKol/oS”,” Gerhard

Kittel, ed. Theological Dictionary of

the New Testament Geoffrey W. Bromiley, trans. & ed. (Grand Rapids,

MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1964), 2:87.

6J. Murray, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959) 1:124.

7For a more thorough examination of the social implications of

as it is used in 2

grace (“Xapcs”)

Corinthians 8, 9 see Stephen C. Mott Biblical Ethics and Social Change (New York: Oxford University Press, 1982), 31-32.

8Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, 126.

3

46

This exact sense is

again

found in John the

Baptist’s

exhortation recorded in Luke 3:11 “The man with two tunics should share with him who has

none, and the one who

has food should do the same.” The last

gift

mentioned here,

“showing mercy,”

is

actually

l ),.é¿w. “There is a close relation of this

gift

to that of

giving.

But there is in the use of the word

‘mercy’

the

thought

of more

direct, personal

min- istry

to those in need.”9 As Vine

notes, lÀéTJJ1.0aúvr¡ “is the outward manifestation of

pity;

it assumes need on the

part

of him who receives it,

and resources

adequate

to meet the need on the

part

of him who shows it … eleeo

[is]

… to feel

sympathy

with the

misery

of

another, and

especially sympathy

manifested in act … Rom. 12:8.”10

This same

meaning

is noted

by

Bultmann in his article on

the NT tacos- and ÉÀééLlI are often used for the

divinely required

atti- tude of man to man…. The moieiv JAeoc of the LXX … is found in Lk. 10:37 to describe the act of the

Samaritan,

and in concrete cases it denotes the

showing

of love and the act of

mercy.”11

In this

light

the spiritual ministry

described

by

this term

may

well extend

beyond

the immediate household of

faith,

a consideration which will be addressed in the

following

section. For the

purpose

at hand, however, it should noted that the Good Samaritan

example

illustrates the direct

personal nature of the

ministry

to the

needy implicit

in eac-ew.

The related term

ÉÀéTJJ1.OUÚvr¡ is used in Acts 9:36,

where the

disciple Tabitha is described as

“always doing good

and

helping

the

poor,” namely widows, among

the

poorest persons

in the New Testament world.

Given this

appreciation

of the biblical

meaning

of the three

spiritual “gifts

of service and outreach” described here as

serving, contributing and

showing mercy,

it should now be clear that acts of compassion and benevolence are,

according

to the New Testament,

Spirit-empowered ministries of the believer.

It was noted earlier that Carlson, Holdcroft, and Horton,

representa- tive of Pentecostal

theology generally, recognize

the

validity

of the gifts

cited in Romans 12. Thus Pentecostal

theology

and its distinctive of

spiritual gifts

and

empowerment

for

ministry

would

actually

make social

ministry powerful

and effective if properly applied.

Significantly,

all three authorities consider the

gifts

to be realized materially

in the work or activities of the individual on whom the

par- ticular

gift

has been bestowed. Carlson insists that believers fulfill their “place

and function” as

assigned by God;

Holdcroft notes that “God provides supernatural gifts through ordinary humans”;

and Horton states that

“every

Christian has

[his

or

her]

own

gift, calling,

or office

.

‘

9 Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, 127.

1 °W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

NJ:

(Old Tappan,

Fleming H. Revel, Co., 1966) 60-61.

1 IRudolf Bultman, “0Aeoc, eac-loi, et. al.,” TDNT2:482-483.

4

47

therefore,

must be

theology

on

of

available to

[him

or

her].”12 recognized

the same basis as

the Pentecostal distinctives: And this is not all. The

Christian,

Social

ministry,

as a legitimate

spiritual gift

within Pentecostal

those

gifts

which

traditionally

are

representative

tongues, prophecy,

or healing.

ever

are not

concentrating.

