‘If I Could Just Touch the Hem of His Garment’

This article proposes an ontology and praxis of mediation for the sake of ecumenical dialog, showing that the Pentecostal theological and spiritual tradition does not necessarily deny mediation or challenge its goodness, even if it does decry clericalism and ‘ecclesio-monism’. Instead, Pentecostals hold to confidence in the freedom of God to work however and whenever is best for us, always so that ‘the means of grace’ prove to be more than mere instruments or channels of divine power.

Theology through Eschatological Story

Daniela Augustine’s The Spirit and the Common Good is a preachable theology because it is story – the story of the coming kingdom made present by the Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost. Her book finds a fruitful locus of theological reflection in the former Yugoslavia’s Third Balkan War, by which she confronts the protological narrative of human violence with the counternarrative of the Scriptures, the Spirit, and the glorious transformation at the end of the age. In order to put flesh on Christian hope in the contemporary contexts, Augustine turns to hagiographical stories in the former Yugoslavia. Hagiography is not without perils for the theological task, not least in that it can downplay the sinfulness of the saints’ lives. But, as in the practice of Pentecostal testimony, Augustine’s work gives glory to God, not humans for the work of God in the world.

Female Prophetic Traditions in the Old Testament

This article explores the tradition of female prophets in the Old Testament utilizing Isaiah’s woman (Isa. 8.1-4) as a case study. First, it discusses the general evidence for a female prophetic tradition in the Old Testament, locating it in the broader ancient Near East context. It then focuses on examples of women prophets within the Old Testament to demonstrate the role of female prophets in shaping national life and politics despite the gender limitations of women in ancient Israelite society. Following this broader discussion, a case study of Isaiah’s wife is presented to explore her function and role as a prophet. In particular, the role of hannevi’ah as a possible mother within the prophetic guild is examined. Finally, the implications for the Pentecostal community are considered, focusing on retrieving the role of prophetic mothers to function alongside prophetic fathers.

Role of Spiritual Intelligence in Public Policy in the African American Pentecostal Church

Although many U.S. faith-based organizations have become partners with the government, the African American Pentecostal Church (aapc), which holds spirituality as a means of serving humanity as its theological framework, has remained a silent partner in public policy engagement. With the framework of spiritual intelligence, this qualitative case study addresses the perceptions of African American Pentecostal leaders regarding how the church’s theology may have an impact on the public policy engagement of its parishioners. Twelve African American Pentecostal Bishops were interviewed, and data were coded and analyzed to identify themes. Results revealed that participants use their spirituality to connect with public policy issues that relate to their personal experiences. Findings also indicated that the aapc is not an organized denomination, but rather a conglomeration of factions. Lack of an organized epicenter and lack of training and development of its leaders prevent this church from engaging in the public sphere. Although members embrace their responsibility to care for the needs of others, the church lacks a collective response to community issues. Findings may be used to prepare the next generation of aapc leaders to unify the church to offer spiritual solutions to public policy issues.

‘… Love in Action Is a Harsh and Dreadful Thing Compared to Love in Dreams’

In this response Daniela C. Augustine engages the three articles, published in the present issue of the journal, which dialogue with her monograph The Spirit and the Common Good: Shared Flourishing in the Image of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2019). Her dialogue partners are Frank D. Macchia, Chris E.W. Green, and Joseph M. Lear.

Do Persons with Disability Need Healing?

Much has been written on disability care and support from human rights, cultural, and religious perspectives around the world. However, there is still a paucity of information on the experiences of Persons with Disability (pwd) in their divine healing and deliverance encounter with the African Pentecostal Churches (apc) in Zimbabwe. This qualitative phenomenological study seeks to establish the lived experiences of 28 pwd s within the selected four apc s operating in the Harare province of Zimbabwe. The central questions underpinning this study were whether pwd need divine healing, and are they getting healed? The study used the religious model of disability and the Pentecostal ‘hermeneutic of healing’ as theoretical frameworks. While healing is essential to physical life, the findings show that pwd need dignity, recognition, and compassion more than the uncertain promises of divine healing. In the premises of the preceding, the study concludes and recommends that pwd receive holistic material and psychosocial support and that they stop endlessly chasing after a physical healing.

The Miracle of Mercy and the Mandate of Justice

Daniela Augustine’s The Spirit and the Common Good continues her project of imagining the Christian life as a life given to iconizing the creator and thus sanctifying the creation. Drawing on the deep sources of Orthodox theology and post-modern philosophy, she casts a vision of the common good drawn by the church’s participation in the Spirit’s ‘world-mending artistry’. This review asks what her work means for American Pentecostals in the context of the current social upheaval and political reckoning.

Sancta Sanctis

The concept of holiness has played a significant role in Pentecostal identity. Worship has also been a defining feature of Pentecostalism, and for British Pentecostals, the ultimate locus of worship was historically around the Lord’s Table at the weekly Breaking of Bread service. Here at the Table holiness and worship met in the presence of the Lord, and in that meeting of the two the Gifts of the Spirit flowed, healing was found at the Table, and the Spirit-filled gathered congregation were sent back out into the world, renewed and refreshed as witnesses of the living Lord. While the Breaking of Bread could involve either intense joy or tears of repentance, it constantly bore witness to the seriousness with which Pentecostals took the holiness of God and His sanctification of His people. This article draws on historic British Pentecostal Eucharistic worship in working towards a Pentecostal theological account of holiness.

Inward Groans and Unknown Tongues

The following article examines the reception of Rom. 8.26 in early North American Pentecostal literature. The author will review the variety of perspectives offered on the passage from various early Pentecostal publications, noting how their reception betrayed an intuitive grasp of key interpretative questions that continue to dominate scholarly work on Paul’s unique claims about pneumatic intercession. While many early Pentecostals interpreted Rom. 8.26 as another reference to glossolalic prayer, not all did. Nevertheless, the interpretative connections made by early Pentecostals reveal a dynamic hermeneutical practice that integrated lived pneumatic experiences with close intertextual readings of Scripture in response to important interpretative issues.