Pentecostals, evangelism,

evangelist, yet

all believers give

an answer for

Recognizing

that

ing mercy

or

doing

for the

ministry moreover, even

mands

charging

should be

encouraged by

and

particularly

the Pentecostal

to the

Holy Spirit’s leading

with

regard

to each

must

(1) explore

whether in

ministry;

and

(2)

fulfill what-

by

to which God is

calling them;

gifts

bestowed

by

the

Spirit

that allow

min-

who maintains the distinctive of attention

and

moving,

must observe a twofold

responsibility

of the various

gifts

of the

Holy Spirit. They

this is a

gift they

are to be

exercising

areas of obedience relate even to those ministries in which

they

This is evidenced in the

gift

most

emphasized

where some

specifically

fulfill the office of

are called to

evangelism, being quick

to

the

hope

that lies within them

(1 Peter 3:15).

it is

Spirit

who is the bestower of the

gift

of show-

acts of

mercy,

believers

may

consider whether such a

gift

is theirs

if it is not, all should be obedient to the

specific

com-

all Christians to make such benevolent

activity part

of their devotion to God

(Matthew 6:2-4;

Luke

12:33).

Ideally,

the

development

of individual

the local church

leadership,

with their devel- opment through teaching

and actual hands-on

opportunities

the believer to

experience

the wide

array

of

Spirit-motivated

should not be limited to those

gifts

have

solely

been observed

by

Pentecostal bodies.

to perform these acts in the world rather than only

for the benefit of the “household of faith,” which Pentecostals customarily

have in view when

they speak

of “service”?13

As can be seen with other

gifts

the

Spirit gives

for

ministry,

this is

are those

gifts

of the

Spirit

which do not

always minister to

Christians;

that

is,

the

object

of the

ministry depends

on

is

given

to meet.

Evangelism,

for

example,

is

istries. And such

development which, traditionally,

But is the believer indeed

not

always

so. There

the need that the

gift

‘

.

l2C?lson, Our Faith

and Fellowship, 65-66; Holdcroft. The Holy Spirit.

145; Horton, What the Bible Says about the Holy Spirit, 262.

Preceding

raising), Campus Ministry,

131n order to illustrate the author’s contention here, the Assemblies of God are referred to because of the denomination’s sufficient historical documentation, both in terms of theological position and physical agencies for ministry. Thus,

in Anointed

illustratively,

to Serve,

William Menzies entitled the (Springfield,

MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1971), 257-283,

chapter which depicted all of the Assemblies of God’s benevolence activities “… The Multiplication of Service

the Benevolence formation

Agencies” (Chapter 11).

Department’s which, initially, was for the care of aged ministers, disaster relief for denomination churches and parsonages, and a children’s home was the formation of the

following agencies

or

Publications

(for

church and

departments:

school

lay literature),

Education

(Bible), Sunday School, Christ’s Ambassadors Youth Department, Speed-the-Light (missions fund

Women’s Missionary Council, and Men’s Fellowship.

5

48

exercised exercised

among

the Christian

8LaKovla, j1éTa8l8úJj1L, and the

only qualification

The

gift

of

healing

is

where Paul heals those

theology, .

only

extends to the whole creation.

exclusively among

the

unbelieving.

and non-Christian alike

(see, among other

passages,

Luke 17:11-17, where ten

lepers

are cleansed but

only one comes to

faith; John 9:1-12, 35-38,

where a blind man is healed first and confesses Christ

later; Acts 19:11-12,

who,

according

to the

overwhelming majority

of Pentecostal

cannot be believers since

they

are

demon-possessed).14

Even the

gift

of

tongues, according

to 1 Cor.

14:22,

is “a

sign

not for believers but for unbelievers.”

By analogy,

since the

spiritual gifts

of

IÀéiúJ are

given

to meet

physical needs,

a

person

would need to be a recipient of these ministries,

is that

they

be

poor

or needy-not

It makes

sense, then,

that the

ministry

of

gifts

of the

Holy Spirit

are not limited to the household of faith because a brief consideration of the

activity

of the

Holy Spirit

will demonstrate

to the

sphere

of the individual believer or even the

Church,

but

b.

Eschatological

Pneumatology:

Biblically,

that

they

be a believer.

that it is not limited

The

Spirit’s

Role in

Redeeming

Creation.

one can

easily

see that the

Spirit

was at work in the creation event itself. Horton notes that in creation,

anything

The Bible speaks of God

[the First Person]

as Maker of the heaven,

earth, sea, and all that is in them (Acts 4:24). It also speaks of the Son

[the Second Person] … as the secondary agent in creation. “All

were made

things

by [through] him; and without him [apart from Him] was not

made that was made” (John 1:3). 15

Horton also comments on the role of the

Spirit

in the creation event:

the Bible introduces us almost at once to the Spirit of God. “In the

beginning without form and void

God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was

[empty, uninhabited]; and darkness was upon the face of the

deep [the primeval ocean]. And the Spirit of God moved

the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1; 2). Thus the Spirit of God is

associated with God’s creative activity. 16 6

upon

Angeles:

l4Guy Duffield & N. M. Van Cleave, Foundations of Pentecostal Theology (L.os

L.I.F.E. Bible College, 1983), 494-496.

15Horton,

What the Bible Says about the Holy Spirit, 17. He further notes that some commentators view “the Spirit of God” as a wrong translation,

Hebrew with where God caused a

comparing the

usage of “ruach”

Genesis 8:1, wind to pass over the earth so that the waters would subside. He responds, “Closer examination of … Genesis shows that God is the subject of most of the verses in the chapter…. the Hebrew looks at the word ‘God’ here as a definite noun. A common rule for Hebrew grammar makes the word ‘Spirit’

definite also. Thus, the

only

translation that fits the whole context is ‘the Spirit of God.’ … this fits the clear

teaching of the rest of the Bible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit worked in perfect cooperation in the total-

of the work of creation” (pp. 19-20).

16L.?or?n, What the Bible Says about the Holy Spirit, 17.

ity

6

49

Several

years ago,

Richard Mouw

developed

the same line of thought (the separate

work of the Persons of the

Trinity

united throughout history).

Mouw asks

why

the

Spirit (the

Third

Person)

can- not be seen as

performing

a

redemptive

work

beyond

the individual just

as the sinless life,

atoning death,

and

glorious

resurrection of Christ

(the

Second

Person)

extend to all creation. He noted that

The Spirit … is-on a cosmic scope-preparing the way for the new

creation … the renewal of individuals is an aspect-an important aspect,

to be sure, but an aspect-of the more general work of renewal to which

the Spirit is committed on behalf of the whole creation. 1? 7

Abraham

Kuyper similarly

states in The Work

of the Holy Spirit,

.

everything was created with a purpose and a destiny; and our creation will

only be complete when we have become what God designed. Thus

to lead the creature to its destiny, to cause it to develop according to its

nature, to make it perfect, is the proper work of the Holy Spirit …

the

work of the Holy Spirit consists in leading all creation to its the

final purpose of which is the glory of God. 18

destiny, Although Kuyper

is

clearly writing

outside of the Pentecostal tradi- tion,

the

regenerating activity

of the

Spirit

as

extending

to all of creation is implicitly latent within the Pentecostal

theology

of the

gifts of the

Spirit.

This is because Pentecostals defend their distinctive of the

validity

of glossalalia for the

present day by relying

on the

teaching of Mark

16:9-20, among

other

passages.

But these verses do not merely

teach the continuation of the

gifts, they portray

the

gifts

as an expression

of the

Spirit’s

work in renewing all

of creation.

While most textual critics

question

the Markan

authorship

of these verses,19

within Pentecostalism there is

virtually

universal

acceptance of them as

inspired

and canonical. No doubt this is due in

part

to its mention of

spiritual gifts

like

tongues

and

healing. Holdcroft,

for example,

cites Mark 16:17 as evidence for the

gift

of

tongues

without addressing

the

question

of the

inspiration

of the

longer ending

of Mark.20 Carlson

similarly quotes

Mark 16:17 as “a definite

scriptural foundation” for

glossalalia, again

without

noting

the textual

ques- tion.21 Horton calls

tongues

a sign that will follow those who

believe, relying

on the verses in

question.

He

adds, however,

“we are not overlooking

the fact that modern critics cast doubt on the last 12 verses in Mark.”22 John

Christopher

Thomas, of

the Church of God School of

l7Richard Mouw, “Life in the Spirit in an Unjust World,” 120.

1 gAbraham Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit

(New York, NY:

Funk & Wagnalls, 1900), 21-22 (emphasis original).

19For an exhaustive scholarly study of this question, see William R. Farmer, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark London: Cambridge University Press, 1974.

20Holdcroft, The Holy Spirit, 161.

2Carlson,

Our Faith and Fellowship, 53-54.

22Horton, What the Bible Says about the Holy Spirit, 111-112.

.

7

50

Theology

in

Cleveland, Tennessee, considers

the

longer ending

of Mark “a fifth witness to the resurrection …

(assuming

non-Markan origin).”23

Perhaps

the solution is in the

approach suggested by

Gordon Fee, a Pentecostal scholar who does not feel bound to traditional

interpreta- tions when textual or

exegetical

considerations

require

otherwise. Fee believes that

almost certainly 9-20 is not what Mark wrote, although I’m quite con- vinced that most of that material is authentic Jesus stuff. It back

goes way

right into the first century and probably comes from Jesus although not from Mark

Thus,

it is

virtually beyond dispute

that Mark 16:9-20 is

accepted

as authoritative

by Pentecostalism,

which therefore must also

accept

the teaching

about the work of the

Spirit

in

renewing

creation in these verses.

Significantly,

the

good

news is to be

preached

to “all creation”

(rov KÓaJ10V, v.15).

As Farmer states, “This formulation is commensurate with the

understanding

of the

purpose

of the

preaching

to the Gentiles expressed by

Paul in Romans 10-11 where all men

(TTávTéS”) are the ultimate

object

of God’s

mercy …

and where the reconciliation of the KÓUJ1°S” is in view.”25

In

fact,

the

signs

described in verses 17 and 18 may actually consti- tute the reversal of effects of the fall described in Genesis 1-11.26 For

example,

the

following insights

can be drawn from the

regenera- tive work of the

Holy Spirit pertaining

to Mark 16:19-20.

“Drinking deadly poison” (v.18)

without harm shows that the

plants

of the earth are once

again only benign,

as

they

were before the earth

brought

forth “thorns and thistles”

(Genesis 3:18).

The

healing

of the sick

(Mark 16:18)

overcomes the

bodily

afflictions and diseases that

began

with the curse of

pain

in

childbearing (Gen. 3:16). “Picking up

snakes” (Mark 16:18,

cf. Luke

10:19)

shows that the

consequences

of the

23John

Christopher Thomas,

“A Reconsideration of the

Ending

of Mark,” Journal

of the Evangelical Theological Society 26:4(1983), 418. Thomas the real reason suggests

so many wish to reject 16:9-20 as non-authoritative is the mention of supernatural gifts.

24Taped lecture, “Language,

Text and Canon,” Survey of the New Testament course, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Ma.

25F?er, The Last Twelve Verses of Mark. 95. The further implications of the New Testament concept of cosmos, as it pertains to the Pentecostal perspective of the renewing activity

of the Spirit, is discussed in the author’s M.A.T.S. Thesis, “The Gift of Mercy: It’s Role in Formulating A Pentecostal Theology of Social Ministry,” Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 1989.

26The writer is greatly indebted to Christopher R. Smith’s “Mark 16:9-20 and the Curse of Genesis” (Lecture, Ontario Bible College, Ottawa Extension, 1985), for his original insights

and exegetical work on which I have relied in the discussion of this passage.

8

51

enmity

established

work of the

Spirit

in creation. century manuscript (W)

confirms one

early interpreter

in Genesis 3:15 are included in the

regenerative

A

gloss (the

Freer

Logion)

on a fifth

theological significance

of

“Speaking

the believer

that this was the

understanding

of

“The limit of the

years

of the

similarly,

“The

appearance

the

beginning

becomes the enthronement

of the

passage:

authority

of Satan has

expired.”

Schweizer comments

this incident

[the

resurrection

recorded in Mk.

16:9-20]

is that it designates Easter as

of the

Lordship

of Christ … the resurrection

of the

king

who from this

point

on marches

through

the world. “27

in new

tongues,” (v. 17) then,

is more than a gift given to edify just

or even the church as well.

Rather,

it testifies that the curse of Babel

(Genesis 11:7-9)

is being undone as the

Gospel reconciles the scattered and

mutually

hostile nations of the world. The beginnings

of this

process

was evidenced on the

day

of Pentecost when pilgrims

from around the world “each heard

[the Gospel]

in

[their]

The

significance

of this

gift, then,

must be understood in reference to all three

purposes

for which it is

given:

to

the believer

(1 Cor. 14:4),

to build

up

the church

(1

Cor. 14 :12-

and to

proclaim

the

Spirit’s

work in

renewing

creation

(Mark

own

language” (Acts 2:6).

edify 13), 16:9-20).

the

Since, as has been noted,

the

longer ending

of Mark

parallels Pauline

teaching

that all creation

(76v Kdapov)

is the ultimate

object of God’s

mercy,

all

spiritual gifts,

a few

representative examples

of which are mentioned in this text, can and should

legitimately

be used for the benefit of

persons

both within and outside of the Church. This clearly

includes

gifts

of

mercy

and benevolence.

exercising

how,

this

lapse

need not continue;

It is not our

purpose

here to explore fully

why

this

apparent lapse

in

the

gifts

of

mercy

and benevolence took

place,

but rather

within Pentecostal

theology itself,

it can be understood that

(1)

and

(2)

God includes the

participation

of the individual believer in

completing

the

Spirit’s eschatological pur-

to

carry

out the renewal

brought

to all creation

through

the

death of Christ. Yet it is worth

noting,

however

briefly,

some of the factors which have contributed to the

neglect

of the

gifts

of service and outreach mentioned thus far.

pose : atoning

c. Several Factors in the Pentecostal Withdrawal from

Social

Ministry.

Sunday

permit oyster suppers

When asked about the “social view” of his denomination, a Pentecostal- Holiness minister replied that his denomination engages in, and

School

enjoys,

picnics

and young people’s

“sociable,” but does not

to raise money for the church. 28

27Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Mark (Richmond, John Knox

Virginia:

Press, 1970), 378.

28Liston Pope, Millhands and Preachers: A Study of Gastonia (Oxford: Oxford

9

52

It is of

great significance

that the

Wesleyan Methodists,

noted for their revivalistic

preaching (and

out of whom

many

of the American Pentecostal bodies were

bom), emerged historically “explicitly

as a protest against

Methodist

compromise

on the

question

of

slavery.”29 Such a socially conscious

group developed

a large following of believ- ers who

coupled

their

religious

zeal with the determination to see the injustice

of

slavery

corrected. This same

group

of believers later con- tributed to the rise of the “Holiness” bodies.

In his

timely

1955

publication

Revivalism and Social

Reform

in Mid- Nineteenth-Century, Timothy

Smith reawakened

Evangelicalism

to an overlooked

aspect

of its

heritage,

the vast social reform which took place

as a result of the revivals which

swept

across America at that time. With

regard

to the Holiness bodies that arose from the revivals, Smith

states,

Contrary to the view that the holiness movement represented a flight

from temporal realities, most of its leaders held optimistic views of a

temporal

millennium and of the necessity of social action to achieve it.

… the

rapid spread

of the

experience

of sanctification marked the

beginning

of the last

the

dispensation, in which the gospel would conquer

world…. the coming reign of Jesus required every minister to testify

wickedness wherever found, including the “vices of trade, the

vices of the professions, and the vices of politics.”30

against

What

happened,

then,

to the

reforming

zeal of the Holiness-Pente- costal tradition? It

appears

that the

eschatological perspective

of much of the Pentecostal tradition inhibited or retarded Pentecostal believers’ social

ministry

and involvement.

According

to William Menzies, the Assemblies of God’s eschato- logical

view of

premillennialism (representative

of much of Pente- costalism)

formed an important part of the message of early Pentecostalists. Imbued with a sense of the nearness of the end of the

age,

and that the Pentecostal revival was the harbinger of the cataclysm, the cry was her- alded abroad “Jesus is coming soon.” … It is interesting to observe that four of the 16 items in the Statement of Fundamental Truths adopted in 1916 were eschatological in substance, indicating the relative tance in the

impor-

Pentecostal message from early years of the coming of the age….

these statements commit the Assemblies to premillennialism …31 1

University Press, 1942), 164.

29Donald Dayton, Discovering an Evangelical Heritage (New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1976), 73.

Smith, Revivalism and Social Reform in Mid-Nineteenth Century America 30Timothy

(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 232-233.

3 1 Menzies, Anointed to Serve. 328-329. On noting

the “Scofieldian dispensation- alism” of the day, Menzies further comments on the ease with which this teaching and literature was adapted to a Pentecostal emphasis. “The fact that dispensational teaching

of the Fundamentalist

type denied the possibility of a modem Pentecostal

10

53

Historically,

cations have been

misinterpreted, discount the

importance believer.

this view seems to be one factor, which, when its

impli-

of societal involvement

forced on

Evangelicalism. proved

too

complex

This

has led

many

church bodies to

by

the individual

reform

vision,

which now

in

God.

After the Civil War, which

helped puncture

the

utopian

visions held earlier

by postmillennialists, great

scientific and social

questions

were

The massive urban and industrial

questions

for the revivalist

adopted

the

premillennialist

view that would characterize the various Holiness

groups spawned shortly

thereafter. The

great

reform vision for American life which had

brought

about

aggressive

social involve- ment, now

nursed

only

tattered remnants.32

“new”

eschatological

view was evidenced most

dramatically the lack of effort on the

part

of

post-Civil

war believers who had previously engaged

the world for the

glory (and perceived return)

of

The efforts

stemming

from the

premillennial

view now

sought

to rescue believers out of this world. In

addressing

this dramatic

change in American Christian social

concern, Donald Dayton,

in Discovering an

Evangelical Heritage,

notes

that,

.

Premillennial teaching implied that the world was in such bad that it would only get worse until the return of Christ. Some even

shape

argued that efforts to ameliorate social conditions would

merely postpone

the “blessed hope” of Christ’s return

that

by

had once delaying

the process of tion….

degenera-

Evangelical effort provided the impulse and for reform rallies was rechanneled into troops

exegetical speculation about the of Christ’s return. 33

timing

to overestimate the effect this

change

Our second brief consideration has been all but

forgotten

Ultimately,

one would be

hard-pressed

in eschatology has had

upon

Christendom and the world itself.

of

why

involvement in social reform

deals

directly

with some

sociological changes

as

they pertain

to Pentecostalism in North America. Most

significant

are the socio-economic

since its

impact

takes root

subtly As Hector

Camacho, costalism,

states

in the last

century. Although, sociologically,

small

part

of the reason

why

so

many

stance on social issues, it is

perhaps

in

noting

the historical roots of modem Pente-

changes

which have occurred with-

this accounts for

only

a

Pentecostals maintain a passive

the most stubborn and

lasting the heart of the believer.

was lightly glossed over by those who saw the dispensational motif, given a experience

proper Pentecostal baptism, as a helpful aid in underscoring the doctrine of the second

of the

coming

of Christ”

(329).

For an

example

of importance this see Frank M.

adaptation,

Boyd’s Ages and Dispensations Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1949.

32Dayton, Discovering an Evangelical Heritage,

124-126.

33Dayton, Discovering an Evangelical Heritage,

126-127.

11

54

through

Pentecostalism, as any historical movement, is subject to the highs and

lows of soci-economic environmental variables, from strict sectarianism,

church organization to denominational institutionalism and in

the process, from prophetic zeal to status quo accommodation.34 Past leaders of the Church have

similarly

commented on the

“dangers of riches.” John

Wesley, noting

this

problem, remarked,

destroy frugality,

Christianity … has a tendency, in the process of time, to undermine and

itself. For wherever [it] spreads, it must cause diligence and .

which, in the natural course of things, must beget riches! and

riches naturally beget pride, love of the world, and every temper that is

destructive of Christianity…. Wherever it it

foundation.35

saps its own generally prevails,

Noting

that Pentecostalism finds its socio-economic roots in the downcast, “… ethnically heterogeneous, struggling working class

and

Robert

Mapes

Anderson states,

impoverished

unemployed,”

brought

Pentecostal converts’ to rise

economically changed,

needs of those it left behind.

… the working poor from whose ranks the Pentecostal movement drew

the overwhelming bulk of its recruits … were mostly semi-skilled and

unskilled workers who made up the urban and rural of indus-

trial

capitalism. They

constituted the lowest base of the work force of the proletariat

nation, and also a free-floating labor reserve. As a class, they were

into being by the movement of rural Americans to the city and

by the influx of masses of immigrants….36

It seems it was

inevitable, then,

that American Pentecostalism find itself

facing

this most subtle

enemy

as the natural

outworking

disciplined

and reordered

lifestyles

enabled them

and

socially.

The

make-up

of Pentecostalism had

and so had its identification with the social concerns and

would

of

d.

Reconsidering

Much of the social withdrawal an

understanding

that the Christian’s

the Relation of the Believer to “the World”

self from the world.37 In Pentecostal

Implications

by

Pentecostals can also be traced to

duty

is to

separate

herself or him-

circles for

example,

the term

34Hector Camacho, “The Historical Roots of Modern Pentecostal Churches:

for the Christian Faith,” Society For Pentecostal Theology: Papers for the Sixteenth Annual Meeting, November 14, 1986, p. 17.

35 As cited by Dayton, Discovering our Evangelical Heritage, 123-124.

36Robert Mapes Anderson, Vision of the Disinherited: The Making of American Pentecostalism (NY: Oxford University Press, 1985), 122, 225.

pentecostal

by

apprehensions about social involvement also continue to be shaped

concerns about the

mingling of the sacred (the faith and

of the believer) with the perceived world. As

“separation”

Eugene N. Hastie, in History of the West Central District Council of the Assemblies of God Fort Dodge, Ia.: Walterick Pub. Co., 1948, 74, states, “Moral rigorism was a pervasive characteristic of most Pentecostal This was manifested in some localities

groups.

by a rather rigid and extensive code of tic of moral has remained to the legalis- prohibitions.” While a strong degree

rigidity

the term

present

“worldly”

has become the means of deeming Christian behavior and

day,

12

55

“worldly”

has come to denote almost

exclusively

behavior

(or

atti- tudes)

which

compromise perceived

standards of holiness and follow the moral

degradation

of

society.

As

early

as

1942,

the General Presbytery

of the Assemblies of God

(again

referred to here as

repre- sentative of Pentecostalism)

began taking

notice of what was said to be the

loosening

of standards in the

fellowship, exhorting pastors

to discourage participation

in

things

of the world such as

(1)

the

showing of

moving pictures

in the

churches, (2) refraining

from

organized church-league

ball

teams,

and

(3)

mixed

swimming.38

Yet a biblical

understanding

of “the world”

goes beyond

the com- mon

understanding

of a physical place dominated

by

the behavior and values of

fallen,

sinful individuals. As

Stephen Mott,

Professor of Social Ethics at Gordon-Conwell

Theological Seminary argues, “world” or “cosmos”

refers to the order of society and indicates that evil has a social and polit-

ical character beyond the isolated actions of individuals…. The Greek

term, cosmos … essentially

means “order, that which is assembled

together

wet

Noting

that the New Testament uses

K6oliog

in a variety of

ways, such as the John 3:16

usage

in which it means all

people

as inhabitants of a universal social

order,

Mott adds “There is no radical distinction between the actions of the

person

as an individual and as a social being.”40

The

importance

of this

expanded

biblical

rendering

of “the world” is

very significant.

Given the

empowering

and

enabling

avail- able to the believer, this new

understanding

of “the world”

actually invites

participation

on the

part every

believer; indeed, now the Chris- tian’s

proper

role of salt,

light

and leaven are whole.

involvement in the world as either acceptable or unacceptable.

38General Presbytery “Quarterly Letter,” General Council of the Assemblies of God, September 21, 1942 (as cited by Menzies, Anointed to Serve 341).

39Stephen

C. Mott, Biblical Ethics and Social

Change (New York:

Oxford

Press, 1982), 4

ff. Similarly, Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 233 notes: “KOSMOS …, primarily order,

University

adornment…

arrangement, ornament,

(c) by metonymy, the human race, mankind, … (e) the condition in human affairs, in alienation from and opposition to God.”

present

40V?e, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 233; Mott, Biblical Ethics and Social

Change, 5-6, adds, “For classical Greece

‘cosmos’ values and

protected

life, but in the Apocalyptic thought patterns of first-century Judaism, and ened genuine human

particularly

of the New Testament, ‘cosmos’ twisted values which threat-

The

represents

life…. basic fiber of society is comprehended in the New Testament use of ‘cosmos.’ It includes the system of property and wealth … neces- sary

economic relationships … [and] stratification of class and status….

Finally, the most characteristic

aspect of ‘cosmos’

in the New Testament is a system of values which are in to God…. ‘Love neither the world nor the of the world. If one loves the opposition

things

world, the love of the Father is not in that person. Because

that is in the world the desire of the flesh and the desire of the and the boasting of wealth-is not of the Father but is of the world'”

everything eyes

[1 John 2:15-16].

13

56

It has been established that all the works of God evidence the

perfect harmony

and

cooperation

of all Persons of the

Trinity.

In the work of creation, for

example,

the

Spirit

was associated with God’s creative activity. Moreover,

it was established that in the Atonement, the renewal of individuals is an

important aspect

of the work of the

Holy Spirit,

but not the exclusive

work;

there was and is a more

general work of renewal to which the

Holy Spirit

is

committed,

such as the leading

of all creation to its final

purpose,

which is the

glory

of God. The

significance

for the renewed

individual, then,

is to be an

agent

of renewal to the remainder of

unregenerated

creation,

which includes all of the

cosmos,

the unredeemed social orders, not

solely

individuals. This is the

larger

work to which the

Holy Spirit

is committed, the work to which

Spirit-centered

believers can likewise commit themselves. And this same

Spirit

motivates,

empowers,

enables,

and

equips

the Church with

gifts

for service to

go

out into the

world, engaging

it with the

larger purpose

of the

Holy Spirit

in mind.

‘

Conclusion

Ultimately,

the

Spirit,

if

properly recognized

as the

empowerer

to carry

out the

atoning

work of

Christ,

will move the Christian

(or,

for our

purposes here,

the

Pentecostal)

into a life of

engaging

all the world (76v K6Quov)

for the furtherance of the

Kingdom. And,

as we have seen, this

engaging activity requires

a reconsideration of

(1)

all of the charismata

imparted

to the

Church, especially

those which

go beyond Pentecostalism’s traditional focus in

being exercised; (2)

the individual believer’s inclusion in the

Spirit’s larger

roles,

namely renewing creation as a fulfillment of the

Atonement;

and

(3)

the

relationship between the Pentecostal believer and the world. A faith tradition that truly

celebrates

sensitivity

to the

Spirit

does not remain

exclusively focused on inward

experience

to the

neglect

of the world

changing effects of the Atonement.

Propagating

the role of the

Spirit

as

being

centered almost exclu- sively

on the

inner-person-be

it in

evangelism,

certain

gifts

of the Spirit, sanctification,

etc.-is a

type

of naive

escapism

at best. It does not remove one from

any

further social

responsibility (in

whatever form of

ministry

and its

corresponding gifts

with which the

Spirit

has equipped

the

believer)

to the rest of

humanity.

At its

worst,

this belief- practice system

accounts for the terrible lack of

validity

the Church experiences

in

many parts

of the world

today.

A

genuine gospel

will always

be concerned with human

justice

rather than with the cultiva- tion of a warm

inner-glow.41

And it will discover,

(almost paradoxi- cally,

for

many Pentecostals)

more effective results even in the area of

.

4 1 As adapted from Rend Padilla Mission Between the Times (Grand Rapids, Mi.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985), 41.

14

57

ministry-evangelism

and conversion-most carried out

by

the

majority

of Pentecostals.

readily recognized

and

When a church engages in social action … services,

community

leaders and agency representatives become aware of its existence.

They become favorably disposed

toward it, are more likely to listen when its leaders speak

to public issues, will refer people with spiritual problems to its ministries, may turn to the Christian in times of personal need, and are more likely to open their minds to give favorable consideration to … Christ in their own lives.42

The ideal that must be striven

for, then,

is to embrace all of the responsibilities

for which the

Spirit empowers

the believer. These include the ministries of all of the

gifts

the

Spirit gives

to

engage

the world!

42David O. Moberg The Great Reversal:

Evangelism Versus Social Concern (Philadelphia: Evangelical Perspectives, 1972),

159.

15